Opinion

Opinion: Consider Science at the Polling Booth When Voting for City Council and Mayor

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Voting for the president is often the first thing that comes to mind when most of us think of taking political action. While it’s true that voting for the highest office is important, the changes that most affect our day-to-day lives are happening here in Boston. The primary elections for the Boston City Council and mayor are September 14. Boston City Councilors represent and support us as the connector between the people and city hall for issues and services directly related to Boston. Our local elected officials are the ones who dictate the local laws, policies, and budgets that affect us the most.

2,438 Views
From the Community

Letter: Unsealing Opportunity –The Need for CORI Sealing Services

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Should we punish people for crimes that no longer exist? This question has arisen in states like Massachusetts that have legalized cannabis for medicinal and recreational use. As people across the Commonwealth recover from the pandemic and internalize lessons from movements for racial justice, such as the disproportionate cost of the War on Drugs on communities of color, the answer has become overwhelmingly clear: no. However, despite our progress, Massachusetts is far behind its goals for restorative justice and providing opportunity to those most harmed by ill-conceived and inequitable policies. Although cannabis remains criminalized at the federal level, Massachusetts has been a modern leader in liberalizing laws concerning the substance.

2,076 Views
Opinion

Opinion: Honoring Boston’s Backbone — Our Labor Force

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It has been a year of uncertainty but as the days grow longer and warmer, vaccinations continue and the number of COVID-19 cases trend in the right direction, there is a sense of hope on the horizon. As this time of stress and uncertainty tapers off, we should never forget the people who made a difference during these darkest of times. Just as we honor our veterans of the armed forces on specific holidays throughout the year, from now on we need to always remember that not all heroes wear uniforms. On May 1, we began the month by commemorating May Day or International Workers Day. It is a day set aside to commemorate the gains and struggles made by workers and the labor movement in our world. May Day is especially important this year as a commemoration of the immeasurable contribution that front-line workers made here in Boston and across the globe during this past year. 
When Boston and our country faced the greatest public healthcare emergency in over a century, healthcare professionals showed up day-after-day-after-day.

2,131 Views
From the Community

Letter: To Hyde Square Task Force About Community Process for Sale of Church

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The following is a letter sent to the Hyde Square Task Force from the Friends of the Blessed Sacrament Church requesting an open, transparent community process during the selection of a developer for the church. We were pleased to hear that the Hyde Square Task Force (HSTF) has received several formal offers to purchase the Blessed Sacrament Church building, and that there is interest in the property beyond condo developers. We are also encouraged by recent statements that HSTF will prioritize a buyer that appreciates the significance of the church building to the Boston Latin Quarter and that HSTF will be considering community benefit as well as financial benefit and make sure any future buyer listens to the voices and concerns of the Latin Quarter community. As you consider proposals to develop the church, Friends of Blessed Sacrament requests that HSTF create a process where the community gets a chance to meet potential developers and give input and feedback before HSTF makes a final decision. Specifically, we request that before taking a board vote to select a developer, the HSTF hold one or more public meetings where the community can hear from potential developers and give their feedback and comments.

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Opinion

Governors, Emerald Necklace Conservancy & More Support Using Arborway Bus Yard Instead of Redeveloping Shattuck Campus for Supportive Housing

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The state has proposed redeveloping the 13 acres of the Shattuck Hospital campus site into an integrated health care, behavioral health and supportive housing. A virtual meeting was held on Tuesday night in which numerous people testified, including former Governor William Weld and former Governor Michael Dukakis. Both preferred the MBTA Arborway Yard Bus Facility site on Washington Street for the services instead of redeveloping the Shattuck Hospital campus. Click here to review the proposed Shattuck Hospital campus redevelopment. The following statement is from Karen Mauney-Brodek is the President of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy
The Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) hosted a virtual public hearing yesterday evening to present the draft request for proposals for the aging Shattuck Hospital site at Franklin Park. Approximately half of the members of public who spoke at the hearing felt that the proposed alternative 18-acre MBTA Arborway Yard Bus Facility site nearby would be the best location for the supportive housing and services needed, whereas many others agreed it would be great, but they didn’t think the Commonwealth was capable of working in the community’s best interest.

3,044 Views
Development

Opinion: Neighbors Come Together to Save Historical Zamora Street Home

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The neighbors, homeowners, and community around Zamora Street are urging the city of Boston to oppose the demolition of a historic home to make way for an undisclosed number of condo units on lovely little Zamora Street. The home at 15 Zamora Street and the adjoining non-conforming open parcels hold a stately 5,000 square foot two-family home. The home was built in 1898 by former Mayor Edwin Curtis and his brother Nelson, members of the prominent Curtis family which inhabited Jamaica Plain for more than five generations, dating back to the 1600s. The land on both sides of it represents the last open space north of Perkins Street between the Riverway and South Huntington Avenue. Rightfully, at a hearing on February 23, the Boston Landmark Commission (BLC) unanimously opposed the demolition of this property and set in motion a 90-day demolition delay, however next steps in the process lie with the Inspectional Services Department (ISD) and tip in favor of development without further obligations to the community.  
The small but spirited community of Zamora Street has pulled together to understand the Article 85 policy and how to save this home which was specifically noted to meet criteria D and E of Section 85.5 0.3 due to association with one or more historical persons.

2,291 Views
Opinion

Opinion: Marking Developmental Disability Awareness Month During the COVID Crisis

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My connection to Best Buddies and the Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) Community started with a bit of a selfish desire. I really wanted to meet Tom Brady. I would gladly pedal in a charity bike ride if I got to meet the G.O.A.T. But what came from that initial interest in meeting Brady, turned into one of the most transformative experiences of my life. It started me on a journey that forged life-long friendships with partners cemented by countless hours of training at Regan’s Motivated Fitness in South Boston and across the streets of Greater Boston. Best Buddies International has a mission of enhancing the lives of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities by creating one-to-one opportunities for friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, and inclusive living situations.

1,733 Views
Opinion

Opinion: Connect the Dots & Continuing to Enrich Boston’s Braille Legacy

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In the fifth grade, when most students were thinking of whether they would study Spanish or French heading to middle school, I started a time-consuming, difficult, life-changing project with the incredibly patient Mrs. Rowe. This slow process was one that required me to learn how to place my hands on paper and move them from left-to-right, line-to-line; identifying letters of the alphabet that I had just learned to print a few years earlier. Those letters, that I once traced with a pencil, were now being represented as a series of six raised dots across the page. Combining these movements and the series of dots into words, sentences, and ultimately pages, I learned braille. January marks the annual commemoration of Braille Literacy Month.

2,227 Views
From the Community

Opinion: Why I Support State Sen. Chang-Díaz’s Police Reform Bill

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Racial profiling continues to be a problem in Massachusetts and throughout our country, as people continue to be prejudged because of the color of their skin. Often, police officers will attack first and ask questions later. According to the ACLU Massachusetts, Black and Latinx motorists are significantly more likely to be stopped and have their vehicle searched. A 2018 analysis of Boston court data showed that Black motorists are nearly 15 times more likely to be charged with a motor vehicle offense in certain parts of the city. In the movie The Hate You Give two innocent Black teens are driving on a back road at night enjoying each other’s company when they get pulled over by police for being Black.

1,747 Views
Opinion

Mayor Walsh: Here’s How You Can Take Part In Boston’s Community Choice Electricity Program

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Boston is a leader on climate action. We’re preparing our communities for climate impacts like coastal flooding and heat waves, and we’re cutting the emissions that cause climate change to begin with. We’ve committed to becoming carbon neutral by the year 2050, and we’ve developed a Climate Action Plan to get us there. An important part of this work is bringing more clean, renewable energy into our city. And now, we’re taking another big step in this work with the rollout of our Community Choice Electricity program.

2,184 Views