Neighborhood Life
"Black Lives Matter" sign on the lawn at First Baptist Church in JP. The sign was stolen the week of Oct. 5, 2015.

‘Black Lives Matter’ Sign to be Reinstalled at First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain on Sunday

By |

On Sunday the First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain will reinstall its "Black Lives Matter" sign that was vandalized and thrown in the trash in early October. Jamaica Plain’s First Baptist Church, located at 633 Centre St., has been playing a role in the nation-wide “Black Lives Matter” movement. Pastor Ashlee Wiest-Laird and Rev. Osagyefo Sekou have been very involved in the national movement and were among members of the First Baptist community who travelled to Ferguson, Mo. to protest the police killing of Michael Brown. Sekou has since moved on from First Baptist to St.

1,556 Views
Police and Fire
"Black Lives Matter" sign on the lawn at First Baptist Church in JP. The sign was stolen the week of Oct. 5, 2015.

‘Black Lives Matter’ Sign Stolen From Church Lawn

By |

Quietly, Jamaica Plain's First Baptist Church has been playing a role in the nation-wide "Black Lives Matter" movement. Last month, someone vandalized a large "Black Lives Matter" sign on the church lawn. This week, the sign was stolen entirely, stakes and all, reported Pastor Ashlee Wiest-Laird. A new sign is already on order, Wiest-Laird said in a Facebook post. Rev. Osagyefo Sekou and Wiest-Laird, among others from First Baptist, travelled to Ferguson, Mo.

2,767 Views
Real Estate

JP Hosts Meeting on Olympic Displacement

By |

Thursday night a trio of groups will host a discussion of possible displacement of residents by the 2024 Olympics. The event, hosted by No Boston 2024, Black Lives Matter and the Boston Homeless Solidarity Committee, begins at 7 p.m. at Hope Central Church, 85 Seaverns Ave. Here's a link to the Facebook event page. Dubbed "Olympic Sized Displacement," the panel will explore whether Boston residents would be forced from their homes should Boston 2024 succeed in bringing the Olympics to the city. Organizers of the forum cite a 2007 study that found 2 million people had been displaced in the previous 20 years because of the Olympics.

1,302 Views
Police and Fire

At Least Five JP People Among Those Arrested in I-93 Protests

By |

Protestors with arms chained together inside barrel on Rte 83 Milton pic.twitter.com/ORaUqQ7les— Tim Alben (@TimAlben) January 15, 2015

UPDATE: We've added new information from State Police. ~~~~~

It's no surprise that JP was there for one of the most-talked-about demonstrations in recent Boston history. At least five of the 29 activists arrested in connection with the blockage of I-93 on Thursday are from the neighborhood. Protesters chained themselves together with concrete-filled tubes or to concrete-filled barrels. Activists said in a statement that the action was to encourage white people to stand with people of color to protest systemic racism.

1,425 Views