All photos: Jordan Frias About 100 residents from the Boston area organized outside of Back Bay Station on Dartmouth Street on Saturday, September 16 to kickoff Renters’ Week of Action, which is being held in 45 cities nationwide. City Life/Vida Urbana organizers led chants against Advanced Property Management and urged the public to sign a…
Mass. Activists and Politicians React to Trump’s DACA Repeal
Update: As of Sept. 14, President Donald Trump and the Democratic party have worked closer towards a deal on DACA. Democratic leader Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi announced working on a deal with the President, though the President has both denied and confirmed reports of the deal. The details are murky, though it seems…
The Battle for Land is a Battle of Words: How Language Shapes Neighborhood Development in Boston
Dorchester has become increasingly yuppified, according to some residents. Honeycomb Cafe, located near the Savin Hill MBTA Station, recently opened. (Photo by Olivia Deng) Shitty. Trendy. Townies. Yuppies. Teamsters. Bourgeoisie. Gritty. Upscale. Bleak. Vibrant. The meaning of these words takes on various dimensions in the context of neighborhood development, as developers and politicians use words…
Gentrification Anxiety: JP Residents Demand More Affordable units in New Housing
Earlier this year, activists swarmed Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s office and called for more affordable housing to be included in Plan JP/Rox. What attracted Susan Prager and her husband to Egleston Square nearly 30 years ago? The affordability of a single-family home and the diversity of the residents living in the area. Now, this section…
Ex-priest convicted of child sexual abuse to be released Friday, alleged victims express concerns and outrage
Rodney Ford speaks at the podium as Mitchell Garabedian, right, looks on. Photo: Nathanael King. “Paul Shanley is evil. He destroyed my son’s life, my family’s life, and many other victim’s lives,” Rodney Ford said, holding back tears. Shanley, the ex-priest who allegedly sexually abused Ford’s son from ages six to 12 in the 80s,…
The Gold Medalist at the Giveaway: Aly Raisman visits Dorchester family shelter for mattress donation event
From left: Pearl, age four, shelter resident, Aly Raisman, and David Wolfe, CEO of Leesa Sleep. Photo: Samson Amore. Olympic gold medalist and 2016 women’s gymnastics team captain Alexandra “Aly” Raisman visited Heading Home’s Dorchester shelter on July 20, to help the families living there unbox their seven new mattresses from her partner company, Leesa…
Protesters assemble for Speaker Ryan’s Lawrence New Balance factory tour
Protesters in front of the Lawrence Train Station, on the opposite corner of the New Balance Factory. All photos: Alejandro Ramirez. Around 100 protesters gathered in front of the Lawrence, MA train station to protest U S. House Speaker Paul Ryan’s tour of the nearby New Balance factory. Many held signs supporting Obamacare and calling…
Boston sees continued success housing the homeless, but still more work to do
Mayor Marty Walsh at the 2014 opening of Southampton Street Shelter. Photo: Zengzheng Wang. On Thursday, Boston officials announced that their push to end chronic individual homelessness has resulted in housing 301 individuals since the start of 2016. This is in addition to the 846 veterans they have housed since 2015. The new numbers reflect…
Thousands in Boston Gather to Protest at March for Science
The Boston Common was filled with thousands of people protesting for science on Saturday afternoon. The event, which was originally planned to be a march, was changed to a protest due to the overwhelming size of attendees. Although the website emphasized that the gathering would be nonpartisan, many of the speakers voiced concerns about President…
Two transitional programs closing in Boston due to HUD budget changes
A row of bunk beds at 112 Southampton Street Shelter. Photo: Zengzheng Wang. Two Boston transitional programs designed to help homeless addicts recover and find housing while providing them shelter and aid are closing down due to a change in funding at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The two programs are currently…