Bay State Banner 12-11-14

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Lisa Fischer.....

Fairmount line sparks concern....pg. 3

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Residents reject addiction programs for Townsend St. Sandra Larson

Boston activists staged a die-in on Congress street as part of a demonstration following a New York grand jury’s refusal to indict a police officer in the chokehold death of an unarmed black man. (Banner photo)

More protests after NY grand jury clears cop Yawu Miller For the second week in a row, black America expressed shock and disbelief at a grand jury’s decision not to indict a police officer for killing an unarmed black man.

Staten Island resident Eric Garner was killed while being placed under arrest for allegedly selling loose cigarettes, an event

documented in a cell phone video that clearly shows officer Daniel Pantaleo employing a choke hold — which New York police are barred by department regulations from using — while Garner utters his last words, “I can’t breathe,” repeatedly until he lies motionless on a sidewalk.

Across the nation, people

protests, continued to page 20

A vocal audience of Roxbury community members last week delivered a resounding “No” to a city proposal to move addiction recovery programs into the former Radius Specialty Hospital on Townsend Street.

At a community meeting at the Trotter School Dec. 4, city officials cut their presentation short and were largely silenced as residents made no secret of their anger and frustration at the proposal and how it was communicated.

At issue is consideration of the facility, the former Jewish Memorial Hospital, as a long-term temporary site for some of the programs uprooted from the city’s Long Island homeless shelter Oct. 8 when engineers declared the bridge to the island unsafe. The six programs considered for the Radius site include city- and privately-run detoxification, recovery, health care and transitional housing services. They would bring approximately 190 clients and 110 staff, officials said. The island facilities had served some 700 homeless clients before the bridge closing forced an evacuation.

Residents, workers and elected officials spoke passionately against the plan. Common themes came up over and over: locating addicts in a neighborhood with a high concentration of children and schools is too risky; Roxbury already suffers more than its share of rehab facilities and should not be expected to absorb more; such a facility would be a blow to property values in a neighborhood finally on the rise.

“You’re taking us five steps

Roxbury resident Anthony Brewer addresses city officials at a community meeting held Dec. 4 to air views on a proposal to locate addiction recovery programs in the former Radius Hospital building. (Banner photo) back. We are trying to make Roxbury safer. Respect that,” said one resident.

“Dropping this stuff in our community, and not in [other neighborhoods], it’s just not right,” said one man. “Tell the mayor NO. This community does not want this — and we will fight it.”

A source of frustration for many was that officials did little to publicize the meeting. The city-issued flyer mentioned only that the meeting was to “discuss possible alternative uses for Radius Hospital.” A few alert community members distributed the flyer door to door in the surrounding neighborhood along with information that the city was eyeing the site for substance abuse recovery programs.

“I think it’s quite egregious that we didn’t get a notice of the meeting,” said Louis Elisa, acting president of the Garrison-Trotter

neighborhood association. “The fact that someone in your leadership did not feel they had to give respect to people at the community level leaves the people frustrated.”

The meeting, conducted by Felix Arroyo, Health and Human Services chief, Jerome Smith, Office of Neighborhood Services director and Dr. Huy Nguyen, medical director and interim executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, was contentious from the start, as a restive audience full of questions had little patience for a slide show of substance abuse data.

Elisa said the slide show was not addressing questions the people in the room had, including what other facilities and other neighborhoods are being considered, the record of service for the agencies administering the recovery

Townsend St., continued to page 8

Hundreds attend local Brother’s Keeper summit Sandra Larson Mayor Martin Walsh welcomed some 500 community members to a My Brother’s Keeper summit in Roxbury last Saturday. A diverse group of community stakeholders that included local residents, clergy, educators, police and business and nonprofit leaders — as well as a good number of teens — gathered at the James P. Timilty Middle School to help shape the local MBK initiative to improve the opportunities and outcomes for Boston’s boys and men of color.

“Injustice lies in conditions that create hopelessness,” said Walsh.

“It’s up to us to root it out, and make faith and hope grow. That’s

what My Brother’s Keeper is all about. Today is an opportunity for everyone in this room to make a difference.”

The MBK Boston initiative is co-chaired by Health and Human Services Chief Felix G. Arroyo and Economic Development Chief John Barros. Arroyo introduced Michael D. Smith, special assistant to President Obama on My Brother’s Keeper, who traveled from Washington, D.C. to attend the summit and lend his support to Boston’s MBK program.

Smith cited troubling national statistics: double unemployment rates in communities of color; less than 20 percent of black and

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Mayor Martin Walsh speaks Dec. 6 at the My Brother’s Keeper summit in Roxbury, flanked by Michael B. Smith (r), special assistant to President Obama on My Brother’s Keeper, and Felix G. Arroyo, Boston chief of health and human services. (Banner photo)

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2 • Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER

Minority transportation officials convening in Hub Yawu Miller Bob Prince began driving MBTA buses in 1976, a year when Boston was gripped by racial tensions. Riders on Prince’s decidedly un-diverse route routinely used the n-word, but he stuck with the job, rising through the ranks to general manager of the agency, which by 1999 had nearly a third of its workforce made up of blacks, Latinos and Asians.

Prince left the MBTA in 2001 to serve as vice president of the transportation consulting firm AECOM, but he’ll rejoin his old colleagues this summer for the annual meeting of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, which will be held in Boston this year. Prince serves as the group’s national chairman.

As much as the MBTA changed during Prince’s 25 years at the agency, the state’s transportation landscape has undergone substantial changes since then. Now, nearly 40 percent of the workforce at the MBTA is made up of blacks, Latinos and Asians — up from 32 percent during Prince’s tenure. And two of the top four state transportation officials are black women.

The changes came under the direction of Gov. Deval Patrick and Transportation Secretary Richard Davey, Prince said.

“It changed over time because people at the top wanted to make

resources under the Mass. Department of Transportation.

“It was a major piece of reform that put us all under one umbrella,” she said. “This is where the innovation starts. We can look at our processes and your work and streamline it. We’ve moved to a shared service model where we have, for example, our HR department supporting the rest of the department.

It’s not four HR departments, it’s one combined HR department.”

For many of those in the room, COMTO has provided a vital link, connecting transportation officials with mentors across the country.

“COMTO has been an unbelievable support to my career,” said MBTA General Manager Beverly Scott. “I probably wouldn’t be where I am without them. It’s a remarkable organization with a very big focus on leadership development.”

Prince said the 2015 conference will give the city another chance to showcase its progress.

“I’m hopeful that bringing this conference back from ’99 to now will show people the remarkable change in the city of Boston and the opportunities in Boston,” he said.

it change,” he commented. “It and new stations and rapid transit doesn’t work if you don’t have service planned for the Fairmount a governor who’s working with Line, Boston is undergoing sigyou, if you don’t have a Legisla- nificant growth in its public tranture that’s working with you. If sit infrastructure. Major changes you don’t have a general manager have taken place within the state’s who cares about it, it won’t happen. four transportation agencies as We’ve been fortunate over the last well, Blue noted, which now share several years to have people at the top who cared about making sure that equality and diversity and inclusion were part of what we did.”

Prince spoke during a COMTO meeting last week to announce the group’s 2015 Boston conference, July 11–14 at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel.

Mayor Martin Walsh also spoke at the COMTO meeting, saying, “Transportation officials from all across the country will see what Boston is all about.”

Boston is hosting the conference for the second time (the first time was in 1999), and that’s no small feat, noted Registry of Motor Vehicles Registrar Celia Blue.

“There is actually a competition between all of the chapters,” she said.

“The significance of this organization coming is great.”

And with the planned extension of the Green Conference of Minority Transportation Officials National Chairman Bob Prince speaks about the group’s upcoming conference in Boston Line through Somerville as RMV Registrar Celia Blue (left) looks on. (Banner photo)

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Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 3

Fairmount line sparks displacement concern Yawu Miller For years the Fairmount Line commuter rail trains roared through Mattapan and Dorchester, and for years community-based organizations worked to get stops added to the line in the neighborhoods where public transit dependence is high and public transit options are few.

Now, as the Fairmount Line is in the process of transitioning into a rapid transit line with new stations in Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan, as well as weekend service, Charlie Card access and free transfers to the subway at South Station, many of the activists who worked on the line are wondering whether they will be able to afford to remain in the neighborhoods along the line once the improvements are completed.

In Codman Square, long-term residents commonly see rent increases of $500 a month, according to Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation Executive Director Gail Lattimore.

“Now the neighborhood is becoming more desirable,” she said.

“We’re one of the last neighborhoods that’s really affordable.”

On Dec. 7, Lattimore led neighborhood residents and activists in a discussion of gentrification along the Fairmount Corridor at a meeting sponsored by organizations including City Life/Vida Urbana, the Codman Square NDC, the Dorchester Bay EDC, the Southwest Boston CDC and the Right to the City Coalition.

“It’s really about displacement,” Lattimore said. “That’s the key issue.

What happens to low- and moderate-income people as people of means move in.”

The Codman Square NDC conducted a survey of 75 households in the neighborhood to assess the effects of gentrification on residents.

The survey found that 50 percent have seen a rent increase since 2011. The survey respondents, half of whom were homeowners, overwhelmingly (70 percent) approved of changes in the Codman Square area, but 40 percent expressed worry about paying bills and 50 percent about paying rent or mortgages.

“People are not sure they’ll be able to stay in their neighborhood,” Lattimore said. “As we welcome new residents into the neighborhood, we have to be very conscious of what it means to have people with higher incomes moving in.”

At the same time, many current property owners are being solicited by real estate speculators. Homeowner Marilyn Freeman held up a hand-written letter she received from a real estate investor offering her cash for the home she has lived in since 1967. “Do you have a property you’d like to sell without the going through the process of listing it?” she read from the letter.

“Other neighbors who are receiving these letters are elderly,” Freeman said. “And they don’t have the means to make repairs on their homes. And they’re biting.”

The Codman Square NDC survey found that 18 percent of respondents were rejected for a refinance loan on their homes in the last five years.

The community development corporations that advocated for rapid transit service and additional stops on the Fairmount line have pursued a strategy in recent years of acquiring land within a half-mile radius of the new stations for the development of affordable housing. The CDCs were successful in developing 800 new units and will complete another 200 within the next four years.

Aside from the Codman Square study, much of the evidence of gentrification is anecdotal. In Hyde Park, Southwest Corridor CDC Executive Director Matt Thal said it’s too soon to determine whether gentrification has taken root. But Thal said the question is more ‘when’ than ‘whether.’

“I’m sure Hyde Park is the next neighborhood that will be overwhelmed in a big way the way Jamaica Plain was,” he said.

Now that rents and purchase prices are rising more rapidly, the CDCs will likely need to pursue more aggressive tactics to help keep residents in their homes. Among the ideas discussed at Sunday’s forum were land trusts which would remove properties from the speculative market, more mixed-income developments and increased tenant protections against rent increases.

Speaking after the meeting,

Attendees at a Dorchester meeting on gentrification hold small group discussions on strategies to prevent displacement.

(Banner photo)

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former City Councilor Chuck Turner cited re-instituting a form of rent control and developing limited-equity co-ops and land trusts as strategies to fight gentrification.

“Gentrification is the free market system,” he said. “People buy houses because they want to see them increase in value. We have to focus on ending the use of housing as a commodity.”

City Life/Vida Urbana Executive Director Lisa Owens Pinto said community-based organizations will have to work together to protect neighborhood residents from displacement as property values in the city increase.

“We have to work with our allies to develop ways to create systemic policy change,” she said. “There’s no magic-bullet affordable housing strategy. The city does not have the resources to meet the demand for affordable housing moving forward.”

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4 • Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER

Established 1965

Racism: A scientific delusion Many Americans consider as racist acts both the shooting death of the unarmed Michael Brown and the failure of the grand jury to indict his killer, Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Such incidents of police abuse occur all too frequently. Racism has been a human affliction for centuries.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, scientists developed the concept of race to define the significance of physical differences in humans from different places. Those with different color skin or hair or eyes were considered to belong to different racial groups. Such distinctions provided a convenient standard for people to assert their racial superiority over others.

Racial hostility has continued despite biblical injunctions to treat one another as members of the same human family. Although there is evidence we are all descendants of the human species that originated in Africa, that has been insufficient to elevate the status of the African.

However, the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA more than 60 years ago has provided scientific evidence of the universality of the human family.

For generations, many Americans have been taught, either directly or indirectly, that whites are superior to blacks. In fact, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney stated the position most succinctly in the Dred Scott case in 1857 that blacks “had no rights which the white man was bound to respect.” It is that expectation of black subservience which cost Michael Brown his life.

This attitude is so subconsciously ingrained in the minds of some whites that little will end it short of a high requiem Mass. But there is hope for the young. The scientific evidence is building that race is an arbitrary construct with

little biological basis. Since the sequencing of the human genome was completed in 2003, it has become increasingly clear that of the 20,000 or so human genes, very few distinguish us from one another.

Americans are engaged in serious conflicts over an illusory concept. It is no wonder, then, that people refuse to admit that their negative actions have been motivated by race. For example, what is it that generates much of the hostility to President Obama other than his race? A white president with Obama’s record of achievement would be hailed as a national hero. In the six years of his presidency, the Dow Jones rose from 7,949 in January 2009 to around almost 18,000 today; unemployment dropped from 7.8 percent to 5.8 percent; the deficit fell from 9.8 percent of GDP to 2.8 percent; and consumer confidence rose from 37.7 to 88.7.

Science has established the truth of racial equality, but scientific proofs are not always persuasive to the average person. However, the growing interest in genealogy should generate more broadmindedness. Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. has just completed a series of programs for WBGH-TV entitled “Finding Your Roots.”

Very few of the celebrities who participated were aware of all the ethnic groups that contributed to their DNA. A scientist at Cambridge’s Broad Institute indicated that regressing anyone’s genes back far enough would essentially find almost everyone related.

With so much evidence refuting the concept of race, those who nonetheless insist on their bigotry should become honorary members of the Flat Earth Society. How strange is it that our great nation would jeopardize its historical reputation by tolerating racism, which we now know is based upon a phantom concept.

I was recently disheartened to learn that the City of Boston and Mayor Marty Walsh was considering relocating a substance abuse treatment program for the displaced residents of the Long Island Homeless Shelter to Roxbury. I understand and value the need for some of our city’s most vulnerable residents to receive transformative resources; however, this cannot be accomplished at the expense of our children’s safety and to the detriment of the financial and cultural investment many in this community have worked tirelessly to create.

I share a fence with the Radius hospital and the city’s proposal literally places approximately 200 homeless men and women in my backyard. There are grave concerns regarding safety, quality of life, and the impact on property value with the city’s intended plan of action.

The city has repeatedly rebuffed the community’s vocal concern by stating that all patients will be bused in and out of the facility and not permitted off treatment grounds without supervision. However, the City has not responded to questions and concerns regarding the very high likelihood that patients will periodically

WHAT’S INSIDE

reject the inconveniences of sobriety and a lock-down facility. Danger to my lovedones would now live one broken window and a climbed fence away. This danger comes in the form of individuals who are disproportionately impacted by mental illness, addiction disorders and criminal recidivism including sexual assaults.

Last year November, Mayor Walsh reached out to many in this community to ensure his bid for the city’s top job. If he values Roxbury as more than a tally of “likely to vote” check marks, he will not move forward with this concerning plan.

In fact, if that tally is all that he values Roxbury for then he certainly will not move forward because we will remember the actions of him and his staff for many Novembers to come.

Cedric Sinclair Resident of Dennison St., Roxbury

Supports school proposal Regarding the article on Bartlett Yard and the concern that the proposed charter school would undermine the goal of wealth creation: I can’t imagine a better path to wealth creation than ensuring that our children have access to quality education that will give them a sound foundation for upward mobility. When they’ve completed their education, they will become productive members of our community and will definitely contribute to wealth creation. This is a longer-term perspective, but we need to have a better balance between shortterm gratification and long-term investment in human capital.

Sincerely, Maribel Q Dorchester, MA

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Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 5

ROVINGCamera

OPINION Feds need look no further than Rodney King for the case against Wilson Earl Ofari Hutchinson In August 1992, nearly three months to the day after the four LAPD officers that beat black motorist Rodney King were acquitted on nearly all charges by a jury with no blacks on it, Lourdes G. Baird, the United States Attorney for California’s Central District, stepped before a battery of news cameras and reporters and announced that three of the officers would face federal charges. The charges were violating King’s Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable arrest and with depriving him of his 14th Amendment due-process rights during his March, 1991 arrest. The officers would face up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines if convicted.

The Justice Department’s decision to prosecute rested squarely on two compelling legal and public interest points, neither of which significantly involved any need to proof racial animus. The legal charges were that the officers who beat King acted under the color of the law. This violated a near century old federal statute that makes it a crime to deprive any person of a Constitutional right under the color of law. The statute specifically targeted police officers and public officials who abuse their authority and violate public trust by physically victimizing citizens.

The Justice Department assigned more than a dozen agents to the case, and a team of civil rights attorneys and investigators. It repeatedly fended off loud criticisms that the prosecution was a racial witch hunt to satisfy the clamor from civil rights organizations and a sop to African-Americans who blasted their acquittal in state court. This charge was continually leveled at then President George H.W. Bush who green-lighted the federal prosecution. He was accused of caving in to the threat of more bloody riots if he didn’t act.

There would have been absolutely no chance to bring, let alone get, convictions of the officers if there had been even the remotest public hint that race was the sole reason for the federal prosecution. The Justice Department had to bring, argue and try to win their convictions exclusively on the evidence and testimony that the cops violated the federal statutes in beating King. Baird reiterated the point: The Justice Department “Racial motivation is not an element should take the same step of any of these charges.” in the Brown slaying it Twenty-two years later, the situation with Ferguson police officer took 22 years ago in the Darren Wilson is nearly identical. King beating case.

The instant the call went up for a federal investigation and prosecution of Wilson on civil rights charges in the slaying of Michael Brown, the same loud scream was heard that Wilson broke no law, acted under color of authority, and that any federal action against him was done solely to appease civil rights organizations that clamored for his head. The Ferguson grand jury decision not to indict him brought the same outcry that the state trial and acquittal of the four LAPD cops who beat King brought, namely that there are no grounds for a separate federal action against him.

Federal prosecutors in the King case knocked that down when they made clear that the jury decision did not satisfy the federal requirement for the presentation of fair, unbiased evidence and witness testimony in a publicly charged trial. The same argument stands with the Ferguson grand jury. The gaping holes, inconsistencies, contradictions and omission in and of the testimony and evidence presented to the grand jury, as well as the dismissal of witness testimony that would have rebutted Wilson’s story, was ignored. This violated the fundamental precept of how a grand jury is supposed to function.

Even U.S. Supreme Court Antonin Scalia, the hardest of hard-nosed in defending absolute police power, noted that it is the grand jury’s function not “to enquire ... upon what foundation [the charge may be] denied,” or otherwise to try the suspect’s defenses, but only to examine “upon what foundation [the charge] is made” by the prosecutor. Scalia made one more another crucial point that debunks any notion the Ferguson proceeding was fair. This was the four-hour guided testimony of Wilson. Scalia noted that “neither in this country nor in England has the suspect under investigation by the grand jury ever been thought to have a right to testify or to have exculpatory evidence presented. “ Brown, as was King, was unarmed. Brown and King were not charged with a crime when detained. Brown, as King, received injuries after he ceased resisting. Brown, as King, was abused during an official stop. These, as they were with King, are compelling civil rights violations.

Associate Attorney General Wayne Budd, who directed the federal investigation into the King beating case, issued this terse statement after the indictment of the LAPD cops was announced “The Department of Justice has a responsibility to vindicate the violation of the fundamental rights protected by the United States Constitution.” The indictment he said was the first step toward fulfilling that responsibility.

The Justice Department should take the same step in the Brown slaying it took 22 years ago in the King beating case. That is to fulfill its responsibility and prosecute Wilson.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst The Banner welcomes your opinion. Email Op-Ed submissions to:

yawu@bannerpub.com ­Letters must be signed. Names may be withheld upon request.

What do you think should be done to stop police from abusing blacks?

Establish a civilian review board that has the power to investigate and make recommendations for action.

We need a better-trained police force and a more diverse police force.

Body cameras. They need to record their actions and know that we can see them.

Organizer Roxbury

Retired Social Worker Roxbury

Daniel Janey

Garth Warren

It will never stop until the federal government puts a stop to it. Police are getting away with murder, and it’s on video.

Voter registration, getting people civically engaged and putting a focus on police relations with the black community.

It will never stop. They started with it when they bought us here during slavery.

Retired Dorchester

Community Organizer Milton

Retired South End

Chuck Turner

Johnny Walker

Ron Bell

Landscaper Roxbury

William Thigpen

INthe news

Shaun Blugh

Shaun Blugh was appointed the city’s first-ever Chief Diversity Officer last week, Mayor Martin Walsh announced. Blugh will head a new Office of Diversity for the city.

Blugh currently serves as the Director of Due Diligence for IMB Development Corporation. In this role, Blugh assists in the recruitment and vetting of minority candidates for employment in IMB’s portfolio companies. Blugh worked closely with large corporations looking to increase their diversity spending, and engaged the national landscape for small diverse businesses to facilitate procurement for state and city contracts. He previously served as a paralegal for Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, based in New York City.

Blugh is a graduate of Georgetown University.

The Mayor’s Office of Diversity will lead Mayor Walsh’s diversity agenda, including the ongoing development and delivery of the City’s diversity goals and objectives in areas of hiring, leadership and

career development, diversity training, strategic planning, recruitment and retention. The Mayor’s Office of Diversity will also be tasked with analyzing and improving the City’s procurement strategies, to support and increase opportunities for minority- and women-owned businesses to engage directly with the City of Boston.

The Chief Diversity Officer will perform outreach to community, academic, and business organiza-

tions in order to increase diversity of employee candidate pools, and assist in the development of hiring processes to ensure maximum opportunities for employment and career advancement for candidates from underrepresented demographic groups. To that end, the Office will be responsible for collecting, analyzing and reporting the City’s employee diversity data, working closely with the City’s Human Resources Department.

6 • Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER

summit

continued from page 1

Latino students reading at grade level by fourth grade; and black boys representing more than 50 percent of U.S. murder victims, though they are only 6 percent of the population. He told a “babies in the stream” parable to illustrate the importance of seeking root causes of immediate crises.

“This is an upstream moment,” he said, “a moment where we stop falling in love with the solutions and fall in love with the problems, and go upstream together to figure this out.”

Smith called Walsh a “powerful national voice” on the issue of race and equality, citing the mayor’s recent visit to the White House, appearances on TV and radio and discussions with other mayors and governors.

“Boston is taking concrete steps,” he said. “This is the beginning of something powerful.

And we are doing it because your mayor has stepped up, and you have stepped up.”

After a performance by the Boston City-Wide String Orchestra and a short speaking program, participants split up into smaller

sessions to spend an hour exchanging ideas on subtopics such as public safety, youth employment, education and business development.

Upon returning to the auditorium, group representatives reported on the key points of each session.

A group of high school students reported that the youth employment group discussed reaching out to teen parents and teen dropouts and homeless children, streamlining the application process for youth jobs programs, extending employment programs from summer to year-round and providing shuttle buses to help teens go from school to jobs.

The ultimate dream, they said, is “Every youth in the city who wants a job, has a job.”

The public safety session discussed expanding Boston Center for Youth and Families youth centers and creating jobs for 13- and 14-year-olds in these centers, and bringing mentorship to all youth and families. Young participants alerted the audience that many youth who want mentors languish on waiting lists for years.

Barros invited Smith, who had gone room to room observing the breakout sessions, back to the podium to give some feedback.

“I am fired up. I am so excited,”

Smith declared. “I have a meeting with President Obama next week, and I cannot wait to tell him what I saw here in Boston.”

He ticked off a list of ideas he’d heard: the crucial importance of mentoring and youth jobs; honing a focus on jobs for the future; bringing services into the prison system so that when people leave prison they will be connected to services.

As a final note, Smith expressed alarm and hope on the issue of disconnected youth.

“We have almost seven million young people in this country that are not in school and are not working. That’s unsustainable,” he said. “But what I heard here in Boston is, you’re going to change that. You’re going to find that teen mom and figure out how to connect her in; you’re going to go find that foster care youth who is now 18 and doesn’t know what to do; you’re going to find that young man who is out of jail but owes child support and doesn’t have a driver’s license to get to a job. In Boston, you’re up for that challenge.”

The program closed with Malachi Hernandez, 16, a junior at Boston Latin Academy and a youth member of the MBK Advisory Committee.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon receives the 2014 Harvard Humanitarian of the Year Award at Harvard University from Dr. S. Allen, Director of the Harvard Foundation and professor of neurology and Harvard’s President Emeritus Derek C. Bok. (Photo courtesy of Harvard Foundation) “Today we are talking about our local community, but are part of a national movement,” he said.

“Being at the table today is a huge opportunity. Now I know my voice is important in this process.”

To Hernandez, MBK means supporting boys and men of color and being supported, he said.

“Ask yourselves, what will you do to keep the promise, not only to me, but to all of us?” he urged the audience. “Because we matter. I ask

you to join me in proving it.”

As participants filed out, most seemed buoyed by the morning’s work.

“Awesome. Great energy,” said Robert Lewis, founder of The BASE and Pathway to Redemption. “For once I think it’s not about talk, but about being on the ground taking action.”

Shimon Warden of Dorchester, a business owner and member two nonprofit boards, said he was pleasantly surprised, especially at the strong showing by Mayor Walsh and his staff and the mix of government, nonprofits, business and youth.

“We were talking about how all these issues intersect,” he said. “It makes you feel you’re not spinning your wheels.”

Warden echoed several other attendees in lamenting the lack of civics classes in today’s high schools, making it less likely that young adults know how the political system works and see how they could be a part of it.

Building on the national My Brother’s Keeper initiative announced by President Obama, Walsh established the MBK Boston Advisory Committee in September to engage the local community to work for positive outcomes for all youth, focusing especially black and Latino boys and young men. The Advisory Committee created subcommittees to focus on eight key areas: Civic Engagement, Education, Business Development, Workforce Development, Human Services, Public Health, Public Safety, and Youth Employment.

The discussions and recommendations of the Dec. 6 Boston summit will be sent in a report to the White House and will help formulate an action plan, Barros said.

To learn more about My Brother’s Keeper in Boston, visit www. boston.gov/mbk.

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Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 7

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NEWSBriefs

Massachusetts Black & Latino Legislative Caucus website goes live

This month, the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus unveiled its new website, www.mablacklatinocaucus.com.

The beta-version website is the Caucus’ first online venture and is designed to keep the public informed of the Caucus’ State House and community efforts.

“This is an important step to increasing our presence on the web and in our respective communities,” said Rep. Marcos Devers (D-Lawrence), MBLLC Chair. “I am thrilled to see it go live,” Representative Devers continued.

The website features information on each MBLLC member and the Caucus’ legislative and budgetary priorities. The Caucus website features Google Translate, which allows users to download website content in more than 30 languages.

Townsend St. continued from page 1

programs, and what types of clients would be coming in.

The tension worsened when Nguyen, who stepped into his interim post in October following Barbara Ferrer’s departure from BPHC, referred to an earlier meeting he had with Roxbury community leaders, saying he was very impressed with how “intelligent, strong, resilient and organized this community is.”

A chorus of indignant murmurs erupted as attendees perceived Nguyen had found this surprising.

Residents who rose to speak after that took care to remind officials that the packed school auditorium included Harvard graduates, lawyers, teachers and plenty of other learned and civically engaged people.

“No one should be surprised at the intelligence of the Roxbury community,” declared state Rep. Gloria Fox. Fox told the crowd she

“People need to know how to get in touch with us. This website will allow them to do so faster and in the language they feel most comfortable speaking,” said MBLLC Vice chairman, Rep. Russell Holmes (D-Mattapan).

Prior to the launch of www. mablacklatinocaucus.com, the only Caucus resource online available was that created by community activist and Blackstonian founder, Jamarhl Crawford of Roxbury. “We want to give a special thanks to Jamarhl for his contributions to the Caucus’ online presence,” said Representative Devers.

Dedham Hilton Hotel Grand Ballroom, move to the Spirit of Boston for a sunset dinner cruise on Saturday evening and will end on Sunday, September 6, 2015 in the beautiful Dedham Hilton Courtyard. all at an affordable rate.

For further details and ticket purchase information, visit the JPHS Elm Street Reunion website at http://jphselmstalumni. classquest.com. Or, contact Carolyn Rudolph at 704-252-4691.

You may also send an e-mail to jphselmstalumni@gmail.com for questions.

Dimock JP High School toy drive reunion

as a drop off location for this year’s annual toy drive, please contact Christina Alexis-Clark at 617-442-8800 Ext. 1354 or at calexis1@dimock.org. Please drop toys off at The Dimock Center: 55 Dimock St., 2nd floor Roxbury, MA 02119.

Court dismisses cop-recording charges

The Jamaica Plain High School Elm Street Alumni Association is pleased to announce its first three-day class reunion during the 2015 Labor Day weekend. The “2015 JPHS Elm Street Class Reunion,” is specifically designed for alumni who attended the Jamaica Plain High School, Elm Street location during the periods 1940 through 1979. The Reunion will begin on Friday, September 4, 2015 at the

The Dimock Center’s annual Holiday Toy Drive is underway.

The community health center is collecting toys for children ages 0-12 who would not otherwise have a chance to open a present on Christmas morning.

Suggested unwrapped toys and items include, boys and girls electronic games, board games, books, themed toys, sporting goods, or stuffed toys and winter apparel (gloves, hats, jackets etc.)

If you are interested in having your company or organization

The Somerville District Court has dismissed a criminal complaint against Wenzday Jane, initially applied for by police after Jane video-recorded police questioning three teenagers at a playground in Somerville’s Prospect Hill neighborhood.

“Essentially, Ms. Jane was criminally charged because she chose to exercise her constitutionally protected right to record the police,” said Jessie Rossman, staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, which represented Jane.

“We need to encourage more citizens to do what Ms. Jane did.

The officer’s decision to arrest her is indicative of a broader, troubling trend, in which police

regretted the closing of Radius, which she knew left an empty building that “everyone would be hungering for.” She said other sites have been considered in the South End, Dorchester and Mattapan, but that the recently vacated Radius presented a particularly “delicious” option. But she pushed for a Roxbury meeting to seek resident input, she said.

“No one in the Boston delegation agreed with this move, because we said it had to go to the community first,” she said.

State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, in a brief appearance, was unable to appease the crowd with her suggestion that if chosen, the Radius location might present job opportunities for local residents.

Leaders of two of the recovery programs never had a chance to address the audience, as officials hastily turned the meeting over to public comments.

The timing of the meeting, on the heels of a week of outrage over grand jury decisions not to indict police officers who killed unarmed black men Michael Brown

and Eric Garner may have lent a sharper edge to the discourse.

Some held little back, one woman shouting in fury, “They hate us!”

Some who spoke less harshly still expressed deep skepticism about the city’s intentions.

“You say you want to use Radius for the short term — but it will be long term,” asserted one resident.

There was widespread distrust that security could be guaranteed, though Arroyo emphasized that no recovery clients would be free to come in and out of the facility on their own.

“But it’s not a lock-down facility,” Fox countered.

“They’ll find an unlocked door,” said a father living adjacent to the Radius site. “Children in my home, and in other abutting homes, could be the first contact with a person who is on drugs.”

Jed Hresko, one of the residents who distributed the flyers, quoted a website describing one of the programs’ Long Island site: “Although it is an unlocked facility, the remote location, surrounded by water, provides a natural level of

security.” He wondered how such security could possibly be replicated in a densely populated residential area.

Even Yvonne Desmond, a senior treatment coordinator for the Boston Division of the Trial Court of Massachusetts — whose job is to find treatment programs for substance abusers in the justice system — spoke against the Radius siting.

“Treatment is important,” she said. “But the programs proposed are not secure facilities. We do not want this in our neighborhood.”

As attendees began to leave, former state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson sounded a compassionate note and tried to move the conversation toward next steps.

“The question does remain, because we are humane and considerate: They are cold, they are freezing. If this isn’t the right thing to do, what do we do? What’s the next conversation?” she asked.

Wilkerson contended that some of the so-called sober houses already in the community are in reality “a living hell,” and echoed the concern that Roxbury, as a

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continue in a variety of ways to hinder people’s right to record their work in public. This is especially troubling in light of the nationwide controversy over police accountability following events like the choking death by police of Eric Garner in New York, captured on video by a bystander.”

In Jane’s case, the Judge today dismissed the criminal complaint following argument by the ACLU of Massachusetts, agreeing that Jane had not committed the crime of interfering with the police. The ACLU of Massachusetts had also argued that the complaint should be dismissed because “interfering with police” is not a crime in Massachusetts and because criminalizing Jane’s behavior would violate the First Amendment.

“More than three years ago, the federal First Circuit Court in Boston held in Glik v. Cunniffe that the Constitution protects the right to record the police in public,” said Carl Williams, an ACLU of Massachusetts staff attorney who, with Rossman, represented Jane. “We need to prevent police from using other criminal charges as a backdoor to try getting around Glik to ensure that individuals are able to exercise this First Amendment right without fear of arrest.” child-dense neighborhood, was not a proper site for more recovery services.

“It’s not that Roxbury residents don’t care,” she said. “We want to figure out what works — we just don’t think this is right.”

One of the last speakers was City Councilor Tito Jackson.

“I think you’ve heard loud and clear that people in this community do not want this,” he told the officials. “This is not a ‘Not in my backyard’ — it is ‘Not ALL in my backyard.’ We have a disproportionate number of sober homes.”

Jackson said he would not vote for any city budget that includes acquisition of the Radius facility for these uses, adding, “What we should be thinking about is how we bring a developer here who could bring jobs and housing to that site.”

City Councilor-at-large Ayanna Pressley attended but did not speak at the meeting. Afterward, she said she was not surprised by the emotion in the room, given historic breaches of trust in Roxbury that make it difficult for people to believe their wishes will be honored.

Pressley spoke of the bigger picture of the Radius facility’s future and the unresolved dilemma of where to serve displaced Long Island clients.

“What we know for sure is we need to repurpose that space and that it adds value to the neighborhood. Roxbury is begging for economic development,” she said.

“Homelessness and addiction is everyone’s problem, but there needs to be equity. Some areas, like Roxbury and the South End, are already saturated.”

At the meeting, there was talk of creating a task force to examine the siting issue, though a few attendees protested that no task force or additional discussion is needed, as unequivocal rejection has been voiced.

Smith ultimately promised that there would be no movement by the city on the Radius proposal without further community input.

Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 9

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College students in high-demand When it comes to jobs, the health care industry is in healthy shape.

Since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010, the health care industry has gained nearly 1 million jobs, with the technology sector driving much of its growth.

Spurred by federal incentives, Massachusetts has been leading the way to digitize hospitals, health centers, and doctors’ offices to improve care and reduce costly medical errors.

The result? A huge demand for technicians who can store, share, and protect data between hospitals, doctors and patients. In 2014, systems and data communications analyst positions grew by 43 percent, topping the state’s list of fastest growing jobs.

At Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology (BFIT), a non-profit technical college in the South End, students enrolled in its computer technology degree programs, are riding this wave of job opportunity.

“Health IT is such a booming field,” says 24-year old Damien Leach of Roxbury, a senior at BFIT. “There’s a huge shift happening towards digital, and I’m excited that I’m getting a taste of it.”

Damien earned an Associate of Science in Biomedical Engineering

Technology at BFIT, and will graduate in May with a Bachelor of Science in Health Information Technology. BFIT is the only college in New England to offer a bachelor degree in the field.

Like many BFIT students, his college experience extends beyond the classroom and reaches into the workplace. He has worked for Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, repairing defibrillators, bedside monitors, dialysis machines, and improving workflows. Today, he works on-campus for PlumChoice, providing tech support to customers across the U.S. “After class, I walk upstairs to the third floor to my job and apply what I’m learning in the classroom,” he says. “There’s no better way to equip students than to give them school work and real work in the same day.

We apply what we learn.”

Damien enrolled in BFIT when he was a sophomore in high school through the college’s Early Access to College Program. This program allows Boston public high school sophomores, juniors and seniors to take college courses and earn college credit, saving time and money.

“I knew that if I didn’t go to

Damien and a team of BFIT students were contracted to test the health IT infrastructure for Massachusetts General Hospital’s Epic Go-Live launch. Today, demand is high for health IT technicians as hospitals and physicians transfer millions of patient records into a digital format.

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college, I wouldn’t be successful. This was an opportunity to make something of myself and become the first person in my family to get a degree.”

While Damien handles complex IT issues with ease, his road to college success has been anything but easy.

“I didn’t grow up with a computer,” he said. “A lot of technology that was around, we could never really afford it. My mom always taught me throughout all those

challenges, that I was gonna be a leader. Even when I was unable to see it for myself, she would tell me that.”

Armed with his mother’s wisdom, Damien has excelled at BFIT. He says he chose BFIT because of its small class sizes, hands-on degrees, and high job placement rate. Another important factor, he says, is its inclusive culture.

“There’s real people here. When I went here I knew I’d fit in. There’s a lot of young people from Boston

“After class, I walk upstairs to the third floor to my job and apply what I’m learning in the classroom. There’s no better way to equip students then to give them school work and real work in the same day. We apply what we learn.”

— Damien Leach here who want to be somebody. You are not isolated into groups here. It’s so diverse.”

Damien says he is grateful to have chosen BFIT and that the college has shown him that hard work does pays off.

“I’m very grateful to have chosen Ben Franklin. I could have been thousands of dollars in debt and not have a job. Or worse, I could have been in debt, and not be wellequipped to get a good job. Here, I have a job lined up, even before I graduate.”

Spring semester begins Jan. 21.

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Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

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BusinessNews Hub fast food workers join national protest for wages Martin Desmarais Massachusetts restaurant workers and living wage advocates took to the streets in protest late last week in the national Fight for $15 campaign, joining protesters in almost 200 cities across the United States — this despite Massachusetts already passing one of the highest minimum wage hikes in the country and also seeing voters approve a ballot question last month to guarantee earned sick time to most workers.

The protest, held on Dec. 4, targeted mostly fast-food chains in Massachusetts and saw throngs of employees from some of the top brands — McDonald’s, Burger King and Dunkin’ Donuts — fill stores and encourage others to walk off the job.

A Burger King location in Boston’s Downtown Crossing was the pinnacle of protests in Massachusetts, along with a McDonald’s and a Dunkin’ Donuts in Chelsea. The rallying cries were “Low pay is not OK” and “We are worth more.”

U.S. Senator from Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren was quick

“Families, co-workers and communities are fighting for justice on all fronts, in the workplace and in streets.”

– Mary Kay Henry “Fight for $15” protesters gather at Burger King in Downtown Crossing as part of the nationwide protest on Dec. 4. (Photos courtesy of Fight for $15) to back the protesting workers.

“Fast food workers deserve a livable wage to keep families out of poverty,” she said. “When they fight, I’m proud to fight alongside them.”

Supported predominantly by social justice organizations and unions, the Fight for $15 campaign began two years ago with a bullseye on fast-food stores in particular. While the battle has been muddied by pushback from corporate chains, some who say that individual store owners control the pay rates, the protests have captured politicians’ attention and expanded the fight to include other low-paying jobs at retail stores, convenience stores and airports.

The protesters in Boston joined others in major cities including Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York, Oakland, Philadelphia and Seattle.

Other smaller cities — in particular areas with struggling economies, including Jackson, Miss., Knoxville, Tenn. and Buffalo — also joined the fray.

In Washington, D.C., the protest saw 650 federal contract workers walk off fast-food jobs at well-known landmarks, including the National Zoo. SEIU International, a union with a large membership in Massachusetts, backed the protests throughout the nation. SEIU Fight for $15 continued to page 11

Mass. Health Connector helping small businesses Martin Desmarais This time last year, the trouble people had trying to enroll online for health care made Obamacare the brunt of much criticism and was widely reported, but what was little known is that small businesses had it much worse — the federal government just gave up even trying to enroll businesses online.

Now, with the Affordable Care Act open enrollment period back again, the federal government finally made the move to include small businesses in online enrollment — and the system actually seems to be working — but the only problem is few small businesses seem to care.

The federal Small Business Health Options Program, known as SHOP, is set up to help companies with 50 or fewer workers get better deals for employee health coverage, under the requirements of The Affordable Care Act. Setting up an online SHOP marketplace, like a similar version for individuals, is supposed to be the easiest way to get the best deal.

Perhaps small businesses owners are still holding a grudge from being pushed aside last year, but after a couple of weeks of open enrollment the numbers are poor. Federal officials are not saying just how many small businesses are offering health coverage through SHOP plans, but the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the

“We are one-stop shopping for 10 different health insurance carriers and five different dental carriers representing 100 different plans.”

– Dave Kerrigan

online insurance marketplaces, has released one set of numbers offering some insight. During the first week, the SHOP marketplace on HealthCare.gov got 200,000 visits, compared with more than 1.5 million visits to the individual health plans.

Critics are not impressed.

The government is saying it expects SHOP to be a success, for one, because small businesses will no longer be able to renew preObamacare health plans that provided less coverage and cost less, which was an option last year.

And Obamacare officials say SHOP saves businesses money, which looks to be true. Researchers at the University of Chicago took a look at SHOP program and compared it across the country and found its prices were 7 percent lower than similar health coverage plans offered through other sources or through health insurance brokers.

This savings represents about $220 a year, per employee, which one would think would be enough to make small businesses take notice.

In Massachusetts, the answer to why more small businesses are not flooding the federal SHOP marketplace is pretty simple.

While the federal government dropped the ball last year — and even before that — the state has a reliable option to help small businesses with health coverage already in the Massachusetts Health Connector.

Started in 2009, as part of Massachusetts’ health reform law, the Health Connector has been offering what the federal government seemed to be just dreaming about last year and only now seems to be managing — an online marketplace to get the best health insurance deals.

“We are one-stop shopping for 10 different health insurance carriers and five different dental carriers representing 100 different plans,” said Dave Kerrigan, director of business development for the Massachusetts Health Connector.

The Health Connector works with business owners and health insurance brokers and has all the

Dave Kerrigan, director of business development for the Massachusetts Health Connector. (Photo courtesy of Massachusetts Health Connector) big players in health insurance in the state, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan.

According to Kerrigan, the variety of options and savings has attracted many small businesses to the program since its launch and continues to grow.

Not surprisingly, the Obama administration’s struggles to get the federal SHOP online marketplace up-and-running did impact the Health Connector.

“We compete against a lot of press this year that said the SHOP website was broken and people thought our website was broken.

It wasn’t,” Kerrigan said.

Obamacare regulations also impacted the Health Connector numbers, but the organization rallied and has doubled the amount of businesses that use it.

Prior to the Affordable Care Act, the Health Connector had 5,000 members, but the new laws meant

the self-employed could not get health insurance as a small business, which eliminated half of those a year ago. However, Kerrigan says the Health Connector is already back to 5,000 users — all of which are small businesses.

Savings, such as those offered by the Health Connector’s Wellness Program, are also a big draw for the state’s small businesses.

The wellness program could save some businesses 15 percent on health insurance. In addition, the federal government also offers small business health care tax credits through participation in program’s such as the Massachusetts Health Connector — with possible savings as much as 50 percent on the employer’s share of health insurance premiums.

Officials at the Massachusetts District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration are pushing small businesses toward the federal SHOP marketplace, as well as the Massachusetts Health Connector.

Their thinking is that it doesn’t matter how the state’s small businesses get their health insurance coverage, only that they get it.

“We have definitely been doing some training throughout the last few years, because it is so important for small business to know what is going on,” said SBA Deputy District Director Anne Hunt.

In fact, the SBA offers a weekly, live webinar series for small business owners on the basics of the Affordable Care Act and how to enroll in SHOP. Hunt says the Massachusetts Health Connector is an important resource for the state small businesses.

“They are really the experts and we try to funnel businesses to the experts,” she said.

Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 11

BusinessNews Fight for $15 continued from page 10

President Mary Kay Henry called Fight for $15 a growing movement aimed at fighting American’s broken economic system.

“Millions of working men and women across this country — white, black and brown — have stood up and stood out together, mounting their offense against extremism and inequality,” Henry said. “Families, co-workers and communities are fighting for justice on all fronts, in the workplace and in streets. The economy and our country are out of balance because so many people are trying to raise families on service sector paychecks, but are getting crushed as corporations use their power to push down the wage floor.”

McDonald’s was one of the few corporations targeted that acknowledged the protesters’ efforts.

The fast-food giant released a statement intended to summarize its position saying that 90 percent of its U.S. restaurants — more than 3,000 locations — are independently owned and operated by franchisees who set wages according to job level and local and federal laws and that the corporation does not determine wages at these stores.

“At McDonald’s we respect everyone’s right to peacefully protest. The topic of minimum wage goes well beyond McDonald’s

— it affects our country’s entire workforce. McDonald’s and our independent franchisees support paying our valued employees fair wages aligned with a competitive marketplace,” the statement said.

Currently, federal minimum wage is $7.25. President Barack Obama backed a bill to raise it to $10.10 by 2016, but this legislation is stalled in Congress. As such, the hope has turned to state and city governments, which can raise the minimum wage on their own.

During elections last month, a number of states, as well as San Francisco and Oakland, approved increases in the minimum wage.

Just last week, Chicago approved a jump in minimum wage from $8.25 to $13 by 2019. When 2015 hits, the minimum wage will be higher than the federal minimum wage in 29 states.

The National Employment Law Project reports that recent efforts to boost the minimum wage will raise earnings for over 600,000 U.S. workers.

Massachusetts has seen big victories for labor activists in the state in the past year.

In June, Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation that will gradually raise the state’s minimum wage to $11 by 2017, up from the current state minimum wage of $8.

Last month, when Massachusetts voters hit the booths in the November elections, they approved Question 4, which will guarantee every worker in

Mayor Walsh hosted his 4th Mondays with the Mayor forum in Hyde Park. (Mayor’s Office photo by Jeremiah Robinson)

Massachusetts access to the benefit of earned sick time and prohibit employer retaliation against workers who take time off due to illness when it takes effect on July 1, 2015.

At companies with 10 or fewer employees, workers will earn up to 40 hours of unpaid sick time to visit the doctor or take care of a sick family member. At companies with 11 or more employees, workers will earn up to 40 hours of paid sick time.

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12 • Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER

Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 13

HOLIDAY SHOPPING Colette Greenstein

Searching for that perfect gift?

Here are some ideas to help plan your holiday shopping.

For the friend or family member who has a sweet tooth or appreciates good, simple food, buy a gift card to Flour Bakery + Café.

Stop by at one of their four locations throughout the city and purchase a gift card in any denomination.

Go to www.flourbakery.com for locations.

Yo La Tengo (Photo by Carlie Armstrong)

Interested in the arts? Look no further than the Mayor’s holiday site for discounts on a variety of live performances from Black Nativity and Tony Williams’ Urban Nutcracker to First Night Boston 2015. For discounts and more, visit www.mayorsholiday.com.

(Photo courtesy www.flourbakerycafe.com)

Looking for a gift that’s a bit more Afrocentric? For over 35 years, A Nubian Notion has provided unique African, Afro-centric and Caribbean products from books, music, jewelry, and more, right in the heart of Roxbury at 41–47 Warren Street. For store hours call 617.442.2622.

Urban Nutcracker (Photo by Raven Wolfe Photography)

(Photos courtesy Salmagundi)

In need of a hat to brave the colder winter months?

Shop at Salmagundi in Jamaica Plain where they stock over 12,000 perfectly hand-picked hats for ladies and gents. They also offer a selection of accessories from gloves and scarves, to jewelry and clothing. Visit the shop at 765 Centre Street or shop online at www.salmagundiboston.com.

Patty Larkin (Photo by Jana Leon)

Take a holiday stroll this Wednesday, December 10 with The Sixth Annual South End Holiday Shop Local Dine Local Night featuring over 50 retailers and restaurants including, Flock, Hudson, Polka Dog Bakery, South End Athletic Company, Myers + Chang, Tremont 647, Union Bar and Grille and many more taking place from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

There’ll be free pedicabs and complimentary parking at 540 Harrison Avenue. For a complete listing, go to www.sebaboston.com events.

For readers of fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novels make sure to stop

by Papercuts, JP’s new independent bookstore located at 5 Green Street.

For store hours and more information, call 617.522-3404 or visit www.facebook.com/ papercutsjp

Owner Kate Layte at Papercuts JP (Photo by Yiging Shaq/www.bostonmagazine.com)

14 • Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER

BOSTON scenes

Dudley Street Neighborhood Gala More than 350 people from the neighborhoods of Roxbury, Dorchester, downtown and beyond gathered on November 8th at UMASS Boston to mark the 30th anniversary of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI). DSNI is known for its transformative work with resident led community economic development, including the use of land trusts and eminent domain to build and sustain affordable housing.

Among those in attendance at the sold out fundraising gala were Boston Mayor Marty Walshand Boston’s Economic Chief John Barros, one of three former executive directors of DSNI who were there to celebrate the milestone.

Gus Newport, former Mayor of Berkeley California and Rogelio Whittington were the other former DSNI chiefs at the celebration.

Clockwise, from upper left: (l-r) Valduvino Goncalves, Azura Fernandes, John Barros; (l-r) Greg Mumford, May Louie, Dominique Graham; (l-r) Ricardo Bryant, Toni Brooks, Carolos Henriquez; (l-r) Marianna McNeil, Rahn Dorsey, Mariamma White Hammond, Shayna White, Reverend Gloria White Hammond, Reverend Ray Hammond. Photos by Toykyo Photography

Party W ith Purpose A spirited Party with A Purpose was held at Hibernian Hall on Dec. 3rd to celebrate community and launch of the new book “Portraits of Purpose: A Tribute to Leadership” by photojournalist, Don West with profiles written by Kenneth J. Cooper. The book features individuals from all facets of professional and civic life—veteran, newly emerging, unsung heroes and international renown figures-- whose work has advanced the pursuit of equity and justice in these times. The event MC’d by Jose Masso from WBUR’s Con Salsa! with music by the Fulani Haynes Jazz Collaborative was highlighted with “Acts of Art and Social Commentary.” presented by local artists.

Clockwise, from upper left: Larry Watson sings to audience; Mother daughter; Wyatt Jackson, Don West, Kenneth J. Cooper; POP honorees (in the book) w/West & Cooper; Jeanne Pinado, Marita Rivero, Gail Jackson-Blount Photos by Randy H. Goodman & Michael Hailey

Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 15

LISA FISCHER

talks about her musical inspirations Colette Greenstein

L

ong known in the music industry and by audiences around the world for her powerhouse vocals, Lisa Fischer is also known as one of the stars in Morgan Neville’s documentary 20 Feet from Stardom, which reveals the voices and singers behind some of music’s biggest performers and most popular songs.

The documentary, which was filmed in 2013 and won Best Documentary at the 2014 Academy Awards, showcased the stories and talent of back-up vocalists Merry Clayton, Darlene Love, Claudia Lennear, Tata Vega, Judith Hill, and of course, Fischer. Of the women’s talent, Sting said in the film, “My greatest pleasure is to stand back and let them do what they can do.”

Fischer has learned to stay true to her heart and to keep moving forward in the music, she says, and has sung backup vocals on every Rolling Stones’ tour since 1989. When asked what her favorite song to perform was in a recent email interview with the Banner, her answer was Gimme Shelter, the 1969 Rolling Stones’ classic (which originally featured guest vocalist Merry Clayton).

She wrote that the song is “lovely to sing in any setting because it’s just an

amazing song. I get chills from the movement of the melody and what’s being played around it.”

During this period working with the Stones, Fischer also worked as a back-up vocalist with Luther Vandross and often had to juggle tour schedules. She attributes her longevity and her success to “love and respect for the people I’ve been honored to work for. Respect for my fellow musicians and the joy of seeing everyone do well to be the best they can be in the moment.”

In 1991, she rose to fame as a solo artist with her debut album So Intense, which led to a 1992 Grammy win (and a tie with Patti LaBelle for whom she sang as a back-up vocalist), for Best Female R&B Performance for the single, How Can I Ease the Pain.

“It felt like a dream, fireworks

in slow motion,” Fisher said of winning her first Grammy with LaBelle. “I have so much love and respect for Patti LaBelle and all the beautiful music she has given us, so to be able to share that moment in time was such a blessing for me.”

Fischer, who has shared the stage with legendary performers such as Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Sting, Chris Botti and Nine Inch Nails, is constantly on the road touring. When asked how being on the road has affected her personal life, she jokingly responded, “Personal liiiiife.... Oh, Personal Liiiiife...

Hmm...Where did I put that thing?”

Lisa always wanted to sing and is living out her dream. Growing up, she was inspired by the “beautiful connection to the melody, and the story with music that supports that.” These days she’s inspired by the multi-talented singer, songwriter and guitarist Becca Stevens and British soul singer and writer, Laura Mvula.

“I’m grateful that we live in a time where there is inspiration all around us to discover,” she said.

Scullers Jazz Club presents Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton Saturday, Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 14 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Tickets: Show $45, dinner, $85 on Dec. 13; Show $48, dinner $88 on Dec. 14. www.scullersjazz.com.

Lisa Fischer (Photo by Djeneba Aduayom)

16 • Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER

Artist-curator showcases emerging artists at Piano Craft Gallery ‘Art 100’ Colette Greenstein Only in Boston for one year so far, Pares Mallis has already made an impact in the local arts community. The artist, arts administrator, and a curator with 30 years of experience in the art world, is the curator and the force behind the ART 100 BOSTON exhibition that opened Dec. 5 at the Piano Craft Gallery on Tremont Street in the South End. Over the past year, Males said, she put a call out to artists to submit pictures and bios, attended all the Open Studios throughout the city, and even went to the homes of local artists, in search of art for the exhibition. Mallis handpicked the exhibit participants.

“What I’m trying to keep here are people with soul, people that have a heart,” Mallis said in a recent interview with the Banner.

An artist by trade, the native New Yorker studied at Boston University’s School of Fine Arts, received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Arcadia University in Pennsylvania and graduated with a Master of Arts in Arts Administration from NYU. She

also worked for the Whitney Museum and he New York Botanical Garden in New York, and even worked in public relations.

In 1990, at age 30, Mallis moved to Greece to follow her husband who was a civil engineer.

After twelve years of marriage, Mallis and her husband divorced and she hoped to return to the States with her two young daughters, but it was not to be. Due to The Hague Convention International Custody law which prohibits children from being taken from their home country without the other parent’s consent, she had to stay put in Greece. While there, Mallis made good use of her skills as an artist.

Mallis actively exhibited her artwork from 1994 to 2013, organized exhibitions, and volunteered with the Mother Teresa home for refugees and homeless mothers and children.

“Exhibiting was much more accessible. You could do something very impromptu. Marketing, advertising was much more inexpensive and printing was extremely cheap. I had an extensive exhibition history because it was just

done. It was off the cuff. There was an artistic renaissance going on in the ’90s, where there were all these little underground places.

It just made me more confident in being an exhibiting artist.”

When Mallis finally returned to the United States, it was 23 years later and she made Boston her new home.

Mallis hadn’t planned on curating an exhibit; it came about accidentally through her encounters with artists at Feet of Clay, a ceramics club located in Brookline Village, where recent art school graduates can go and work.

After she had several conversations with the students at Feet of Clay, Mallis discovered that most of them had never exhibited their artwork. It was either too expensive, or they couldn’t get their feet in the door at the galleries on Newbury Street, or they just didn’t know how to do it.

“They were sitting with Master of Fine Arts degrees and they had no exhibition experience,” she said.

In her interactions at Feet of Clay, Mallis encountered this over and over.

“I just kept on seeing all this

Artist Pares Mallis curated the Art 100 show, in which all works are priced at $100, at Piano Craft Gallery through Dec. 21. really good art from young people.” She decided the exhibition was necessary, and used the European concept of an art market as a model. Thus, ART 100 BOSTON was born.

“I felt I had to do it. I felt that it’s my way of giving back,” said Mallis of the exhibition.

ART 100 BOSTON features 49 local and emerging artists (one dropped out just before the exhibit), with over 300 pieces of their original artwork to be sold for $100 each. Artists featured in the exhibition include Roxbury native Ekua Holmes, Sara Reilly, ceramic sculptor Goce Davidov who is originally from the Republic of Macedonia and is now based in Boston, Marilyn Casey, and Kaitlin Thurlow. Each artist

created six to ten original pieces for the exhibition.

Mallis is already planning on ART 100 BOSTON becoming an annual showcase. Her hope is that people will realize that art is not as intimidating as they think, she says.

“The idea is to create a platform for emerging artists to share their art where it’s accessible for purchase.”

The ART 100 BOSTON exhibition runs through Dec. 21. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m. Admission is free. For more information about the Art 100 Boston exhibition and the Piano Craft Gallery, visit facebook.com/ART100BOSTON or www.pianocraftgallery.org, or call 617.595.5638.

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Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 17

Tavis on repositioning Dr. King as a revolutionary Tavis Smiley is the host and managing editor of Tavis Smiley on PBS, and The Tavis Smiley Show from Public Radio International.

He is also the author of 16 best-selling books. Here, he talks about his latest opus, “Death of a King.”

deals with the last year of King’s life when the tide was turning against him, such as the Black Panthers, Ralph Bunche, and others in the movement. Now Dr. King is viewed as a martyr. Was it difficult for those still living to now speak negatively about King?

TS: Good question, Bernadette. Now that he is a dead martyr, rarely do people speak negatively of him. My point is that it’s easy to celebrate and applaud dead martyrs. The problem is that when King was here and in our faces, and talking about

Kam Williams: Hi Tavis, thanks for the time, brother.

Tavis Smiley: Always nice to speak with you, Kam.

KW: I have lots of questions for you from readers. Attorney Bernadette Beekman says: I know that your book

KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles says: An historical biography of the last year of Dr. King’s life, no matter how beautiful a tribute, is it really what we need to read now to get it right?

TS: Absolutely! The answer’s “Yes,” because we come to know who we really are in life during the dark and difficult and desolate days of our journey. If you think you respect and revere Dr. King, wait ’til you read this book. You’re going to feel that way even more so afterwards, because you’ll get to see how he navigated the most difficult period of his life, the last year of his life when everybody turned against him. That’s what fascinates me about him. After reading this book, you’ll have a different appreciation of Dr. King. It’s important

inconvenient truths, like what he called the triple threat facing our democracy — racism, poverty and militarism — everybody turned on him. Yet, 50 years after his assassination, what do we see when we look at Ferguson, Missouri?

Racism, poverty and militarism!

We have deified King in death, so it’s easy for people to say nice things about him now. But in life, we demonized him.

to see him in his full complexity, and be honest about the fact that we helped kill King because we abandoned him. And once we abandoned him, we isolated him, which made it easy for someone to assassinate him. It was a three-step process.

KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: Do you have any interest in entering politics?

TS: Let me put it like this, “N, O, NO!” And put that in caps.

KW: Patricia also says: I think this is one of your best books. I just finished reading it. I found your discussion of Coretta Scott King’s influence on her husband very interesting, as well

continued to page 18

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18 • Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER

Smiley

continued from page 17

as her contributions as an activist, and her criticism of the Civil Rights Movement’s lack of focus, and the roles played by women in combat.

About your research process: Did you make trips to Atlanta, Montgomery, the Lorraine Motel and other places in Memphis?

TS: Yes, all of the above. The short answer is I traveled extensively, I interviewed extensively, and I researched extensively. Still, I couldn’t have done this book had it not been for the work of Dr. King’s three principal biographers: Taylor Branch, David Garrow and Clayborne Carson. Those guys did the heavy lifting which made it easier for me to do a book just focusing on his final year. As for Coretta, she’s really an unsung heroine. I’m glad that Patricia took away the critical role that Coretta played not only in Dr. King’s life, but in the Movement. I’m glad that we were able to weave that into the narrative effectively.

KW: Patricia says: You quote Dr. King asserting that “Our nation is sick with racism, sick with militarism, sick with a system that perpetuates poverty.” If Dr. King were still alive, what do you think his assessment of present-day America would be?

TS: Excellent question! He’d pick up right where he left off, talking about that triple threat of racism, poverty and militarism. Even in the era of the first black president, racism is still the most intractable issue in this

country. Regarding poverty, half of all Americans are either in or near poverty. Poverty is certainly worse for African-Americans now than it was during King’s lifetime. And there’s a highway into poverty, but barely a sidewalk out. This is not a skill problem, it’s a will problem, and King would be challenging us about the lack of our will to eradicate poverty. On militarism, the growth of the Military-Industrial Complex has been exponential since his assassination. If he were here now, he’d have a strong critique of the American empire’s militaristic approach to the world.

And frankly, he’d have a strong critique of the Obama administration on its use of drones.

KW: Patricia says: You wrote that this book meant more to you than any of your others. I consider it an homage to a legend. What do you think is the most important part of Dr. King’s legacy?

TS: I think Dr. King is the greatest democratic, public intellectual that America has ever produced. What’s interesting is that in the U.S., we regard him as an icon, while elsewhere around the world he’s regarded as a revolutionary.

They saw him as the radical revolutionary that he really was. Loving your enemy is a radical concept.

Here at home, we’ve sanitized and sterilized him, and failed to appreciate him as the revolutionary and prophet that he really was.

KW: Chandra McQueen says: This year marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Do you think Obama is as

deserving of his?

TS: I want to be as charitable as I can be, here. It’s been very difficult, sometimes heartbreaking to watch this war President with a Nobel Peace Prize, navigate his presidency.

KW: Have you considered having some of Smiley Books translated into other languages?

TS: We’ve translated some, but we could do more.

KW: Sangeetha Subramanian asks: What was the most surprising fact you uncovered when researching this book?

TS: That for all the surveillance and wiretapping Dr. King was kept under, not one time was he ever heard contesting the humanity of another human being.

KW: Vassar professor Mia Mask asks: What’s up with your campaign against Obama? Isn’t it somewhat self-serving? What, if anything, have you and Cornel West accomplished with your public criticism of the President?

TS: I am not engineering a campaign against Obama. My work and witness is about holding our leaders accountable.

KW: What do you think is the state of black politics in terms of loyalty to the Democratic Party?

TS: It’s the same old story.

Democrats, too often, take blacks for granted, and Republicans, too often, simply ignore black voters.

KW: David Roth says: I would love to have a chance to chat with you.

I am intrigued by the evolution of the post-civil disobedience AfricanAmerican identity. Please comment on what Dr. Cornel West refers to as the dousing of the “Black prophetic fire” and the subsequent co-opting of the “we-consciousness” of 19th and 20th Century black leaders by the “me-consciousness” of the capitalistic society all Americans operate within. Now that the majority of Black Americans has been assimilated, there is no longer a singular, collective Black voice articulating the call for true equality of opportunity and equal justice under the law, which has led to the marginalizing of the people who raise their voices today.

TS: Dr. West is absolutely correct about the black prophetic tradition of speaking truth to power being on life support.

KW: Kyle Moore asks: What has to be done to change to the political stalemate we see in Washington?

TS: We need to elect leaders who understand that leadership is about loving and serving people, not about self-advancement.

KW: L.A. “Realtor to the Stars” Jimmy Bayan says: You’ve been in Los Angeles for 30 years. What is it that you still find so alluring about our City of Angels?

TS: Great question, Jimmy.

The City of Angels is a microcosm of the world, and so living in L.A. makes me feel like a citizen of the world.

KW: Cousin Leon Marquis asks: What was the toughest question you ever had to ask someone?

TS: That’s a question that every one of my guests would have a different answer for, because they all think I ask tough questions. We’ll leave it at that.

KW: AALBC Publisher Troy Johnson asks: What happened with the R. Kelly book project?

TS: We published the book, but for any number of reasons, it didn’t sell enough to make the best-seller list. He was afforded an opportunity to tell his story, and the marketplace decided.

KW: Troy also says: I really enjoyed, and now miss, the Smiley and West radio program. Why was it cancelled?

Any plans for a similar program in the future?

TS: It wasn’t canceled. Dr. West and I decided to step away from it, primarily because we both just have so many things going on.

We’re both very busy people.

KW: Troy would like to know: What are the future plans of Smiley Books?

TS: We’re going to continue to publish books we think need to be read.

KW: Film critic Armond White simply asks: Why?

TS: Great question, Armond. I ask that myself everyday.

KW: Thanks for another great interview, Tavis.

TS: Thank you, Kam. I look forward to reading it.

To order a copy of Death of a King, visit: http://www.amazon.com/ exec/obidos/ASIN/0316332763/ ref%3dnosim/thslfofire-20

ART IS LIFE ITSELF!

The Performance Series That Embraces Art, Culture & Spirituality. »» Program at 7 pm. Come early for dinner! «« Thursday, Dec 11 – African Man Born (AMB) + Comedian Jimmy Anicet + Open Mic Thursday, Dec 18 – Committee of Friends and Relatives of Prisoners (CFROP) + Open Mic For tickets and further event information: www.facebook.com/haleyhousebakerycafe/events

Friday, Dec 12 – The House Slam Presents:

Mckendy Fils-Aimé Doors open 6:30pm - Show starts at 7:15pm For tickets and further event information: www.facebook.com/haleyhousebakerycafe/events

12 Dade Street, Roxbury, MA 02119 617-445-0900 | www.haleyhouse.org/cafe

Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 19

Community Calendar Thursday December 11 Celebrate the Holidays 5:30-6:30pm — A representative from the Better Business Bureau will talk you through holiday and end-of-year charitable giving. 6:30-7:15pm — Join the library staff and Friends of Uphams Corner Branch Library for a holiday jazz concert by Fred Woodard. 7:20-8pm — Enjoy a reception with refreshments, sponsored by Friends of Uphams Corner Branch Library. www.bpl. org. Uphams Corner Branch of the Boston Public Library, 500 Columbia Rd., 617-265-0139.

Saturday December 13 Blue Hills Walking Club Holiday Gathering Open House from 1-3pm. Meet at Brookwood Farm Conference Center at 11 Blue Hill River Road in Canton. Join us as we celebrate the holiday season at scenic Brookwood Farm. Hot beverages will be provided. Please bring a holiday treat to share. Stroll through the fields and woodlands with friends or share some holiday cheer by the warmth of the fire.

The Southeastern Massachusetts Adult Walking Club meets each weekend on either a Saturday or Sunday at 1:00 for recreational walks. This club is open to people of 16 years of age and older, and there is no fee to join. Walks average 2 to 5 miles. New walkers are encouraged to participate. The terrain can vary: EASY (mostly level terrain), MODERATE (hilly terrain), DIFFICULT (strenuous & steep).

Walks will be led by a park ranger or a Walking Club volunteer leader.

Occasionally, the Walking Club meets at other DCR sites. Some DCR sites charge a parking fee.

The rangers recommend wearing hiking boots and bringing drinking water on all hikes.

Sunday December 14 Open House Holiday Gathering The Shirley-Eustis House, a National Historic Landmark house museum and carriage house in Boston is pleased to announce its annual open house holiday gathering from 1-4pm. Gary Poholek, graduate of the Boston Conservatory and accomplished local actor will perform his own one-man adaptation of Dickens’ classic, “A Christmas Carol.” The spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future come to life in this special presentation. The setting is simple — an antique desk, fireplace, chair, stool, and coat rack. The audience’s imagination will take over as ‘Mr. Dickens,’ dressed in Victorian attire and adopting a variety of voices, expressions and mannerisms, portrays close to 40 different characters, bringing the classic story to life in this fully-staged and very unique adaptation of Dickens’ original manuscript. Alternating between humor and poignancy, this heartwarming presentation is sure to entertain you! The Shir-

ley-Eustis House will be decorated with beautiful greenery and Victorian ornaments will adorn the tree.

Gently performed holiday classical melodies will be provided by cellist Nathaniel Kirby, a student at Rockport Middle School. You will be treated to traditional Victorian refreshments such as Wassail Punch, Figgy Pudding and Sugar Plums. We may also enjoy a rousing traditional carol sing-a-long as well! Stay fashionably late and we will escort you on a short tour of our historic mansion after the Dickens presentation that will acquaint you with our efforts to restore the Lafayette Bed Chamber. The Shirley-Eustis House is located on 33 Shirley Street in Boston. This event is free but we encourage everyone to donate $10 per person to help us continue raising funds to complete our new Lafayette Bed Chamber gallery. Please RSVP to Patti Violette at 617-442-2275 or email at governorshirley@gmail. com.

The Magic Dreidel Performance: The Magic Dreidel: A Chanukah Celebration with The Grumbling Gryphons at 2pm. The renowned traveling children’s theater group The Grumbling Gryphons with an engaging musical performance for all ages. the Yiddish Book Center, at 1021 West St., Amherst, Mass. For more information or to purchase tickets ($3-8), call 413-256-4900 or visit www.yiddishbookcenter.org/ events.

Monday December 15 Holiday Caroling Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation invites you to join us at our 1st Holiday Caroling Event. Caroling begins at: Thomas Atkins Community Room, 215 Blue Hill Ave., Roxbury. Time: 6-8pm. Come sing popular holiday carols as we walk along Blue Hill Avenue. Come one, Come all! Dress warm and bring lots of energy!!!! Hot Beverages, Fresh Soups and Chowders Will Be Provided! For more information please contact Nuestra CDC, Paul François at 617-989-1200 or Grace Furtado at 617-989-1215.

Upcoming Mansfield First Annual Community Kwanzaa National Black Doll Museum of History & Culture invites all residents to attend their First Annual Community Kwanzaa celebration featuring food, performances and a ceremony on Sunday, December 21 @ 288 N. Main St. in Mansfield. Kwanzaa is a communal, cultural celebration that honors African-American people and their heritage. This celebration will feature a Children’s Village from 11am - 3pm. The Kwanzaa Ceremony with performance of African drumming, song, libation and feast and will begin at 3pm. Kwanzaa is a celebration for all people, focusing on family, friends and the fruits of the earth. During Kwanzaa, people are invited to ponder the Nguzo Saba, seven powerful principles derived from African

heritage, as a means of taking stock, celebrating achievements and entering the future refreshed and renewed. Admission is Free!!

RSVP suggested. Program is being sponsored in part by local cultural councils. For more information, please contact: Debbie Britt 774-284-4729, debbiebritt@ nbdmhc.org. National Black Doll Museum of History & Culture, 288 N. Main St., Mansfield.

Through Barbed Wire presents 4th Friday Series Monthly reading of prisoners’ writings, currently focusing on poetry and prose that speak to the youth on the need to make positive choices with their lives.

Audience participation encouraged. Wheelchair accessible.

Light refreshment table. Created and directed by Arnie King.

Friday, December 26, First Parish Church of Dorchester, 10 Parish St. on Meetinghouse Hill.

For more info: throughbarbed wire@yahoo.com or visit www. arnoldking.org; tel. 857-4924858. Free; donations graciously accepted.

Blue Hills Reservation M o d e r a t e w a l k , h i l l y t e rrain, 2.5 miles. Hike the Tucker Hill green dot loop. Meet at the Houghton’s Pond main parking lot at 840 Hillside Street in Milton. Saturday, January 10, 1pm. The Southeastern Massachusetts Adult Walking Club meets each weekend on either a Saturday or Sunday at 1:00 for recreational walks. This club is open to people of 16 years of age and older, and there is no fee to join. Walks average 2 to 5 miles.

New walkers are encouraged to participate. The terrain can vary: EASY (mostly level terrain), MODERATE (hilly terrain), DIFFICULT (strenuous & steep). Walks will be led by a park ranger or a Walking Club volunteer leader. Occasionally, the Walking Club meets at other DCR sites. Some DCR sites charge a parking fee. The rangers recommend wearing hiking boots and bringing drinking water on all hikes.

Myles Standish State Forest Easy walk, 2 miles. Hike through Frost Pockets and Pine Barrens! Meet at Upper College Pond Road Parking Lot (Lot #2) at Myles Standish State Forest.

HQ address is 194 Cranberry Road, South Carver. Directions posted at HQ — give yourself 15 extra minutes to get to Lot #2.

Saturday, January 24, 1 pm.

The Southeastern Massachusetts Adult Walking Club meets each weekend on either a Saturday or Sunday at 1:00 for recreational walks. This club is open to people of 16 years of age and older, and there is no fee to join. Walks average 2 to 5 miles.

New walkers are encouraged to participate. The terrain can vary: EASY (mostly level terrain), MODERATE (hilly terrain), DIFFICULT (strenuous & steep). Walks will be led by a park ranger or a Walking Club volunteer leader.

Occasionally, the Walking Club meets at other DCR sites. Some DCR sites charge a parking fee.

The rangers recommend wearing hiking boots and bringing drinking

water on all hikes.

Ongoing Nancy Dewey | A Peruvian Quest The Multicultural Arts Center will be hosting Nancy Dewey’s “A Peruvian Quest” from through February 6. The exhibition will include Dewey’s photographs depicting the transformation of life from 1979 to 2013 in the rural Peruvian town of Tinta. Bailarinas en las Ruinas Pisaq — Dancers at Pisaq RuinsFor 10 months, 35 years ago, Dewey lived in the town of Tinta (meaning dye or color) to gain an understanding of a rural lifestyle and learn from the locals of the village. She spent her time weaving, spinning, cooking, dancing, and most importantly, celebrating the highly ritualized Altiplano life. Dewey also spent her time documenting, keeping a record of the way people lived at that time. Years later, Dewey returned to the same town, reconnected with familiar faces, and once again documented life in Tinta. She found many differences from 1979 to 2013 — shepherds using cell phones, men child rearing, cars driving on now paved roads — but the ideals of the people still shined through. These photographs transport the viewer straight to Peru for a view on the way years can change a place.

The images of Tinta show Dewey’s deep understanding and love of the people and they’re traditions.

Join us in experiencing Dewey’s Peruvian Quest. At Multicultural Arts Center, Lower Gallery, 41 2nd St., Cambridge. www.multicultu ralartscenter.org/galleries.

Cynthia Brody | The Subject of Women Through February 6, The Multicultural Arts Center will be hosting the colorful, surreal works of artist Cynthia Brody. Through mixed media, Brody creates a multi-faceted world full of various textures, colors, and cultures to entice the viewer into looking past the surface and delve deeper into the intricacies of both the art and subject matter. Brody has been exhibiting work for 35 years and has recently joined the Boston art scene. Her interest in the inner workings of women is also reflected in her work as a family therapist. The magnificence of Brody’s artwork lies in the diversity of each piece’s components.

By using mediums such as photographs, acrylic, copper, and gold leaf Brody is able to layer each element to tell a story of women whether it be a story of struggle or of beauty. The women in her art

often resemble icons across different cultures. The women featured appear pensive and strong amidst their surroundings, speaking to the complexity and beauty of the female experience. At Multicultural Arts Center, Lower Gallery, 41 2nd St., Cambridge. www.multicultur alartscenter.org/galleries.

Star Gazing at the Observatory The Public Open Night at the Observatory is a chance for people to observe the night sky through telescopes and binoculars and see things they otherwise might not get to see, and learn some astronomy as well. Wednesday nights from 8:30-9:30pm, weather permitting, Coit Observatory at Boston University, located at 725 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, right above the Astronomy Department. The stairwell to the Observatory is on the fifth floor right next to room 520. More Info: Call (617) 3532630 for any questions.

1-3 Year Old Playgroups With free play, circle time, and parent discussion, Playgroups are a wonderful place for you and your toddler to connect with each other and with other families. Your child will develop social and emotional skills, early literacy, gross and fine motor skills, and experience art and sensory materials.

This group is for parents and their children ages 1-3 years. Thursdays 9:30-11:30am, Georgetowne Homes Community Room, 400A Georgetowne Dr., Hyde Park. More Info: Visit http://fami lynurturing.org/dropins/1-3-yearold-playgroup-1; For more times and locations, visit http://fam ilynurturing.org/programs/par ent-child-playgroups.

FREE Adult Computer Classes Times: Monday & Wednesday - 12:30-2:30pm and 6-8pm, Tuesday & Thursday - 12:302:30pm and 6:30-8:30pm. For more information contact: Owen Corbin at 617-635-5213. The John Shelburne Community Center is located at: 2730 Washington St., Roxbury.

Shelburne Community Center Teen Program: “FREE” for teens ages 13 to 17 years old. Homework Assistant, Computer Classes, Rock Wall Climbing, Field Trips, Sports and Recreation and much more. Hours: Monday - Thursday 2:30-7pm, Fridays 2:30-9pm. For more information contact: Ricky Lambright or Tomeka Hall at 617-635-5213.

The John Shelburne Community Center is located at: 2730 Washington St., Roxbury.

SEE MORE UPCOMING EVENTS ONLINE BayStateBanner.com/events

The Community Calendar has been established to list community events at no cost. The admission cost of events must not exceed $10. Church services and recruitment requests will not be published. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE OF PUBLICATION. To guarantee publication with a paid advertisement please call advertising at (617) 261-4600 ext. 7799 or email ads@bannerpub.com. NO LISTINGS ARE ACCEPTED BY TELEPHONE, FAX OR MAIL. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. Deadline for all listings is Friday at noon for publication the following week. E-MAIL your information to: calendar@bannerpub.com. To list your event online please go to www.baystatebanner.com/events and list your event directly. Events listed in print are not added to the online events page by Banner staff members.

There are no ticket cost restrictions for the online postings.

B

20 • Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER

(Above left) Protesters and police face off at the Leverett Circle on ramp to Interstate 93. Police used bicycles and MBTA buses to stay ahead of the protest march. (Above right) Demonstrators march up Tremont Street.

(Below) Demonstrators at City Hall Plaza. (Banner photos)

protests continued from page 1

expressed outrage at the news Pantaleo will not face trial for Garner’s deaths. NBA players wore hand-lettered “I can’t breathe” tee shirts, protesters rallied in every major city and in the smaller Greater Boston communities including Cambridge, Somerville and Lexington.

The protests and the national attention have added fuel to the Black Lives Matter movement, an informal, multi-racial network of activists across the U.S. who have been protesting a string of high-profile police shootings of unarmed blacks and the failure of the judicial system to hold police accountable.

In Boston Thursday night, demonstrators chanted “I can’t breathe” while marching around the city’s tree-lighting ceremony on the Boston Common where Mayor Martin Walsh kicked off the city’s holiday season, then massed in front of the State House before marching through the streets of Downtown Boston.

“I’m frustrated,” said Gerry McDonough, an attorney who came to the demonstration from Cambridge. “I’m tired of all this stuff that’s going on. Eric Garner was the final straw.”

The grand jury’s refusal to indict Pantaleo came just two weeks after a grand jury took a pass on an indictment of Ferguson, Missouri police officer Darren Wilson, who shot dead unarmed teenager Michael Brown in August. Since that August shooting, stories of unarmed, young black boys and men

being gunned down by police have percolated into the national consciousness, fed by cellphone and security camera videos posted on social media sites and aired on the national news.

“People are fed up now,” political activist Melvin Poindexter said during Thursday’s protest. “You want to believe in the judicial process. You think you’re a citizen of this country.

But you see the justice system treating us as a different class of citizen.

People aren’t just going to stand by and watch existing-while-black be treated as a crime.”

Blacks, whites, Latinos and Asians young and old joined in the Boston protest. While some at the tree lighting, including Mayor Martin Walsh, bristled at the disruption of the holiday event, others joined in.

The demonstration was organized by activists on social media, with 7,600 people indicating that they had attended the event on the “Enough is Enough, We Are the Ones, Justice for Eric Garner” Facebook event page. In the protests in Cambridge, Somerville and Lexington demonstrators numbered in the hundreds.

On Downtown Boston streets the protesters chanted, “Eric Garner, Michael Brown. Shut this racist system down!” as they weaved through traffic, confronting police barricades at on ramps to Interstate 93 which they tried to block.

The protesters were deterred by a burgeoning contingent of Boston officers, state police, transit police and officers from the neighboring towns of Brookline and Quincy, who managed to stay ahead of the parade using bicycles and MBTA buses to muster

officers to highway on-ramps.

But the demonstrators split into several contingents. A group of protesters managed to occupy an Interstate 90 off-ramp near Kneeland Street, stopping traffic on the Mass. Pike for several minutes.

The protesters also succeeded in blocking intersections in Downtown, including at Congress and Court Streets, where they staged a die-in for nearly 20 minutes.

“I’m done. I’ve had enough of this sh--. No more,” said St. Louis native and Brandeis student Terrell Gilkey, stretching out on the cold asphalt in front of the old State House. “Mike Brown could have been me, considering I walk the same streets he did.”

From the Congress Street die-in, the protesters marched to City Hall Plaza, massing next to the JFK Building, before heading

down to the Rose Kennedy Greenway where the abundance of highway on-ramps was matched by an abundance of police officers.

As the march headed toward the TD Garden, MBTA buses of police officers raced ahead to other highway on-ramps. Helicopters kept an eye on the march from above.

Boston Police reportedly arrested nine protesters during the demonstrations.

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Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 21

LEGAL NOTICE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS The MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY (Authority) is soliciting professional environmental consulting services for MPA CONTRACT NO. AP1520, FY 2015-2018 TERM AIR QUALITY AND COMPLIANCE SERVICES – AUTHORITYWIDE. The Authority is seeking a qualified environmental consulting firm or team, with proven experience in providing professional services including project planning, budgeting and conceptual design services on an on-call, as needed basis. These services may be required for any of the Massport-owned facilities including: Logan International Airport, Worcester Regional Airport, Hanscom Field, and Maritime Facilities.

The consultant shall demonstrate experience in several disciplines including: environmental engineering, air quality modeling, performance of air emission assessments and calculations, grant proposal preparation, project planning and budgeting.

The scope of work shall include, but is not limited to the following: (1) Providing assistance in identifying and pursuing grant opportunities including: Identification of opportunities, preparation, submission and administration of grant opportunities related to the FAA Voluntary Airport Low Emission (VALE) Program, EPA DERA grants and other grant programs targeting reduction of air emissions, air quality improvements, alternative fuel, or energy efficiency projects.

(2) Providing assistance to plan and budget for air quality improvement projects, emission reduction strategies and sustainability initiatives at facilities owned by Massport.

The awarded contract will be for a three year term in a total not-to-exceed amount of $500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Dollars). Project assignments will be issued on a work order basis.

The Authority expects to select one consultant. However, the Authority reserves the right to select a different number if it is deemed in its best interest to do so. Each consultant shall be issued a contract in an amount up to but not exceeding $500,000.

Each submission shall include a Statement of Qualifications that provides detailed information in response to all evaluation criteria set forth herein and include: proposed project team, an organizational chart, resumes of all proposed team members, identification of any proposed sub-consultants, technical approach to preparation of grant proposals, recent history and details of successful grant proposals, SF 330 (www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/download/116486) with the appropriate number of Part IIs. DBE Certification of the prime and sub-consultant(s) shall be current at the time of submittal and the Consultant shall provide a copy of the DBE certification letter from the Supplier Diversity Office, formerly known as State Office of Minority and Women Business Assistance (SOMWBA) within its submittal. The Consultant shall also provide an (1) original and nine (9) copies of litigation and legal proceedings information, signed under the pains and penalties of perjury, in a separate sealed envelope entitled “Litigation and Legal Proceedings”. See http://www.massport.com/business-with-massport/capital-improvements/ resource-center for more details on litigation and legal proceedings history submittal requirements.

The Authority may reject any application if any of the required information is not provided: Cover Letter, Insurance Requirements, Litigation and Legal proceedings, and SF330 Part IIs for the Prime and every sub-consultant. The above-mentioned information shall be highlighted in the Cover Letter.

The submission shall be evaluated on basis of:

(1) current level of experience and knowledge of the team for managing similar grant-related services work, including the project manager, subject matter experts, technical staff and any others proposed for this work.

(2) experience managing awarded grant projects for clients.

(3) experience and expertise of subconsultants (if any),

(4) technical approach for grant proposals, including pre-application assessments to define necessary infrastructure, design work, scheduling milestones required to meet grant application and reporting deadlines.

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.

The procurement process for these services will proceed according to the following anticipated schedule: EVENT

DATE/TIME

Solicitation: Release Date

December 10, 2014

Deadline for submission of written questions

December 18, 2014

Official answers published (Estimated)

December 29, 2014

Solicitation: Close Date / Submission Deadline

February 5, 2015

Times are Eastern Standard Time (US).

Questions may be sent via email to CPBidQuestions@massport.com subject to the deadline for receipt stated in the timetable above. In the subject lines of your email, please reference the MPA Project Name and Number.

Questions and their responses will be posted on 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.

MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY THOMAS P. GLYNN CEO AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Theresa Donovan Assistant Secretary, Boston Redevelopment Authority BOSTON REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY PUBLIC NOTICE PROPOSED MODIFICATION TO SOUTH END URBAN RENEWAL PLAN, PROJECT NO. MASS R-56 FOR PARCELS X-30A, X-30B, X30C, X-31, X-32, AND X-33 Public Notice is hereby given that the Boston Redevelopment Authority (“BRA”) will consider at its next scheduled meeting on Thursday, December 18th, 2014, starting at 5:30 P.M. in the BRA Board Room – Room 900, 9th Floor, Boston City Hall, a proposed modification to the South End Urban Renewal Plan (the “Plan”) regarding (a) the creation of Parcels X-30A, X-30B, X-30C, X-31, X-32, and X-33; (b) the determination that the permitted land uses for Parcels X-30A, X-30B, and X-30C will be residential and commercial on the lower floors; and (c) the determination that the permitted land use for Parcels X-31, X-32, and X-33 will be residential. Parcels X-30A, X-30B, X-30C, X-31, X-32, and X-33 abut Melnea Cass Boulevard near the Melnea Cass Boulevard and Tremont Street intersection.

This Public Notice is being provided in accordance with a certain “Conciliation Agreement”, by and among the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the BRA and others, dated as of January 16, 2001.

Theresa Donovan Assistant Secretary, Boston Redevelopment Authority Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department

INVITATION FOR BIDS The Brookline Housing Authority, the Awarding Authority, invites sealed bids from general contractors for Playground Renovations at High St. Veterans Apartments, in Brookline, Massachusetts, in accordance with documents prepared by DeVellis Zrein Inc. The project includes site preparation, playground equipment, poured-in-place playground surfacing, paving, and site furnishings. Construction costs are estimated to be $95,000.00.

SUFFOLK Division

Bids are subject to M.G.L. c.30 §39M and to minimum wage rates as required by M.G.L. c.149 §26 to §27H inclusive and to Federal Davis Bacon wage rates and the higher of the two rates shall be paid.

To all persons interested in a petition described:

THIS PROJECT IS BEING ELECTRONICALLY BID AND HARD COPY BIDS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Please review the instructions in the bid documents on how to register as an electronic bidder. The bids are to be prepared and submitted at www.biddocsonline.com. Tutorials and instructions on how to complete the electronic bid documents are available online (click on the “Tutorial” tab at the bottom footer).

General Bids will be received until 2:00 PM, on Tuesday, January 6, 2015, and publicly opened online forthwith.

All Bids shall be submitted online at www.biddocsonline.com no later than the date and time specified above.

In the matter of Devante Moses Collins Mitchell of Mattapan, MA NOTICE OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME

A petition has been presented by Devante Moses Collins Mitchell by mother and next friend Lisa Mitchell requesting that Devante Moses Collins Mitchell be allowed to change his name as follows: Devante Jamar Mitchell 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 12/18/2014.

WITNESS, HON. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court.

Date: October 8,2014 Ann Marie Passanisi Register of Probate

General Bids shall be accompanied by a bid deposit that is not less than five percent (5%) of the greatest possible bid amount (considering all alternates) and made payable to the Brookline Housing Authority.

Bid Forms and Contract Documents will be available for pick up at www. biddocsonline.com (may be viewed electronically and hard copy requested) or at Nashoba Blue, Inc. at 433 Main Street, Hudson, MA 01749 (978-5681167). There is a plan deposit of $25.00 per set (maximum 2 sets) payable to BidDocs Online Inc. Deposits may be electronically paid or must be a certified or cashier’s check.

This deposit will be refunded for up to two sets for general bidders and one set for sub-bidders upon return of the sets in good condition within 30 days of receipt of general bids. Otherwise the deposit shall be the property of the Awarding Authority. Additional sets may be purchased for $25.00 Bidders requesting Contract Documents to be mailed to them shall include a separate check for $40.00 per set for UPS Ground (or $65.00 per set for UPS Overnight), payable to BidDocs Online Inc., to cover mail handling costs.

Docket No. SU14C0379CA

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU14C0379CA

In the matter of Devante Moses Collins Mitchell of Mattapan, MA NOTICE OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME To all persons interested in a petition described: A petition has been presented by Devante Moses Collins Mitchell requesting that Devante Moses Collins Mitchell be allowed to change his name as follows: Devante Jamar Mitchell

The work performed under this contract is funded through the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 and is subject to all provisions and regulations issued pursuant to this act.

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 12/18/2014.

(5) company experience within the last 5 years specifying:

a) number of successful FAA VALE grant applications; b) number of successful low emission and other air quality improvement grants including EPA DERA, State funded grants and other comparable programs.

The job site will be available for inspection at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, December 17, 2014. Meet at the rear of 194 Chestnut Street Brookline, MA. For information contact Akil Alexander at 617-608-3324 or aalexander@ brooklinehousing.org.

WITNESS, HON. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court.

Date: October 8,2014 Ann Marie Passanisi Register of Probate

(6) knowledge of airport operations, airport management best practices and understanding of FAA criteria

INVITATION TO BID

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department

(7) DBE and affirmative action efforts or participation;

(8) past performance of services with the Authority, if any

The selection shall involve a two-step process including the shortlisting of a minimum of three firms based on an evaluation of the Statements of Qualifications received in response to this solicitation, followed immediately by a final selection of the consultant(s) by the Authority.

By responding to this solicitation, consultants agree to accept the terms and conditions of Massport’s standard work order agreement, a copy of which can be found on the Authority’s web page at www.massport.com. The exception to this standard agreement is the insurance requirement of $1,000,000 of commercial general liability and comprehensive automobile liability insurance coverage for bodily injury and property damage in an amount not less than $10 million. The Consultant shall specify in its cover letter that it has the ability to obtain requisite insurance coverage.

Submissions shall be printed on both sides of the sheet (8 1/2” x 11”), no acetate covers. Provide (1) original and nine (9) copies of a bound document and one PDF version on a compact disc each limited to:

1) an SF 330 including the appropriate number of Part IIs,

2) resumes of all proposed personnel, each limited to one (1) page under SF 330, Section E,

3) no more than ten (10) projects showing recent relevant experience, each limited to one (1) page under SF 330, Section F,

4) no more than 3 sheets (6 pages) of information contained under SF 330 Section H addressing the evaluation items (except for the litigation and legal proceedings history), and

5) no more than 2 sheets (4 pages) of other relevant material not including a 2 page (max.) cover letter, SDO certification letters, covers, dividers, and other required information.

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, February 5, 2015 at the Massachusetts Port Authority, Logan Office Center, One Harborside Drive, Suite 209S, Logan International Airport, East Boston, MA 02128-2909. 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 Massachusetts Water Resources Authority is seeking bids for the following: BID NO.

DESCRIPTION

WRA-3960

Purchase of four (4) New GM 12/31/14 Colorado SRW, 4WD (per specifications)

DATE

TIME 12:00 p.m.

WRA-3961

Purchase of One (1) 4-Wheel 12/31/14 Drive Backhoe Loader (per specifications)

12:00 p.m.

WRA-3962

Purchase of Sewer Cleaning Bucket Machine (per specifications)

12/31/14

12:00 p.m.

EXE-035

Monitoring and Maintenance of Intrusion Alarm Systems

01/08/15

2:00 p.m.

To obtain bid documents please contact the MWRA’s Document Distribution Office at 617.788.2575 or MWRADocumentDistribution@mwra.com.

BOSTON REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY PUBLIC NOTICE PROPOSED MODIFICATION TO SOUTH END URBAN RENEWAL PLAN, PROJECT NO. MASS R-56 FOR PARCEL X-28 Public Notice is hereby given that the Boston Redevelopment Authority (“BRA”) will consider at its scheduled meeting on Thursday, December 18, 2014 starting at 5:30 P.M. in the BRA Board Room – Room 900, 9th Floor, Boston City Hall, a proposed modification to the South End Urban Renewal Plan (the “Plan”) regarding a change in the use requirements for Parcel X-28 of the Plan. Parcel X-28 is located between Ball Street, Washington Street, Melnea Cass Boulevard, and Shawmut Avenue and consists of approximately 57,238 square feet of vacant land.

Parcel X-28 was acquired by the BRA for redevelopment purposes. The South End Urban Plan presently allows only allows residential uses on Parcel X-28. The uses for Parcel X-28 are proposed to be modified to allow commercial uses and parking, and open space associated with the residential and commercial uses. Related maps in the Plan must be modified to reflect such changes in use requirements.

This Public Notice is being provided in accordance with a certain “Conciliation Agreement”, by and among the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the BRA and others, dated as of January 16, 2001.

SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU09P0899PM Citation Giving Notice of Petition for Resignation of a Conservator

In the Interests of Rudolph C. Peart Of Boston, MA RESPONDENT Incapacitated Person/Protected Person To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by Tara N. Graves of Boston, MA and Howard C. Peart of Boston, MA, in the above captioned matter requesting that the court: Accept the Resignation of the Conservator of the Respondent.

The petition asks the court to make a determination that the Guardian and/ or Conservator should be allowed to resign; or should be removed for good cause; or that the Guardianship and/or Conservatorship is no longer necessary and therefore should be terminated. The original petition is on file with the court.

You have the right to object to this proceeding. If you wish to do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance and objection at this Court on or before 10:00 A.M. on the return date of 12/26/2014. This day is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline date by which you have to file the written appearance if you object to the petition. If you fail to file the written appearance by the return date, action may be taken in this matter without further notice to you. In addition to filing the written appearance, you or your attorney must file a written affidavit stating the specific facts and grounds of your objection within 30 days after the return date.

IMPORTANT NOTICE The outcome of this proceeding may limit or completely take away the above-named person’s right to make decisions about personal affairs or financial affairs or both. The above-named person has the right to ask for a lawyer. Anyone may make this request on behalf of the above-named person cannot afford a lawyer, one may be appointed at State expense.

WITNESS, HON. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court.

Date: November 19, 2014 Ann Marie Passanisi Register of Probate

22 • Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division

the minor’s best interests.

Docket No. SU14P2665GD

In the interests of Cameron Lee Jordan Sargeant-Warren of Dorchester, MA Minor

THIS IS A LEGAL NOTICE: An important court proceeding that may affect your rights has been scheduled. If you do not understand this notice or other court papers, please contact an attorney for legal advice.

Date: November 10, 2014

NOTICE TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES Hearing Date/Time: A hearing on a Petition for Appointment of Guardian of a Minor filed on 11/10/2014 by Clarie M. Barboza of Dorchester, MA will be held 01/23/2015 09:00 AM Guardianship of Minor Hearing Located at 24 New Chardon Street, 3rd floor, Boston, MA 02114.

2.

Response to Petition: You may respond by filing a written response to the Petition or by appearing in person at the hearing. If you choose to file a written response, you need to:

File the original with the Court; and Mail a copy to all interested parties at least five (5) business days before the hearing.

3.

Counsel for the Minor: The minor (or an adult on behalf of the minor) has the right to request that counsel be appointed for the minor.

4.

Presence of the Minor at Hearing: A minor over age 14 has the right to be present at any hearing, unless the Court finds that it is not in

Witness, Hon. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court.

Date: November 13, 2014 Ann Marie Passanisi Register of Probate

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department

NOTICE AND ORDER: Petition for Appointment of Guardian of a Minor 1.

Ann Marie Passanisi Register of Probate

39 Mt. Pleasant Ave. #4, Roxbury, MA 02119-1176 your answer, if any, on or before 01/29/2015. If you fail to do so, the court will proceed to the hearing and adjudication of this action. You are also required to file a copy of your answer, if any, in the office of the Register of this Court.

SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU14D2393DR

Divorce Summons by Publication and Mailing Rikinia Bruton-kidd

vs.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division

In the interests of Keyasia Elizabeth Bailey of Roxbury Crossing, MA Minor

Horaces Kidd

To the Defendant: The Plaintiff has filed a Complaint for Divorce requesting that the Court grant a divorce for irretrievable breakdown of the marriage pursuant to G.L. c. 208, Section 1 B. The Complaint is on file at the Court.

An Automatic Restraining Order has been entered in this matter preventing you from taking any action which would negatively impact the current financial status of either party. SEE Supplemental Probate Court Rule 411.

You are hereby summoned and required to serve upon: Rikinia Bruton-kidd,

Wollaston Manor 91 Clay Street Quincy, MA 02170

Senior Living At It’s Best

A senior/disabled/ handicapped community 0 BR units = $1,027/mo 1 BR units = $1,101/mo All utilities included.

Call Sandy Miller,

Docket No. SU14P2423GD

NOTICE AND ORDER: Petition for Appointment of Guardian of a Minor 1.

NOTICE TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES Hearing Date/Time: A hearing on a Petition for Appointment of Guardian of a Minor filed on 10/08/2014 by Margaret Elizabeth Bailey of Roxbury Crossing, MA will be held 12/22/2014 09:00 AM Review Hearing Located at 24 New Chardon Street, 3rd floor, Boston, MA 02114 ~ Probation Department.

2.

Response to Petition: You may respond by filing a written response to the Petition or by appearing in person at the hearing. If you choose to file a written response, you need to:

File the original with the Court; and Mail a copy to all interested parties at least five (5) business days before the hearing.

3.

Counsel for the Minor: The minor (or an adult on behalf of the minor) has the right to request that counsel be appointed for the minor.

4.

Presence of the Minor at Hearing: A minor over age 14 has the right to be present at any hearing, unless the Court finds that it is not in the minor’s best interests.

THIS IS A LEGAL NOTICE: An important court proceeding that may affect your rights has been scheduled. If you do not understand this notice or other court papers, please contact an attorney for legal advice.

Date: October 29, 2014

Ann Marie Passanisi Register of Probate

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU14P2672GD

Citation Giving Notice of Petition for Appointment of Guardian for Incapacitated Person Pursuant to G.L. c. 190B, §5-304

Property Manager

In the matter of Charles French Of Roxbury Crossing, MA RESPONDENT Alleged Incapacitated Person

Program Restrictions Apply.

To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by Brigham & Women’s Hospital of Boston, MA, Christina Silk of Roxbury Crossing, MA, & Monica Sirkissoon of Medford, MA in the above captioned matter alleging that Charles French is in need of a Guardian and requesting that Christina Silk of Roxbury Crossing, MA and Monica Sirkissoon of Medford, MA (or some other suitable person) be appointed as Guardian to serve on the bond.

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The petition asks the court to determine that the Respondant is incapacitated, that the appointment of a Guardian is necessary, that the proposed Guardian is appropriate. The petition is on file with this court and may contain a request for certain specific authority.

You have the right to object to this proceeding. If you wish to do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance at this court on or before 10:00 A.M. on the return date of 12/18/2014. This day is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline date by which you have to file the written appearance if you object to the petition. If you fail to file the written appearance by the return date, action may be taken in this matter without further notice to you. In addition to filing the written appearance, you or your attorney must file a written affidavit stating the specific facts and grounds of your objection within 30 days after the return date.

IMPORTANT NOTICE The outcome of this proceeding may limit or completely take away the above-named person’s right to make decisions about personal affairs or financial affairs or both. The above-named person has the right to ask for a lawyer. Anyone may make this request on behalf of the above-named person.

If the above-named person cannot afford a lawyer, one may be appointed at State expense.

WITNESS, Hon. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court.

Date: November 14, 2014 Ann Marie Passanisi Register of Probate

For persons 62 years of age and older

Feldman Seaside Apartments: 101 Veterans Road, Winthrop, MA 02152 Developer: Chelsea Jewish Nursing Home Foundation, Inc. and Affirmative Investments, Inc. Applications can be requested by calling the Management Company, Chelsea Jewish Community, Inc., at (617) 4098233. Applications can also be picked up in person 7 days/week from 8am to 7pm at the Leonard Florence Center reception desk located at 165 Captains Row in Chelsea, MA 02150. Located on Bus Route #112 on Admiral’s Hill.

Completed applications should be returned promptly to Chelsea Jewish Community, Inc. Reasonable accommodations will be made for disabled persons. Use and occupancy restrictions apply. # Units

Type

Rent

% of Income

7

1 BR

Section 8 PBA*

30%

1

2 BR

Section 8 PBA*

30%

27

1 BR

$900*

60%

2

2 BR

$1071*

60%

2

1 BR

1200*

Market

1

2 BR

$1500*

Market

Household Size

Max Income Limits (30% AMI)

Household Size

Max Income Limits (60% AMI)

1 person

$19,770

1 person

$39,540

2 persons

$22,590

2 persons

$45,180

3 persons

$25,410

3 persons

$50,820

4 persons

$28,230

4 persons

$56,460

*Tenant pays electric utilities separately, including heat, A/C if used, refrigerator, stove and lights.

For more information or reasonable accommodations, call Kimberly O’Connor, CJC, Inc. at (617) 409-8233.

W. Newbury Affordable 55+ Housing Two—2 Bedroom Townhomes Price: $161,500

Ocean Meadows W. Newbury, MA Public Information Meeting 6:30, Monday, December 15, 2014 1910 Office Building, 381 Main St. Application Deadline January 12, 2015

MAX INCOME 1—$44,750 3—$57,550 2—$51,150 4—$63,900

For Info and Application: Pick Up: 1910 Office Building, Town Clerks Office or Public Library Phone: (978) 456-8388 Email: lotteryinfo@mcohousingservices.com

Assets to $275K Units by lottery

Application available online at: www.mcohousingservices.com

Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 23

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WINTER VALLEY

OFFICE SPACE

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RESIDENCES FOR THE ELDERLY, INC.

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BAY STATE BANNER

1st Class Office Space Corner of Gallivan Blvd and Washington St ample parking.

Winter Valley Residences has studios, one and two bedroom and barrier free units. They are owned and managed by Milton Residences for the Elderly, Inc., 600 Canton Avenue, Milton, MA 02186

$650/mo. $695/mo. $1200/mo.

Contact: Sharon Williams, Manager

617-698-3005

heated

617-835-6373 Brokers Welcome

Affordable Rental Opportunity 150 Chestnut Hill Ave, Brighton, MA 02135: 1 Unit 1

Type

Rent

Income Limit

2 bed/ 2 bath

$1,361

Up to 70%

Train for Administrative, Financial

Services, Health Insurance Customer Service & Medical Office jobs.

Work in hospitals, colleges, insurance agencies, banks, businesses, government offices, health insurance call centers, and more!

YMCA Training, Inc. is recruiting training candidates now!

We will help you apply for free training. Job placement assistance provided.

No prior experience necessary, but must have HS diploma or GED. Free YMCA membership for you and your family while enrolled in YMCA Training, Inc.

Call today to schedule an Information Session: 617-542-1800

CHELSEA APARTMENT

OWNER

# of Units

A Great Office Job!

Winter Valley Residences for the Elderly, Inc., a 160-unit complex financed by HUD for those 62 and older or physically disabled, is now accepting applications.

DORCHESTER/MILTON

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GET READY FOR

4+ bdrms Newly renovated, 2000+ sq ft apt in 3 fam, no smkng/pets, hrdwd flrs, eat-in kit, pantry, lg master bedroom, din and lv rm, laundry rm, enclosed frnt/bck prchs, off street prkng, T access, min to Bost.

Pine Street Inn is currently accepting resumes and applications from qualified candidates for the following positions:

Sec 8 OK

617-283-2081

• Full Time, Part Time & Relief Counselors

Maximum income per household size HH Size

70%

HH Size

70%

1

$46,100

4

$65,850

2

$52,700

5

$71,150

3

$59,300

6

$76,400

3pm-11pm, 11pm-7am & 7pm-3:30am

Request an application: email tracey@brooklinedevelop mentcorp.com or call 617-733-4488 prompt 2 Completed applications can be submitted by MAIL ONLY. Mail to: Chapel Street Trust, PO Box 576, Medford, MA 02155 Applications will be screened on a first come first serve basis.

Incomplete applications will not be screened Asset, Use & Occupancy Restrictions apply.

For more information or reasonable accommodations, please call 617-733-4488, prompt 2

• Substance Abuse Clinician Full Time and Part Time • Case Manager • Clinician • Property Management Administrator • Medical Billing Coordinator • Intake Counselor • 3-11 Assistant Supervisor • Delivery & Inventory Supervisor • Food Shipper • iCater Driver/Stock Person

Carpenters

Boston based Non-union General Contractor is seeking Boston resident carpenters for work on an active Construction Project located in Brighton, MA. Must have 2–5 years experience with rough wood framing, hold an OSHA 10 hour card, have hand tools ( hammer, measuring tape, square), and Hardhat & Workboots. Power tools will be supplied. Hourly rate $20 – $25.

Email resume to careers@metriccorp.com.

Immediate placement available for qualified applicants.

Equal Housing Opportunity

Personal Care Homemaker

Village Green Apartments

For more details on these positions and to apply online, please visit our website at

Saturday and Sunday 8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. & Per diem

770 INDEPENDENCE DR. BARNSTABLE, MA 02601

www.pinestreetinn.org

Individuals needed to assist formerly homeless elderly men and women with personal care and household services. Must be certified (60-hour personal care homemaker training, including training of universal precautions and infection control, as required

by Executive Office of Elder Affairs and the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission). High school degree preferred. Must have 3 years of experience. Competitive salary.

in a BRAND NEW modern community!

Anticipated Move-in Date March 1, 2015

Heat and Hot Water Included! central laundry, on-site management & 24-hour emergency maintenance!

Monthly Rents: 1 Bedroom $812-$902 | 2 Bedroom $1,080 | 3 Bedroom $1,240

Respond: Hearth, Inc. 1640 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02118 Fax: 617/369-1566 Email: pjones@hearth-home.org

Resident Services Coordinator

Subject to change annually. Residents are responsible for electric cooking and other electricity

Property Management Company is seeking an experienced Resident Services Coordinator for busy Boston Section 8 apartment complex to coordinate and implement services for resident population.

Maximum Gross Annual Income Limits Based on Household Size: 1p: $36,120 | 2p: $41,280 | 3p: $46,440 | 4p: $51,540 | 5p: $55,680 | 6p: $59,820 HUD published effective 12/18/2013, Revised FY 2014. Subject to change annually.

Minimum Gross Annual Income Limits Based on Bedroom Size: 1 Bedroom $24,360-$27,060 | 2 Bedroom $32,400 | 3 Bedroom $37,200 Rents are calculated using the Cape Cod HAC Utility Allowances which will be changing 12/1/14.

Qualifications: BA in human services field. Two plus years’ experience working with elder/youth populations in resident services, social work or case management in a culturally diverse environment.

Proven experience in grant writing. Working knowledge of Fair Housing and Section 8 Housing regulations. Excellent organizational, communication (both oral and written), planning and creative thinking skills. Must possess good telephone/exceptional customer service skills. Self-starter who works well with little supervision and has strong follow-up skills. Bilingual in Spanish a plus.

Section 8 Voucher Holders Encouraged to Apply. (exempt from minimum income criteria) There are 6 units set aside for incomes that are at or below 30% of area median incomes.

These units will be covered under a Project-Based Section 8 contract.

Applicants (for all 60 units) will be chosen through a lottery which will be held in mid-January 2014 All applicants must meet the property’s Resident Selection Plan criteria.

Applications will be taken from 10/1/14 - 12/31/14.

Applications must be fully completed and received by 12/31/14.

To receive an application by mail: CALL: (781)915-3167 | TDD: CALL 7-1-1 Applications are also available for pick-up at the following locations: Barnstable Town Hall, Sturgis Library and Housing Assistance Corporation Este documento es importante, por favor trad zcalo Este documento é importante, por favor, tê-lo traduzido Questo documento é importante, si prega di farlo tradurre

We are an Equal Opportunity /Affirmative Action Employer

RADIO VOICE ACTOR 105.7 WROR FM is looking for a Radio Voice Actor for the legendary Loren & Wally morning show!

Can you voice multiple current celebrity impressions and play a “person of 1,000 voices”? Can you conceive and write topical comedy bits? Sing parody songs? If you answered yes, then we are looking for you.

The ideal candidate must be: • Quick witted, funny and able to think on their feet • Up to date on the latest TV and pop culture • Have technical experience (Pro Tools, Adobe Audition, or other audio programs) • Work with a team on a fast-paced morning show • Communicate and share all your great content on social media If you can handle all (or most of) that, and this sounds like your dream job, show us your best stuff.

Send your resume/package to: kwest@greatermediaboston.com or mail to: Ken West, WROR Program Director, 55 Morrissey Blvd, Boston MA 02125.

Send resume with salary requirements to: jwall@cornerstonecorporation.net and roxseunite@gmail.com

~ No phone calls, please! ~

Equal Opportunity Employer

Greater Media is an Equal Opportunity Employer WMJX 106.7 ~ WROR 105.7 ~ WKLB 102.5 ~ WBOS 92.9 ~ WBQT 96.9

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24 • Thursday, December 11, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER

“Need health coverage?

Now’s the time.”

Heather Goodhind, Navigator Caring Health Center, Springfield

It’s Open Enrollment time at the Massachusetts Health Connector. If you have health insurance through the Health Connector or the temporary MassHealth program, you must submit a new application to maintain coverage through the Commonwealth.

If you buy your own insurance, you can apply online to renew or get insurance for the first time. The Health Connector is the only place where you can get help paying for your health insurance, and is a great place to compare and choose health and dental plans from leading insurers.

Sign up online at MAhealthconnector.org, or call 1-877-MA-ENROLL, or visit the website to find free help signing up from trained assisters around the state.

Sign up now for coverage starting January 1st.

A message from the Health Connector and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

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