Mayor Walsh Declares Racism a Public Health Crisis and Reallocates BPD Overtime $

Saying that Boston needs to be a leader in battling racism, Mayor Marty Walsh declared racism a public health crisis. He also announced that 20% or $12 million of the Boston Police Department's overtime budget will be reallocated as investments in equity and inclusion in the city. "In Boston, we embrace the opportunity this moment and this movement offers us," said Walsh on Friday. "We stand with our Black community and communities of color to lead the change toward a more just and equitable society. With these actions, we will increase equity in public safety and public health, and launch a conversation that can produce lasting, systemic change to eliminate all the ways that racism and inequality harm our residents."

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Elected Officials of Color Present 10-Point Plan to Combat Systemic Racism in Policing & Police Brutality

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, and state Rep. Nika Elugardo were among elected officials of color to speak at a press conference on Tuesday outside of the State House, and released a 10-point plan to combat systemic racism. Pressley joined the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus and other elected officials of color from across the state to "speak directly to the pain and injustice facing our communities and to advocate for police accountability and reform." You can view the entire press conference here. Elugardo said that she worked closely with African American Coalition Committee (AACC), a group of "inside the wall" advocates incarcerated at MCI Norfolk who, before Elugardo was elected, helped draft the original bill to establish the Commission on Structural Racism referenced in priority #7. (Graphics from Boston At-Large City Councilor Julia Mejia)

 

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Pressley, Elugardo, Goldstein Talking About COVID-19 Path to Recovery on May 20

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, state Rep. Nika Elugardo, and Congressional candidate Robbie Goldstein, will talk about the state and federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday. The event is being hosted by JP Progressives, and the Mass Public Health Association, with the following special guests:

Nancy Kreiger from the Harvard School of Public Health will share findings from her research on the disparate impact of the virus

Monique Ching from the Mass Budget and Policy Center will speak about the state budget crisis
Milt Kotelchuck from Mass General Hospital will provide relevant historical context

Goldstein, who is a Democratic challenger to Congressman Stephen Lynch, 8th-MA

"Massachusetts has more than 86,000 cases and nearly 6,000 deaths, but who are the individuals and communities that have been most impacted? What is the current and future outlook for our community and economic health? What are policymakers at the state and federal levels doing, and not doing, to respond to the crisis?" said a JP Progressives email newsletter.

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Rep. Elugardo Endorses Goldstein in Attempt to Unseat Congressman Lynch

First-term state Rep. Nika Elugardo pulled off a huge upset when she unseated her predecessor Jeffrey Sanchez, who was the chair of the very powerful Massachusetts Ways and Means Committee. Now she's pulling for another upset -- Robbie Goldstein to unseat longtime Congressman Stephen Lynch. Goldstein, an infectious disease doctor, is running for the 8th Congressional District seat. Lynch has held that seat since 2013, after the 9th Congressional District, which he was first elected to represent in 2001, was redrawn. "It is my honor to endorse Dr. Robbie Goldstein in his campaign for the Massachusetts 8th Congressional District," said Elugardo via press release.

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Elizabeth Warren, Bernie, Biden? Who Are JP’s Politicians Supporting?

Early voting for Massachusetts residents occurred last week and the presidential primary is March 3. Many elected officials have let it be known who they support. Let's review who they're supporting. At-Large City Councilor Michelle Wu was a student of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren -- so you know the Wu Train is in full support of Warren. Wu is continually canvassing for Warren, went to the Iowa Caucus, and more.

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Rep. Elugardo Calls for Rent Control with State Bill

Rents have skyrocketed through the years in Boston, much of Massachusetts, and across the country. Unfortunately, salaries have not kept up with rising rents, and a state bill proposed by state Rep. Nika Elugardo wants to allow local municipalities the ability to reenact rent control in the Commonwealth. A hotly contested statewide ballot question banned rent control, 51 % to 49% across Massachusetts in 1994. At the time only Boston, Brookline, and Cambridge had rent control. "The current Rent Control Prohibition Act prohibiting rent regulation 'policy is based on the belief that the public is best served by free market rental rates for residential properties,'" said Elugardo in closed door testimony on January 14 (Rep. Elugardo, D-15th Suffolk, provided her talking points to Jamaica Plain News.

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Massachusetts Has Opportunity to Fully Fund Public K-12 Education; But Will It?

Massachusetts is a national leader on policy firsts. Education justice is no exception. We were the first state to establish education as a right in our Constitution. As with any worthwhile leadership challenge, the struggle to live out the vision is even harder than the act of codifying it. Today education in Massachusetts is still unequal.

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Elugardo: Criminal Justice Reform Includes Learning From ‘Inside the Walls’

In our district, many agree that structural inequities abound in our public institutions. One stark example: the criminal justice system. The belief that we must not only expose, but also eradicate the injustice embedded in Massachusetts “Correctional” Institutions (MCIs), and in the systems that send people there, is a big part of what inspired my run as state representative. Since assuming office I’ve regularly visited four of our MCIs to participate in restorative justice events, to take a tour of education and jobs training facilities, and, most importantly, to learn from and support political organizing “inside the walls,” as those living there often refer to themselves. The African American Coalition Committee (AACC) is one of a number of inspiring leadership organizations comprised of incarcerated persons.

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