Daughter of No. 2 House Dem Must Apologize to Officer

Adult child of Rep. Katherine Clark gets probation after alleged assault in Boston
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 23, 2023 6:26 AM CST
Updated May 4, 2023 1:40 PM CDT
Daughter of No. 2 House Dem Allegedly Assaults Cop
Rep. Katherine Clark, the House minority whip.   (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)
UPDATE May 4, 2023 1:40 PM CDT

The daughter of a top Democrat will avoid jail and instead get a year's probation after allegedly assaulting a police officer in Boston. Riley Dowell, whose mother is House Whip Katherine Clark, must complete 30 hours of community service, pay for the cost of removing spray-painted graffiti, and write a letter to the officer she allegedly struck in the face during her January arrest at a protest, reports Boston.com and the Boston Globe. Dowell already has written an apology to the officer, whose nose was bloodied.

Jan 23, 2023 6:26 AM CST

The No. 2 Democrat in the House is contending with a controversy both personal and political. The 23-year-old daughter of Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts—the new minority whip—was arrested and accused of assaulting a police officer during a protest in Boston, reports Politico. "I love Riley, and this is a very difficult time in the cycle of joy and pain in parenting," tweeted Clark. "This will be evaluated by the legal system, and I am confident in that process."

In a press release, Boston police identify Clark's daughter, who is nonbinary, as Jared Dowell and say officers saw Dowell spray-painting the Boston Common bandstand with "NO COP CITY" and "ACAB," or "All Cops Are Ba------," reports the New York Post. Police say that when officers tried to arrest Dowell during the demonstration on Saturday in the public park, about 20 protesters surrounded them "screaming profanities." At some point, "an officer was hit in the face and could be seen bleeding from the nose and mouth," say police.

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Dowell is charged with assault by means of a dangerous weapon, destruction or injury of personal property, and damage of property by graffiti/tagging, per the AP. The Boston Herald notes that Clark herself was arrested last summer at an abortion protest outside the Supreme Court, an incident she referred to as "good trouble." Dowell is due in court on Monday. (More Katherine Clark stories.)

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