Author: James Shearer
-
VOICES FROM THE STREET: A certain sadness
I, along with millions of others, watched the events that unfolded in Baltimore last week. Like so many others, I was also angered and saddened by what went down. It’s a scene that has become all too familiar over the last year. A young black man was killed by the police, seemingly without provocation. Freddie…
-
VOICES FROM THE STREET: Well, Charlie?
In my zeal to crucify the Mayor Marty Walsh administration for what happened with Long Island shelter and its aftermath, it was brought to my attention and also to the attention of other activists that, while we were busy roasting the mayor, the state had emerged unscathed from our criticism. Well, for my part, let…
-
JAMES SHEARER: Six months … really?
As I write this, I’ve just returned from a rally at Boston’s City Hall with my compadres from the Boston Homeless Solidarity Committee. For those of you who don’t know, the committee was formed in October by a group of homeless and formerly homeless activists in response to the closing of Long Island Shelter in…
-
VOICES FROM THE STREET: Too Young
As I was walking in Harvard Square the other day, I noticed a young girl who was homeless. I had seen her many many times before, but, for whatever reason, on this day I really saw her. She couldn’t have been more than 14, maybe 15. Of course, she asked me if I had any…
-
VOICES FROM THE STREET: Does it really matter?
Another old female friend of mine passed away last week from a drug overdose. Homeless and, as far as I know, alone, she was young—in her early 50s—and a good woman, but I’m not going to bore you with her story, how she lived and how she died. The reason why? Because it won’t change…
-
VOICES FROM THE STREET: Thinking of U Baby Girl
By the time you read this I will have had my first fundraiser for my new project. Am I excited about it? Yes, but at the same time there is a sadness: I sorely wish that someone was here to share it with me. My daughter Jasmine would have been 21 in February. You would…
-
VOICES FROM THE STREET: Homeless Winter Blues
As I write this Massachusetts has had to endure another snowstorm. It’s the third in three weeks and, once again, there was a mad scramble by the homeless to find shelter anywhere that was safe and that may not necessarily be a shelter. Some people try to take refuge in an MBTA subway station or…
-
A question or two for Mr. Mayor
A few days ago, I stood in protest in front of Symphony Hall in Boston with members of the Homeless Solidarity Committee, the United School Bus Union Workers and Black Lives Matter supporters while Boston Mayor Marty Walsh prepared for his first state of the city address. Unfortunately, these bones can no longer withstand the…
-
We Can Do Better
“We can do better.” That was part of the opening speech given at the beginning of the 25th Interfaith Homeless Memorial Service that is held annually at the Church on the Hill in Boston. It’s a somber event, as the names of those who have passed away on the street in the previous year are…
-
Demon
I watched along with the rest of the nation two weeks ago as the Ferguson, Missouri, District Attorney announced the decision of the grand jury regarding whether to charge the police officer who gunned down an unarmed black teenager in August. I can honestly say that it turned out the way I expected. Anyone who…