Category: Social Justice
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Melvin Jenkins Remembered by Friends On and Off the Street: Cambridge Homeless Man Dies at 58; Described as Talented, Caring and Loyal
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Alistair Finlay misses his friend. He first met Melvin Jenkins two-and-a-half years ago, and he seemed like the kind of guy worth meeting. They became best friends. Both were homeless, seeing each other at drop-in centers and at Bread and Jam for breakfast. Alistair found Mel a very helpful man and a loyal friend,…
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Gentrification in Chinatown Raises Demand for Affordable Housing
CHINATOWN, Mass.—“It has long been gentrified,” A Chinatown resident exclaimed with a heavy sigh as he walked toward his apartment in Tai Tung Village, one of the early housing projects for low-income Chinatown residents. Tai Tung Village is a gray, medium-sized high-rise surrounded by other rundown-looking apartments. A family of four only needs to pay…
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A Year After Mass Hunger Strike in California Prisons, What Has Changed?
By Victoria Law CRESCENT CITY, Calif.—On July 8, 2013, 30,000 California prisoners launched what became a 60-day mass hunger strike. One year later, however, Luis Esquivel is still sitting in the Security Housing Unit (SHU) in solitary confinement in California’s Pelican Bay State Prison. “Right now, my uncle is in his cell with no windows,”…
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‘Get Connected’ Brings Computers to Those in Need
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Every Wednesday afternoon from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., volunteers gather in the basement of Old Cambridge Baptist Church in Harvard Square to build computers for those in need. They are part of Get Connected – a volunteer-run computer clinic provided by the nonprofit Solutions At Work in partnership with Computer Care and Learning,…
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Isaura Mendes’ Rise Above Grief
In 1990, there were 152 murders in the Dorchester and Roxbury neighborhoods of Boston. But even though people were dying on the streets near her home, Isaura Mendes did not think about the violence much. She assumed the men she knew were killed because they had done something wrong – maybe drugs or gang activity.…
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Chinese Progressive Association Rallies to Demand Affordable Housing
BOSTON, Mass.—As part of the affordable housing movement, a reaction to the City of Boston’s rocketing rental prices, the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) rallied in Dorchester today to shine a light on those who have been evicted. The backdrop of the rally was an ill-painted white duplex, half of which is empty. This a Federal…
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MBTA Cleaners Fight Staff Cuts
BOSTON, Mass.—On Saturday June 22, MBTA station cleaners and their supporters marched through downtown Boston and rallied in the Boston Common to protest upcoming staff cuts that would eliminate 30 percent of the cleaning workforce on September 1. The rally attracted 1,000 people, according to police reports, and was the latest event in cleaners’ campaign…
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Budget Amendment Seeks to Provide Homeless Families with Nutritious Meals
BOSTON, Mass.—For many homeless Massachusetts families, dinner means mini-fridges, microwaves, and the closest fast food chain to their hotel room. But legislators are hoping to change that with an amendment to the annual state budget that would bring nutritional food to displaced families living in hotels and motels. The proposed pilot program would bring together…
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Priced Out: Development Drives Rising Rents in Union Square
It’s 7:30 on a sticky Tuesday morning in mid-June. The bus is packed with teenagers studying for exams and finishing homework. Windows are cracked and hot air blows in, moving the stagnant air. Droopy-eyed professionals move aside as the bus approaches School St., allowing students to exit the bus and start their day, alleviating the…