Discuss: What is the Biggest Issue in Jamaica Plain?

(Jamaica) Plain and simple -- what is the biggest issue in Jamaica Plain? At the Wake Up the Earth Festival, Jamaica Plain News asked people to name what they think is the biggest issue in JP. And several topics continued to come up. Overwhelmingly people said either gentrification or housing affordability. Other issues were named as you can see below.

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Weekend Tent City at 3200 Washington St.

Two actions Saturday and Sunday by City Life/Vida Urbana and Affordable Housing Eglston/Beantown  Society showed "what democracy looks like!" as the youth chanted to drivers Sunday afternoon outside 3200Washington Street. City Life demonstrated at 26 School Street Saturday afternoon - setting up an eviction free zone in the middle of the street.  Tenants facing eviction from that building said they can't afford to even live in the new affordable units planned for at 3200 Washington Street. This was the point  of Affordable Housing Egleston and the Beantown  Society at the Sunday rally: how do the youth stay in the community they've lived most of  their lives? AHE knows its history.

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Protesters Block Washington, Demand 100 Percent of New Development Be Affordable

"The force of youth" it was called by organizer Maya Gaul, a lifelong resident of School Street. It was nothing less than an amazing and spirited rally for the soul of Jamaica Plain; never before seen in Egleston Square in this observer's 40 years in the neighborhood. On a mellow Wednesday evening, more than 50 youth and adults gathered in the Peace Park at Egleston Square to demand 100 percent affordability at the development of 3200 Washington St. Specifically, the group wants housing to be affordable for families earning $26,000 a year. The current proposal calls for 12 of the 76 housing units of a five-six story development to be what the city of Boston considers affordable.

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3200 Washington St.: The Future of Egleston Square in the Balance

A Boston Redevelopment Authority-sponsored public meeting about the planned development of  the former Economy Plumbing evolved into a protest on the very future of Egleston Square. The day after the contentious Wednesday meeting, Mayor Martin Walsh addressed the Urban Land Institute — a group of which toured Egleston Square this week — on the need for a Washington Street planning process that combines "development and consensus." BRA Assistant Project manager Ed McGuire cautioned a packed house at the Egleston Square YMCA that "this has not been approved. [The BRA] is still reviewing this proposal." The 3- day comment period had been extended to April 15.  "[Your] comment letters are a very important part of this process."

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Fight Over San Francisco Neighborhood’s Mural Has Lessons for JP

The resolution of a community-dividing dispute in a San Francisco neighborhood has lessons for JP, one sociologist told the crowd at the most recent JP Forum. Beth Roy, a longtime mediator in the Bay Area, gave a talk titled, “Mediating Gentrification: How One Community Created Unity Out Of Divisiveness.”

Roy shared how she helped mediate an eight-year dispute in her own changing neighborhood of Bernal Heights. The San Francisco neighborhood is similar to JP, with an "urban village" feel, according to the San Francisco Gate. In 1980 the community branch library created vibrant murals on its exterior walls. And 30 years later, the adored branch library was being renovated.

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Tell Us How JP Is Changing For You

Why do people move to London? Why do they choose to leave? #londonischanging http://t.co/TQ1wE0lm3A @duartecg pic.twitter.com/6CAxdjqyeF— OpenCity Projects (@OpnCty) March 3, 2015

An ocean separates Jamaica Plain and London, England, but both areas share an air of change. A project running in London has caught our attention and we’re replicating it in JP. Rather than promoting companies and services, two digital billboards in Central London are promoting its people, the changing city and an enhanced understanding of the rapid change.

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Screen grab of Storify stream for the 2015 State of Our Neighborhood forum.

As It Happened: ‘State of Our Neighborhood’ 2015

The fifth annual "State of Our Neighborhood" forum took place Thursday at the Kennedy School. This year's gathering focused on affordable housing. The format was designed to get specific commitments from politicians who represent JP on City Council and on Beacon Hill. More than 200 people attended the event, which was organized by JP New Economy Transition. [View the story "As It Happened: 'State of Our Neighborhood' 2015" on Storify]

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Latina Entrepreneurs Aim to Thrive as Hyde Square Changes

Damaris Pimentel, owner of Ultra Beauty Salon, colors Rose Moorachian's hair. November 2014. Credit: Esther Ro

Running a small business is no easy task. Just ask longtime Jamaica Plain entrepreneurs Damaris Pimentel and Patria Valenzuela. The two business pioneers face the challenge of thriving in the midst of a gentrifying neighborhood.

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Egleston Square Main Street Annual Meeting and Networking Breakfast

Egleston Square Main Street Hosts Annual Meeting/Breakfast

Rise and shine, neighbors! Here's your Morning Memo for all things JP for Monday, Oct. 20. Egleston Square Main Street Annual Meeting and Networking Breakfast: As regular readers of Jamaica Plain News know, there are a lot of positive things happening in Egleston Square. Mark you calendars and register for Friday's annual meeting and networking breakfast for Egleston Square Main Street, the community business and development organization.

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‘Ain’t No One Can Afford This’ — Video Project Debuts at Lantern Parade

Santo Anibal Ramirez, owner of Anibal Color Studio, talking about closing his business due to the rise in rent. Credit: "Ain't No One Can Afford This"
People pour their sweat and souls into things they believe are worth their time. Helen "Homefries" Matthews, a Jamaica Plain resident of 13 years, dedicates her time to "Ain't No One Can Afford This," a public video project that will share the stories of JP residents and business owners who have been or are being priced out. I sat with Homefries for about two hours in Café Bartlett Square. As she spoke about her community and its residents, I saw the fervor in her eyes with which she is diving into this video project full-fledged.

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