Hasani Little, a third grader at the Shaw Elementary School, played a big man’s role on the morning of Dec. 2 when fire broke out at his home on Lucerne Street. He was asleep when he became aware of the fire in the three-decker he shares with his mom and four siblings. He first woke up his family, then alerted his neighbors as well, including a mother and her newborn baby.
The state’s unique law, intended to protect the privacy of victims of domestic and sexual violence, has instead protected perpetrators and police, a WBUR investigation found. The law requires police keep secret all reports related to sexual and domestic violence.