inside this week
Ibram Kendi opens anti-racism center at BU pg 2
INSIDE ARTS
business news
OPERA COMPANIES CREATE WORKSHOP TO DIVERSIFY THE ART FORM pg 15
Community rallies around Dorchester bike shop pg 14
plus New Leventhal Map Center exhibition pg 15 The making of a virtual museum tour pg 16 Vol. 55 No. 46 • Thursday, June 11, 2020 • FREE • GREATER BOSTON’S URBAN NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1965
www.BayStateBanner.com
Restaurants, retail now open in Mass. Governor cites downward trend in COVID cases; some urge caution By KENNEAL PATTERSON
BANNER PHOTO
A crowd estimated at 10,000 gathered for a demonstration against police violence at Franklin Park last week.
Will police protests lead to substantive changes? Black elected officials seek movement on reforms By YAWU MILLER Black elected officials’ longsought efforts to reform police practices are getting a new hearing after more than a week of demonstrations across the nation over the police killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd. During a City Council hearing last Thursday, Councilor Andrea Campbell outlined her priority reforms including full
implementation of body cameras, a civilian review board, transparency in the department’s database of stops and searches, and clear protocols for use of force by police officers — all issues activists and councilors of color have sought progress on over the last six years. In recent years, those efforts have hit stiff headwinds in the council chamber. In 2015, when activists first brought a proposal for body-worn cameras to the council, white councilors praised
the police for doing a “phenomenal job” with community policing and questioned the need for body cameras. While some officers have been outfitted with the cameras, five years later the department has not yet fully implemented a program. At the state level, members of the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus have been seeking support for a raft of criminal justice
See POLICE PROTESTS, page 6
Massachusetts’ second phase of reopening began on Monday. Retail stores, day care facilities, camps and outdoor-dining areas have already begun welcoming back customers, and business owners are adapting to a postpeak pandemic. Gov. Charlie Baker has moved forward with the second phase of reopening based on the downward trend of new cases and hospitalizations in the state. Although many business owners are anxious to reopen, others warn against reopening too soon. State Rep. Mike Conolly has previously said that not enough has been done to protect at-risk communities. He has said that officials in the commonwealth are rejecting science and rejecting experts in an effort to serve capitalism, and that the economy began reopening once the privileged and wealthy were ensured a hospital bed. Carlene Pavlos, the executive director of the Massachusetts Public Health Association, reported to the Boston Globe that Baker ignored certain standards while reopening, for example, not collecting enough data on at-risk populations. The second phase of reopening is dubbed “cautious.” All businesses must meet state criteria for reopening and ensure proper sanitization methods. Only outdoor seating at restaurants is permitted, and stores
must limit their number of customers. Summer camps, hotels and other recreational areas that reopen must follow a long list of requirements. Gatherings of 10 or more, unless in a park, are still prohibited. Only eight people per 1,000 feet of indoor space are allowed in a store at a time. This includes the staff. Fitting rooms will remain closed, and people will not be allowed to sample products. Shoppers must still remain six feet apart at all times and wear face coverings. Although restaurant-goers at tables will not be wearing face masks, all employees must do so. All utensils will be packaged or rolled, and there will be a sixfoot distance between all tables. The tables will be sanitized after every meal. Restaurants will collect customer contact information and shut down for 24 hours to sanitize if a diner tests positive. It’s been three months since Gov. Charlie Baker declared a statewide stay-at-home order. The state’s total case count, as of Monday, was 103,206 cases and 7,353 deaths. There have been 13,026 confirmed cases in Boston and 666 deaths. The pandemic continues to hit communities of color the hardest. The state population is over 80% white, but only 29% of COVID-19 cases have been recorded as “non-Hispanic/white.” The data is incomplete, as race data is known for only about
See COVID, page 10
Urban League marks 100 years Local chapter committed to racial justice By BRIAN WRIGHT O’CONNOR Not long after the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts opened its doors, lynchings were sweeping across the South, race riots were exploding in cities across the land and African American veterans of World War I were finding doors to employment closed in their faces. The Bay State branch of the national economic and civil rights
advocacy group acted to counter the challenges, urging the Massachusetts delegation in Congress to support federal anti-lynching laws while firmly pushing open the door of hiring opportunities for black men and women throughout Greater Boston. The tone of the post-World War I era was set by President Woodrow Wilson, who said of the returning vets, “Black American soldiers were being treated as equals by the French and it has gone to
their heads.” Compounding the tensions in 1919 were a faltering economy and widening fears of anarchy triggered by bombings targeting public figures, including the Washington home of U.S. Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer. Enlisting the aid of a young J. Edgar Hoover, Palmer sought to root out the “Red Menace” of communist extremism, which he feared would mobilize African Americans against the white establishment. T h e t a r ge t i n g o f b l a c k PHOTO: JOSHUA QUALLS, GOVERNOR’S PRESS OFFICE
See URBAN LEAGUE, page 8
Charlie Baker
2 • Thursday, June 11, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER
Ibram Kendi opens anti-racism center at BU By YAWU MILLER Ibram X. Kendi, one of the nation’s leading scholars of racism, will launch Boston University’s BU Center for Antiracist Research on July 1. Kendi comes to Boston from American University in Washington, D.C., where he is a professor of history and of international relations. He is the author of the 2019 best-selling book, “How To Be an Antiracist,” “The Black Campus Movement,” and “Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America.” The Banner spoke with Kendi about his work and his aspirations for the new center at Boston University. The following interview has been edited for clarity.
How did you become interested in anti-racist work? I’ve always been somewhat involved in anti-racist work. My parents came out of the black theology movement in the ’60s and early ’70s, so they came to their Christianity as part of the fight to liberate black people from racism and so I think, in a way, they raised me to see racism as a problem and to use my ability to try and challenge this problem.
What impact do you think the work of the BU Center will have on the conversation on race in the United States? There are so many racial inequities and injustices that exist and that persist. The first step
to reducing or even eliminating them is trying to understand the source of them. It takes a multidisciplinary research team to figure out the confluence of factors that could be leading to racial inequities. To give an example, it’s very easy for people to claim that the reason why black people were dying of COVID-19 more than white people is because black people don’t take their health seriously or black people weren’t taking the virus seriously. It ultimately became, ‘Black people have more pre-existing conditions.’ But recent studies have shown that it’s actually a confluence of factors — that it’s factors like employment, access to health care, access to medical insurance, the air and water quality of neighborhoods. So, in order for us to realize the true source of problems, we have to develop skilled research teams. Those are the types of teams we want to build. We want to build these research teams that will not only conduct that research but will ultimately develop policy solutions based on the research. Then we can put ourselves in touch with policymakers who can test out these policy solutions.
We’re in a moment with the current wave of demonstrations where there is national and international recognition of the pervasiveness of race bias in the United States. Do you see any encouraging signs that public officials will respond? The two centers of the outrage
I think that it’s hard to grow up in this country, no matter your race, and not believe that there’s something wrong with black people, or that there’s something ugly about kinky hair, or that there’s something dangerous about black people, or
“
Racism is a modern construct that in the span of human existence is only nearly 600 years old. In order to defeat racism, those of us who are serious about it have to believe that that is possible.“ — Ibram Kendi
COURTESY PHOTO
Ibram Kendi against racism have been Louisville and Minneapolis. In Louisville, as a result of the murder of Breonna Taylor, there has been a move to stop using ‘no-knock
warrants.’ This weekend, it was reported that a majority of the Minneapolis City Council is in favor of dismantling the Minneapolis Police Department and replacing them with something more protective of the people. So those are encouraging signs, and there are other policy changes afoot in different places. But at the same time, just as somebody can do away with ‘no knock’ warrants when people are demonstrating on the street, so too can a new administration in Louisville reinstate that policy. We need to ensure that these demonstrations turn into permanent policy changes that can protect black and brown people from police violence and racism.
Do you think this moment can produce the kinds of cultural and policy changes that occurred after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968? I’m not sure. I think history will tell us what type of moment we’re in. I certainly want a moment that’s even more transformative than the reaction to King’s assassination, because if that moment had completely eliminated racism, then we wouldn’t be in this moment right now. I think history is going to tell us.
White people often say, “But I’m not racist” when confronted with their own biases. How do you think people should respond to that? There’s no such thing as being not racist. When someone who just expressed a racist idea is challenged, a person who is racist is going to say that. But a person who’s striving to be anti-racist is going to admit, ‘Yes, that was a racist idea, and I was wrong and I’m going to change.’ The whole construct of being not racist has been to defend one’s own racism.
To what extent do black people in the United States harbor racist attitudes or anti-black attitudes?
there’s something wrong with black women or black men. It’s very, very hard because those ideas are constantly being fed to us. And black people, too, internalize those ideas. And black people, too, think there’s something wrong with black people. And black people, too, view the racial problem as black people, as opposed to racist power and policy. And black people, too, spend their time criticizing and going after and degrading black people, as opposed to going after and criticizing and degrading racist policy. We need people, no matter their race, to view the racial groups as equal. The only thing wrong with black people is that we think there’s something wrong with black people.
What concrete steps can people take to combat racial bias? I think the most concrete step people can take is to recognize that there are only two explanations for any sort of racial disparity: either a racist idea or a racial policy. What I mean by that is that black people are disproportionately unemployed right now. It’s either because there’s something wrong with black people, which is a racist idea, or there’s something wrong with our society, which are racist policies. And so every individual can ask themselves, ‘Why does this racial inequity exist, why does that racial inequity exist?’ And then, if they say it’s because there’s something wrong with black people, they’re saying their racist ideas. They can confront themselves and see those ideas and seek to get rid of them.
Do you believe racism can be overcome? As an historian, in my second book, “Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America,” I followed the history of racism from its emergence in 15th-century Portugal all the way up to the present. Anything that can be created can be eliminated. Racism is a modern construct that in the span of human existence is only nearly 600 years old. In order to defeat racism, those of us who are serious about it have to believe that that is possible.
Thursday, June 11, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 3
Have fun. Get moving. Be active together! At home or in your neighborhood— easy, low-cost ideas for safe, healthy family fun.
@kohlshealthyfamilyfun kohlshealthyfamilyfun.org
4 • Thursday, June 11, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER
EDITORIAL
SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Email: yawu@bannerpub.com Mail: The Bay State Banner, 1100 Washington St., Dorchester, MA 02124 Fax: 617-261-2346 Letters must be signed. Names may be withheld upon request.
INSIDE: BUSINESS, 14 • ARTS & CULTURE, 15 • CLASSIFIEDS, 17
www.baystatebanner.com
Established 1965
A loud demand for change George Floyd did not live an exceptional life, but his death has forced the nation to step up to its claim of freedom, justice and equality for all or democracy fails. During the Civil Rights era, blacks and their white allies spent years in the courts trying to implement laws against racial discrimination in employment, education, public accommodations and housing. Conservatives are still trying to prevent working-class citizens from easily casting their votes in elections. Such abuse naturally generated considerable hostility among blacks. However, the emergence of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had an extraordinary capacity to induce aggrieved people to turn away from violence. King said in a 1967 speech, “I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind’s problems. … Hate is too great a burden to bear.” Unfortunately, after the anguish of the Civil Rights Movement was ameliorated by Rev. King, sympathetic whites decided to be patient for change to develop. They failed to realize that blacks had already waited for justice and equality since the end of legal slavery. The racists were not overly concerned. Court cases were proceeding at a snail’s pace and the municipal and county police forces effectively replaced the lynch mobs as agents to control the blacks. According to the Equal Justice Initiative, between 1877 and 1950, 4,084 blacks were lynched in the South. There are numerous cases of police abuse of blacks. One example that is similar to the issues in the present Minneapolis case concerns a police officer in Charleston, S.C. who gunned down an unarmed black man involved in an alleged traffic violation in 2015. Michael Slager, the former police
officer, was charged with second degree murder. Even though there was a clear video of the shooting event that was taken by a passer-by, with the local jury the prosecutor could not attain a conviction. Rather than face another state trial, Slager chose to plead guilty in a federal violation of civil rights case in exchange for a 20-year sentence. The family of the victim, Walter Scott, approved of this handling of the case. The police officer who was directly responsible for Floyd’s death, Derek Chauvin, has now been charged with second-degree murder. This enables Minnesota’s attorney general, Keith Ellison, to charge the three police officers with complicity for failing to intervene to prevent a crime. Ellison was eloquent in his explanation of the difficulty of winning such cases. He pointed out that the jury would not be comprised of people like those who are marching in the street in memory of George Floyd. Floyd’s young daughter was reported to have said, “My daddy has changed the world!” It is important for those a bit older to understand the change that has occurred. Tens of thousands of young people, black and white, have come out night after night, despite the danger of Covid-19, to protest a police assassination. For many years there has been pressure from some blacks to strike out to rebel against the abusive treatment in the U.S. The Floyd incident in Minneapolis demonstrates how arrogantly disrespectful of the law are the police who are employed to protect American citizens against violence. It is time to establish that freedom, justice and equality have real significance in America. Young Americans are ready for rebellion.
USPS 045-780
Publisher/Editor Assoc. Publisher/Treasurer
The Boston Public Library board of trustees is to be commended for naming the newly renovated Dudley Library the “Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library.” It is a historically significant name that has meaning for those who have called Roxbury home for several generations. When the United States of America was created, the first Church in Eliot Square was already established in 1632. In 1783, Massachusetts became the first state to outlaw slavery. A son of Roxbury, Moorfield Storey (1845-1929), a Harvard lawyer
and descendant of early British settlers, became the first president of the NAACP, a post he maintained until his death. While William Lloyd Garrison (18051879) was originally from Newburyport, he lived in Roxbury when he established the Liberator newspaper in 1831 that was the voice of the national anti-slavery movement in the U.S. The book “Boston’s Banner Years: 19652015, A Saga of Black Success” lists many black achievers identified with Roxbury. Every Bostonian aware of our history should support the decision.
John E. Miller
Senior Editor
Yawu Miller
Advertising Manager Health Editor
ADVERTISING
Rachel Reardon
NEWS REPORTING
Staff Writer
Karen Miller Morgan Mullings
Contributing Writers
Anthony W. Neal Brian Wright O’Connor
Copy Editor
Sandra Larson
Staff Photographers
Ernesto Arroyo Don West
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Contributing Writers Colette Greenstein Celina Colby Susan Saccoccia Graphic Designers
Respecting Roxbury’s history
Melvin B. Miller
Business Manager
PRODUCTION
ADMINISTRATION
Joanne Storin
Karen Miller
The Bay State Banner is published every Thursday. Offices are located at 1100 Washington Street, Dorchester, MA 02124 Telephone: 617-261-4600 • Fax: 617-261-2346 Website: www.baystatebanner.com Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA. All rights reserved. Copyright 2020. The Banner is certified by the GNMSDC, 2019. Circulation of The Bay State Banner 27,400. Audited by CAC, June 2019.
The Banner is printed by: TC Transcontinental Printing 10807, Mirabeau, Anjou (Québec) H1J 1T7 Printed in Canada
Thursday, June 11, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 5
OPINION THE BANNER WELCOMES YOUR OPINION: EMAIL OP-ED SUBMISSIONS TO YAWU@BANNERPUB.COM • Letters must be signed. Names may be withheld upon request.
Black officers hurt when our community hurts
Asian American activists in solidarity with black community
By MAMLEO BOARD OF DIRECTORS The killing of George Floyd and the many other reported incidents of people of color dying or being killed because of the actions of police officers or vigilantes has left us hurting, emotionally drained and dismayed. The members of the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers (MAMLEO) understand that those actions are not isolated in nature but reflect the long history of people of color being mistreated and killed by members of our profession. We rebuke the actions of the Minneapolis police officers who participated in the killing of George Floyd. Our members and many Boston Police officers understand the legacy of abuse by the criminal justice system against people of color. Many of MAMLEO’s members have had family members victimized by the criminal justice system and have experienced the discriminatory practices prevalent in the criminal justice system themselves. Our association remains committed to the ideals of our founders, to diversify the criminal justice systems ranks and to advocate for and protect our communities when they are abused or not given the level of service that their tax dollars deserve. Our members understand the need for policy and change in police enforcement tactics and we have advocated for such change in policing practices in our communities. MAMLEO members took the oath to serve and protect our communities and we joined our organization to be part of this most needed change in the culture of policing, especially towards communities of color, since the late 1960s. Our membership reflects a truly diverse tapestry of every community, ethnicity and culture of Boston. Our association has a history of calling out individuals when their statements don’t conform to our mission and most of all don’t produce an avenue for dialogue and meaningful exchange. Our members view every interaction with the community as an opportunity to bridge the negative legacy of our profession. Our members take pride in the work that we do while working in uniform and in the community engagement that we do on our own time. Our recent political climate has allowed discord and mistrust to penetrate law enforcement and elected officials’ view of the Boston style of policing, based on events that have not occurred in this city. We hurt when our community hurts. We view every interaction with the community as an opportunity to bridge the negative legacy of our profession. We find it abhorrent when some individuals seek to create division between us and our community, nor will we stand by while others seek to mar and discredit the good that we have done and continue to do every day. We know what it means to be black in America and we suffer when harm is done to any member of our community. It is not right that people should paint all police officers as one homogenous group that condones every action of another police officer. Our members know that in order for police misconduct to prevail in a department or agency it has to have partners or elected political figures who turn a blind eye on their misconduct. In our experience, this is not the case in the city of Boston. We can all agree that changes need to be made in order to better serve our communities of color, but we strongly believe that our police department should be hailed as a model of community policing and engagement for communities of color. Our association is always looking for partners to create meaningful and productive changes within policing that will benefit the communities in which we work, represent, live, grew up and raise our children. This is the time to get to work and implement proven policies that serve this purpose, but we must be respectful of those involved in the process and not allow our frustration and disgust of our current status quo to get in the way of forming partnerships to achieve our mutual goals. We want to unite to create change with all like-minded people who want to rid the world of racism, advance social justice, make police departments more diverse and never allow another incident like Minneapolis to occur.
Our association has a history of calling out individuals when their statements don’t conform to our mission and most of all don’t produce an avenue for dialogue and meaningful exchange.
The MAMLEO board of directors: Stephanie Gaines, Nicole Grant, Lylana Henderson, Jeffrey Lopes, Walter Mitchell, Cliff Singletary, Zandrina Townsend, Albert Williams
By KAREN CHEN AND SOVANNA POUV In light of the recent murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, and the numerous murders of black people by a white supremacist system, the Asian Pacific Islander Civic Action Network of Massachusetts (APIs CAN!) stands firmly with the black communities of this country. We call on each and every member of our AAPI community to stand up for black lives. Our AAPI community has suffered recently from economic losses and anti-Asian racism as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. We know that under white supremacy, this violence is inextricable from the danger that black people face every day while jogging, sitting at home or just going about their everyday lives, from both the police and rightwing vigilantism. Any encounter with the police could turn deadly, and this long history of oppression of black people dates back centuries. Statistics show that a black person is killed by the police every twenty-eight hours. As immigrants and refugees and their children in this country, we inherit this ugly legacy, whether we want to or not. Across the country, many of the businesses that were damaged or destroyed are owned by people of color and immigrants, including Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and many are black-owned as well. We express our sadness and sympathy for these business owners, many of whom have suffered tremendously due to the pandemic.
However, we stand firmly with millions of peaceful protesters standing against police brutality, calling for justice for George Floyd and demanding a transformation of the system that murders, dehumanizes and systematically oppresses black people. We reject any attempt to
a long history of solidarity. It was the black-led Civil Rights and Black Power movements that paved the way for Asian Americans to gain increased access to education and employment, to challenge language-based discrimination, and for liberalization of immigration in 1965.
We cannot confront anti-Asian American racism without acknowledging and directly working against racism toward black communities. pit the AAPI community against black communities. We cannot confront anti-Asian American racism without acknowledging and directly working against racism toward black communities. As part of this, we must examine our own prejudices and deal with anti-black racism within our own community. One of the officers who stood by during George Floyd’s killing was Tou Thao, an Asian American. Our community must speak unequivocally in solidarity with black communities to demand justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and so many others. There is a history of Asian Americans being labelled the “model minority” in order to pit us against black communities and other people of color that dates back several decades. For this reason, it is particularly important for us to take a clear stand for justice with black communities in this moment. In fact, our communities have
IN THE NEWS
MORGAN C. MULLINGS The Bay State Banner is pleased to announce Report for America corps member Morgan C. Mullings has joined our newsroom. A recent graduate of St. John’s University, Mullings was editor-in-chief of the university’s weekly newspaper. She has interned with Nylon Magazine and Rolling Stone Magazine. Mullings will be covering politics and public policy, following developments at the State House, City Hall and in local municipalities. Mullings was born in New Jersey and grew up in Miramar, Florida. She is currently living in the Uphams Corner section of Dorchester. Mullings’ position is funded in part by Report for America, an initiative of the nonprofit GroundTruth Project. It is structured to harness the skill and idealism of an emerging group of journalists plus the creative spirit of local news organizations. The program currently is supporting 225 talented journalists in 46 states.
When Asian people, like Long Guang Huang and the Quincy Four, were targets of police violence, the black community has always stood with us in demanding accountability. In Massachusetts, we’ve stood together to demand that construction sites be opened to workers of color, that teaching staff in the public schools reflect the cultures of our children, and that political districts be drawn to increase each community’s opportunity for representation. We commit to supporting and following the lead of black-led organizing to demand justice for police brutality and murders of black lives, and toward changing systems that perpetuate white supremacy. We will struggle sideby-side to transform these systems and build a better world.
Karen Chen is executive director of the Chinese Progressive Association. Sovanna Pouv is executive director of the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell.
6 • Thursday, June 11, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER
police protests
During a City Council budget hearing Thursday on federal and state anti-violence grants the Boston Police Department receives, at-large City Councilor Julia Mejia noted a large volume of correspondence from constituents asking councilors to defund BPD.
continued from page 1
reform bills since 2015, with little success. Among the measures sought by Caucus members are a bill requiring local police departments to report data on the race of people stopped by officers, a bill that would require professional certification and de-certification processes for police and a bill that would require independent investigators for allegations of police misconduct. Those bills have stagnated in committees over the last five years. “The biggest roadblocks have been police unions,” said state Rep. Russell Holmes of Mattapan, who has been pushing for a statewide police certification requirement. Holmes isn’t the only one pointing a finger at the unions. New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called out the unions and the elected officials seemingly under their thrall in a tweet last week. “I’ll just say it: a lot of politicians are scared of the political power of the police, and that’s why changes to hold them accountable for flagrant killings don’t happen,” she said. “That in itself is a scary problem. We shouldn’t be intimidated out of holding people accountable for murder.” Ocasio-Cortez signed on to legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and U.S. Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, who switched from Republican to Independent this year, that would end qualified immunity prohibitions on lawsuits against police officers for actions taken while on the job.
“
Qualified immunity shields police from accountability, impedes true justice, and undermines the constitutional rights of every person in this country.” — U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley
PHOTO: LUCAS DEBARROS
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley addresses reporters during a press conference with elected officials of color. “Qualified immunity shields police from accountability, impedes true justice, and undermines the constitutional rights of every person in this country,” Pressley said. While Pressley’s campaign coffers haven’t benefitted from large infusions of police officers’ donations, the reach of the unions’ campaign cash is considerable at the local level. The largest Boston police union, the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, reports
$467,731 in its political action committee campaign account as of May 31. Individuals identifying themselves as police officers have donated more than $400,000 to Mayor Martin Walsh’s campaign account since 2013. Police officers aren’t shy about throwing their cash around. In the two weeks after Walsh approved an 8% pay raise for officers in 2017, Boston cops kicked in more than $30,000 to his campaign account.
Lung Cancer? Bladder or Throat Cancer? Emphysema? Smoke Cigarettes? No charge unless we win. Really. Call today and speak directly with a lawyer: (617) 939-9898 • www.teinmalone.com
Tein Malone PLLC Ready for trial.
Black politicians have rarely been on the receiving end of police campaign donations. Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins received just $3,777 in donations from police during her 2018 run for office, while rival Greg Henning, a former Suffolk County prosecutor, netted $68,250. When she bested Henning in a race with two other women and two other black candidates, Rollins joined a wave of reform-oriented district attorneys around the country who ran and won on platforms that promised to end the culture of police impunity and combat criminal justice practices that have for decades led to disparate incarceration rates for people of color. Her victory, four years after the Black Lives Matter protests ignited a wave of demonstrations across the country, may have signaled a change in voter attitudes toward law enforcement that until now hasn’t seemed to catch the attention of the state’s political leaders. But this week, the growing criticism of police violence was hard to miss.
“I grew up in Boston,” she said. “I survived the busing era. I don’t know whether I’ve ever seen so much distrust in our government.” Councilors Kim Janey, Lydia Edwards and Andrea Campbell expressed frustration that representatives of the police department’s Boston Regional Intelligence Center did not make available a representative to discuss how the agency would spend federal funds. They said the council would not support the funding without a thorough accounting of how the funds would be spent. “That grant isn’t going anywhere if we don’t have our questions answered,” Campbell said. While Boston’s majority-people-of-color City Council seems more willing to challenge police practices than in the past, how the state Legislature will react to reforms being backed by its black and Latino members is still an open question. House Speaker Robert DeLeo signaled to the Boston Globe that the Legislature is willing to discuss police bias. “We must have difficult conversations about race, bias, and accountability,” he said in a statement sent to the newspaper. “We must work together. And we will.” Rep. Holmes remains hopeful that his bill for police certification will pass in this session. “We did get it out of committee this time,” he said.
LOOK FOR MORE STORIES AND UPDATES ON OUR WEBSITE BAYSTATEBANNER.COM
Thursday, June 11, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 7
City councilors question police dept. funding By KENNEAL PATTERSON Nationwide demands to defund local police departments have reached Boston. The Boston City Council is set to decide on June 10 whether or not to approve the $414 million allocated to Boston Police Department (BPD) in the city’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Last Friday, Councilor Andrea Campbell hosted a hearing to discuss $2.5 million worth of grants that also fund the police department. “We’ve gotten to a point where we need to evaluate how we are utilizing these dollars,” said Councilor Julia Mejia, adding, “This is an opportunity, and this is our moment in time to really take a moment to reflect— are we doing everything in our power to protect and serve our community?” The grants the City Council discussed last week represent a tiny fraction of the police department’s approximately $414 million budget, which includes $60 million in overtime spending. Mayor Martin Walsh told reporters that city officials are open to reallocating portions of the department’s budget. “We are going to look at the police budget, certainly, and reallocate some of it,” he said during an appearance on WCVB-TV. Neither Walsh nor the council members have committed to a specific dollar amount to cut from the BPD budget. But the council hearing provided a glimpse into the increasingly hardened attitudes local officials and constituents have around policing issues as protests against police brutality in the United States have broken out in cities around the world. The $1 million Charles Shannon Safety Initiative Grant is administered by the BPD to multiple organizations around the city. Boston Police Department project coordinator DeMon Bills said at the hearing that these grant funds “support the city of Boston’s comprehensive strategy aimed at reducing gun, gang and youth violence in the city by providing services and intervention to at-risk and gang affiliated youth.” However, only about 65% of the grant goes to community organizations, said Bills. Nearly $350,000 goes straight to the BPD and overtime pay. “We fund four different units,” said Bills. “The Youth Violence Strike Force, the Community Policing Unit, the Drug Unit and the Community Outreach Unit.” Money also goes to civilian salaries ($88,000) and the city of Boston administration ($167,000). Fatema Ahmad, executive director of the Muslim Justice League, said that the grants make certain “criminalized” individuals ask law enforcement officers for resources they desperately need. She urged the council to “create clear and easy paths for nonprofits, community organizations and institutions to actually receive funding without having to accept these narratives that criminalize them or bloat the BPD budget with additional overtime funding.” Lena Papagiannis, a BPS teacher who testified at the hearing, agreed. She said that community programs need to be “of, by and for the community.” “None of this money needs to go through the police,” she said.
BANNER PHOTO
At-large City Councilor Julia Mejia and daughter Annalise Cooper participate in a demonstration against police violence held at Franklin Park last week. Another grant, totaling $850,000, is awarded by the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC). BRIC collects crime data, analyzes intelligence and shares information with other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). Councilors expressed hesitation regarding the grant, since BRIC representative David Carabin was unable to attend the hearing and answer questions. Councilor Lydia Edwards said that she had no intention of voting on BRIC funding until more information is available.
“
Something I want to be mindful about in this space is how many people have called our office, tweeted, emailed us ... all demanding that we defund the BPD.” — City Councilor Julia Mejia
The BRIC money would support the salaries of six crime data analysts, four of which would work out of BRIC’s real time crime center. Maria Cheevers, director of research and development for BPD, said that the center is currently short-staffed. Mejia noted BRIC’s gang database, in which residents of color are overrepresented. “An article that came out in 2019 found that Boston’s gang database is 90% black and Hispanic,” she said. “That just blows my mind, in a city where almost half of the city is white alone, somehow 90% of our gang database is black and Hispanic. To me that points to the implicit bias in our system.” Edwards said, “There needs to be a general statement about BRIC’s role in achieving a more racially equitable police force or country or city.” Certain advocates who testified at the hearing also questioned BRIC’s accountability. “We cannot pretend to be a sanctuary city while BRIC is operating and feeding information to the
Department of Homeland Security, to the FBI and all sorts of other agencies with no transparency,” said Ahmad. She said that advocates have been waiting since a 2017 hearing to get an inventory of all the technology, software, hardware and equipment that BPD owns. Ahmad also questioned what portion of the city budget for the BPD goes to BRIC. The funding that BRIC receives “is not clearly demarcated in BPD’s budget,”
she said. Papagiannis said, “I don’t understand why we should help to fortify a federally funded center that systematically tracks and surveils people in our city.” A third grant also raised privacy concerns. Over $30,000 awarded through the Boston Public Health Commission would fund an environmental design model aimed at reducing crime, especially in the Bowdoin-Geneva neighborhood. It would also install extra
security cameras. “I really wonder how many cameras we have around this city that feed back to federal law enforcement without any of us knowing, because there is no clear separation between BPD and BRIC,” said Ahmad. Mejia commented on the large number of constituents who have reached out advocating for police defunding. “Something I want to be mindful about in this space is how many people have called our office, tweeted, emailed us, sent us Facebook messages, all demanding that we defund the BPD,” she said. She said available funds need to address the city’s systemic racial issues. Grant funds must be approved by the council before they are spent. However, BPD’s Cheevers noted that they cannot be redirected to anything else. “We develop these grant strategies and program models in partnership with communities from day one,” she said. Redirecting the funds may cause the grant-makers to take the money away. Ahmad urged councilors to reduce the $414 million BPD budget for the upcoming fiscal year, a decision which was set to be finalized on Wednesday. She said that $40 million could be cut from overtime spending alone. “I know this hearing today is just about these grants,” Ahmad said. “But as you can see, people are not going anywhere. We are fired up and we are ready for things to change.”
8 • Thursday, June 11, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER
Urban League continued from page 1
communities as hotbeds of radicalism during the “Red Summer” of 1919 fueled resentment among working class whites. In the South, “Strange Fruit” blossomed from hanging trees. And in the North, roving gangs attacked African American neighborhoods already roiled by police violence. But black soldiers who had survived trench warfare in the fields of France and Flanders would not accept second-class citizenry or unruly white mobs without a fight. In cities like Washington, D.C., and Chicago, African Americans stood up to vigilantes emboldened by liquor and hate. “By the God of Heaven, we are cowards and jackasses if now that the war is over, we do not marshal every ounce of our brain and brawn to fight a sterner, longer and more unbending battle against the forces of hell in our own land,” wrote W.E.B. DuBois in the NAACP’s “The Crisis” magazine in 1919. More than a century later, the oldest local branch of the Urban League finds itself still facing the unending battle, with police abuse replacing nooses and night riders as the most violent threats to people of color. Rising unemployment and shuttered businesses, caused by the coronavirus pandemic, complicates the challenge. Joseph D. Feaster Jr., chairman of the ULEM board, said the tragic murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis has spurred his branch to redouble its efforts to combat social and economic injustice. “We have renewed energy to
press for social and equal justice, dignity, respect and freedom from racist attacks for black and brown peoples,” said Feaster. At the same time, “The pandemic has required us to focus even more on workforce development and helping small businesses. We know Main Streets in black communities are going to have tumbleweeds rolling down the sidewalks,” added Feaster, an attorney and former Boston NAACP president, who has served as ULEM chairman the last five years. In its third annual Equal Opportunity and Diversity Awards Breakfast, held by videoconference just before the Floyd murder, Urban League leaders and supporters gathered to discuss the group’s ongoing efforts to broaden its partnerships and increase its reach into communities in need during the pandemic. As early as March, 90% of black-owned businesses surveyed by the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts were reporting negative impacts of the coronavirus. Nationally, the number of working African American business owners dropped by more than 40% due to the virus, according to a report released in late May. The study came as other reports showed the crisis killing non-white Americans at higher rates and eliminating more of their jobs, according to the Washington Post. “It’s the same old story,” said Feaster. “When the broader economy catches a cold, we catch a flu. Except this time, it’s much worse.” Keith Motley, former chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston and the acting president of the local Urban League branch,
Graduation
PHOTO: JEREMIAH ROBINSON, MAYOR’S OFFICE
Local elected officials and community organizations held a Boston Public Schools Commencement Caravan Kickoff in Mattapan Saturday.
said a revived and reinvigorated Urban League is essential to addressing the current crisis. “We stand on the shoulders of giants,” he said. “We have a long and proud history and we’re going to continue the legacy of standing up for our community.” The Boston branch, formed seven years after the launch of the national organization in 1910, currently runs programs in workforce development, employment assistance and domestic violence prevention on a $1.6 million annual budget and with a 10-member staff out of its Warren Street headquarters in Roxbury. The group also operates the ULEM Guild and its Young People’s Network. In recent years, the league has expanded its network of corporate support to include the Boston Red Sox, TJX, Liberty Mutual Insurance and Southwest Airlines. Sam Kennedy, president of the Red Sox, received the Urban League Chairman’s Award during the diversity breakfast. Honors also went to state Rep. Chynah Tyler, Boston City Councilor Michael Flaherty and Carney Hospital President Tom Sands, who received the Mel King Community Leadership Award; to
Gordon Thompson, founder of the global medical supplies company Westnet, who received the George A. Russell Jr. Business Leadership Award; and Boston City Council President Kim Janey, Boston
“
We stand on the shoulders of giants. We have a long and proud history and we’re going to continue the legacy of standing up for our community.” — Keith Motley, Urban League
NAACP Branch President Tanisha Sullivan and Nia Grace, executive director of the Boston Black Hospitality Coalition, recipients of the Joan Wallace-Benjamin Leadership Award. The breakfast also provided a platform for fundraising, with close to $200,000 added to its coffers through Motley’s amiable exhortations.
ADVERTISE IN THE BANNER IN PRINT and ONLINE REACH YOUR AUDIENCE Call 617-261-4600 ext. 7799 or email ads@bannerpub.com for more information
“Believe me,” said the persuasive former chancellor, “I have no problems asking people for money.” While ULEM has rebounded since the departure of Darnell Williams, its last full-time president, who left in 2018, Feaster said the current crisis will strain its resources to keep pace with demand for greater advocacy and programs. “Just look at the Paycheck Protection Program,” he said. “We got hundreds of calls about getting access to federal money to support small businesses in the wake of the virus crisis. But by the time many applied, the money was gone, especially in the first wave, which mostly went to well-connected big corporations.” The National Urban League will continue “to use its bully pulpit to push Congress and the White House to provide the support black businesses and small businesses everywhere need to survive,” said Feaster. “Locally, we will do all we can in our programs and advocacy to live up to our legacy of building economic opportunity as well as racial justice in the wake of the twin crises of police abuse and the pandemic.”
Thursday, June 11, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 9
CRUZ CONSTRUCTION • ROXBURY, MA JOHN B. CRUZ III, PRESIDENT & CEO JUSTIN CRUZ, DIRECTOR OF MANAGEMENT
INTEGRITY IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS
EASTERN COMMERCIAL BANKING Expertise, dedication, and straightforward lending solutions. When it comes to helping businesses grow, Eastern Bank Commercial Lenders deliver. And we’ve given over $140 million since 1999 to local organizations to help our communities grow too. Which is good for you, good for New England, and good for business.
STRAIGHTFORWARD CASH FLOW SOLUTIONS CUSTOM FINANCING OPTIONS EXPERIENCED LOCAL ADVISORS
To learn more visit easternbank.com/commercial
Member FDIC
10 • Thursday, June 11, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER
Senators seek end to qualified immunity Legal doctrine protects cops from prosecution for acts of misconduct By KENNEAL PATTERSON In response to nationwide protests sparked by George Floyd’s murder, U.S. Sens. Ed Markey, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker have introduced a resolution abolishing qualified immunity, a legal doctrine that shields officers from certain lawsuits. Markey advocated for the resolution during a June 3 press conference and called for the end of centuries of police violence against communities of color. “If we want to change the culture of police violence against black and brown men and women, then we need to start holding accountable the officers who abuse their positions of trust and responsibility in our communities,” he said. “That means abolishing the dangerous judicial doctrine known as qualified immunity.” Qualified immunity protects law enforcement officers from being sued in their personal capacity and being held personally liable for their abuses, noted Markey. Victims and their families can only sue police officers if the officer’s action violates “clearly established” rights. “For decades, law enforcement has relied on qualified immunity to shield officers from accountability in instances of police brutality and excessive force,” said Markey. He noted that Congress never actually endorsed the doctrine and that qualified immunity “completely contravenes federal law.” In the Civil Rights Act of 1871, Congress allowed individuals to sue public officials. In the century-and-a-half since, said Markey, the Supreme Court has “gutted this landmark act” and created and expanded qualified immunity instead. “Qualified immunity effectively immunizes law enforcement officers from civil suits,” he said. “That is because the Supreme Court has concocted a nearly impossible standard that victims must meet to even have a chance
COVID
continued from page 1 63% of the state’s reported cases. In Boston, black individuals make up only 25% of the city’s population, but 38% of its cases and 35% of its deaths. The opposite can be said for white individuals. Boston is about 45% white, but white individuals only make up 25% of the 11,066 cases where race data is known. Many black-owned businesses are suffering. The Boston Black Hospitality Coalition considers the threat to Boston’s black businesses a “state of emergency.” The coalition has pledged to support these businesses and recently launched a relief fund to assist black-owned restaurants and bars. The coalition’s website notes
at seeking justice.” Many victims are disincentivized to sue officers because their lawsuit must bypass qualified immunity. To win the lawsuit, a victim must find a prior case in which the courts have deemed the challenged use of force to be illegal, noted Markey. The cases must be in the same jurisdiction, with the same facts, contacts and conduct. Even the smallest distinction within the cases may result in a dismissal. “It is an insidious Catch-22 set up to be rigged against the victim,” he said, noting that the law makes it “almost impossible” for victims of excessive force to hold officers accountable.
Disproportionate effect
Qualified immunity affects people of color disproportionately because they are disproportionately victims of excess force at the hands of law enforcement, noted Markey. He cited a study from the National Academy of Sciences that found black men two-and-a-half times more likely than white men
Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins said that she stood in full support of the resolution. She added that for too long, district attorneys have ignored officers com-
“
if we want to change the culture of police violence against black and brown men and women, then we need to start holding accountable the officers who abuse their positions of trust and responsibility in our communities. ” — U.S. Sen. Ed Markey
to be killed by law enforcement. Over the course of their lives, one in every 1,000 black men will die at the hands of police, he added. Time Magazine recently reported that black individuals are killed by police at a rate of more than one every other day. Countless stories remain untold, and countless officers remain uncharged. “In our culture of systemic racism, qualified immunity is one of the foremost tools of oppression,” said Markey. that some black-owned restaurants and bars have lost more than 90% of their revenue in the effort to abide by social distancing guidelines. “To date, the black-owned restaurants and bars represented by this coalition have not received adequate financial support to survive the crisis,” reads the website, later adding “If nothing is done, the representatives of the coalition will be faced with a financial decision which would ultimately result in the closure of institutions who contributed to the combined 180+ years of service to Boston’s black community.” The “second step” of Phase Two will take place next. Indoor dining in restaurants will open at that time, as well as close-contact personal services, such as nail salons.
BAYSTATEBANNER.COM
BANNER FILE PHOTO
Sen. Ed Markey
mitting criminal acts resulting in “broken bones, broken spirits and death.” She later acknowledged the death of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor, an emergency medical technician shot and killed by officers on March 13. Officers stormed her Louisville apartment without a warrant, using a battering ram to break open the doors. After the break-in, they returned shots from Taylor’s boyfriend and struck Taylor more than eight times. The
officers have not been charged.
Not just a few ‘bad apples’
Rahsaan Hall, director of the Racial Justice Program for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), recognized the number of deaths just like Taylor’s. “The injustices that we have seen recently are not isolated incidents,” said Hall. “They are embers from a flame that must be extinguished.” Hall said that police injustice does not just refer to a few “bad apples.” He said that officers are granted too much immunity and are too protected from liability. The way that black communities have been policed is “unacceptable and unconscionable.” Michael Curry, former president of Boston’s NAACP branch, said that people are tired of being “weathered to injustice.” “We’re now demanding that there be no more Tamir Rices, Eric Garners and George Floyds,” he said. He urged advocates to step up and initiate change and repeated the NAACP’s mantra, coined by a former chairman: “Courage will not skip this generation.”
“We’ll see if courage exists in the rest of the Senate with some of [Markey’s] Republican colleagues and those in The House,” Curry said. Markey said he was hopeful that something has touched the conscience of Republicans. “Senator Booker and Senator Harris and I have introduced the resolution, and we are going to now work to get support for that resolution,” he told the Banner. “I think we will be able to get substantial support.” Markey is now working to draft the legislation. “It is long past time to dismantle the oppressive use of abusers in law enforcement,” he said. “We cannot allow this judge-made doctrine to perpetuate the violence of communities of color any longer.” Protests sparked by Floyd’s death have spread to all 50 states. Millions of protesters have taken to the streets and call for an end to police brutality. “It’s not only the buildings that are smoldering — the soul of America is on fire,” said Markey. “Until we can confront systemic racism, our country will never stop burning.”
Moment of silence
PHOTO: JOHN WILCOX, MAYOR’S OFFICE
Mayor Martin Walsh and other city officials and employees take part in an eight minute and 46 second “moment of silence” in memory of George Floyd outside Boston City Hall.
Thursday, June 11, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 11
Black, Latino officials call for police reforms Elected officials seek movement on long-stalled reform initiatives By KENNEAL PATTERSON Members of the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus, along with U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, gathered on the steps of the State House June 2 to advocate for police reform in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. The press conference began with eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence — the same length of time that Floyd was pinned down by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, unable to breathe, until he lost consciousness and died. “For too long, black and brown bodies have been profiled, surveilled, policed, lynched, choked, brutalized and murdered at the hands of police officers,” said Pressley. “We cannot allow these fatal injustices to go unchecked any longer.” Pressley, Massachusetts’ first black congresswoman, said that injustice and systemic racism has been “codified in law.” She said that the legislation needs to be “precise and prescriptive” to codify healing and justice instead. “Congress must act in this moment as the conscience of our nation,” she said. “That’s why Representative [Ilhan] Omar and I have introduced a resolution to make clear that this congress stands on the side of racial justice, and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.” Members of the caucus introduced a 10-point reform plan that encompasses the federal, state and municipal level. Pressley’s resolution calls on the House to condemn police brutality, racial profiling and excessive use of force. It aims at increasing oversight and independent investigations to hold individual officers accountable. The resolution also calls on the Department of Justice to reassert its statutory authority to investigate and litigate instances of profiling and brutality. Pressley advocated for uniform restrictions on use of force and the elimination of special protections that shield officers from accountability. Pressley said that 1999 marked the last time a resolution on police brutality was introduced to the House. The resolution by Rep.
Danny Davis of Illinois never made it to the floor. She said she “couldn’t even begin to approximate how many black lives we’ve been robbed of in that time.” The pain of black and brown Americans has always been “delegitimized,” she said. COVID-19’s death toll is only one example. The pandemic has disproportionately affected communities of color because health disparities are often ignored. “We have the pain of the brutalization and the murder of black and brown folks because our pain has been delegitimized,” she added. “Our trauma, our suffering, the injustice of it all.” At the state level, Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus Chairman Carlos Gonzalez advocated for the passage of four bills. The first bill, introduced by Reps. Russell Holmes and David Vieira, would create a special commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) to ensure officers are following protocol on police conduct and cultural competency. The ACLU has reported that Massachusetts is one out of only six states without some kind of system to license police officers.
“
I don’t have a scar on me. I didn’t have a bruise, but I have wounds that I’ll never lose. And I wish I could tell you that that was an outlier.” — City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo
Two other bills, also filed by Holmes, would create an Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity and a commission to study the systemic presence of institutional racism. Holmes is the longest-serving state representative of color in Massachusetts’ State House. He said that the caucus has been advocating for changes for several
PHOTO: LUCAS DEBARROS
Massachusetts Legislative Black and Latino Caucus Chairman Carlos Gonzalez addresses reporters gathered at the State House. years, but “no one listened.” “It is awful, awful, that it takes a video of that nature to make it so that folks wake up and understand something we have known in our communities forever,” he said. The fourth bill, drafted by Rep. Liz Miranda, aims at limiting police force, including deadly tactics like chokeholds. It also requires all departments to collect race data on individuals who are subject to police force or arrest. A national organization called “Mapping Police Violence” reported that black individuals are 3 times more likely than whites to be killed by police but 1.3 times more likely to be unarmed. Gonzalez said that police units across the state must reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the community they serve. He called on the House for the appointment of an independent special prosecutor in cases of police misconduct and advocated for the use of body cameras. Gonzalez said that “rhetoric without change” cannot be accepted. “No longer can police brutality and excessive use of force go unattended and unaccountable,” he said. “We have been fighting this
issue far too long.” At the municipal level, Boston City Councilors also advocated for change. Their plan includes declaring racism a public health crisis and creating a civilian review board to investigate misconduct.
Council President Kim Janey recognized the “modern-day lynching” of Ahmaud Arbery, as well as Breonna Taylor’s and George Floyd’s murders. “These are not isolated incidents,” she said. “What else could have resulted from a history steeped in centuries of violence against people of color in general and black people in particular?” For generations, she said, black individuals have experienced a system that always finds new ways to devalue their lives. She used Boston’s racial wealth gap as an illustration — the median net worth for black families is $8, she noted. “$8 is not an accident,” she said. “It is a product of a system of white supremacy built on a foundation of chattel slavery. A system deliberately and methodically crafted by the first colonists, institutionalized by the founding fathers and perfected by subsequent generations of lawmakers.” Councilor Ricardo Arroyo teared up while recounting his own experience with police as a teenager. He was pulled over on his way home from Providence. An officer asked Arroyo if he was stupid. When he answered “No,” he was forced out of his car, searched and held at gunpoint. When the officer repeated his question, Arroyo answered “Yes” and was allowed to drive home. “I don’t have a scar on me,” he said. “I didn’t have a bruise, but I have wounds that I’ll never lose. And I wish I could tell you that that was an outlier.”
Public Nominations
Morrissey Boulevard Community Advisory Committee Nominations Online Form https://bit.ly/msyblvdcac
Nominations Due Friday, July 10th
Description
Greater Boston’s
ARTS, CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT news source.
The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) seeks nominations for the Morrissey Boulevard Community Advisory Committee (CAC). The CAC will primarily be responsible for assisting the BPDA in facilitating the public review of the Bayside Mixed Use Development Proposal and the 75 - 77 Morrissey Boulevard Development Proposal. The two projects can be viewed on the BPDA’s website or by visiting the following links: https://bit.ly/BaysideProj and https://bit.ly/7577Morrissey. Morrissey Boulevard CAC nominations are due by July 10th at noon via the online form at https://bit.ly/msyblvdcac, or by mail to Ted Schwartzberg, AICP, Senior Planner II. Contact: Ted Schwartzberg Boston Planning & Development Agency One City Hall Square, 9th Floor Boston, MA 02201 617.918.4230 | ted.schwartzberg@boston.gov
BAYSTATEBANNER.COM
bostonplans.org
@bostonplans
Teresa Polhemus, Executive Director/Secretary
12 • Thursday, June 11, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER
Public defenders protest police violence Demonstrators march Rox. precinct to South Bay house of correction By MORGAN C. MULLINGS Public defenders and other court workers gathered in Nubian Square on Monday evening to protest police violence and racial discrimination in the criminal justice system, one of many such protests happening across the country this week. Organized by public defenders Shayla Mombeleur, Christian Williams, Connor Barusch and Olivia Dubois (public defender social worker), the protest began near the Roxbury courthouse, where many of the protesters work. It ended in front of the South Bay House of Corrections, “because that’s where our clients are,” Williams said. The lawyers organized with the intention of joining California public defenders as part of a nationwide initiative in support of Black Lives Matter movements two weeks after the death of George Floyd and days after the arrest of the officers who killed him. Williams said about 40 other cities were protesting in solidarity that day. Among their demands, stated in a press release, the organizers are fighting against incarceration of black and brown people, who “unfairly make up the prison
system,” and unfair court fees. “We must fight against unconscionable court fees demanded of our community members who can least afford them,” Quincy public defender Rafael Feliciano said in the release. Though they work for the courts, lawyers weren’t afraid to call on each aspect of the criminal legal system — some protesters carried signs reading “Defund DCF” (Department of Children and Families). Dubois also called for more social workers of color, as she says the profession is “made up of majority white women,” who have the power to either empower families, or demolish them. Officers stood in front of the doors of the Suffolk County House of Corrections and inmates banged on the windows as more than 200 protesters shouted, “Free them all!” and “We see you.” Williams hopes the demonstration will be an eye-opener for his fellow lawyers as well as their clients. “It is moving when you chant outside of the jail, and your clients come out and they bang on the windows and they write handwritten signs and they put them in the window and they say ‘We love you,’” he said. Defendants’ families were also
BANNER PHOTO
Public defenders gather opposite the Area B2 police station. in attendance, including Sarema Monroe, whose fiance is being represented by Barusch. “He fought really hard and advocated for my fiance … He invited me to this protest today and asked me to speak because I know how to get everyone to understand the pain that we feel as people of color,” said Monroe, who noted her fiance has about two years left in jail.
With help of public defenders’ offices in California, the local organizers were able to hand out free shirts bearing the phrase “Public Defenders Support Black Lives” and create signs with the names of individuals in Massachusetts who were killed by the police. While they chanted Floyd’s name, they also wore Brandon Payne’s name on their backs, a black man who was killed by Lynn police in 2012.
Mombeleur says she works with many black and brown clients and relates to them because she is black herself. “In the courtroom, they can’t hide their color,” she said. “I see that through my profession and my own family. We are tired of mass incarceration, and we are tired of excessive bail. We’re going to the house of corrections where people like us are being held.”
Stay Connected — while we’re apart —
BayStateBanner.com Your local news,
arts and culture— just a click away.
Like us on
facebook bay state banner
Follow us on
twitter @baystatebanner
Thursday, June 11, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 13
Let the summer play. Celebrate all the legends and soon-to-be legendary music that heats up summer with Xfinity. This Black Music Month, whether you’re summering in or celebrating out, catch music-themed movies, enjoy your favorite music networks, and stream top apps like Pandora, Music Choice and more right to your TV. This is what summer sounds like. And no matter what it brings, Xfinity Black Film & TV has your soundtrack. Simple. Easy. Awesome. Visit xfinity.com/discovermore to learn more.
Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Xfinity TV service subscription required. NPA231658-0001 NED AA BMM V5
137327_NPA231658-0001 BMM 10x15.75 BostonBay V5.indd 1
5/19/20 3:20 PM
14 • Thursday, June 11, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER
BUSINESSNEWS With a little help from his friends www.baystatebanner.com
CHECK OUT MORE BUSINESS NEWS ONLINE: WWW.BAYSTATEBANNER.COM/CATEGORY/NEWS/BUSINESS
Looting incident a temporary setback for Uphams Corner bicycle shop By YAWU MILLER After weeks of sheltering at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noah Hicks was looking forward to reopening Spokehouse, his Uphams Corner bike shop, last Monday. Then came a text message from a customer with a photo of the shop’s smashed plate-glass window. “I didn’t even connect it to looting,” Hicks said. “I just thought we got robbed. I didn’t put two and two together until I started talking to other people.” In a wave of violence the night of May 31 that kicked off after a peaceful march ended, most of the stores vandalized and looted were in the Downtown Crossing and Copley Square areas, but stores in Uphams Corner, Grove Hall and Fields Corner were also hit. When Hicks showed up at his shop, the scene was chaotic. “There were pieces of glass all over the floor,” he said. “Bikes were missing.” In addition to two bicycles Hicks had for sale, four customers’ bikes had been stolen, adding up to about $2,600 in losses. Hicks founded the bike shop as a pop-up repair center on Bowdoin Street in 2013. “I got tired of people having to
“
Running a business in the community can be really exhausting. You get the feeling that people appreciate the work you put in, but this was a clear, in-yourface message that people appreciate us.” — Noah Hicks
go outside the community for repairs,” he said. “People kept telling me ‘You gotta open a shop.’” Initially, Hicks worked out of a two-car garage on Bowdoin Street. He opened a brick-and-mortar location in Codman Square in 2015. He moved the shop into its current space in April of 2018. There he sells new and used bikes, parts and accessories and offers tuneups and repair services. “We’re very busy,” he said. “People appreciate the fact that we’re there. We do good business.” As it turns out, customer appreciation goes a long way for Hicks. After he posted a photo of the broken window and glassstrewn floor on social media, customers contacted him to
COURTESY PHOTO
Noah Hicks ask whether he was accepting donations. Hicks responded by posting his Venmo and PayPal identifications. “It took off from there,” he said. Within 24 hours, supporters had sent Hicks $10,000. “I felt the love from the whole community,” he said. “Running a business in the community can be really exhausting. You get the feeling that people appreciate the work you put in, but this was a
clear, in-your-face message that people appreciate us.” Hicks says he only needs the $2,600 to replace the customers’ stolen bikes and those taken from his showroom floor. “I’ll donate the rest to causes and organizations that foster the betterment of black lives,” he said. Hicks is no stranger to protests like the ones that kicked off in the wake of a Minneapolis police officer’s killing of George Floyd. He
has participated in many. Looting hasn’t happened in Boston on a widespread scale in decades. But Hicks says he understands why it did. “It’s a fact of life that when you have people living in the conditions most black and brown people live in, you have crime,” he said. “I am sorry I was a victim of that energy, but it strengthens my resolve to fight for equality even more.”
Stay connected PRINT • ONLINE • MOBILE • SOCIAL
BAYSTATEBANNER.COM
Thursday, June 11, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 15
ARTS&CULTURE CHECK OUT MORE ARTS NEWS ONLINE: WWW.BAYSTATEBANNER.COM/CATEGORY/ARTS-AND-CULTURE
Mapping mistrust
OPERA DUO ESTABLISHES WORKSHOP TO DIVERSIFY THE ART FORM
Leventhal Map Center exhibition explores data manipulation
By CELINA COLBY MassOpera and OperaHub have partnered to launch a reimagined New Opera Workshop (NOW) program that will find, foster and produce a contemporary opera led by diverse voices. Their goal is to change the landscape of opera and to establish a contemporary opera canon. A call for submissions is open now through July 15, with creatives of all kinds, with or without opera experience, encouraged to apply. NOW was born from a desire to push opera forward. “We love the musical aesthetics … but we
“If opera is
really going
to live on for
www.baystatebanner.com
By CELINA COLBY
OPERATIC
hundreds more years, it needs
The Boston Public Library’s Leventhal Map and Education Center exhibition “BENDING LINES: Maps and Data from Deception to Distortion” presents a timely analysis of data manipulation over the past 500 years. When statistics are thrown left and right across all online platforms, identifying how data manipulation influences public opinion is a crucial lesson in today’s world. The digital exhibition, currently experienced on the Leventhal Map Center website and to be staged at the central Boston Public Library when it reopens, explores examples of ways maps have presented a distorted view of the world, what the mapmakers’ motivations may be and how those maps then influence public opinion.
It is more important than ever to be able to look objectively at presented information and understand what biases or perspectives may have influenced the way the data looks.
to change.” Cassandra Lovering
are tired of putting on stories that don’t reflect our values or our experiences,” says Christie Gibson, OperaHub’s general director. “We want to see a lot more people writing in a space that is contemporary.” This means bringing in more diverse voices in terms of race, gender, economic background and other life experiences. Opera as a medium has stood the test of time for its power and grandeur, but in order to evolve, all the damsels can’t be in distress and all the storytellers can’t be white. MassOpera has participated in a number of development programs for operas, but this is the first time the group is producing a show from inception to premiere. Cassandra Lovering, producing artistic director for MassOpera, says the way the opera is made is crucial to the process. “Often times the creation process is very top-down,” says Lovering. “[This program] is about empowering artists and creating space for a process that’s specific to each creator that we’re
In an ongoing weekly lecture series around the show, Garrett Nelson, curator of maps and director of geographic scholarship at the center, ties the show in with the current protests for racial justice. “We think a lot at the map center about the way that maps, data, visualizations of geography, have both shown and reinforced the patterns of segregation, inequality, injustice that characterize American history,” says Nelson. He refers to the book “Fitzgerald: Geography of Revolution” by William Bunge, in which Bunge worked with black activists in Detroit to represent the causes of racial unrest and injustice in the city during the 1960s and ’70s. Nelson says, “That had led up to militarized confrontations between the state and its own COURTESY PHOTOS
See OPERA, page 16
Scenes from productions by MassOpera (top) and OperaHub. The companies have joined forces to change the lanscape of opera.
See MAPS, page 17
16 • Thursday, June 11, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER
ARTS&CULTURE CHECK OUT MORE ARTS NEWS ONLINE: WWW.BAYSTATEBANNER.COM/CATEGORY/ARTS-AND-CULTURE
The making of a virtual museum By CELINA COLBY Since closing their doors for the benefit of public health, cultural institutions across Greater Boston have launched virtual museum tours online. The move required museums to pivot at an extraordinary pace to cater to viewers missing a crucial part of the experience – the ability to exist in the same space as the artwork. Now that the hurdle has been jumped, museums are looking at how these tools might serve them once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. The Peabody Essex Museum had a leg up in the virtual tour game when their doors closed on March 12. They have been working with Matterport, a virtual tour maker popular with real estate firms, since 2018 to market their event spaces and showcase their gallery expansion project. Just prior to closing, the museum had
(left) Peabody Essex Museum
present a challenge. They also can’t capture moving objects so kinetic art is out of the questions. O’Brien says planning a visitor experience that can work for everyone has also been a hurdle. “You’re trying to weigh the casual visitor versus someone who might be a scholar that really wants to dive in depth into individual pieces,” he says. “Everybody’s museum experience is different, the amount of time they spend in the gallery, the amount of labels they read, so we’re really trying to find that balance between different visitor types.” If the pinned information in the tours isn’t enough, scholars can deep dive into the collection in other areas of the website. Many cultural institutions are using this time to evaluate how their processes should change going forward. It’s an opportunity not just to evaluate public health precautions but also accessibility and inclusion.
PHOTO: AISLINN WEIDELE, ENNEAD ARCHITECTS
Panels from “Struggle: From the History of the American People” by Jacob Lawrence (top to bottom): “Thousands of American citizens have been torn from their country and from everything dear to them: they have been dragged on board ships of war of a foreign nation. — Madison, 1 June 1812“ Panel 19. PHOTO BY
“
STEPHEN PETEGORSKY
As you navigate through the space there are these touch points and you can click on that and open up an artist interview or an interactive that was in the gallery.”
“Peace,” Panel 26. “...is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? — Patrick Henry, 1775” Panel 1. PHOTO: BOB PACKERT/PEM
— Derek O’Brien, PEM chief marketing officer photographed their “Jacob Lawrence: The American Struggle” exhibition with Matterport and it’s now available to virtually walk through online. To create these tours, 3-D camera operators will go into the galleries and shoot pictures of the space from all angles. Those pictures are then woven together to create an immersive experience in which online visitors can guide themselves through the exhibition just like they would in person. “It gives you a sense of being able to walk through the space. I think that’s been one of the really beneficial parts of it,” says Derek O’Brien, PEM’s chief marketing officer. “As you navigate through the space there are these touch points and you can click on that and open up an artist interview or an interactive that was in the gallery.” There are, of course, limitations to this medium. 3-D cameras have trouble capturing in direct sunlight, so outdoor spaces
© The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Peter Broderick, VP of marketing and communications at the Boston Children’s Museum says that their virtual museum has been so popular they’re planning to launch a new, related product that will allow children to create their own virtual museums. O’Brien says PEM plans to keep the virtual experiences online and to continue creating new ones for visitors who aren’t able to physically come to the space. In the meantime, O’Brien hopes the tours will act as a balm to the events of 2020. He says, “I know being able to go through those galleries was always a great source of relief for me and hopefully these virtual tours can provide that with everything we’re going through right now.”
ON THE WEB View the virtual Jacob Lawrence exhibition: www.pem.org/exhibitions/jacob-law-
rence-the-american-struggle
opera
continued from page 15
For the latest local
ARTS & CULTURE NEWS baystatebanner.com
collaborating with, meeting them where they are and then supporting them in the way that will really grow the piece to its fullest potential.” The NOW program will work with one opera creator (or set of creators) chosen from the open call submissions. The finalists will be announced in August and the project or projects chosen for production will be announced in January 2021. From there, the production will go through a series of workshops and semi-staged performances to hone the work before the
premiere. Currently the timeline is set for the process to take up most of 2021. “An opera might have beautiful music, music that could bring you to tears. But then it’s partnered with a story that does not stand the test of time,“ says Lovering. “Because the music is in many ways inseparable from the story, it’s more important than ever now to ensure that they are reflecting who we are now. If opera is really going to live on for hundreds more years, it needs to change.”
ON THE WEB Learn more and apply at: massopera.org
Thursday, June June 11, 11, 2020 2020 •• BAY Thursday, BAY STATE STATE BANNER BANNER •• 17 17
ARTS&CULTURE
BANNER PHOTOS
Anti-violence activist Monica Cannon Grant (above) addresses a crowd estimated at 10,000 gathered in Franklin Park for a rally against police violence. Demonstrators marched through the park before congregating near the Shattuck Hospital.
COURTESY BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Detail of a 1624 map of New England containing fabricated place names like “Cambridge” near what is today Portland, Maine.
maps
continued from page 15 citizens that are not very dissimilar to the ones that we’re seeing today.” Some of the mapmakers’ motivations are less sinister — for example, maps that are used for advertising to targeted demographics and neighborhoods. But the ability to control public opinion is a tool frequently used irresponsibly. Maps and data are used to monitor things like the spread of disease, including our current pandemic, and to enforce unfair voting restrictions, particularly among communities of color. The exhibition is coming at an ideal time, as all of these events converge in the United States at once. It is more important than ever
to be able to look objectively at presented information and understand what biases or perspectives may have influenced the way the data looks. When information is taken at face value, the effects can be extremely dangerous. Every week, Nelson dives into the material with another expert, often reacting to current events and their connection with the exhibition in real time. These lectures stream on Facebook Live every Wednesday at 1 pm. The exhibition will run online and later in person for a year, and additional material and activities will be added along the way.
ON THE WEB Check out the virtual exhibit and find a listing of events at: www.leventhalmap.org/
digital-exhibitions/bending-lines
BANNER CLASSIFIEDS LEGAL
INVITATION TO BID MASONRY REPAIRS AT THE BROOKE CHARTER SCHOOLS 150 AMERICAN LEGION HIGHWAY MATTAPAN, MASSACHUSETTS GALE JN 836250 THIS PROJECT IS BEING ELECTRONICALLY BID AND HARD COPY BIDS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Please review the instructions in the bid documents on how to register as an electronic bidder. The bids are to be prepared and submitted at www.biddocsonline.com. Tutorials and instructions on how to complete the electronic bid documents are available online. The Brooke Charter Schools, hereinafter called the Owner, invites electronic proposals from Contractors for the Masonry Repairs at the Brooke Charter School, 150 American Legion Highway, Mattapan, Massachusetts, in accordance with the Contract Documents prepared by Gale Associates, Inc., 15 Constitution Drive, Bedford, NH 03110. Bids for the General Contract shall be filed electronically with Bid Docs Online by June 24, 2020 @ 1:00 P.M. At this time bids will be publicly opened online forthwith. Please note, public bid openings may be videotaped, livestreamed, or opened on public TV. Bidders may participate in bid opening via conference call arranged by the Owner. The Owner reserves the right to issue an addendum postponing the scheduled bid opening prior to the due date. General bidders must be certified by the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) for the category of Masonry.
LEGAL
LEGAL
General bids shall be accompanied by a DCAMM Certificate of Eligibility for the category, and an Update Statement. Failure to provide a DCAMM Certificate of Eligibility and an Update Statement will result in the bid being rejected.
Attention of all bidders is specifically directed to the construction scheduling requirements and to the requirements of the Supplemental General Conditions concerning Equal Employment Opportunity, Anti-Discrimination, and Affirmative Action Program of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the requirement of prevailing wages, which is incorporated in the Contract Documents.
Each general bid shall be filed electronically with Bid Docs Online and accompanied by a bid deposit in an amount of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid. Bid deposits shall be in the form of a bid bond, cash, certified check, or a treasurer’s or cashier’s check issued by a responsible bank or trust company, payable to the Brooke Charter Schools. Bid deposits should scan their bonds or checks and upload to the Bid Docs Online page with their general bid. Cash bid security will not be accepted. Bid Bonds shall be a) in a form satisfactory to the Awarding Authority, b) with a surety company qualified to do business in the Commonwealth and c) conditioned upon the faithful performance by the principal of the agreements contained in the bid. A Performance and Payment Bond satisfactory in form to the Awarding Authority in the amount of one hundred percent (100%) of the contract and from a surety authorized to do business in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is required of the successful bidder. The project will be advertised via the Central Register on June 10, 2020. Bid Forms and Contract Documents will be available for pick-up at www.biddocsonline.com (may be viewed electronically and hardcopy requested) on June 10, 2020. Contact BidDocs ONLINE, Inc. for pricing and shipping options. Due to current Federal and State mandates on public gatherings, a pre-bid conference will not be held at the site. Public access to the rear of the building is available to all bidders who wish to visit the site prior to the submission of bids. Those wishing to visit the site are asked to follow the Federal and State guidelines for social distancing. The use of aerial and satellite imagery is also encouraged to be utilized for additional information regarding the site location. Bidders are cautioned to carefully examine the Contract Documents, the sites, and the documents relating to existing conditions contained within the specifications.
General bidders are also advised that before contract award, the lowest general bidder shall be required to provide the Owner with documentation stating how is intends to meet the minority and women business enterprise goals for the project. The combined MBE and WBE goal is 10.4%. All bids for this project are subject to the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 30, Section 39M as amended, and Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 149, Section 26 - 27b inclusive and Section 44A 44I inclusive. Attention is directed to the minimum wage rates to be paid on the work as determined by the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development. All bid deposits will be returned in accordance with applicable statutory provisions. The Awarding Authority will reject general bids when required to do so by the above-referenced General Laws. In addition, the Awarding Authority reserves the right to waive any informalities in bidding and to reject any and all general bids if it deems it to be in the public interest to do so. GALE ASSOCIATES, INC. 15 Constitution Drive Bedford, NH 03110 For the: Brooke Charter Schools 190 Cummins Highway Roslindale, MA 0213
18 • Thursday, June 11, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER
BANNER CLASSIFIEDS LEGAL
LEGAL
LEGAL
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS - CLASSIFIED LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT MASSACHUSETTS EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE DIVISION OF CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT & MAINTENANCE
Citation Giving Notice of Petition for Appointment of Guardian for Incapacitated Person Pursuant to G.L. c. 190B, §5-304
Incapacitated Person Pursuant to G.L. c. 190B, §5-304
Electronic Bids submitted in the format furnished by the Division of Capital Asset Management & Maintenance (DCAMM) and clearly identified as a bid will be received through DCAMM’s E-Bid Room at www.bidexpress.com/ businesses/10279/home no later than the date and time specified and will forthwith be publicly opened at One Ashburton Place, Room 220, Boston, MA 02108. General Bids at 2:00 PM: July 7, 2020 Every General Bidder must be certified by DCAMM for the category of work listed below and for no less than the bid price plus all add alternates of this project, if applicable. The Category of Work is: Alarm Systems Mass. State Project No. IFM2009 Fire Alarm & Fire Protection Maintenance Services for Certain State Buildings Boston, Lowell, and Salem, MA E.C.C: $489,764 This project is scheduled for three years to substantial completion. Scope: Provide testing, inspection, preventive maintenance, repair, replacement and emergency services for all Fire Alarm Systems and Equipment and Fire Protection Systems and Equipment. A Pre-Bid meeting will be held on June 17, 2020 @ 8:00 AM at the McCormack Building, One Ashburton Place, Boston, MA. Meet in the lobby. A Site Visit will follow, as well as a Site Visit at the State House at 10:30 AM. Site Visits are scheduled for the Lindemann Building, 25 Staniford St., Boston, MA, on June 18, 2020 at 8:00 AM, and at the Hurley Building, 19 Staniford St., Boston, MA, also on June 18, 2020, at 10:00 AM. Minimum rates of wages to be paid on the project have been determined by the Commissioner of the Department of Labor Standards. These rates are incorporated into the bid documents. Bid documents for this project may be accessed or downloaded at no cost to potential bidders exclusively through DCAMM’s E-Bid Room https://www. bidexpress.com/businesses/10279/home One hard copy set is also available for viewing in DCAMM’s Bid Room located at One Ashburton Place, 1st Floor, Room 107, Boston, MA during normal business hours. In order to access bid documents and submit bids through DCAMM’s E-Bid Room potential bidders must first be verified by DCAMM’s Bid Room and then register with the E-Bid Room vendor. Instructions on the processes can be found on DCAMM’s website www.mass.gov/dcamm/bids or contact DCAMM’s Bid Room at (617) 727-4003 or bidroom.dcamm@mass.gov. Carol W. Gladstone COMMISSIONER The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority is seeking bids for the following: BID NO.
DESCRIPTION
A626
RFQ/P Drug and Alcohol Testing and 06/22/20 Compliance Services
DATE
TIME 11:00 a.m.
WRA-4858
Supply and Delivery of Aqua Ammonia to the John J. Carroll Water Treatment Plant
06/22/20
12:00 p.m.
WRA-4857
Purchase of One (1) New Diesel Powered Dump Truck
06/22/20
2:00 p.m.
WRA-4859
Supply and Delivery of Hydrofluorosilicic Acid to the John J. Carroll Water Treatment Plant
06/23/20
12:00 p.m.
WRA-4856
Purchase One (1) New Front End Loader and One (1) New Backhoe Loader
06/23/20
2:00 p.m.
WRA-4861
Sliding and Rolling Doors
06/24/20
2:00 p.m.
In the matter of: Lebaron Bernard Of: Chelsea, MA RESPONDENT Alleged Incapacitated Person To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by Mass. Dept. Of Mental Health of Westborough, MA in the above captioned matter alleging that Lebaron Bernard is in need of a Guardian and requesting that (or some other suitable person) be appointed as Guardian to serve on the bond.
To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by Brigham & Woman’s Hospital of Boston, MA in the above captioned matter alleging that Manuel Rosa is in need of a Guardian and requesting that Maria D Rosa of Boston, MA (or some other suitable person) be appointed as Guardian to serve on the bond.
The petition asks the court to determine that the Respondent is incapacitated, that the appointment of a Guardian is necessary, that the proposed Guardian is appropriate. The petition is on file with this court and may contain a request for certain specific authority.
The petition asks the court to determine that the Respondent is incapacitated, that the appointment of a Guardian is necessary, and that the proposed Guardian is appropriate. The petition is on file with this court and may contain a request for certain specific authority.
You have the right to object to this proceeding. If you wish to do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance at this court on or before 10:00 A.M. on the return date of 06/24/2020. This day is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline date by which you have to file the written appearance if you object to the petition. If you fail to file the written appearance by the return date, action may be taken in this matter without further notice to you. In addition to filing the written appearance, you or your attorney must file a written affidavit stating the specific facts and grounds of your objection within 30 days after the return date.
You have the right to object to this proceeding. If you wish to do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance at this court on or before 10:00 A.M. on the return date of 06/25/2020. This day is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline date by which you have to file the written appearance if you object to the petition. If you fail to file the written appearance by the return date, action may be taken in this matter without further notice to you. In addition to filing the written appearance, you or your attorney must file a written affidavit stating the specific facts and grounds of your objection within 30 days after the return date.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
SUFFOLK Division
IMPORTANT NOTICE
The outcome of this proceeding may limit or completely take away the above-named person’s right to make decisions about personal affairs or financial affairs or both. The above-named person has the right to ask for a lawyer. Anyone may make this request on behalf of the above-named person. If the above-named person cannot afford a lawyer, one may be appointed at State expense. WITNESS, Hon. Brian J. Dunn, First Justice of this Court. Date: May 28, 2020
Felix D. Arroyo Register of Probate
The outcome of this proceeding may limit or completely take away the above-named person’s right to make decisions about personal affairs or financial affairs or both. The above-named person has the right to ask for a lawyer. Anyone may make this request on behalf of the above-named person. If the above-named person cannot afford a lawyer, one may be appointed at State expense. WITNESS, Hon. Brian J. Dunn, First Justice of this Court. Date: May 21, 2020
Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division
SUFFOLK Division
A Petition for Formal Adjudication of Intestacy and Appointment of Personal Representative has been filed by Gloria J. Heckstall of Boston, MA requesting that the Court enter a formal Decree and Order and for such other relief as requested in the Petition. IMPORTANT NOTICE You have the right to obtain a copy of the Petition from the Petitioner or at the Court. You have a right to object to this proceeding. To do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance and objection at this Court before 10:00 a.m. on the return day of 07/08/2020. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance and objection if you object to this proceeding. If you fail to file a timely written appearance and objection followed by an Affidavit of Objections within thirty (30) days of the return day, action may be taken without further notice to you. UNSUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION UNDER THE MASSACHUSETTS UNIFORM PROBATE CODE (MUPC) A Personal Representative appointed under the MUPC in an unsupervised administration is not required to file an inventory or annual accounts with the Court. Persons interested in the estate are entitled to notice regarding the administration directly from the Personal Representative and may petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including distribution of assets and expenses of administration. WITNESS, Hon. Brian J. Dunn, First Justice of this Court. Date: May 27, 2020
Felix D. Arroyo Register of Probate
Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department
Docket No. SU20P0827GD
Docket No. SU20P0803EA
Citation on Petition for Formal Adjudication
Estate of: Pamela J. Heckstall Date of Death: 12/30/2019
SUFFOLK Division
Felix D. Arroyo Register of Probate
Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department
Docket No. SU20P0775EA
Citation on Petition for Formal Adjudication
To access and bid on Event(s) please go to the MWRA Supplier Portal at www.mwra.com. Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department
In the matter of: Manuel Rosa Of Dorchester, MA RESPONDENT Alleged Incapacitated Person
Estate of: Annie Mae Walton Date of Death: 07/10/2014 To all interested persons: A Petition for Formal Probate of Will and Appointment of Personal Representative has been filed by Stephania Walton of Hyde Park, MA requesting that the Court enter a formal Decree and Order and for such other relief as requested in the Petition. The Petitioner requests that Stephania Walton of Hyde Park, MA be appointed as Personal Representative(s) of said estate to serve Without Surety on the bond in an unsupervised administration. IMPORTANT NOTICE You have the right to obtain a copy of the Petition from the Petitioner or at the Court. You have a right to object to this proceeding. To do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance and objection at this Court before 10:00 a.m. on the return day of 07/14/2020. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance and objection if you object to this proceeding. If you fail to file a timely written appearance and objection followed by an Affidavit of Objections within thirty (30) days of the return day, action may be taken without further notice to you. UNSUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION UNDER THE MASSACHUSETTS UNIFORM PROBATE CODE (MUPC) A Personal Representative appointed under the MUPC in an unsupervised administration is not required to file an inventory or annual accounts with the Court. Persons interested in the estate are entitled to notice regarding the administration directly from the Personal Representative and may petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including distribution of assets and expenses of administration. WITNESS, Hon. Brian J. Dunn, First Justice of this Court. Date: June 02, 2020
Docket No. SU20P0792GD
Felix D. Arroyo Register of Probate
Citation Giving Notice of Petition for Appointment of Guardian for
REAL ESTATE
REAL ESTATE
HARDY STREET LLC
AFFORDABLE HOUSING LOTTERY FOR OUR WAITING LIST Via ZOOM; LOTTERY DATE: July 1, 2020
Attendance is optional and not mandatory to be placed on waitlist Six - Two bedroom units including heat, hot water, air conditioning and electric. Accessible units available. Within walking distance to Beverly Commuter Rail and Downtown On-site laundry room, 1 off street parking per unit, dishwasher, disposal INCOME LIMITS APPLY – GROSS INCOME FOR
1 person (50% AMI) $44,800 • 2 persons $51,200 • 3 persons $ 57,600 • 4 persons $63,950 Gross Rent $2,413 and Tenants pay 30% of their Adjusted Gross Income in rent – utilities included For information, reasonable accommodation, or to request an application, please call or visit Harborlight Community Partners Office (Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM) located at 283 Elliot St., Beverly, MA 01915 Tel: 978-922-1305; TTY/TTD: Dial 711 Due to COVID19 and public library/town hall closures, applications are available only electronically (download or email) or by mail. You can go to https://harborlightcp.org/housing/housing-lottery-opportunity / to download the application or email information@harborlightcp.org or call the number listed above to have an application mail to you.
Applications are to be mailed to P.O. Box 507, Beverly, MA 01915 and the deadline for the lottery is June 30, 2020. Once lottery has been conducted, we will have an open application period.
BAY STATE BANNER
REAL ESTATE Haven Terrace, Gloucester, MA
AFFORDABLE HOUSING LOTTERY FOR CONDOMINIUM COMMUNITY 1 Three Bedroom Unit ($195,000) LOTTERY DATE: July 1, 2020
Attendance is optional and not mandatory to be placed on waitlist
Providing affordable housing in Gloucester; One three-bedroom unit ($195,000) available for purchase. INCOME LIMITS APPLY: 1 person (80% AMI) $67,400 • 2 persons $77,000
3 persons $86,650 • 4 persons $96,250 • 5 persons $103,950 gross income
$203 per month HOA fee includes external maintenance, trash, condo association insurance and ground lease fee
For information, reasonable accommodation, or to request an application, please call Harborlight Community Partners Office (Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM) located at Tel: 978-473-7180; TTY/TTD: Dial 711 Applications will also be available at the Gloucester City Hall and Sawyer Free Library, 2 Dale Avenue, Gloucester, or on our website: www.harborlightcp.org Applications can be mailed to P.O. Box 507, Beverly, MA 01915 or dropped off at the above location. Application deadline for the lottery is June 30, 2020. Once lottery has been conducted, we will have an open application period.
Thursday, June 11, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 19
BANNER CLASSIFIEDS REAL ESTATE
REAL ESTATE
REAL ESTATE
Affordable Housing Lottery
AFFORDABLE NET RENT
REDTAIL CROSSING PHASE I 5 Eagle Brook Blvd., Wrentham, MA 02093
2BRs @ $1,904*, 3BRs @ $2,197*
*Rents subject to change. Tenants will pay own gas (heat, hot water), electricity (cooking is electric). The costs of water and sewer are included, as is free parking. REDTAIL CROSSING is a 100 unit rental apartment community featuring town house style units located at 5 Eagle Brook Boulevard in Wrentham, MA. The units are designed to feel more like a home than an apartment with each unit having its own garage, driveway and private patios for outside lounging and grilling. Besides these features, there is a large open area, walking trails, a restaurant and the publicly accessible Lake Pearl within walking distance. The interior of the units feature Stainless-Steel, Energy-Efficient Appliances, AC, In-Unit Washer and Dryer, and Wood-Style Flooring. Residents are permitted to have 1 dog or cat. Redtail Crossing will be constructed in three phases. This application process applies to Phase I, which will have a total of seven affordable two and three bedroom apartments.
MAXIMUM Household Income Limits: $67,400 (1 person)
$77,000 (2 people)
$86,650 (3 people)
$96,250 (4 people)
$103,950 (5 people)
$111,650 (6 people)
Completed Applications and Required Income Documentation must be received, not postmarked, by 2 pm on July 31st, 2020.
A Public Info Session will be held on July 1st, 2020 at 6pm via YouTube at https://youtu.be/GmkRFno6ecg (or just search “SEB Housing” in YouTube and click thumbnail for Wrentham Redtail Crossing Info Session) and via conference call at (425) 436-6200. Code 862627 The Lottery will take place on August 12th, 2020 at 6pm via YouTube at https://youtu.be/fHvNOyRkJm8 (or just search “SEB Housing” in YouTube and click thumbnail for Wrentham Redtail Crossing Lottery) and via conference call at (425) 436-6200. Code 862627 For Lottery Information and Applications, or for reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities, go to www.sebhousing.com or call (617) 782-6900 (x1) and leave a message or postal mail SEB Housing, 257 Hillside Ave, Needham MA 02494. For TTY Services dial 711. Free translation available.
AT LONGWOOD
King’s Lynne Apartments Section 8 Project-Based Voucher waitlist for 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom apartments will open from June 15 – July 15, 2020. Placement on the waitlist will be determined by lottery. The income eligibility requirements are as follows: No. of Persons
Max. Annual Income 50% AMI
No. of Persons
Max. Annual Income 50% AMI
1 Person
$44,800
5 Persons
$69,100
2 Persons
$51,200
6 Persons
$74,200
3 Persons
$57,600
7 Persons
$79,300
4 Persons
$63,950
8 Persons
$84,450
Applicants must be determined eligible in accordance with the regulations of the Section 8 Project-Based Voucher Program. Rent is 30% of the household’s adjusted gross income. Applications can be sent to you via email or mail upon request by calling 781-581-7106 or emailing hrodriguez@cjmanagement.com from June 15–July 15, 2020, M-F, 9am –4pm. Applications may also be picked up in person at: King’s Lynne Apartments Management Office Entrance, Application Box, 115 O’Callaghan Way, Lynn, MA, June 15–July 15, 9am—8pm. Completed applications must be postmarked, faxed to 781-592-7340, or delivered in person to the mail slot at the King’s Lynne Management Office at the address above by 4pm, July 15, 2020 to be included in the lottery. The lottery will be held remotely on August 4, 2020 at 2pm. King’s Lynne Apartments is a smoke-free housing community. For more information, language assistance, or reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities, contact the King’s Lynne Management Office at: 781-581-7106 | TTY: KingsLynne.com | cmjapts.com Professionally Managed by CMJ Management Company
City of Everett Income Restricted Rental Opportunity
16 LAUREL STREET, EVERETT, MA 02149 www.LaurelStreetLottery.com
4 INCOME RESTRICTED UNITS AVAILABLE
Affordable Housing Lottery Hanover Westford Hills
1 Westford Hills Road, Westford, MA 1BRs @ $840*, 2BRs @ $975*, 3BRs @ $1,097*
*Rents subject to change in 2020. Utilities are not included. Tenants will pay own gas heat, electric cooking, gas hot water, electricity, and water. Hanover Westford Hills is a 180-unit rental apartment community located at 1 Westford Hills Road, Westford. 36 Units will be made available through this application process. Of these units, there is a mix of 1BR, 2BR, and 3BR apartments, and one 3BR townhome available. Westford Hills is a distinctive apartment community. The project will include residential amenities such as a professionally landscaped courtyard, resort style pool, and BBQs for outdoor grilling. The project will also include a clubhouse with a demonstration kitchen, fitness center, cinema, conference room, e-lounge, and televisions. Unit finishes will be the highest end in the market place. Kitchens will contain a breakfast bar, frameless cabinets, stainless appliances, stone countertops, tile backsplashes, and wood-style flooring. Living areas will feature 9’ ceilings, wood-style flooring, and track lighting. Bedrooms will have carpet flooring, and bathrooms will include frameless cabinets, framed mirrors, garden tubs with tile surround, natural stone countertops, and porcelain tile flooring. Future built conditions may vary.
MAXIMUM Household Income Limits: $37,800 (1 person) $43,200 (2 people) $48,600 (3 people), $54,000 (4 people), $58,350 (5 people), $62,650 (6 people) Completed Applications and Required Income Documentation must be received, not postmarked, by 2 pm on July 21st, 2020.
A Public Info Session will be held on June 23rd, 2020 at 6pm where questions about the lottery and the development can be addressed directly. The session will be available via YouTube at https://youtu. be/fObBxql0dTw (or just search “SEB Housing” in YouTube and click thumbnail for Hanover Westford Hills) and via conference call at (425) 436-6200. Code 862627
The lottery will be held on August 4th, 2020 at 6pm on YouTube at https://youtu.be/-t9sQbUHDPU and via conference call at (425) 4366200. Code 862627
For Lottery Information and Applications, or for reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities, go to www.sebhousing.com or call (617) 782-6900 (x1) and leave a message or postal mail SEB Housing, 257 Hillside Ave, Needham MA 02494. For TTY Services dial 711. Free translation available.
# OF UNITS 1 1 1 1
UNIT SIZE 1 Bedroom* 1 Bedroom** 2 Bedroom 2 Bedroom**
RENT $1,786 $1,786 $1,989 $1,989
*unit is built out for persons with deaf/hard of hearing impairments **unit is built out for persons with mobility impairments
MAXIMUM INCOME PER HOUSEHOLD SIZE HOUSEHOLD SIZE
80% AMI LOW INCOME
1
$67,400
3
$86,650
2 4 5 6
$77,000 $96,250
$103,950 $111,650
Households may request an application be sent by email or mail from June 15, 2020 – August 15, 2020 through the following methods: Visit: www.16LaurelLottery.com Call: 781-992-5316 – US Relay 711
MAXIMUM Household Income Limits: INFORMATION SESSION: $67,400 (1 person) $77,000 (2 an people) $86,650 (3 people) After careful consideration and abundance of caution, it has decided to(4 cancel the in-person and the $96,250 people) $103,950application (5 people)distribution $111,650 period (6 people) information meetings. To replace the informational meetings, we have created a presentation that includes information about the property, the application process, preferences, the lottery, and what happens after the lottery. For a copy of the presentation, please visit: www.16LaurelLottery.com Deadline for completed applications by mail or email: Postmarked no later than August 15, 2020 Maloney Properties, Inc. Attention: 16 Laurel Street Lottery 27 Mica Lane, Wellesley MA 02481 Selection by lottery. Use & occupancy restrictions apply. Preference for Preference for households with at least one person per bedroom. For more info or to make a request for reasonable accommodations, please call, Maloney Properties, Inc 781-992-5316 - MA Relay 711 or Email: 16Laurel@MaloneyProperties.com Equal Housing Opportunity
FIND EVEN MORE CLASSIFIEDS
online at www.baystatebanner.com post your advertisement at baystatebanner.com/advertise
WAITING LISTS ARE OPEN FOR AFFORDABLE RENTALS
High-rise living in Boston with elevators, skyline views, swimming pool, fitness center, 24hr Concierge and more!
CityView at Longwood Apartments
Pick up applications at the leasing office** 75 Saint Alphonsus Street Boston, MA 02120 cityviewleasing@jagmgt.com (617) 397-4457
Studio 1BR 2BR 3BR
$1635 $1913 $2172 $2437
MAXIMUM HOUSEHOLD INCOME
1 Person 2 Persons 3 Persons 4 Persons 5 Persons 6 Persons
$79,000 $90,650 $102,000 $113,300 $122,400 $131,450
For TTY Services dial 711. Free Translation Available.
CityView at Longwood shall not discriminate against any person because of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, handicap, veteran status or any basis prohibited by law. *Rents and income limits are subject to MHP approval and may change with HUD’s publication of area median income. **Reasonable accommodation
HELP WANTED
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ADVERTISEMENT The Mashpee Housing Authority seeks an experienced housing administrator for leadership and management of its programs, properties, and contracts. The Mashpee Housing Authority owns and operates 24 units of state-aided elderly/ handicapped public housing, 6 units of state-aided scattered site family housing, 38 Massachusetts Housing Voucher Program Project Based (MRVP PB) Vouchers, 31 Mobile MRVP Vouchers and 2 state-aided Alternative Housing Vouchers (AHVP). In addition to its own programs and properties, Mashpee Housing Authority is currently under contract to manage the Brewster, Carver, and Mattapoisett Housing Authorities, as well as a 56-unit LIHTC property, a 10-unit affordable housing rental development, and a town-based rental assistance Program. Other state-aided elderly/handicapped developments managed under contract include: Brewster 32, Carver 20, Mattapoisett 54; other state-aided Family Housing Program units are: Scattered site units in Brewster 24, Carver 8, Mattapoisett 10, and 10 units of Veterans Family Housing Program in Mattapoisett; and 13 MRVP Mobile vouchers are also administered in Brewster. Minimum Requirements: A minimum of four years’ experience in housing management, community development, public administration, or a closely related field. Knowledge of the principles and practices of housing management, finances and maintenance systems in public and private housing. One year’s experience overseeing at least three staff persons or program administration is required. Excellent written and verbal communication skills required. Knowledge of laws regulating State and the LIHTC housing programs. Experience working with people of various socio-economic backgrounds. Must be bondable. Certification as a Public Housing Manager from a HUD approved organization is desired or obtained within one year of employment. Working knowledge of and experience with the development/redevelopment of affordable housing and management of capital improvement projects is preferred. Demonstrated ability to learn and use the agency’s computer system is preferred. A bachelor’s degree in a related field may substitute for up to two years of experience. Preference will be given to those who have MassNAHRO Certification as a Public Housing Manager and Certification from Spectrum for LIHTC administration. Preference will be given to those who are familiar with the housing authority’s software (PHA-web and QuickBooks). The salary range is $110,000 to $125,000 depending on experience and certifications and in accordance with the DHCD Executive Director Salary Schedule/Calculation worksheet. The work week is 40 hrs. per week with full benefits. TO APPLY IN CONFIDENCE, please submit cover letter and resume to director@mashpeehousing.org with “E.D. position” in the subject line. A full job description is available upon request at this same email address. The position is open until filled and salary is based upon experience and certifications.
MORE JOB LISTINGS ONLINE AT
BAYSTATEBANNER.COM/JOBS
Speed? Oh, we’re way past that. Xfinity delivers more than just fast Internet. With Xfinity xFi, you get the ultimate control over your home WiFi network. See who is connected and even pause your WiFi with the xFi app. Plus, get peace of mind with an added layer of protection for all your connected devices. That’s Internet made simple, easy, awesome. Go to xfinity.com, call 1-800-xfinity or visit an Xfinity Store today.
Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Actual speeds vary and are not guaranteed. For factors affecting speed visit www.xfinity.com/networkmanagement. Xfinity xFi is available to Xfinity Internet customers with a compatible Xfinity Gateway. Ability to pause limited to home WiFi network. Does not apply to Xfinity WiFi hotspots. Call for restrictions and complete details. NPA229989-0007 NED AA xFi Sup V2
137475_NPA229989-0007 xFi Super 10x15.75 BostonBay.indd 1
6/8/20 7:45 PM