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Race bias alleged in Mass. trial courts Civil rights lawyers: Racial harassment rampant; few women of color employed By JULE PATTISON-GORDON
BANNER PHOTO
Police diversity officer Michael Gaskins spoke to attendees at a community forum on police and fire diversity, held in MAMLEO offices. Tanisha Sullivan (right), NAACP president, moderated the discussion.
Rights activists push to diversify fire, police Six-figure-salary public jobs remain primarily with whites By JULE PATTISON-GORDON
As people of color have increased their numbers in Boston, the fire and police department workforces have remained primarily white. City officials long have said civil service law is responsible for keeping two of the largest city institutions — and their six-figure paychecks — largely out of
the hands of minority residents. Community members, elected officials, current and former officers and others gathered at Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers’ offices last week to discuss solution strategies. Today, the Boston Police Department is 67 percent white, said one attorney. But less than half of the city population is white. The problem is similar in the fire
department, where 72 percent of the force is white.
By the numbers
As of June 2017, 20 percent of its fire suppression force — including chiefs, captains, lieutenants and firefighters — is black, 7 percent is Hispanic and less than one percent is Asian, according to a
See MAMLEO, page 17
Courts seeking to remedy injustices and inequities would do well to look at their own practices, according to a letter from the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice. Many working in Massachusetts’ Trial Court system report “a toxic racially-charged hostile environment that fosters identity-based harassment,” writes Oren Sellstrom of the Lawyers’ Committee. According to data and employee accounts gathered by the Lawyers’ Committee, mockery based on race, ethnicity, accented English speech or being an immigrant is not uncommon in the Court Security and Probate and Family Court. Additionally, the Trial Court workforce fails to reflect the diversity of those seeking justice and assistance before them. In particular, there are few women of color employed or in supervisory positions, which the Lawyers’ Committee attributes in part to a promotional exam they deem flawed. On behalf of the Massachusetts Minority Court Officers, the Lawyers’ Committee sent a letter to Court Administrator Jonathan Williams last week, demanding a package of reforms to revise allegedly discriminatory promotional practices, make employee demographic information more publicly available and improve hiring and promotion of
qualified candidates of color. “Government agencies should broadly reflect the communities they serve. Nowhere is this more important than in the Trial Court, where equal justice is a fundamental principle,” the Lawyers’ Committee said, calling for a proactive and robust effort to alter what appear to be longstanding issues. In a statement to the Banner a Trial Court spokesperson said that the court continues on two years of work to address issue around race and implicit bias. “The Trial Court is committed to having a diverse workforce,” the spokesperson said.
Racial climate
According to the Lawyers’ Committee, employees report being subjected to racial slurs and demeaning comments. Immigrants allegedly have been hit with comments about getting deported and Latinos mocked for their English. Beyond depriving employees of dignity, this climate discourages employees from using non-English language interpretation and translation skills that make the courts more accessible to many residents of Boston’s sizable immigrant population, Sellstrom says. Employees also said that reports of race-based incidents often went uninvestigated, that employees of color were relegated to more menial work and
See TRIAL COURT, page 12
Needles proliferate in city parks Statewide heroin problem has local impact By YAWU MILLER
Domingos DaRosa remembers the summer afternoons before Clifford Park was overrun by junkies. “There were softball games,” he told the Banner. “You had people sitting under the trees. People would come out from the swimming pool and hang out. Now people barely use it.” DaRosa, who coaches and manages the Roxbury Bengals Pop Warner football team in the park, regularly sweeps the playing field for discarded needles before he
allows children to practice there. He makes weekly calls to the city’s 311 hotline to report the proliferation of needles and heroin users, but he said it’s an uphill battle getting city services to clean the park. The city of Boston operates a Mobile Sharps Team responsible for removing needles from public spaces. Last year the team recovered more than 20,000 needles across the city. In the city’s fiscal year 2018 budget, the administration of Mayor Martin Walsh has proposed a funding increase for the Mobile Sharps Team that spokeswoman Laura Oggeri says
will double the team’s capacity. But for DaRosa, help often doesn’t come fast enough. Sometimes, he said, it takes days for the city to respond to a request. “I’ve lost a lot of participants due to the needles,” he said. “The needles are in the grass. They’re on the bleachers. We tell the kids, if they see one, don’t pick it up. Just tell an adult. It’s just sad.” With three baseball diamonds and basketball and tennis courts, Clifford Park is a nearly-quarter-mile-long expanse of natural turf that in its better days was a magnet for sports and outdoors enthusiasts. Sitting at the edge of
See NEEDLES, page 8
BANNER PHOTO
Community activist Carlos Henriquez regularly cleans discarded hypodermic needles from Clifford Park in Lower Roxbury.
2 • Thursday, June 29, 2017 • BAY STATE BANNER
BANNER PHOTOS
Shaykh Basyouny Nehela (right) gives a benediction with Imam Yasir Fahmy (2nd from right).
Muslims gather in Rox. for Eid-al Fitr celebration By YAWU MILLER
A crowd of more than 3,000 Muslims knelt on the turf at Madison Park High School on June 25, facing the rising sun as Imam Shaykh Basyouny Nehela gave a benediction in observance of Eid, the celebration of the conclusion of the holy month of Ramadan. The outdoor celebration drew Muslims to Roxbury from across the Greater Boston area for a celebration of one of the most important holidays in the Islamic calendar. Somalis in light-colored robes, South Asian women in bright saris, Nigerians in colorful African prints, Middle Eastern men and women in white robes presented a multi-hued picture of the growing Islamic community in the area. “This is a community effort,” said Imam Taalib Mahdee of the Masjid Al Quaran mosque. “We’re coming together from different communities.” The outdoor Eid observance in Roxbury goes back to the late 1970s, when two mosques serving the African American Muslim community, Masjid Al Quaran on Intervale Street in Grove Hall and Mosque for the Praising of Allah on Shawmut Avenue in Lower Roxbury, held a joint Eid observance in what was then Washington Park in Roxbury. “We said, ‘We’re all Muslims,’” Mahdee recalls. “‘We should do this together.’” Mahdee said he first declared his faith as a Muslim in December of 1978. “I was searching for something,” he said. “I had been in the military. I was cleaning up my life. I didn’t want to go back to my old way of
life. I went to the mosque on Intervale Street and heard the imam. I knew it was the path for me.”
A growing community
As the Muslim community in the Greater Boston community has grown, so too has the Eid observance. “We started with nothing,” says Daud Abdallah, who became a Muslim in the 1960s. “We said, ‘We have Allah.’ Now look at us.” In the early years, college students who attended the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center joined in the observance. Although that organization in 2009 opened a newly-built mosque and cultural center across Malcolm X Boulevard from Madison Park, the facility cannot accommodate the thousands who come out for Eid. The Roxbury observance is one of many in Massachusetts, with Muslims in Quincy, Malden, Lynn, Revere, Worcester and other
cities and towns holding their own observances. The Eid celebration concludes Ramadan a month during which Muslims fast from sunup to sundown. Determined by the lunar calendar, the Ramadan observance can occur at different times of year. This year, with Ramadan occurring in conjunction with the summer solstice, Muslims observing the fast in the northern hemisphere could eat only before 5:10 a.m. and after 8:25 p.m. “ This brings us closer to God, following his command to fast,” says Mahdee. “That’s the main thing. When you’re not eating every day, you become more conscious of people who are hungry. I was coming down Blue Hill Avenue the other day. There was a man in a doorway who was hungry. I put money in his hand. The expression on his face was priceless.”
Thursday, June 29, 2017 • BAY STATE BANNER • 3
4 • Thursday, June 29, 2017 • BAY STATE BANNER
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Established 1965
A menace to the republic Generations ago, African American elders opined that the continued racial hostility in the nation could destroy the spirit of America. Ministers and political leaders, nonetheless, advised blacks to embrace the principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence — “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Now racial hostility has led to the election of Donald Trump and put him in position to permit Vladimir Putin to damage the U.S. voting process. Our elders were also confident that the legal status of African Americans would be secured by the Constitution of the United States, when issues of discrimination were presented by competent counsel. Those advocating white supremacy have always maintained a significant political presence in the country. Over the years, wealthy white politicians have been able to convince impoverished white sharecroppers and working-class whites that they embraced them as brothers and would advocate for their interests. Blacks were identified as hostile and inferior to them. Enough whites living in the states of the Confederacy believed this perspective strongly enough to sacrifice their lives in the Civil War to assure that the great plantation owners have the slave labor required to farm their lands. And, much later, when Barack Obama, a black president, pushed for passage of the Affordable Care Act to provide medical attention for all the poor and the working class, poor whites responded favorably to the entreaties of the plutocrats to condemn so-called Obamacare. But then people fell sick and 20 million Americans now have medical insurance for the first time. Most are white because the number of poor whites is almost three times the number of blacks in that category. Still, many whites did not connect the dots to perceive the potential benefits of coalescing with blacks. Their
enslavement by the concept of white supremacy had become a significant aspect of their identity. Along came Donald Trump, a wealthy marketing expert and self-promoter, who was able to identify this weakness in white society. He immediately saw that low-income whites would find the presence of a black president inconsistent with their concept of white supremacy. In fact, Obama’s ability to attain the presidency without the backing of a wealthy father was a bit humiliating to Trump who always enjoyed the benefits of white privilege. As head of the birther movement, Trump became a political leader himself. Trump ran a tasteless campaign for president with a candidacy designed to mobilize the white underclass, the people who have felt forgotten. Those who expect more from a president have had to endure Trump’s fusillade of lies. His unconventional manner appeals to his base. However, one aspect of Trump’s policy should disturb every American. He is using the presidency to enhance his business wealth, perhaps at the expense of the interests of the country. Trump has refused to reveal his tax returns, a normal practice for past presidents. There is some concern about his business relations in Russia, because Trump seems to be willing to sacrifice the U.S. role as a world leader in deference to Vladimir Putin, the Russian oligarch. Now the evidence is irrefutable that Putin directed digital hacking of computers in the U.S. to disrupt the 2016 voting process. This is tantamount to an attack on the nation and Trump has taken no retaliatory action. Are Americans of European heritage aware that all of their former homelands now provide universal health care? Is their objective in opposing health care for all to deny service to blacks or those of modest means? Do those Americans remember any of the conflict and hostility with Russia since the end of World War II? Arise fellow patriots, the Republic is imperiled!!!
“To heck with white supremacy! We want our Obamacare back!” USPS 045-780 Melvin B. Miller Sandra L. Casagrand John E. Miller Yawu Miller
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Mentoring key to student success By ANDREA J. CAMPBELL One of the best things I get to do as a Boston City Councilor is meet with young people from my district, whether at their schools, in their after-school programs or during their group visits to City Hall. These visits allow me to talk with students and hear firsthand about the power of youth-serving programs. I often explain to the students that, but for great mentors and teachers, after-school sports and academic programs, and many caring adults, I would certainly not be where I am today. Born and raised in Boston, my childhood was filled with instability. When I was 8 months old, my mother died suddenly in a car accident while going to visit my father in prison. I did not meet my father until I was 8 years old because he was incarcerated. My brothers and I bounced around between living with relatives and foster care. That I could count on school and my after-school activities to be consistent and supportive helped me stay focused and on track. Yet I recognize not all of my peers, including my brothers, were so blessed. Both of my brothers cycled in and out of the criminal justice system during my young adulthood, and my twin brother, Andre, would eventually pass away while in the custody of the Department of Correction as a pretrial detainee. He was only 29 years old. I often think about Andre, asking myself: How did and do two twins born and raised in the City of Boston end up with such different life outcomes? In trying to answer this question, I point to the discrepancy in support and opportunity he and I received in and after school. Though Andre and I both attended Boston public schools, I was usually assigned to better performing schools and schools that offered incredible job opportunities, after-school programs, and mentorship, the benefits of which I still reap to this day. Andre, on the other hand, was vulnerable to school environments that lacked academic rigor, quality mentoring or free after-school programming, and offered few job opportunities. Instead, he was often subjected to harsh discipline policies and little social-emotional support or wrap-around services to support what he faced at home and in the street. Sadly, my story is not unique. According to the Mass Mentoring Partnership, 41 percent of students feel that they do not have anyone to talk to about challenges they face at home or in their community. Research has shown that without proper support structures in school, students are less likely to graduate and continue their education. In the Commonwealth, 5,500 students did not complete the 20152016 school year. There is a clear need for greater social-emotional support in schools as a remedy to high dropout rates. Those who drop out of school are less likely to have a job, and if they do, they often earn less, do not have health insurance and are more likely to be incarcerated. This pattern, often referred to as the school-to-prison pipeline, is a substantial contributing factor to the high incarceration rates in this country, especially among young people of color. For example, the Brookings Institution through a series of policy memos has found that the majority of criminal offenders are between the ages of 11 and 30. Furthermore, 60 percent of black male high-school dropouts will go to prison before the age of 35. I have experienced the effects of incarceration firsthand and a disproportionate amount of residents in my district, which is predominantly a district of color, experience these effects as well. However, I also know firsthand the transformative impacts mentoring and youth development programs have on the lives of young people and I see the need for more such programming in my district. That’s why a consistent priority during my first term in office has been to increase funding for these programs. In March 2016, I held my first City Council hearing not only to explore the variety of youth development programs available to youth in the City of Boston, but also to examine the availability of funding for these programs. At the hearing, numerous young people testified that these types of programs kept them employed, healthy and in many cases, saved their lives. Providers testified about the power of positive interventions and how innovative and effective youth programming can keep young people out of the criminal justice system and on real paths for success. Programs like these always need our help! For example, I was sad to see an incredible youth organization in Dorchester’s Codman Square close its doors earlier this year due to lack of funding. As the Boston City Councilor for District 4, which largely includes Dorchester and Mattapan, I was able to get the city, for the first time ever, to establish a $250,000 youth development program fund in the FY18 budget. This fund will provide a consistent and sustainable source of revenue for youth development programs in the city. My hope is that this fund will grow every year to eventually be in the millions. I will continue to support legislation and funding efforts that will improve the educational outcomes for my residents and those throughout the city and Commonwealth.
Andrea J. Campbell, Boston City Councilor, District 4 with Marty Martinez, President & CEO, Mass Mentoring Partnership
ROVING CAMERA
What effect has the first six months of the Trump administration had on the United States?
I don’t think much of him. When he comes on T.V., I change the channel.
He’s moving in a different direction. I believe he’s going to create jobs. I really think he’ll make a positive difference.
All he’s doing is causing an uproar. He’s trying to erode what Obama accomplished, instead of trying to create something on his own. Even Republicans aren’t backing him. He’s a clown.
James Jordan
Althea Garrison
Retired Roxbury
State Worker Dorchester
Kevin
Welder Dorchester
He’s had a bad effect on everything. He’s the worst president we’ve ever, ever, ever had.
Things will change soon with the new health care bill. We’ll have higher insurance costs. It’s going to be crazy. It’s going to hurt lower-income people.
Things will probably get worse. He’s cutting services for poor people.
Tina Grimes
Larry Horne
Luis Perez
Cook Roxbury
Painter Dorchester
how action helps our cities and the nation” said Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director of The U.S. Conference of Mayors. “Mayors continue to be the first responders in our global climate battle, and the innovative programs underway in Newton and Long Beach will help inspire actions by other cities here in the U.S. and throughout the world.” “Newton has made sustainability through solar energy a priority, as well as reducing inequality. This project came out of our desire to marry these two priorities in a way that is efficient, innovative, and inclusive and share the benefits of solar technology with lower income households,” said Warren. “We are honored to receive this reward from Walmart and the U.S. Conference of Mayors and appreciate their ongoing support of mayors’ work to address the climate challenges before all of us.”
The award program recognizes and honors mayors for their outstanding and innovative practices that increase energy efficiency, expand renewable energy and/or reduce carbon emissions. For this achievement, Newton has been awarded $15,000 to continue working towards sustainability goals.
Unit Secretary Dorchester
IN THE NEWS
SETTI WARREN At the 85th Annual USCM Meeting, Newton Mayor Setti Warren received a first place award in the 2017 Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards, for small cities. Warren received the award for the Newton Community Share Solar Initiative, a groundbreaking partnership to provide solar credits to low-income households in Newton. This unique program provides modest economic benefits to over 900 low-income Newton households by sharing solar credits from the city’s solar development projects. It also reduces the city’s carbon footprint, increasing the amount of clean, renewable energy in the community. Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia received the equivalent award for a large city. “Mayors Setti Warren and Robert Garcia are national climate leaders, taking us into the next decade of mayoral climate leadership and demonstrating
6 • Thursday, June 29, 2017 • BAY STATE BANNER
‘America; I too’ brings immigration Issues to Roxbury Film Festival By YAWU MILLER
The day after the Nov. 8 election of Donald Trump, many immigrants across the U.S. were faced with the possibility that his threats of harsh anti-immigrant policies would become a reality. “There was a lot of shock and fear,” recalls Los Angeles-based actor and director Anike Tourse. That day Tourse, who was raised in Newton, received a phone call from the California-based Coalition for Humane
Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles requesting that she write and direct a short film illustrating the challenges undocumented immigrants face — and the rights they have — when they’re arrested or detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. As the weeks passed, the project got bigger. CHIRLA pulled in HBO Vice President John Murchison to assist Tourse in editing her script. “It had to be a story,” says Tourse. “We went back and forth to develop the script.”
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The 20-minute short, shot over the course of three days in March, tells the story of three fictional undocumented immigrants caught up in ICE raids: a Mexican teenager, a Somali pizza deliveryman and a Chinese seamstress who is the sole caregiver for her autistic granddaughter. The film depicts their struggles as they confront scenarios drawn from real stories of former detainees who have worked with CHIRLA. In Tourse’s film, “America; I Too,” those real-life experiences convey the inhumanity of ICE raids and the detention facilities where the undocumented workers are held, sometimes for years. ICE agent Michaels, portrayed by Randolph-born actor Keston John, barks at teenager Manny, portrayed by Jose Diaz, accusing him of gang affiliation and ordering him to sign a deportation order. “Sign the form and you can be in Tijuana in a few hours,” he tells Manny. “Or you can sit in detention for months, and the judge is just going to deport you anyway.” When Manny refuses, the agent grabs his hand and tries to force him to sign. “There’s a lot of coercion that takes place when people are in detention,” Tourse says, explaining the scene. “All of the scenes were based on real stores. All of these things happened to people in detention.” As Manny navigates detention with the help of attorney Sara Garcia, portrayed by Tourse, he asserts his rights in a way meant to empower undocumented immigrants with a knowledge of their constitutional rights. Although ICE officers are not required to inform detainees of their Miranda rights, the law do apply, Tourse says. “ Pe o p l e h a v e c o n s t i t u tional rights regardless of their status,” she explains. “If you’re on American soil, you have the right to remain silent. You have protection against illegal search and seizure.” One right detainees are not entitled to is legal representation. Garcia, the public interest attorney Tourse portrays, shows the strain under which immigration lawyers labor. Pizza deliveryman Ahmed, portrayed by Somali-American actor and director Barkhad Abdi, turns to the
PHOTO: COURTESY ANIKE TOURSE
Anike Tourse (center) directs on the set of “America; I too.”
PHOTO: COURTESY ANIKE TOURSE
Anika Tourse portrays attorney Sara Garcia, here consulting with Ahmed (Barkhad Abdi).
PHOTO: COURTESY ANIKE TOURSE
Myeong (Linda Yim) at work in a sweatshop prior to an ICE raid. detention facility’s law library to assert his right to remain in the United States, eventually gaining assistance from the overworked Garcia. The short was filmed at a Lancaster, California prison facility with undocumented workers among the 270 extras portraying detainees. Tourse found the
experience sobering. “It was a really grim place,” she says. “When I first went to scout it, I was really uncomfortable.” For the extras, the project provided a way to give hope to those who end up in detention. “People really looked at this as a way to do something,” Tourse says. “People wanted to show that they’re not afraid.” “America; I Too” will be featured at the Roxbury International Film Festival this Friday during a program of film shorts between 5:30 and 7:15 p.m. at the Museum of Fine Arts. Tourse will participate in a discussion following the screening, which is sponsored in part by the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. “This is a powerful film with an important message for immigrants and native-born Americans alike,” says MIRA Coalition Executive Director Eva Millona. “Our democracy can only thrive if we all enjoy the rights and protections granted to us by the Constitution. We are thrilled to work with our coalition partner CHIRLA to promote ‘America; I Too,’ and encourage all who are working to advance immigrant rights to join us at the screening.”
Thursday, June 29, 2017 • BAY STATE BANNER • 7
Nonprofit ends senior services citing funding By JULE PATTISON-GORDON
Programmatic changes taking effect at the United South End Settlements this Friday have alarmed seniors, who no longer will be served. Citing financial strain, USES leadership announced it will realign its mission to focus on children and families living in poverty, discontinuing a number of other long-standing programs. “We want to move from being the type of organization that has a lot of touch points with a lot of people to being an organization that has a really deep impact on the people we serve,” Nikki Stewart, USES’s vice president of development, told the Banner. Meanwhile, Gladys Grullon, who has taught senior classes for about two decades, says losing senior services will mean dissolving a community. “It’s like a family,” Grullon said. “It’s important for them to have a place where they can feel free [and] feel good.” Seniors and community members have said they do not believe the senior services are a significant expense, that it may not be possible to replace them and that the community was insufficiently engaged or consulted during the re-envisioning process. On June 30, USES ends its senior exercise and wellness classes, food distribution, home repair services and hot lunches, as well as adult basic education. USES also will reduce involvement in the South End Family Engagement Network and will seek to raise money by moving most programming into its building at 48 Rutland Street, thus freeing space in the Harriet Tubman house for rental. Stewart said diminishing funding and rising costs created insurmountable challenges. Meanwhile, some seniors said there are other programs serving low-income youth in the South End, but few alternatives for seniors. There are no other senior centers in the area, and Stewart noted a service gap affecting local low-income seniors. In an June 2017 open letter to the USES board, Joyce King, on behalf of a group of concerned South End seniors, questioned the ability to replicate senior services elsewhere and expressed concerns both about finding physical space and ensuring seniors feel comfortable there.
Community and the redesign
Stewart said that during its strategic planning process, USES engaged Wellspring consultants, who met with more than 100 people during October 2016, including board members, staff, funders, donors, public officials, community leaders, representatives from nearby schools and housing developments and program participants, she said. Of those consulted, approximately 20 to 30 were seniors. USES then developed a new organizational mission: to focus on children and families in poverty. Achieving this vision meant
ending some programs. These decisions were based on lack of alignment with the new target audience, enrollment levels, space requirements versus USES’s desire to reduce facility expenses, potential funding and financial performance, Stewart said. In January 2017, leadership began to inform stakeholders of the planned changes through methods such as meetings, email, blog posts and announcements made to classes. On April 26, 2017 a meeting was held with 45 seniors to explain the changes slated for implementation in two month’s time. But this meeting happened only because concerned seniors demanded it, community member Alison Barnett said. Community members have said more public meetings and engagement should have occurred, along with more problem-solving before final decisions were made.
Finances
In a meeting with the Banner, several seniors and community members charged that more effort should have been undertaken to find funding to continue the programs. Annie Collins, who has attended various senior exercise, art and technology classes, said when she and others offered help raise money, they were told they could not target the fudning to senior services. While the financial issues spurring the change were said to have been plaguing the organization for a decade, Joyce King questioned why USES had not acted sooner to fundraise or engage the community in problem solving. “There was insufficient warning and no community input,” King wrote. Stewart said that this fiscal year, USES spent 9.5 percent of its $4.3 million budget on senior services, but only intended to spend 6.8 percent. The programs overran its budget by about $115,700. In total, USES faces a $800,000 deficit, Stewart said. Another problem affecting senior programs is the determination that it served fewer people than planned. For example, in fiscal year 2017, 159 seniors participated in health and wellness classes, down from 263 in the previous year. As such, one- to two-thirds of seats were vacant in each class on the average day, Stewart said. Not counting those served by monthly food distributions, about 25 seniors attend programs on a daily basis, with seven to ten people a day participating in the daily hot lunch program. Gladys Grullon has taught at the Harriet Tubman house for about two decades. She currently runs popular line-dancing classes and stretching and exercising classes, which help build senior’s strength and prevent against falls, she said. Between her two classes, she has about 25 to 30 students a week. According to Grullon, such classes help with physical and mental resilience and provide important social opportunities. Collins said the value of senior services is not just the classes but
Community members protested United South End Settlements discontinuance of senior services, which goes into effect Friday June 30. Some of the services will be picked up by other providers. having a community where people feel welcome.
What’s next?
As USES disengages from senior services, its leadership seeks others to take up the work, with some success thus far. A home repair program conducted under a Department of Neighborhood Development contract was transferred seamlessly to a new provider, Stewart said. The Greater Boston Foodbank has found a new provider for food distribution. Basic adult education, also funded through government programs, will transition to
another provider. For many years, Kit Clark Senior Services had contracted with USES to provide daily lunch services. As of Monday, June 26, Kit Clark, the city and USES were still seeking another local partner with a suitable kitchen space. As of yet, none has been secured to take on senior health and wellness classes. “Funding is a concern for them as well,” Stewart said.
Concerns on new mission
One South End resident raised a concern that the transition of programs away from the Harriet
Tubman to the Rutland building means the focus is shifting to serve more affluent urban dwellers. She and others also said USES’s new vision resembles that of the now-defunct LIFT-Boston, where the executive director worked previously. The resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said that given that LIFT-Boston closed, she fears the model will not be successful now. Meanwhile, Stewart says there is a difference: LIFT focused on coaching adults. USES will provide on-going long-term programming for children and parents, along with coaching.
8 • Thursday, June 29, 2017 • BAY STATE BANNER
needles
continued from page 1 the Newmarket Business District and the eastern terminus of the so-called Methadone Mile, the park is close to drug treatment facilities and shelters and the heroin-addicted population that has converted much of the area into an open-air shooting gallery. “Since they closed the Long Island homeless shelter three years ago, Lower Roxbury has borne the brunt of the epidemic,” noted former state Representative and longtime community activist Carlos Henriquez. “I think we’re overburdened.” Like DaRosa, Henriquez works with teens in the park. He, too, has pleaded with city officials for regular cleanups of Clifford Park. In one corner, next to the park’s concrete bleachers, he points out a collection of debris left behind by drug users, including human waste. As he points to an area commonly used for shooting up, a man jogs toward him, his ruddy face covered in sweat. The man retrieves a black backpack, pivots and heads back to a temporary encampment of users.
Spreading across neighborhoods
While the Methadone Mile is ground zero in the opioid crisis, many addicts have found their way into corners of Roxbury and Dorchester that had been largely untouched by heroin for decades. “It’s spilling deeper into the neighborhoods,” Henriquez said. Unlike in past years when heroin was seen as a mainly black “inner city” problem, the current epidemic has seen a large influx
into Boston of whites from cities and towns across Massachusetts. A proliferation of so-called sober homes — unregulated group care facilities that often function as rooming houses — has exacerbated vagrancy in Roxbury and the use of public parks for drug use. “We’re always finding needles in Cedar Square Park,” said Cedar Street resident Rodney Singleton, whose home is less than a block from a string of sober homes on Washington Street. Singleton interrupted his interview to make a 911 call to report drug dealing in the park. Like many public spaces in proximity to sober homes, shelters and other places that house addicts, the parks in Singleton’s neighborhood have been given over to users. “Most people don’t use the park,” Singleton said. “You have this neighborhood resource that doesn’t get used for fear of needles. It’s unfortunate.” The spread of needles has generated its own Twitter and Facebook handle: #heroininthepark. In the Gertrude Howes Playground on Roxbury’s Moreland Street, neighborhood residents found four dozen discarded needles recently. One of them assembled needles to spell out the mayor’s name, “Marty,” in an apparent attempt to alert the city that more services are needed. In Dorchester, residents recorded a video of an unconscious couple in a sedan on a residential street. In the video, posted on YouTube with more than 13,000 million views, the woman comes to, and, prompted by the man recording the video, removes a hypodermic needle from her lap, but is unable to rouse her
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Mattapan, Roxbury teachers named “Carolyn A. Lynch Teacher Fellows”
PHOTO: ROGER FARRINGTON
Gala honoree Peter Lynch (left) and his daughter Mary Witkowski (right) pose with the Leventhal Map Center’s inaugural Carolyn A. Lynch Teacher Fellows, Donald “Max” McCullough from the City on a Hill school in Roxbury and Theresa Garcia de Guevedo, from the Mildred Avenue School in Mattapan. companion, even after administering two doses of the anti-overdose drug Narcan.
A double standard?
The animus toward open use of heroin in an around the Methadone Mile is not confined to black and Latino neighborhoods in Roxbury and Dorchester. In a recent City Council hearing on a proposed so-called “safe injection facility” that proponents have suggested could be sited in the Newmarket area, councilors from across the city panned the idea, many questioning the disproportionate siting of treatment facilities in Boston. “The state of Massachusetts has failed the city of Boston in permitting methadone clinic
after methadone clinic in the same area,” said District 7 Councilor Tito Jackson, whose Roxbury-based district includes much of the Methadone Mile. DaRosa, who sometimes talks to the users in Clifford Street park, said most are not from Boston. “Nine out of ten who I spoke to aren’t from here,” he said. “They’ll say they’re from Plymouth, Attleboro, Manchester-By-The-Sea. They’ll ask you for money so they can get back home, but if you give them money, you know they won’t go.” The contrast in attitudes between the days when heroin was not seen as a white problem and today are too glaring to ignore. On Carlos Henriquez’s Facebook page, one posting contrasts the war on
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drugs to the current rush to provide services. “As usual, we are called to treat them like we should have been treated... America....” one respondent posted. In the ’70s, blacks were junkies. Today, those in the throes of addiction are users. Instead of substance abuse, their affliction is referred to as ‘substance misuse.’ Like many, DaRosa questions what would happen if black users from Boston ended up in surrounding suburbs and cities camping out in parks, nodding off in crosswalks and begging for spare change. He answers his own question. “They’d be locked up for possession, disorderly conduct or public intoxication,” he said.
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Coaching for creatives
Duplessy Foundation aids entrepreneurs pursuing a passion By SANDRA LARSON
At the recent Mass Innovation Nights product showcase and networking event in Grove Hall, selected business experts stepped up to the stage to give a short pitch for their services. One of those experts was Derrick Duplessy of the Duplessy Foundation, who in 45 seconds encapsulated both his work and his strong neighborhood ties. “I grew up not far from here on Columbia Road across from the Burger King, and went to school at the Jeremiah E. Burke High School,” he told the assembled crowd of some 250 attendees. “So it’s cool to see all you guys here in my ’hood.” Then, his concise pitch: “I’m a coach. I work with startups and with artists,” he said. “The big thing is, there are still many of you that could be doing so much better. In the last few years I’ve helped folks raise $2.6 million on Kickstarter. And I want to have way more success stories — so come see me in the back.” To enthusiastic applause, Duplessy exited the stage to rejoin the Experts Corner, where startup entrepreneurs could stop by throughout the evening for one-on-one conversations with him and with experts on other types of funding. Duplessy formed the Duplessy Foundation in 2009 as a way to tie together two areas of expertise: business consulting and youth leadership. With fundraising workshops, coaching and related programs, he hopes to be able to assist those particularly like himself: children of immigrants forging their own paths and entrepreneurs yearning to harness their passion into a meaningful and money-making business. “I saw that people wanted to do very specific things, but they were afraid because these weren’t the five things their parents wanted them to do,” he says, speaking to the Banner recently. As a youth, Duplessy’s own view of the world was narrow, extending little outside his Dorchester home, church and school. He had few plans beyond his Haitian immigrant parents’ expectations to “find a girl, find a job, and then have kids,” he says. Prospects for a fulfilling career seemed dim when the troubled Burke school lost its accreditation for a time.
An opportunity
His trajectory took a dramatic turn when he was recruited into UMass Boston’s Urban Scholars, a program that seeks out motivated high school students in partner Boston Public Schools and coaches them to successfully enroll in and complete college. Through that program, he visited some 20 colleges around the
PHOTO: SANDRA LARSON
Derrick Duplessy
“
ON THE WEB
I saw that people wanted to do very specific things, but they were afraid because these weren’t the five things their parents wanted them to do. ... We want to create places in person and online where people feel they’re not sticking out like a sore thumb. We want more and more people to feel less and less isolated.” — Derrick Duplessy
country, expanding his worldview exponentially. The Burke regained its accreditation in time for his 1998 graduation, and he went on to attend Bowdoin College in Maine, where he earned a degree in sociology and Africana studies. “It was amazing,” he says of the Urban Scholars opportunity. Grateful, he began working in after-school youth leadership and development programs as soon as he could. “I wanted to give back to others who were like me,” he says, “helping first-generation students get into college.” As fulfilling as these initial jobs were, the income was low, and his interest was piqued when someone suggested he would be a good executive search consultant. As he tells it, “I applied at 3 a.m. and got a call at 9 a.m.” From there, he spent
several years working for an executive search firm developing and coaching executives in financial services, technology, non-profit and higher education sectors.
Expertise
Duplessy says that while crowdfunding — raising money through online platforms such as Kickstarter and GoFundMe — is available to anyone, a good fundraising campaign involves hard work and planning. Serious crowdfunders need to take time to identify their crowd and define their story, he explains, as well as take care of the nitty-gritty details of executing the funding campaign. Paying attention to all these facets will help yield greater rewards. About 400 people have attended the crowdfunding workshops. “At the end, magic happens,”
Duplessy Foundation: http://duplessy.org Purpose Rockstar: http://purposerockstar.com July 6 rooftop scream event: http://bit.ly/
2tcifbK Duplessy says. “The money is important, but what’s more important is the person feels like, ‘Wow, the idea is proven, there’s a market for this.’” Besides workshops and coaching, the Duplessy Foundation encompasses several other initiatives: “Purpose Rockstar” is an online community and collection of audio profiles highlighting people around the world who have managed to forge meaningful careers; “Purpose Fellowships” offers support to artists creating businesses; and “Scream Club” is an emerging stress-relief group for the startup community that includes chances to gather, network and — literally — scream from a rooftop together. With his foundation’s events and services, Duplessy aims to build success and community among people of color, immigrants, women and anyone who has not always fit into the mainstream startup world. “We want to create places in person and online where people feel they’re not sticking out like a sore thumb,” he explains. “We want more and more people to feel less and less isolated.”
BIZ BITS TIP OF THE WEEK How to use your home equity in retirement Most of us save and plan for decades to enjoy the period of our life when we no longer need to go into the office and work an 8-hour day for a paycheck. But even with those decades of hard work, it can be tough to save up enough cash to cover all your costs in retirement. Many soon-to-be-retirees face a shortage between what they saved for retirement and what they actually need to live on. For homeowners, that may be a problem that’s relatively easy to solve. Tapping into the equity in your home can help you stretch your nest egg quite a bit further. Use a home equity loan or line of credit. You can tap the equity in your home with a home equity loan or a home equity line of credit (known as a HELOC). A home equity loan works like most other loans: You agree to borrow a set amount of money, receive a lump sum, and pay that back with interest and in installments each month. A HELOC works a little differently, because it’s not a loan with pre-determined monthly payments. Instead, it’s a revolving line of credit, similar to a credit card. You usually have between five and 25 years to borrow against a certain amount of equity and repay (with interest) whatever you take out. Use a home ownership investment. A home ownership investment is a powerful way to unlock some of the equity in your home without taking out a loan. Consider a reverse mortgage. A reverse mortgage can allow homeowners 62 years or older to turn equity in their homes into cash in a way that provides them with the income they need through retirement. You can get your cash in a lump sum or in monthly payments, or in a line of credit. But it’s important to remember that a reverse mortgage is still a loan that comes with origination fees and interest charges. It requires that you have no other debt on your property, so if you have an existing mortgage loan, you will have to repay that in full from the reverse mortgage proceeds. You will also need to pay the reverse mortgage loan back when you move out of the home, sell it or pass away. — Brandpoint
THE LIST According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, the world’s most expensive cities to live in are: 1. Singapore 2. Hong Kong 3. Zurich, Switzerland 4. Tokyo, Japan 5. Osaka, Japan 6. Seoul, South Korea 7. Geneva, Switzerland 8. Paris 9. New York City 10. Copenhagen, Denmark
NUMBER TO KNOW
$0.97
United Parcel Service (UPS) recently announced the company will levy surcharges from 27 cents to 97 cents per package for individual and commercial customers in November and December to help pay for rising costs. See BIZ BITS, page 11
Thursday, June 29, 2017 • BAY STATE BANNER • 11
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MONEY TALK
Eight strategic ways to gather down-payment funds One of the largest obstacles between you and home ownership is coming up with enough money to fund the required mortgage down payment. Let’s assume that you’re looking for the average single-family home in Massachusetts, which is roughly $350,000. Let’s also assume you are like the majority of home buyers in this state and qualify for an FHA Loan, which is a 3.5 percent down payment or roughly $12,250. This isn’t an amount of money most people have sitting in there bank accounts. So how do you find the cash to fund your dreams of homeownership? Here are a list of things most buyers do to save up some cash: Side job or temp work: Can you pick up a side job or work for a temp agency? It may not be something you want to do permanently, but it’s worth it to reach your homeownership goals. Let’s assume you can pick up a part-time job working 10 hours per week at $15 per hour. If you worked 48 of 52 weeks in the year you’d have an extra $7,200 (before taxes) to add to your home savings account. Cut cable and phone bill: Many of us have Comcast or Verizon packages that consist of every movie channel, sport package and various other upgrades. Are these
things you can live without for a little while? The same goes for many phone bills. Many of us are paying $40 or more per month for data packages while the only thing we do with our phone that requires data is posting to Facebook. If you can reduce one of these bills by $50 or two of them by $25 each, you would be saving a total of $600 for the year. Cut gift spending: We all love our family and friends but could you cut back on birthday and holiday gifts for one year? I think your friends and family would stand by you if your gifts were less expensive this year because you’re saving to purchase a home. Statistics show cutting this spending out entirely can put another $600 in your pocket for the year. Work overtime: Are there overtime hours available at your current job? Maybe it’s time to stay late or come in early. It may be a good idea to approach your manager and see what extra hours he or she can offer you. Save your tax returns: Are you getting a nice check back from the government this year? Don’t view this influx of cash as discretionary spending. Many Americans look at this check as a chance to buy a bigger TV or various other luxuries. Be smart and save this money
for your down payment. The bigscreen will look better next year in your new home. Hang at home: Let’s assume that you’re like most of us and you love to hang out on the weekends. If you’re spending an average of $100 per weekend (drinks, food, movies, etc.) and you’re going out every other weekend, you’re spending an average of $2,600 per year on entertainment. Can you cut that down this year to just one weekend per month? If so, you’re saving $1,300 per year and you’re that much closer to you saving goals. Cut your 401(k) contributions: I’m a big believer in saving for your retirement, but I believe even more that every individual should own their own home. It may be a good idea for you to speak with your HR department and cut down (or cut out) your retirement contributions and add those additional funds to your savings. Ask your family for help: When your family sees all the lifestyle adjustments you’ve made to save for home ownership, they will see how important it is to you and will become important to them as well. Can they help you with your down payment?
Money Talk is written by William Mandrell.
Biz Bits
continued from page 10
TECH TALK Amazon debuts Prime Wardrobe feature Spending hours in front of fitting room mirrors could soon be a thing of the past, at least for Amazon Prime users. Online
retail giant recently debuted is Amazon Prime Wardrobe feature, which will allow shoppers to pick at least 3 items and up to 15 (clothes, shoes, accessories) with no up-front cost. Once the items are delivered, shoppers have 7 days to try on the items before deciding which items to keep or return. The feature is currently in beta, but users can sign up to be notified when Wardrobe launches. — More Content Now
V
A STEP ABOVE THE REST
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Lawyers’ Committee for Economic Justice Board Member David Bowman (left) presents the “Keeper of the Flame Award” to John B. Cruz, III.
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trial court continued from page 1
that minorities received disparately severe discipline compared to white peers. Complaints recounted by the Lawyers’ Committee are reminiscent of the dispute over the suspension of Felix D. Arroyo, the first person of color to serve as registrar of the Probate Courts, a division of the Trial Courts system. In February 2017, Arroyo was put on paid administrative leave with reasons not yet made public. His lawyer said Arroyo was impeded as he sought to improve departmental functioning, diversify staff and hire multilingual staff able to assist non-English speakers. Patrick Keaney, Arroyo’s campaign manager, recently said in a letter to supporters that Arroyo remains suspended, while people cited openly by the media for having used racial slurs and protected racist employees continue to go to work. In its statement to the Banner, the Trial Court said that race and bias considerations factored into the strategic plan issued in 2016. Measures taken by the Trial Courts include cultural competency training for probation
officers, department conferences in which personnel meet over racial and cultural sensitivity issues and bias, the appointment of a new chief experience and diversity officer and an administrative attorney charged with investigating discrimination allegations as well as with standardizing investigation practices.
Face of the courts
Furthermore, Sellstrom says that a visibly-diverse workforce fosters trust, with those seeking services reassured of unbiased treatment when they can see people who look like them employed at the court. Of the more than 1,000 court officers employed statewide, approximately 6.7 percent are women of color. Some courthouses have few to no women of color in their security departments. For instance, security at the John Adams Court House in downtown Boston comprises only white men, according to Lawyers’ Committee data. The number of women of color drops off dramatically in supervisory positions, according to Lawyers’ Committee data. Of the roughly 90 managerial roles in the Security Department only 4 percent are held by women of color. These rates have changed little since 2011.
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Oren Sellstrom of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic justice says many who work in Massachusetts’ Trial Court system report “a toxic racially-charged hostile environment that fosters identity-based harassment.” The Lawyers’ Committee identified the promotional system as one possible driver of the disparities. That process involves both an exam and an interview, but complaints about the workplace’s racial climate prompt concerns about the impartiality of these interviews. Additionally, Sellstrom told the Banner that written tests often are found not to effectively capture the skills involved in doing a job well. When the exam was administered in 2015, candidates of color were twice as often
disqualified from promotion based on their exam scores than white candidates were. Given the disparity, onus may fall on the department to demonstrate that there is no less equally or more information assessment measure that could be used without the disparate impact, or to discontinue the test’s usage. These issues contribute to a perception that promotions are handled more based on connections and favoritism than merit and productivity, Sellstrom states. The Lawyers’ Committee
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also expressed concern that the same exam that produced disparate impact in 2015 is slated for use in fall 2017 as a basis for promotional decisions. In a statement, the Trial Court defended its promotional evaluations as based on “work performance, knowledge and skills relevant to the job,” and said the exam was introduced in 2011 as an reform effort to make the process more objective. The spokesperson also said that intial hiring is a “competitive, merit-based process.”
Thursday, June 29, 2017 • BAY STATE BANNER • 13
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Divided
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FILM REVIEW
Historical drama recreates attempt to assassinate Hitler By KAM WILLIAMS
We Fall
BROOKLINE EXHIBIT EXAMINES THE REFUGEE EXPERIENCE By CELINA COLBY
Through June 30, an extensive and affecting exhibition hangs at Gallery 1581 at the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis. “Picture Social Justice and Human Rights” speaks to our collective world identity, emphasizing the experience of minorities and refugees. Through a range of media, the artists confront what it means to live in a world divided, and what steps can be taken towards a better life. The themes of displacement and neglect run through each hallway of artworks. “Silence is Violence” by Demiah Crawford features a thick clay band with eyes painted on it. By not including a mouth, Crawford insinuates that the people not speaking out against injustice are complicit in it. On the backside of the sculpture, Crawford paints bands of skin color from light to dark that merge together into a globe, an indication of the
See SOCIAL JUSTICE, page 14
Believe it or not, more than a dozen different attempts to assassinate Adolf Hitler were made before he took his own life in April of 1945. The year before, he only suffered minor injuries in the bombing that was the focus of the movie “Valkyrie” (2008), a docudrama starring Tom Cruise. Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel (“Downfall”), “13 Minutes” chronicles the first try after Hitler had taken control of Germany. The incident occurred in Munich on November 8, 1939 in a hall where the Führer was scheduled to deliver an address. The trouble was, Georg Elser’s (Christian Friedel) homemade time bomb went off too late, as Hitler (Udo Schenk) had completed his remarks and exited the building 13 minutes earlier, accompanied by several henchmen, including Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels (Ulrich Matthes), Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess and the architect of the Holocaust, Heinrich Himmler (Ulrich Noethen). Later that same day, Elser was apprehended while trying to slip into Switzerland. Border guards took him into custody upon discovering incriminating evidence in his possession that suggested a connection to the explosion. He was delivered to Germany’s Chief of Police Arthur Nebe (Burghart Klauszner) and Gestapo Chief Heinrich Müller (Johann von Bulow) for interrogation, but refused to answer any questions until they threatened to arrest his girlfriend Elsa (Katharina Schuttler), too. Elser confessed to protect her, but they
See “13 MINUTES,” page 14
AT A GLANCE “13 Minutes” The verdict: Excellent (4 stars) Rated: R for sexuality and disturbing violence Language: In German with subtitles Running time: 114 minutes Production studio: Lucky Bird Pictures Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics PHOTOS: CELINA COLBY
The “Picture Social Justice” exhibit is showing at Gallery 1581 at the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis.
ON THE WEB To see a trailer for “13 Minutes,” visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a-rnFq1FjQ
14 • Thursday, June 29, 2017 • BAY STATE BANNER
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Island in the sun: Harbor Islands exhibit highlights native history By CELINA COLBY
PHOTO: COURTESY NIA HOLLEY
Artist Nia Holley pays tribute to the area’s Ponkapoag and Neponset tribes with her installation of a fish weir in Boston Harbor Now’s “[Re]creation” public art project.
On Saturday, June 24, Boston Harbor Now launched its latest “[Re]creation” public art project, a series of temporary, site-specific sculptures on Peddocks Island. The sculptures are designed to creatively interface with the natural environment while incorporating the history of the Harbor Islands. For artist Nia Holley, this project tugged on very specific heartstrings. As both an African American and an indigenous person, Holley has ancestral ties to the islands. She explains that education about the land frequently centers
Social Justice SATURDAY
JULY 15 7:30PM
TH
on European history. “Since I’ve been living in Boston, I’ve never heard justice done to the indigenous people from the islands,” she says. This project was her chance to dole that justice out. According to Holley, the Ponkapoag and Neponset tribes utilized the Harbor Islands from the Ice Age onward. The islands served as unique resource because the major rivers, Neponset, Charles and Mystic, merge there, bringing people from North, West and South. For the “[Re]creation” project, Holley created a fish weir, a traditional fence-like obstruction built in a river to direct the path of fish. The Ponkapoag and
ON THE WEB
continued from page 13
For information about Gallery 1581’s next show, visit: www.bgsp.edu/gallery-1581
unity necessary for progress. Though the exhibit comes down this week, “Seeing Through Walls Mosaic Mural: to keep alive conversations for peace and justice in Israel and Palestine” will remain in the gallery. The mosaic triptych, crafted by Thaer Abdallah, Adnane Benali, Phyllis Bluhm, Beverly Shalom and Vivienne Shalom, aims to spark a dialogue about the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The intricate scene depicts the two cultures coexisting harmoniously at the river that divides them. “Alan Kurdi’s Dream of Peace” by Bayda Asbridge is a reactionary piece to the viral photo of Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian boy found dead on a beach. The metallic Saori weaving of cellophane and acrylic yarn forms a spiral on the wall, interspersed with bright red and pink yarn. The spiral
unravels onto the floor where it pools around a forlorn teddy bear, a representation of Kurdi’s youth and innocence. Saori is a weaving style that prioritizes creativity and free expression. Like the mind of a child like Kurdi, there are no rules. The spiral shape harkens back to Robert Smithson’s earthwork “Spiral Jetty,” created on Great Salt Lake in Utah in 1970. The piece extends into the ocean and is only visible at low tide, revealed, as Kurdi’s body was, when the water recedes. In her artist statement Asbridge says, “As an American-Syrian artist, I found myself compelled to express my horror at the complacency of the international community to the plight of my people. The Saori weaving…represents this little child’s large dream of peace that was drowned into the blue spiral of the Mediterranean Sea.”
ON THE WEB For more information about Holley’s work, visit: www.bostonharbornow.org/recreation.
Neponset tribes used this technology for more effective fishing. In this piece, Holley uses the posts of the weir to reference parts of her indigenous heritage. The set of seven posts represents the seven generations, a principle that dictates that contemporary people must consider how every decision they make will affect their descendants seven generations in the future. The set of 13 posts symbolizes the 13 moons of the original calendar, and the set of four posts represents the four directions. The fish weir installation is also a commentary on the innovative equipment of the island’s native inhabitants. Holley says she intended for the exhibit to dispel ideas that tribal people are primitive. The artists were instructed to only use introduced, alien plants in their constructions, as the island is trying to preserve native plant life. “The balance of state, federal and inter-tribal participation sets a really good example of the significance of these islands in balancing relationships, not only with the plants and animals we thrived from, but also with the people we share this space with,” says Holley. She hopes the project will break down stereotypes about indigenous people, especially in the current political climate. “Being indigenous and also being black, the current situation in our country is nothing new to me,” she says. “It’s important to wake up every day and show them we’re still here.”
‘13 Minutes’ continued from page 13
still didn’t believe the simple carpenter could have possibly acted alone, given the powerful explosion that claimed eight lives and wounded 62. So, they resorted to torture to extract the identities of his suspected accomplices that only existed in their imaginations. But Elser had nothing further to share, other than an explanation of exactly how he’d secretly amassed enough gunpowder to construct a weapon of mass destruction. “13 Minutes” employs an unorthodox story structure, as it opens with the failed coup, and is followed by a series of Elser’s flashbacks. While behind bars, he reminisces about everything from his disgust with Nazis to his illfated relationship with Elsa. “13 Minutes” is a long-overdue tribute to an unsung hero who came that close to changing the course of history. Tickets at ticketmaster.com
BRINGITLIVETOUR.COM
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Thursday, June 29, 2017 • BAY STATE BANNER • 15
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Arturo Sandoval, Joss Stone, Anderson Paak to perform at the Montréal International Jazz Festival By COLETTE GREENSTEIN
“I always say music is the balm for the soul. Music has the capability to heal the soul, to help people feel better and to help people to enjoy life all the way through,” says legendary Cuban jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval in a recent interview with the Banner. Sandoval, who spoke by phone from Los Angeles, is set to perform at the 38th edition of The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal on Wednesday, July 5 after a 14-year absence. With a career spanning more than 50 years, the onetime protégé of Dizzy Gillespie is excited to be returning to the festival. “It’s a big honor and a big pleasure because I love Montreal as a city very much, and also the people are very enthusiastic and very receptive to the music. It’s one of the biggest jazz festivals in the world,” said Sandoval. The Montréal International Jazz Festival, which is presented by TD in collaboration with Rio Tinto, takes place in the heart of downtown Montréal over 11 days and nights, and features over 500 concerts (with more than two-thirds of them free), 10 concert venues, nine outdoor stages, and more than two million attendees. The festival begins on June 28 with a free special concert event celebrating the city’s 375th anniversary. Ranked as the world’s largest jazz festival by Guinness World Records in 2004, the Montréal International Jazz Festival is wellknown for attracting jazz aficionados, music lovers and fans from all over the world. It’s what makes the festival so special and so unique. The festival offers the opportunity for people from all cultures, backgrounds and ethnicities to come together against the backdrop of the beautiful and historical city to celebrate music and all of its genres. British soul singer and songwriter Joss Stone, who’s slated to perform on a double bill with Melissa Etheridge on July 5, is of a similar mindset. Stone, who first catapulted to fame with her debut album The Soul Sessions in 2003, has been crisscrossing the globe on her Total World Tour for the last three years. The goal of the tour is to play a concert in every country around the world, and to also collaborate musically with local artists and musicians in each of those countries. Stone, who’s collaborated with a “who’s who” in the music industry over the course of her career, says that at this time in her life she’s “more interested in playing with people that I’ve never heard of” as well as “working with different rhythms.” “There are so many good people on this planet,” Stone said. “Way more than bad. Way more. So, I feel it’s important to kind of mention that and encourage people to help others and see the beauty.” Thus far, the singer has performed in more than 100 countries, and has performed with musicians and artists from many
ON THE WEB The 38th Annual Montréal International Jazz Festival takes place June 28 to July 8,
2017. For a full schedule and line-up of performers, visit www.montrealjazzfest.com. of those countries including: Deo Munyakazi (Rwanda), The Jelliba’s (Sierra Leone), Izzi (Malaysia), Natalia Lafourcade (Mexico City), Hermigevill (Iceland) and Joss & Gisela João (Portugal). Of her upcoming show at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Stone is excited about the opportunity to perform on the double bill with Etheridge, who last performed at the festival in 1989.
Lineup
The Montréal International Jazz Festival will feature an eclectic and electric line-up of singers and musicians, including: “the first lady of South Korean jazz” Youn Sun Nah (June 28), Robert Glasper Experiment, ArtScience (June 29), Bob Dylan and his band (June 30), Gypsy Kings (July 1), Montréal Jubilation Gospel Choir (July 2), pianist and composer Vijay Iyer (July 2), John Pizzarelli Quartet with Catherine Russell (July 3), Brazilian singer Flavia Coelho (July 4), East African vocalist and songwriter Somi (July 5), The O’Jays and The Four Tops on a double bill (July 6), and Juilliard-trained opera singer Morgan James (July 7), and many more. In addition to a diverse slate of musical programming being offered in both small and intimate venues, as well as immense open-air concerts, the festival is also screening the documentary
PHOTO: COURTESY MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL
Above, Arturo Sandoval. Right, Joss Stone. Chasing Trane at 2:30pm daily, beginning June 29 at the Cinéma du parc. The documentary chronicles the life and music of saxophonist John Coltrane. Closing out the festival on Saturday, July 8, (in a free outdoor concert) is Grammy Award-winner singer/ rapper Anderson. Paak & The Free Nationals at 9:30 p.m. on the TD Stage of the Place des Festivals. Music is of course at the heart of the festival and always will be. For a musician like Arturo Sandoval, who often says that he owes everything to music, it’s all about being “an eternal student.” “We always have something to learn or something to prove, some way to grow as an artist and spiritually,” he said. “It’s up to us. If you really keep your mind open for new information and to embrace new ideas, there’s always room for learning,” even some 50 years after picking up the trumpet as a little boy in Artemisa, Cuba.
PHOTO CREDIT
S
aturday July 8, 1:30 to 5:00 pm First Church in Roxbury, 10 Putnam Street ( John Eliot Square)
FREE CONCERT
Live painting sponsored by MassArt’s sparc! the ArtMobile Arts and crafts vendors
GOOD FOOD
COMING TO HALEY HOUSE BAKERY CAFÉ: Thu Jun 29- (Outdoors) The Rap Slam, 7pm Thu Jun 29- (Indoors) Sumner and Linda McClain present Stories Celebrating Life: Celebrating Our Musical Gifts in Community + open mic, 7pm Fri June 30- Boston Youth Voice Project presents A Culture of Resistance: Youth Art Night, 6pm Wed July 5- Wellness Yoga Class, 6pm Thu July 6- Fulani Haynes’ Jazz Collaborative presents Jazz By Any Means Necessary, 7pm Fri July 14- The House Slam Year III: Anniversary Celebration & Fundraiser, 6:30pm Note: We will be closed July 2-4 and reopen on July 5! Haley House Bakery Cafe - 12 Dade Street - Roxbury 617-445-0900 - www.haleyhouse.org/bakery-cafe
THE MAKANDA PROJECT with special guest SALIM WASHINGTON
Kurtis Rivers, Arni Cheatham – alto saxophone Salim Washington – tenor saxophone, flute, oboe, bass clarinet Sean Berry – tenor saxophone Charlie Kohlhase – baritone saxophone Jerry Sabatini, Phil Grenadier – trumpet Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Sarah Politz, Bill Lowe – trombone John Kordalewski – piano John Lockwood – bass Warren Smith – drums Supported by the Family Strengthening Small Grants Fund of the Mabel Louise Riley Foundation; the Boston Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and administered by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, and VISIONS
16 • Thursday, June 29, 2017 • BAY STATE BANNER
FOOD
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Crabby in
Baltimore’s skyline at night. DEAN RAY/VISIT BALTIMORE
Baltimore
TIP OF THE WEEK How to forage for plants in the wilderness You’re planning an outdoor adventure and want to try your luck foraging for food. How to avoid toxic choices? When it comes to plants, avoid eating anything unless you can confidently identify what it is, says Popular Mechanics. To that end, carry a book of edible vegetation with you, or ask locals to direct you to safe sources of food. Whether you’re thinking of trying out a plant, marine life or even resorting to bugs, stay away from bright colors; that’s a sign from nature signaling danger.
DID YOU KNOW? Fun facts about iced tea
For breakfast, lunch and dinner, eateries highlight Maryland’s finest crustacean BY CHARLENE PETERS, MORE CONTENT NOW
Maryland’s largest city is where Edgar Allen Poe died at the age of 40. His spirit, however, lives on through Poe-tractions, including an eatery called TellTale. But the true heart of Baltimore is best discovered under a sprinkling of Old Bay Seasoning on any dish made with Maryland’s ubiquitous Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic blue crab. Poe didn’t live to see the renaissance of Baltimore’s famed Inner Harbor, but if he had, he’d want to spend a day or two at Hotel Monaco, located on the waterfront at the former site of the B&O Railroad headquarters. Here, I began my day luxuriating in the hotel’s Mediterranean Spa Suite, using the in-room yoga mat in a salute to the sun before setting off to indulge in multiple variations of blue crab menu options. I began my exploration with a stop for breakfast at Miss Shirley’s Cafe. In a nod to Southern-leaning cuisine, Miss Shirley serves a Blue Crab Cakes Benedict over fried green tomatoes, a breakfast favorite among locals and visitors alike. Just as the slap of the bay waters and cry of gulls led me to explore the National Aquarium, where I learned electric eels can discharge enough electricity to stun a horse, my quest to sample ever more crab lured me to lunch at nearby Phillips Seafood. This traditional Maryland eatery is known for Chesapeake Bay fare, including a rightfully famous blue crab cake. It also boasts an outdoor crab deck with almost 200 seats that cater to the messy and socially boisterous business of cracking crabs and imbibing local-brewed beers.
Also within the Inner Harbor, Balti-
Creamy Crab & Avocado Makes 8 servings For the Creamy Mojo Sauce: n 1 cup mayonnaise n 2 garlic cloves n 1 tbsp. cilantro n ¼ to ½ red habanero n 1/4 tsp. cumin powder n Pinch of allspice powder n 1/4 tsp. oregano n 1.5 tbsp. lime juice Creamy Crab n Salt, to taste and Avocado on a Yucca For the Yucca Torta: Torta at Points n 2 large yucca root South Latin n 1 tbsp. salt Kitchen. n Water CHARLENE PETERS n Yucca flour, for dusting n ¼ lb. fresh crabmeat per serving Whisk all items for the sauce together. Peel and cut yucca into 4- to 5-inch-length pieces. Quarter each piece and cut off the core part of the yucca. Cut each piece into large more’s Little Italy contributes to the crab feast with the bay-to-table menu served at the authentically Venetian-designed La Tavola. A starter of crab bruschetta progressed to a plate of deep-fried soft-shell crab and house-made squid ink pasta topped with crab meat. Oh, yes. The next morning, I departed the Inner Harbor to grab a plate of crab hash across the city at Iron Rooster. This menu took a twist on tradition in many forms, and my favorite was a plate of pancakes topped with crab cakes and Baltimore’s signature aioli, made with Old Bay Seasoning. Before leaving Baltimore, I crunched the deep-fried soft-shell blue crab legs
protruding from two pieces of white bread
chunks and place into a pot filled with water; bring to a boil. Once water boils, turn heat down to simmer. Cook until soft and drain liquid, reserving ½ cup. Run cooked yucca through a food mill with the salt. Let cool. Work into a ball, adding yucca flour if the yucca is too wet or the reserved liquid if the yucca is too dry. Next, place the yucca in a stainless bowl, cover lightly with plastic wrap and let the yucca rest in the refrigerator overnight. When the dough has rested, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough using yucca flour to prevent sticking. Cut the yucca into desired shape and place in refrigerator for about an hour. In a large sauté pan over medium to medium-high heat, place enough cooking oil to fry the yucca “disc” to a golden brown. Top the yucca with crabmeat, avocado and Creamy Mojo Sauce. — Courtesy Points South Latin Kitchen
at R. House, a pop-up inside an industrial complex, before exploring Fell’s Point, just east of Inner Harbor. Boutiques line this waterfront area, interspersed with pubs such as the newest Points South Latin Kitchen, where I devoured what, in my humble opinion, is the most creative dish of local crab meat, thanks to Chef Rey Eugenio. With a slightly creamy texture, yet not cream-based, the Crab and Avocado on Yucca Torta is best washed down with a Miñas Margarita. This creative recipe would have surely driven Poe to be “raven” mad with envy.
Email Charlene Peters at siptripper@gmail.com.
Now that the days are getting longer and the afternoons a little warmer, nothing sounds as refreshing as a glass of iced tea. Here are some facts about tea from the Tea Association of the U.S.A.: n Next to water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. n Approximately 80 percent of tea consumed in America is iced. n The South and Northeast have the greatest concentration of tea drinkers. n Iced tea was first popularized in 1904 right here in the United States.
GLUTEN Make your gluten-free lifestyle more appetizing Here are a few simple tips to add a feeling of “gluten freedom” to your gluten-free lifestyle from Freschetta. n Substitute flour tortillas for Boston bib lettuce leaves or swap in grated steamed cauliflower instead of couscous. n Rather than search for new gluten-free recipes, seek out recipes with naturally gluten-free ingredients like fish, vegetables and rice. n Exchange breadcrumbs for ground rice cereal on fried chicken and lightly toasted almonds, pecans or walnuts for croutons. — Brandpoint
FOOD MYTHS High-fructose corn syrup is no worse, better than sugar Although it is a popular notion, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, high-fructose corn syrup is no more harmful than sugar. According to researchers, since high-fructose corn syrup was created to mimic table sugar, its composition is nearly identical. In comparing the effects of high-fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners, both have similar effects on blood levels of insulin, glucose, triglycerides and satiety hormones. — More Content Now
Thursday, June 29, 2017 • BAY STATE BANNER • 17 Thursday, June 29, 2017 • BAY STATE BANNER • 17
MAMLEO
attorney said he receives dozens of calls from candidates reporting they were advised to withdraw their applications because of what they are told is too many speeding tickets during the past decade or a poor work history.
continued from page 1
city spokesperson. The spokesperson declined to provide racial and ethnic data on the police force or on those officers eligible or approaching eligibility for retirement. By many accounts, over the next five years more officers of color will retire than will enter the ranks of police and fire. The incoming police class is almost 80 percent white, according to WBUR News. City Councilor Tito Jackson said in a Banner phone interview that many officers hired under a 1972 consent decree to diversify the force are coming up on retirement eligibility, and that hiring rates have not kept pace. “The vast majority of the ranking officers of color will be eligible to retire in the next five years,” Jackson said. “The Boston police dept under Mayor Walsh has hired 90 percent white police officers and 75 percent white firefighters in a city that is majority people of color.”
Salaries and services
The result is people of color are locked out of high-paying positions, a contributor to Boston’s stark racial gaps in wealth and income. The average starting firefighter earns more than $100,000 annually between salary and addons, said Darrell Higginbottom, president of the Boston Society of Vulcans, during the meeting. A deputy chief ’s average income is $228,667, he said. “This is a 32-year career, and you add up that income over 32 years and that’s a windfall that someone else is getting and we’re not,” Higginbottom said. Many say as well that departments representative of the populace would serve them better. Larry Ellison, MAMLEO president, said communities of color overwhelming complain about the BPD gang unit and the number of unsolved homicides. Meanwhile, there are no people of color on the gang or homicide units. Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice, said a more diverse fire and police would be a preventative measure against instances such as the killing of an unarmed civilian of color, and would improve residents’ quality of life. “It’s a no brainer that if more people who look like us work in these institutions, we would have better access to services,” Espinoza-Madrigal said. “We are not entitled to the crumbs. These are public institution that should be representative and inclusive of everyone in our communities.”
Veteran preferences
Explanations for the racial disparity are manifold. Only those who pass the civil service exam qualify for hiring consideration. A veteran preference means that any veteran who passes the test
Cadet program and more
BANNER PHOTO
Larry Ellison (left), president of MAMLEO and Darrell Higginbottom (right), president of the Boston Vulcans, look on as a firefighter speaks on the challenges created by veteran preferencing. must be hired or bypassed before even civilians with perfect scores can be considered. The impact on diversity is evident: While whites accounted for 50 percent of exam takers in 2012, 2014 and 2016, they were 90 percent of hires, according to Higginbottom. While Higginbottom says there is precedent in 2007 and 2009 for acquiring exemptions from the civil service laws in hiring decisions, city diversity officials like say the law ties their hands because whites dominate the veteran pool. “There’s a lack of minority veterans,” Juan Sanchez, fire diversity officer, told the Banner at the event. Given the disagreement over feasibility of altering civil service laws as well as sensitivity around altering a measure that favors veterans, many at the MAMLEO meeting proposed focusing on other remedies. Among them is adding preference categories that would prioritize candidates who speak multiple languages and have lived in Boston for a significant period of time. The new preference categories would not replace the one for veterans but complement it, meaning that multilingual Bostonian veterans would be more likely to be hired. Juan Sanchez said the preference could target Spanish, Haitian Creole and Vietnamese. Additionally, while current law prioritizes those who have lived in Boston for the year prior to taking the civil service exam, a bill filed by Rep. Dan Hunt would expand this to three years, and a bill filed by Rep. Russell Holmes would expand this to five years. In 2014, City Councilor Michael Flaherty proposed the expansion to three years, but Mayor Martin Walsh vetoed it stating an intention to refile it. Danielson Tavares, chief diversity officer, told the Banner that a three-year residency is now among Walsh’s 2017-2018 legislative priorities.
Holmes said the state Black and Latino Legislative Caucus recently had a meeting with Governor Baker during which they impressed upon him that the measure would not fail to support veterans but rather prioritize ones from Boston over those from out of state. “The legislation I’m proposing comes from the fundamental belief that the civil service exam is broken,” Holmes said. Furthermore, Tavares and Sanchez said efforts to hire veterans of color can be expanded through greater and more proactive engagement with veterans groups of colors, as well as engaging the Vulcans and performing greater community outreach around items such as exam dates and application processes. Some meeting attendees also voiced interest in creating a pipeline connecting Boston high school students to fire and police jobs. City Councilor Andrea Campbell said in a phone conversation with the Banner that other measures can include assisting veterans throughout the application process and making sure they are not being encouraged to withdraw their candidacies. However, she also cautioned against pinning too much hope on veterans as the solution. There are not enough veterans of color, let alone veterans of color interested in pursuing police and fire careers, to achieve parity. Statewide, only 10 to 15 percent of veterans are of color, she said. “We can’t just look at recruiting veterans of color,” Campbell said. “We have work to do outside just recruiting in that space.”
Other factors
Some also charge that candidates of color are wrongfully counseled out of continuing with their applications or are bypassed for trivial reasons. Espinoza-Madrigal recounted the case of a young
black man bypassed for speeding tickets — “Things that anybody can have, and, frankly, being a young African American man growing up and living in Boston, you’re really bound to have,” he said. Audience member Charles Clemons Muhammad said his son scored a 97 on the exam and is a veteran, but was bypassed due to a speeding ticket. His son went on to become an officer on the west coast, Clemons said. A MAMLEO
Hopes also hang on establishing a cadet program for the fire department, as it has done for police. This can be a way to skirt veteran referencing —one-third of the recruit class can comprise cadets. As such, Vulcan vice president Octavius Rowe said one path to fire for non-veterans is to join the police cadet program, then make a lateral move into fire. No date has been set for establishing a fire cadet program and city officials did not answer questions on what details of the program remain to be established before it can move forward. And the Boston Police Cadet program is no silver bullet. Of the 40 currently enrolled, 28 are people of color. But it takes three years for a class of cadets to become officers, far more than the year-long training regular recruits undergo. Jackson told the Banner the city has dragged its feet on reform and he and many others said urgent remedy is necessary, with Espinoza-Madrigal calling for a package of solutions delivered before the mayoral election. “This is a matter of dignity,” Espinoza-Madrigal said. “This is a matter of our own community inclusion and we should not be asked to wait our turn. “
The Good Party fundraiser for Goodwill
PHOTO: MIKE RITTER
(l-r) State Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry and Goodwill CEO Joanne Hilferty attend The Good Party. Nearly 300 people recently attended the annual fundraiser for Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries. The event raised $275,000 for Goodwill’s mission services. The event, held June 15, was held under a gigantic tent at Goodwill’s headquarters at 1010 Harrison Avenue in Roxbury. The Good Party featured food from several area restaurants including A Family Affair, Haley House and Merengue.
BANNER CLASSIFIEDS LEGAL
LEGAL Probate and Family Court Department
The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority is seeking bids for the following: BID NO.
DESCRIPTION
DATE
TIME
OP-355
Boiler and Water Heater Service
07/20/17
2:00 p.m.
To access and bid on Event(s) please go to the MWRA Supplier Portal at www.mwra.com. Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court
LEGAL
SUFFOLK Division
Docket No. SU17C0212CA
In the matter of Kadesh Ayana Talitha Simms of Roxbury, MA NOTICE OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME To all persons interested in a petition described: A petition has been presented by Kadesh A Simms requesting that Kadesh
Ayana Talitha Simms be allowed to change her name as follows: Brooklin Conroy IF YOU DESIRE TO OBJECT THERETO, YOU OR YOUR ATTORNEY MUST FILE A WRITTEN APPEARANCE IN SAID COURT AT BOSTON ON OR BEFORE TEN O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING (10:00 AM) ON 07/13/2017. WITNESS, HON. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court. Date: June 7, 2017 Terri Klug Cafazzo Register of Probate
18 • Thursday, June 29, 2017 • BAY STATE BANNER
BANNER CLASSIFIEDS
LEGAL
LEGAL
Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division
Docket No. SU17P1033EA
Citation on Petition for Formal Adjudication Estate of Roberta Boswell Date of Death: 05/12/2001 To all interested persons: A Petition for Late and Limited Formal Testacy and/or Appointment has been filed by Barbara Boswell of Boston, 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 Barbara Boswell of Boston, MA be appointed as Personal Representative(s) of said estate to serve With Corporate 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 07/20/2017. 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. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court. Date: June 08, 2017 Terri Klug Cafazzo Register of Probate
one each from the Designer and the CM at Risk and two Massport staff. This Prequalification Committee will be conducting a qualifications-based evaluation of submittals received from interested trade contractors in order to identify prequalified trade contractors who will be invited to respond to a written Invitation to Bidders. Please note that the Authority is not utilizing this process to prequalify subcontractors who are not trade contractors which shall be done separately in accordance with MGL C149A, Section 8, subsection (j).
Authority. The right is reserved to waive any informality in or reject any or all proposals.
Qualification Statements shall be evaluated in accordance with the following criteria; (1) Management Experience; (2) Project References including a Public Project Record and (3) Capacity to Complete including a demonstration that the contractor has the financial stability and long-term viability to successfully implement the Project. A Supplemental Information Package that discusses these Evaluation Criteria and the Prequalification Process in more detail as well as any other requirements for the Qualification Statements will be available to interested parties beginning June 28, 2017, by contacting Susan Brace at 617-568-5961 or via email at sbrace@massport.com
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
A Project Briefing will be held on June 30, 2017, at 11:30am in the Capital Programs Department, Logan Office Center, 2nd floor, 1 Harborside Drive, East Boston, MA. Attendance at the briefing is not mandatory, however, it is strongly encouraged in order to best familiarize your firm with the project details and the prequalification process. Six (6) copies of a bound document each limited to 20 sheets (40 pages), exclusive of covers and dividers and resumes which shall be limited to one page, shall be printed on both sides of the sheet (8 ½” x 11”) and shall be addressed to Mr. Houssam H. Sleiman, P.E., CCM, Director of Capital Programs and Environmental Affairs, and received no later than 12:00 Noon on Thursday, July 13, 2017, at the Massachusetts Port Authority, Logan Office Center, One Harborside Drive, Suite 209S, Logan International Airport, East Boston, MA 02128-2909. Any submittal that exceeds the page limit set here or that is not received in the Capital Programs Department by the above deadline shall be rejected as non-responsive. Questions regarding this RFQ shall be submitted in writing and directed to cpbidquestions@massport.com with the Project name and number included in the subject line of the email. MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY THOMAS P. GLYNN CEO AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division
MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY
Docket No. SU17P0203EA
Citation on Petition for Formal Adjudication Estate of Nellie Hyman Also known as: Nellie A. Hyman Date of Death: 12/27/2015 To all interested persons: A Petition for Formal Probate of Will with Appointment of Personal Representative has been filed by Carl Hyman of Canton, 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 Carl Hyman of Canton, 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 07/27/2017. 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. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court. Date: June 16, 2017 Terri Klug Cafazzo Register of Probate NOTICE TO TRADE CONTRACTORS REQUEST FOR TRADE CONTRACTOR QUALIFICATIONS The MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY is soliciting Statements of Qualifications from TRADE CONTRACTORS interested in performing work for MPA CONTRACT #L1375-C2, TERMINAL B OPTIMIZATION. The Authority is seeking Qualification Statements from Trade Contractors who have a demonstrated experience in the construction and implementation of similar work in terms of scale and complexity as required for the TERMINAL B OPTIMIZATION PROJECT, LOGAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, TERMINAL B, PIER B, EAST BOSTON, MA In accordance with Massachusetts construction manager at-risk requirements, MGL Chapter 149A Section 8, Qualification Statements are being requested from trade contractors capable of performing the following classes of work: elevators/escalators. The contract includes the following scope of work, to be carried out as phased construction: Two new building additions totaling approximately 83,800 square feet of new construction and 81,000 square feet of renovated space; a new 9 lane security checkpoint; renovation of holdrooms; two new exterior stairs; inspection and improvements to four existing elevators and two existing escalators; new baggage handling equipment and modification of existing baggage handling equipment; new concession shell space and infrastructure; and airside site improvements. The estimated cost of the trade contractors’ portion of this phase of the Project is approximately $50,695,000 and the construction duration for this phase is approximately eighteen (18) months. The estimated value of work to be performed by trade contractors is as follows: Elevators/Escalators: ..…………………………………............... Plumbing………………………………………………….................. HVAC…………………………………………………….................... Fire Protection………………………………………….................... Electrical………………………………………………….................
$1,000,000 $2,200,000 $14,000,000 $1,500,000 $9,000,000
The Authority is implementing this project in accordance with MGL Chapter 149A, Sections 1 thru 13. This selection of trade contractors conforms to MGL Chapter 149A, Section 8, subsections (b) to (k) inclusive. This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) will be utilized to prequalify trade contractors capable and experienced in the construction of parking garages and terminal buildings. The Authority shall utilize a two-step process including the prequalification of trade contractors based on an evaluation of the Statement of Qualifications received in response to this solicitation, followed by an Invitation to Bidders that will only be issued to the prequalified trade contractors. A Prequalification Committee consisting of four representatives,
LEGAL
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS Sealed General Bids for MPA Contract No. L1354-C4, BIRD ISLAND TO CHP 13.8KV ELECTRICAL FEEDER, LOGAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, EAST BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, will be received by the Massachusetts Port Authority at the Capital Programs Department Office, Suite 209S, Logan Office Center, One Harborside Drive, East Boston, Massachusetts 02128-2909, until 11:00 A.M. local time on WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2017, immediately after which, in a designated room, the bids will be opened and read publicly. NOTE:
PRE BID CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD AT THE CAPITAL PROGRAMS DEPARTMENT (ABOVE ADDRESS) AT 10:00 AM LOCAL TIME ON TUESDAY, JULY 18, 2017.
The work includes FURNISH AND INSTALL A MEDIUM VOLTAGE ELECTRICAL FEEDER FROM THE BIRD ISLAND SUBSTATION AND THE CENTRAL HEATING PLANT; REPLACE EXISTING 15KV BREAKER IN EXISTING BIRD ISLAND SUBSTATION WITH NEW AND REFURBISH EXISTING BREAKER TO BE USED AS SPARE; AND EXTEND AND SPLICE NEW FEEDER TO EXISTING FEEDER IN THE CENTRAL HEATING PLANT IN A NEW JUNCTION BOX PROVIDED BY ANOTHER PROJECT. Bid documents will be made available beginning THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017. Bid Documents in electronic format may be obtained free of charge at the Authority’s Capital Programs Department Office, together with any addenda or amendments, which the Authority may issue and a printed copy of the Proposal form.
MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY THOMAS P. GLYNN CEO & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR LEGAL NOTICE
The MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY (Authority) is soliciting consulting services for MPA CONTRACT NO. L1429 TERMINAL C OPTIMIZATION AND TERMINAL C TO TERMINAL B CONNECTOR, BOSTON LOGAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, EAST BOSTON, MA, 02128. The Authority is seeking qualified multidiscipline consulting firm or team, with proven experience to provide professional services including planning, design and construction related services including resident inspection and project controls relative to a post security connection from Terminal C Pier C to Pier D gates 40-42 and adjacent facility, operational and administrative spaces. The project will also provide planning, architectural and design services to extend the post security connection from Terminal C Pier D to Terminal B Pier A. The Consultant must be able to work closely with the Authority and other interested parties in order to provide such services in a timely and effective manner. The consultant shall demonstrate experience in several disciplines including but not limited to Architectural Design, Interior Design, Lighting Design, Art, Airside Planning, Civil, Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Fire Protection, Acoustics, Security System Design, Signage, Vertical Transportation Systems, Fuel Distribution System Design, Geotechnical, Resiliency, Sustainability, Code Compliance, Asset Management, Laser Scanning, Lean Design and Construction, Cost Estimating, Construction Phasing, Virtual Design and Construction (VDC/BIM) for all disciplines and Scheduling. The consultant shall also have demonstrated experience with Construction Management at Risk, MGL Chapter 149A. The contract will be work order based, and Consultant’s fee for each work order shall be negotiated. Total project cost for L1429 Terminal C Optimization and Terminal C to Terminal B Connector is approximately $110,000,000. A Supplemental Information Package will be available, on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2017 on the Capital Bid Opportunities webpage of Massport http:// www.massport.com/doing-business/_layouts/CapitalPrograms/default.aspx as an attachment to the original Legal Notice, and on COMMBUYS (www. commbuys.com) in the listings for this project. If you have problems finding it, please contact Susan Brace at Capital Programs SBrace@massport.com The Supplemental Information Package will provide detailed information about Scope Of Work, Selection Criteria and Submission Requirements. In recognition of the unique nature of the project and the services required to support it, the Authority has scheduled a Consultant Briefing to be held at 11:00 AM on THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017 at the Capital Programs Department, Suite 209S, Logan Office Center, One Harborside Drive, East Boston, Massachusetts 02128. At this session, an overview of the project will be provided, the services requested by the Authority will be described, and questions will be answered. By responding to this solicitation, consultants agree to accept the terms and conditions of Massport’s standard work order agreement, a copy of the Authority’s standard agreement can be found on the Authority’s web page at www.massport.com. Consultant shall specify in its cover letter that it has the ability to obtain requisite insurance coverage. This submission, including the litigation and legal proceedings history in a separate sealed envelope as required shall be addressed to Houssam H. Sleiman, PE, CCM, Director of Capital Programs and Environmental Affairs and received no later than 12:00 Noon on THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 2017 at the Massachusetts Port Authority, Logan Office Center, One Harborside Drive, Suite 209S, Logan International Airport, East Boston, MA 021282909. Any submission which is not received in a timely manner shall be rejected by the Authority as non-responsive. Any information provided to the Authority in any Proposal or other written or oral communication between the Proposer and the Authority will not be, or deemed to have been, proprietary or confidential, although the Authority will use reasonable efforts not to disclose such information to persons who are not employees or consultants retained by the Authority except as may be required by M.G.L. c.66. MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY THOMAS P. GLYNN CEO AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
In order to be eligible and responsible to bid on this contract General Bidders must submit with their bid a current Certificate of Eligibility issued by the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance and an Update Statement. The General Bidder must be certified in the category of ELECTRICAL. The estimated contract cost is $ 610,000.00. Bidding procedures and award of the contract and sub contracts shall be in accordance with the provisions of Sections 44A through 44J inclusive, Chapter 149 of the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A proposal guaranty shall be submitted with each General Bid consisting of a bid deposit for five (5) percent of the value of the bid; when sub bids are required, each must be accompanied by a deposit equal to five (5) percent of the sub bid amount, in the form of a bid bond, or cash, or a certified check, or a treasurer’s or a cashier’s check issued by a responsible bank or trust company, payable to the Massachusetts Port Authority in the name of which the Contract for the work is to be executed. The bid deposit shall be (a) in a form satisfactory to the Authority, (b) with a surety company qualified to do business in the Commonwealth and satisfactory to the Authority, and (c) conditioned upon the faithful performance by the principal of the agreements contained in the bid. The successful Bidder will be required to furnish a performance bond and a labor and materials payment bond, each in an amount equal to 100% of the Contract price. The surety shall be a surety company or securities satisfactory to the Authority. Attention is called to the minimum rate of wages to be paid on the work as determined under the provisions of Chapter 149, Massachusetts General Laws, Section 26 to 27G, inclusive, as amended. The Contractor will be required to pay minimum wages in accordance with the schedules listed in Division II, Special Provisions of the Specifications, which wage rates have been predetermined by the U. S. Secretary of Labor and / or the Commissioner of Labor and Industries of Massachusetts, whichever is greater. The successful Bidder will be required to purchase and maintain Bodily Injury Liability Insurance and Property Damage Liability Insurance for a combined single limit of $10,000,000.00. Said policy shall be on an occurrence basis and the Authority shall be included as an Additional Insured. See the insurance sections of Division I, General Requirements and Division II, Special Provisions for complete details.
REAL ESTATE Bellingham Affordable Housing Two 2 Bedroom Townhomes Price: $180,000 826—828 S. Main Street
OPEN HOUSE Saturday, July 15, 2017—11:00 —1:00 pm Sunday, August 6, 2017—1:00—3:00 pm Public Information Meeting 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, July 11, 2017 Bellingham Town Hall Application Deadline August 15, 2017
MAX INCOME
The General Contractor is required to submit a Certification of Non Segregated Facilities prior to award of the Contract, and to notify prospective subcontractors of the requirement for such certification where the subcontract exceeds $10,000. Complete information and authorization to view the site may be obtained from the Capital Programs Department Office at the Massachusetts Port
person: person: person: person:
$54,750 $62,550 $70,350 $78,150
Assets to $75,000 1st Time Homebuyers Units by Lottery
No filed sub bids will be required for this contract. This Contract is also subject to Affirmative Action requirements of the Massachusetts Port Authority contained in the Non Discrimination and Affirmative Action article of Division I, General Requirements and Covenants, and to the Secretary of Labor’s Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Opportunity and the Standard Federal Equal Opportunity Construction Contract Specifications (Executive Order 11246).
1 2 3 4
For Info and Application: Bellingham Town Hall, Town Clerks Office and Public Library Phone: (978) 456-8388 Email: lotteryinfo@mcohousingservices.com Pick Up:
Application available online at: www.mcohousingservices.com
Thursday, June 29, 2017 • BAY STATE BANNER • 19
BANNER CLASSIFIEDS
REAL ESTATE
REAL ESTATE
Income Restricted Homeownership Opportunity 401-407 West First Street, South Boston, MA 02127 www.WestFirstStreetLottery.com
Unit Size
Square Feet
Percent of Area Median Income
List Price
1
2 Bedroom
1,500
80%
$214,300
ADVERTISE
1
2 Bedroom
1,702
80%
$214,300
1
3 Bedroom
1,811
100%*
$315,100
THE BAY STATE BANNER
1
3 Bedroom
1,838
120%*
$383,500
1
3 Bedroom
1,839
120%*
$383,500
YOUR CLASSIFIEDS WITH
*Minimum income floors
Maximum Income Limits Household size
80% AMI
100% AMI
120% AMI
1
$57,900
$72,400
$86,900
2
$66,200
$82,750
$99,300
3
$74,450
$93,100
$111,700
4
$82,700
$103,400
$124,100
5
$89,350
$111,700
$134,050
6
$95,950
$119,950
$144,000
(617) 261-4600 x 7799
ads@bannerpub.com
FIND RATE INFORMATION AT www.baystatebanner.com /advertise
Time
Wednesday, July5, 2017
10:00AM – 2:00PM
Thursday, July 6, 2017
3:00PM – 7:00PM
Friday, July 7, 2017
10:00AM – 2:00PM
Saturday, July 8, 2017
10:00AM – 2:00PM
Tuesday, July 1, 12017
10:00AM – 2:00PM
Wednesday, July 5, 2017 – Friday, July 14, 2017 through the following methods: To complete the application online, please visit: www.WestFirstStreetLottery.com To have a hard copy of the application sent to your mailing address, please call: 617-209-5403
Location: Boston Public Library - South Boston Branch 646 East Broadway, South Boston Completed applications must be returned by the deadline– remit by mail only: Postmarked no later than July 21, 2017 Maloney Properties, Inc. Attention: West First Street Lottery 27 Mica Lane, Wellesley MA 02481
Selection by lottery. Asset, Use & Resale Restrictions apply. Preference for Boston Residents. Preference for Households with at Least One Person per Bedroom. Preference for First-Time Homebuyers. For more info or reasonable accommodations, Call Maloney Properties, Inc. at 617-209-5403 | U.S. Relay 711 | Email: WestFirst@maloneyproperties.com Equal Housing Opportunity
Brand New Homes Moderately Priced Think you can’t afford to buy a home in Boston? Think again! The City of Boston is building homes for people earning moderate to middle income wages. Great design, new construction, affordable price!
$294,000
58 Mascot Street Single family home in Dorchester~1250 sf
To qualify, your annual income must be less than
N/A
2 persons
3 persons
4 persons
N/A
$66,200
$74,450
$82,700
$425,000
23 Dumas St
Two family home in Dorchester~1400 sf
To qualify, your annual income must be less than
N/A
2 persons
3 persons
4 persons
N/A
$82,700
$93,050
$103,400
HOMES SOLD BY LOTTERY APPLY BY JULY 21ST, 2017 BOSTONHOMECENTER.COM 617-635-4663
Homes are sold by lottery. Only qualified applicants may enter. The property is deed-restricted; owner-occupancy and rental requirements apply. Qualified applicants must be first-time homebuyers and complete an approved homebuyer education course prior to closing. Minimum household size requirement is number of bedrooms minus one, but a preference is given to households with one person per bedroom. Income limits for qualified buyers are based on 80% and 100% Area Median Income Limits as defined by HUD. This information is subject to change. Preference given to Boston residents. *Please note: for 58 Mascot & 23 Dumas, the minimum household size is two persons, with a preference for three or more persons.
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Call today to schedule an Information Session: 617-542-1800 Funding and enrollment based on eligibility
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› Parking Facility Managers › Parking Shift Supervisors › Parking Cashiers › Lobby Attendants › Parking Attendants Full and Part-time Positions available in the Boston area. Competitive wages and employee benefits. Military veterans are encouraged to apply. Please send resumes to mmsgroup@aol.com. Vanguard Parking & General Services Corporation 795 Columbus Avenue Roxbury Crossing, MA 617-585-3150-employment office 617-585-3153-FAX
Executive Director Description: The Framingham (MA) Housing Authority is seeking highly qualified and experienced applicants for the position of Executive Director. The Executive Director is responsible for the management of 713 State conventional public housing units, 110 Tax Credit Units, 235 Federal Public Housing Units, 983 Section 8 units, an MRVP Program and two (2) non-profit housing corporations. The candidate must be familiar with both Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Requirements and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Federal Housing Programs. Qualifications: n A Bachelor’s Degree plus Eight (8) years’ experience in housing management, community development, public administration, or a combination of education, training, and experience in Public Housing which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job. A Master’s Degree in a related field is desirable. n Five (5) years in a significant supervisory or management capacity at a public housing authority or other similar experience. The preferred candidate must have demonstrated ability to successfully manage a staff of ten (10) or more for at least one (1) year. n Working knowledge of fiscal management, including grant procurement, maintenance systems, personnel and administrative management systems in public or private housing. n Excellent written and oral communication skills, proven leadership ability, and skills necessary to provide management consultation, guidance and advise to officials on a broad range of public housing programs. n Possess a Public Housing Managers (PHM) certification from accredited organization as recognized by HUD or DHCD or obtain within one (1) year of employment. Also, must be bondable. n Demonstrate sensitivity to the problems and concerns of resident groups and the needs of people of various socio-economic backgrounds. Start date: To be determined Salary range: Salary is commensurate with experience and education, and will include excellent benefits in accordance with DHCD and HUD guidelines. Location: Framingham, MA Instructions: The candidates will be subject to certain qualifications verifications prior to employment. More detailed information will be required of applicants that advance to the next level of consideration. Submit a cover letter and resume by emailing to: Jbibo@framha.org The deadline for receipt of applications is July 25, 2017 at 12 noon EST. Late applications will not be accepted. The Framingham Housing Authority is an EOE.
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