(NECN: Jennifer Eagan, Lawrence, Mass.) - The signs on people's backs are a play on a headline about Lawrence, Mass.
Boston Magazine published an article last month calling Lawrence the "City of the Damned."
Two hundred people who live or work in the city rallied Tuesday afternoon in Pemberton Park.
"We are damn proud of being Lawrencians," said Rosa Pina, a resident. "We are damn proud of being parents, of working in this town."
Pina has lived in Lawrence for 20 years.
"We know that there is crime, we know that there is unemployment, we know that there is everything, but we want people to know and realize that there are good things in Lawrence, there are good people in Lawrence," said Pina.
Lawrence is one of the state's poorest cities, and state officials have appointed overseers to control the city and the schools' budget. Crime is also on the rise.
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The Boston Magazine article describes a city where efforts to turn these circumstances around is thwarted by political corruption, specifically, but Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua.
In a statement, the editor of the magazine said, "We stand behind our reporting and hope readers will understand that the piece presents the people of Lawrence as victims of a corrupt system, not the problem."
Lantigua says he's not going anywhere.
"They're not happy that I'm here," said Lantigua. "And the news that I have for them is that I'm going to be there and I'm going to be there for a long time."
Lantigua is the focus of state and federal probes into alleged campaign finance improprieties. When asked if the key to changing the city is changing who is in office, people at the rally said the gathering was about people, not politics.
