Category: Homelessness & Poverty
-
Sparing the Rod
Like most of us, I’ve been following the mess that is the National Football League this season. I’m not talking about the games themselves. I’m talking about the controversy. The Ray Rice situation is pretty cut and dry, and yes, count me among those who believe the league knew all along about that tape. But…
-
Frankenstein In Central Square, Part Five
When the wind blows like dragon-song in her ears, Rogue knows she is suspended in time. At times like this she thinks of her mother. She remembers her first awareness of being in the womb. The knowledge of her mission. And she opens her mouth, howling into the wind of the void, the place of…
-
Labels and the Immigration Problem
A few weeks ago, the Mayor of Lynn was explaining how the flood of immigrants has affected Lynn’s economy in a not necessarily good way. She said the city is spending more on education, and most of the new immigrant children don’t know English well enough to get a proper education in the school system.…
-
Tea
By Arnie King Tea was born at Cambridge City Hospital 44 years ago and lived his entire life in the Metro region. The early education experience began at home with his mother, a teacher for Cambridge Public Schools. Elementary classes were initiated through the Montessori curriculum, with the circular seating arrangement, at the Friends School…
-
Frankenstein in Central Square, Part Four
Frankenstein yearns for a shot of heroin. He wants to stop thinking just for a few hours. An eternity of thoughtlessness would be even better, he thinks, and he makes a croaking sound. This is the way he laughs. A dwarf with an overly large head scurries past him and disappears into the coffeehouse. Sirens…
-
Farewell to a Friend
Much has already been written and said about my contributions to Spare Change News over the years, and as I prepare to retire from the Board of Directors, the only thing I can think of is my friend, mentor, and fellow Spare Change News co-founder Tim Hobson. Tim passed away on August 19, just a…
-
James Shearer: Spare Change News’ Co-Founder Looks Toward What’s Next
James Shearer is perched on the edge of his chair – a red Coca-Cola can in his right hand, his left hand motioning constantly as he speaks. At the moment, he is talking about his life after Spare Change News, and he is excited. “What’s coming next is going to be hard, but it’s going…
-
Criminalization of Homelessness in US Condemned by the United Nations
By Carey L. Biron NEW YORK, N.Y.—A United Nations panel reviewing the U.S. record on racial discrimination has expressed unusually pointed concern over a new pattern of laws it warns is criminalizing homelessness. U.S. homelessness has increased substantially in the aftermath of the financial downturn, and with a disproportionate impact on minorities. Yet in many…