I said I wouldn’t criticize Mayor Marty Walsh and the City of Boston about the Point-in-Time Count (homeless census). I lied. I mean I really wasn’t going to say much of anything more than what I said in my last column, then I read that the mayor was looking to get a raise; not only…
Stand Together
I said I wouldn’t criticize Mayor Marty Walsh and the City of Boston about the Point-in-Time Count (homeless census). I lied. I mean I really wasn’t going to say much of anything more than what I said in my last column, then I read that the mayor was looking to get a raise; not only…
Boston Pride talks public accommodations law and legal protections for trans people
Members of the LBGTQ community, in particular transgender people, and allies are working to protect the public accommodations law adopted by the Massachusetts legislature in 2016. The law specifically protects a person based on their gender identity, but could be repealed if voters choose ‘no’ on the ballot question in November. Freedom for All Massachusetts…
What Comes After Trump? Lots of work.
I was scanning through news stories the other day when I came across a really sad and horrible story. In Florida, a black family was awarded a measly four dollars in damages in a wrongful death suit after a deputy shot the father through a garage door—his own garage door, by the way—because of a…
Puerto Rico: Forgotten by the United States
Since its annexation, the U.S. government has not given Puerto Rico enough support. The United States have looked the other way when Puerto Rico was governed by corrupt leaders with the support- or should I say non-support- of our country. As Stephen Kinzer noted in a recent Boston Globe piece, the history of Puerto Rico…
A Lesson In Impermanence
My wife worked hard almost all of her life, except for a ten year period where she was very sick, and she decided, about 9 months ago to treat herself to her final car. She’s never had a really nice car before and she sprung for a 2017 Toyota Camry. It was beautiful and I…
Looking in the Mirror: Part Two
A few years ago a woman I was dating asked me this question: “Why are there hardly any women selling Spare Change?” It was a question I had heard before and for the life of me I couldn’t answer it. I remember mumbling something about I didn’t know if the board of directors or anyone…
Looking in the Mirror: Part One
The other day I was thinking of one of our former editors, the first black editor Spare Change had in over 20 years, when he came aboard he began to take the paper in a new direction. Let’s just say there was a lot more color than the paper was used to, and there was…
‘Welfare Reform’ Poised to Exclude People in Need From Assistance
On April 10, President Trump privately signed an executive order entitled, “Reducing Poverty in America by Promoting Opportunity and Economic Mobility.” The order charges federal agencies with the task of increasing the requirements of welfare programs, making cuts to existing programs, and allowing states more flexibility in implementing programs. To guide these efforts, the…
In The World Of The Addict
Upon my return from a wonderful weekend praying and meditating at a retreat center in Vermont I check my phone messages. One of the messages is from a friend in Gloucester, which is where I currently live, telling me that another friend of ours who was in recovery has relapsed and died of an overdose.…