Hotel workers and members of UNITE HERE Local 26 marched through the Seaport on Friday, September 21 to rally against Marriott-owned hotels in the area. The march of 100 plus workers was a continuation of a march held on Labor Day, where union members announced they would force a strike vote if contract negotiations did…
Immigration Court Ordered to Review Denied Asylum Petition
A federal appeals court in Boston has ordered a review of a Bureau of Immigration Appeals ruling that denied a rehearing to a man seeking asylum. Indra Sihotang is one of hundreds who have fled anti-Christian oppression in Indonesia. He has been allowed to stay in the U.S. for well over a decade, but last…
Not Buying It: Boston Claims Chronic Homelessness is Down 20 Percent
A couple of weeks ago the City of Boston had a round table conversation with the press to let us all know that due to their efforts chronic homelessness in the city has been reduced by 20 percent since 2016. If yours truly had been present at this conversation, those government employees would have gotten…
Boston Activists Rally to Show Solidarity With Nationwide Prison Strike
About 150 people rallied outside of Suffolk County Jail Thursday, Aug. 23 to stand in solidarity with a nationwide prison strike which kicked off earlier in the week. As police stood on the jailhouse steps, batons at the ready, protesters chanted, sang, and donned signs. The prison reformists and abolitionists called for the Massachusetts Department…
Boston Women’s Shelter finishes renovations
Alisha Bernard began singing when she was very young, found success performing throughout New England and had an opportunity to sign a record deal. But even as her voice soared, she struggled with personal challenges; depression and drug use. Ultimately, that professional opportunity was lost. She found herself as a guest at Woods-Mullen, an emergency…
Once again, counter-protesters outnumber alt-right rally in Boston
Counter-protesters outnumbered the alt-right on Saturday. All photos by author. Repeating the scene from last summer, over 300 counter-protesters showed up to outnumber members of the so-called “alt-right” — the umbrella term for a collection of white nationalists, neo-Nazis, and internet-immersed right-wingers — at a rally held in Boston’s City Hall Plaza on Saturday. The counter-protesters…
Boston progresses in goal to end chronic homelessness, despite large inflow over last two years
In a roundtable with the press on the morning of August 16, the City of Boston announced that their effort to house the chronically homeless population is seeing results, reducing the population by 20 percent since 2016. Since 2016, the city of Boston has housed 580 chronically homeless individuals — the start of Mayor Martin…
The Forgotten Crisis: Nobody Thinks It Could Happen to Them
Sometimes when I talk to groups about homelessness, unless they’re activists, I get a blank stare, like I’m talking to a bunch of empty chairs or an empty room. I get it: homelessness isn’t sexy or trendy like climate change, gun control, LGBTQ rights, or even animal rights for that matter. Those are all important…
Boston receives federal grant to help homeless youth
Mayor Walsh poses with members of the Bridge Over Troubled Waters community. Photo by author. On Tuesday, July 17, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that Boston will be one of 11 communities to receive a part of a $43 million dollar grant to help end youth homelessness. The announcement was made…
Children’s March Urges Gov. Baker to Strengthen Legal Protections for Immigrant Families
On Thursday, April 19, 2018, the Essex County Community Organization (ECCO) lead the Children’s March at the Massachusetts State House in Boston. The march was organized to protest federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policies that target immigrant families. Marchers gathered at the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial in the Boston Common, with children directly affected…