The assault of a corrections officer in the South End has led to what Boston Police are calling “Operation Clean Sweep,” and what activists are characterizing as a bare-knuckled attack on the entirety of Boston’s Homeless population. Fifty-one-year-old Sean Stuart has been arrested in connection with an assault on Aug. 1, caught on video, that…
Prison industry can’t hide from human rights violations
Roughly 500 protesters — led by 19 different organizations — gathered in downtown Boston on Sunday, August 4, to take a stand against the American Correctional Association. The ACA, an accreditation agency for prisons and detention centers in the United States, held its annual Congress of Correction at Hynes Convention Center from Thursday, August 1,…
Criminal justice system failing young women on multiple fronts
Boston College Professor Francine Sherman testifies before law enforcement and legislators on how trauma leads younger women to commit crimes. photo by Sarah Betancourt A group of legislators, advocates, and law enforcement officials met at the Massachusetts State House Tuesday, July 30 for a monthly meeting during which they discussed raising the age of entry…
Can’t go home-but why would I?
But why would I want to return to what was never a home in the first place? Today I have a home. I live with a family, my wife Mary Esther and her mother, and they love and nurture me in ways I can depend on. My birth parents brought me into the world, took…
SCN Fall Gala
It’s time to buy tickets to the Spare Change News “Celebration of Empowerment” Fall Gala! Tickets are $45, and the event will include a cash bar and silent auction, and will support our mission of helping homeless people to recognize their power and take charge of their lives. Click here to purchase tickets.
Elder Tenants Fight for Their Rights
On July 27, women facing eviction from Our Lady’s Guild House (OLGH) and volunteers with housing justice non-profit City Life / Vida Urbana, embarked on a journey from Symphony Community Park to New Britain, Connecticut, where they held rallies in front of New Britain City Hall and the headquarters of Daughters of Mary of the…
Are the Homeless Trump’s Next Target?
President Trump has been in the news once again for all the wrong reasons. He’s been attacking people of color and saying that they should all go back to where they came from, among other things, but there is one story that people and the media seem to have forgotten about. “It’s a phenomena that…
Residential Reentry Program for Women Reopens in the South End
A residential reentry program exclusively serving women in the South End has reopened its doors after losing funding more than a year ago. The McGrath House, located on Massachusetts Avenue, was awarded money from the probation department to reopen after the state legislature approved $5 million for reentry services within the FY2019 budget. John Larivee,…
Reflections on the Poor People’s Congress
In June I attended the Poor People’s Moral Action Congress in Washington DC where 1,000 poor people gathered from 40 states. The Congress is part of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, and it was emotional for me for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, the original Poor People’s Campaign…
Former Fair Housing and Equity Staffer Hopes to Replace Three-Term Councilor in District 5 Race
Housing affordability has been an issue that Boston city council candidate Alkia Powell has dealt with throughout her life. Powell, vying to replace District 5 Councilor Tim McCarthy, who is not running for reelection, has left her post with the city’s economic development office to be a voice for Roslindale, Mattapan and Hyde Park –…