inside this week:
African descendants gather in Scotland to discuss reparations pg 3
A&E
business news:
ARTSEMERSON HOSTED AUTHOR WALTER MOSLEY IN ITS PUBLIC DIALOGUE SERIES pg 15
Officials pledge support for immigrant businesses pg 10
plus Q&A: Jennifer Connelley stars in ‘Shelter’ pg 15 Isango Ensemble pg 17 Thursday, November 19, 2015 • FREE • GREATER BOSTON’S URBAN NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1965 • CELEBRATING 50 YEARS
www.baystatebanner.com
Policies cost mid-class housing
Banner marks 50 years
Zoning and high land price squeeze out many PHOTO: REBA SALDANHA/DONWESTFOTO
Bay State Banner founder and publisher Melvin B. Miller receives a standing ovation after the screening of a short documentary at the Banner’s 50th anniversary gala at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute last week.
Vote for next president exposes rift in council
Progressives still lack votes to move agenda By YAWU MILLER
The results of the Nov. 3 municipal election revealed a profound shift in Boston with two women of color — Ayanna Pressley and Michelle Wu — winning the majority of the votes in the city and a longstanding councilor – Stephen Murphy — displaced by female challenger Anissa Essaibi George. That Murphy, a longtime Hyde Park resident, lost by a wide margin on his Ward 18 home turf to Ayanna Pressley demonstrates how much the city has changed.
Arguably, the fact that second-place finisher Michelle Wu appears to have enough votes on the council to become the body’s president also signals a profound shift in Boston’s political scene.
Changing same?
But for many progressives in the city, the way the council vote has sifted out looks like business as usual, with a coalition of progressive councilors backing District 6 Councilor Matt O’Malley while the body’s more conservative-leaning majority is backing Wu. Although Wu received votes
from progressives and people of color in her first bid for the council in 2013, she disappointed many when she threw her support behind Bill Linehan’s council presidency bid, seemingly distancing herself from the council’s more progressive members. While the council will not vote on the next president until January, sources say Linehan, Tim McCarthy, Mark Ciommo, Sal Lamattina, Michael Flaherty and Frank Baker are committed to voting for Wu. Backing O’Malley
By JULE PATTISON-GORDON
Demand for middle class housing in Boston is through the roof, but developers will never be able to meet it unless policies change, researchers say. Two major factors in play are sky-high costs to build in Greater Boston and strong community and zoning opposition to multi-family developments, according to the Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2015 released last week by The Boston Foundation. Creating new housing is such an expensive proposition that most developers focus exclusively on luxury units unless subsidies or zoning requirements push them to construct low-income affordable housing. The vast majority of the city’s subsidies help underwrite units for low-income earners, leaving
ON THE WEB Read the report online: www.tbf.org/~/
media/TBFOrg/Files/Reports/2014%20-%20 2015%20Housing_Report.pdf middle class housing an unattractive prospect for developers. With nowhere to live, they are set to be squeezed out, leaving Greater Boston a region of the very rich and the very poor.
High price to build
To afford the median monthly rent in Boston — $2,497 — families need to bring in $100,000 annually, or $50 per hour, the report found. For most families, this is completely out of reach. Boston’s median household income was $53,601 between 2009-2013, according to the United States
See HOUSING, page 14
See COUNCIL, page 21
Activists call for $15 min wage Say won’t hurt employers, will help state By JULE PATTISON-GORDON
Hundreds of activists marched on the State House last week demanding better wages as part of a national Fight for $15 action supported by labor groups across the country. While there, the Massachusetts activists received word that their cause took a step forward: A bill to raise pay to $15/hour for
workers at fast food companies and large retail stores was approved by the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development and had advanced to the Senate Ways and Means Committee for consideration. Activists say not only is the wage increase critical to the survival of many families but that it will boost the state’s economy without the incurring profit loss for the big fast food and retail companies.
For many, the image of of a fast food worker often means white high schoolers working part-time for extra spending money. However, in a flat economy, many adults rely on fast food jobs to support themselves and dependents. “The image of a young white male teen working at McDonalds is a way of hiding a lot of unfair treatment in the workplace,” said Harris Gruman, executive Director of Service Employees International
See FIGHT FOR 15, page 9
BANNER PHOTO
Duane Jackson (left), Leslie Bos and Michael Spotts spoke on housing costs at The Boston Foundation.