THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2021 Page 5 Former prosecutor recalls years of Beachmont gang involvement before transformative moment changes his course that his raw and unfettered account of the streets of Revere would resonate with many professionals in his fi eld. “I don’t think that a lawyer or a judge would be particularly interested in accepting it,” said Riley. “Lawyers go to good schools where they study hard, they Early in his childhood, Fred Riley and his family moved to Endicott Avenue in Beachmont where Riley connected with his lifelong group of friends he calls his crew. By Jessica Kergo F rom gang affiliation to a distinguished career in the legal field, former Massachusetts Assistant Attorney General, Fred Riley recounts his delinquent youth in the streets of Revere and his later path on the are the best of the human spirit,” Riley writes in My Life as a Prosecutor. “Their moral fi ber holds its own and surpasses most.” Riley doubts T h e book cover of Riley’s memoir, My Life as a Prosecutor. don’t spend days on the orner like I did, and they don’t see that side of life.” The publishing process was less than ideal for Ri, who insisted on writing the 20-chapter memoir by hand and researchYOUTH | SEE Page 17 $2.19 GALLON We accept: MasterCard * Visa * & Discover Price Subject to Change without notice 100 Gal. Min. 24 Hr. Service 781-286-2602 FRED RILEY Author lawful side of the justice system in his 2021 memoir, My Life as a Prosecutor. Now 81 years old, Fred Riley grew up in the Beachmont section of Revere, where he and his “crew” were caught up in what Riley describes as a local gang culture that existed during the late fi fties and early sixties. Riley outlines the transformative event that altered the trajectory of his future and kick started his career in prosecution. He said he hoped to challenge derogatory preconceptions toward people from Revere. “I wanted to show that people who have had a less than enviable background can still be successful in an area where they normally wouldn’t think they could be,” said the former prosecutor. In his memoir, Riley captures the sense of companionship and loyalty that comprised Beachmont’s idiosyncratic culture during that time. He leaves no question of his pride for the city of Revere and his admiration for many of the people in his community. “My conclusion is that the City of Revere is peopled, on the whole, by those whose instincts
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