There may not be anyone in Boston who has guided as many families through the criminal justice system as the Rev. Bruce Wall.
He thought he had long since run out of new perspectives on the experience of dealing with the Boston Police Department. But that changed earlier this month when he was told that one of his sons is a "person of interest" in the theft of a couple of cellphones in Hyde Park.
"We decided that it was time for the family to be proactive and say that he is innocent, that he did not commit the crime, that we believe him and that we stand with him in this grueling, exhausting, and draining process," Wall said in a telephone interview after a news conference yesterday.
Wall admitted his hand had been forced in announcing that his son is being investigated. Word was getting around, and given his high profile, publicity was imminent. Wall said Boston police went to his son's school and interrogated several students about the alleged robbery. He said his wife had given permission for police to question his son.
Wall has been an active figure in fighting crime for more than two decades, especially in Codman Square, where his church is located. His actions have drawn both praise and occasional condemnation, as when he declared that tourists should avoid Boston in the wake of the shooting of Chiara Levin earlier this year. No one, though, has ever questioned his dedication to kids in trouble. In addition to his ministry, Wall was a court officer in the Boston Juvenile Court for 24 years, a post from which he is now retired.
While steadfastly maintaining his son's innocence, he appeared to be wrestling with the guilt common among parents whose children are in trouble.
"There are a lot of middle-class families that flew out of this town to save their children," Wall said. "We decided to stay here and fight, and by doing that we have placed our children in harm's way," he said. "There are families that have lost their children to homicides, and we don't want to lost my son to these charges."
Wall's son has not been named in the case because he is a juvenile and, more important, he hasn't been charged with anything. Wall said the teenager has no criminal record, adding that his worst offense has been failing to take out the trash.
His schoolmates stand behind him, Wall said, as well as his teachers and headmaster. Wall said he has no idea where the investigation stands, though the family has lined up a lawyer and a public relations consultant for advice.
The reverend has never harbored any illusions that he is immune to the crime he advocates against. He has been assaulted himself by criminals who didn't want his counsel. As he pointed out, he made a point of remaining in the city when he easily could have left. He has never wanted to divorce himself from the streets. Not everyone who stands in front of a microphone talking about crime can say that.
Wall's church, Global Ministries Christian Church in Dorchester, holds a community rally every Saturday, and he is a familiar presence on the radio, calling on peace-loving citizens to take back the streets.
Still, he didn't seem to be able to shake a sense of wonder about his role reversal, from counselor to counseled. He repeatedly resorted to words like draining and grueling to describe the last few weeks of his life.
"I've always been on the side of advocating for families, whether the kid was guilty or innocent," Wall said. "I am seeing another side of this that I never saw before it came into my own home." Wall stressed that he plans to continue to work with the Boston Police Department on public safety issues.
There is something odd about the idea of proclaiming your child's innocence before he has even been accused of anything.
But there are few surprises anymore. Bruce Wall sounded like a man worried about his child.
Many parents in Boston know the feeling.
Adrian Walker is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at walker@globe.com.
