Bay State Banner July 30th edition

Thursday, July 30, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 1

inside this week

BPS, developers present McCormack plans pg 11

INSIDE ARTS

special section

AN ART FAIR FOR EVERYONE pg 21

Black owned businesses pg 15

plus Mourning the loss of the ‘Roxbury Love’ mural pg 21 Modern Connections dance classes resume in person pg 22 Vol. 56 No. 1 • Thursday, July 30, 2020 • FREE • GREATER BOSTON’S URBAN NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1965

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FIOed: some face weekly police stops Activists say stops violate rights, do little to lower city’s crime rate

By YAWU MILLER Like many young black men in Boston, Derrell “Slim” Weathers can’t tell you how many times he’s been stopped, questioned, frisked or searched by police. It started, he says, when he was 12 and has kept up into his 30s, as often as five times a week.

“If it’s not me, it’s one of my friends,” Weathers said. “It’s almost every day.”

Weathers works for a nonprofit that serves local youths and owns a clothing company.

He’s never been arrested or charged with a crime by Boston police (he was once arrested in Maine), but he almost certainly features prominently in the department’s FIO database, which records the officers’ field interrogation observation reports that result from stops.

Data the Boston Police Department shared with the Boston Globe showed that Blacks accounted for 69% of FIO entries in 2019, despite making up 22% of the city’s population. While police officials claim that they focus their attention on people who are criminally involved and that higher rates of crime account for the greater number of stops in predominantly black communities, Weathers and others say police routinely stop and question Black people with no criminal records.

A police spokesman said he was unable to provide comment

for this story by the Banner’s press deadline.

FIO entries include data garnered from police stops that do not result in arrests. Police claim the data help them better track criminal activity. Yet many question whether police are reliably capturing criminal activity in their entries or creating records of people they consider suspicious, regardless of whether there’s actual underlying criminal activity.

Regardless of past offenses, police should respect people’s protection against illegal search and seizure provided by the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, said Rahsaan Hall, director of the Racial Justice Program of the ACLU of Massachusetts.

“The problem with the practice of stopping and frisking people without probable cause is that it violates people’s rights,” he said. “It erodes trust between police and the community.”

Police do not have the right to stop someone or question them against their will unless they can clearly articulate a reason they believe that person has committed a crime, is in the process of committing a crime or is about to do so. The “reasonable suspicion” standard was set by the 1968 Terry v. Ohio Supreme Court ruling.

The threshold for searching a person’s pockets, bag or car are even higher: An officer must have probable cause to

See FIO, page 8

BANNER PHOTO

Noah Hicks leads the Ride for Black Lives on Centre Street in Jamaica Plain (see story on page 12)

Caucus members praise House police reform bill Legislature has until Friday to reconcile two bills

By MORGAN C. MULLINGS The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed their version of a police reform bill early Saturday morning by a 93-66 vote, after three days of debate, marked by mounting concerns over qualified immunity, no-knock warrants and internal investigations.

The House bill covers the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus’ four core priorities:

Creation of an independent body to investigate, certify and decertify police; limitations on excessive force; creation of a commission for comprehensive civil service review and establishment of a commission on structural racism.

“In the end, it was a firm and united Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus demand for change that led to this historical vote to pass this legislation,” said MBLLC chairman Carlos Gonzales in a statement.

The bill covers the main points of the Senate’s police reform bill, but with a few key differences.

First, qualified immunity is limited in two different ways. Because both bills establish a process for police officers to become certified and decertified if they commit certain infractions, the House bill ties qualified immunity to decertification. Qualified immunity would no longer protect police from lawsuits

See POLICE REFORM, page 10

A push to extend eviction protections Activists say tide of 20k evictions looming

By MORGAN C. MULLINGS

BANNER PHOTO

Derrell “Slim” Weathers says he’s been stopped by Boston police countless times, yet they’ve never charged him with a crime.

Governor Charlie Baker’s statewide eviction moratorium is now set to end on October 17, he announced last Tuesday. But while the ban prevents no-fault evictions from flooding the courts during the COVID-19 emergency, organizers say the state could see over 20,000 eviction cases immediately after it ends.

The day after the announcement, protesters from City Life/ Vida Urbana, Right to the City Boston, Dorchester’s Not for Sale, Lynn United for Change and more gathered in front of the State House to demonstrate their support for the COVID-19 Housing Stability Act, which aims to protect renters from no-fault evictions for a year after the state of emergency is lifted, and stabilize landlords as well.

Following their caravan demonstration through the city on July 18, City Life/Vida Urbana launched demonstrations in Lynn, Springfield and Jamaica Plain on Wednesday morning and the groups converged in Boston at the State House between 1:30 and 2:00 p.m.

The State House steps were crowded, already occupied by Cosecha protesters in tents for over a week.

“We’re standing in solidarity with the movement that is already

See EVICTIONS, page 2

2 • Thursday, July 30, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

“

evictions

We’re going to see a massive rent increase overnight. We need protections for tenants on a state level to relieve pressure from homeowners.”

continued from page 1

here,” Helen Matthews, communications manager at City Life/ Vida Urbana, said of the Cosecha protesters, who are fighting for legislation that provides drivers’ licenses regardless of immigration status.

“We’re trying to negotiate the space so that it’s clear that we’re in solidarity with each other, not competing,” Matthews said.

Cosecha demonstrator Irma Lemus Amaya said, “Both City Life/Vida Urbana and Cosecha are connected. We both need licenses and housing.” Other Cosecha demonstrators said driver’s licenses protect them from the risk of contracting COVID-19 on public transportation.

Members of both organizations spoke on the steps about the need for tenant protections.

“Mass evictions are not an option we can tolerate,” Isaac Simon Hodes, director of Lynn United for Change said during the demonstration. “The law says that during the 12 months we need for a recovery, there should not be rent increases or no-fault evictions. And we know there are many landlords who support this, because they don’t want to evict anyone during a pandemic,” he said.

The Small Property Owners Association, a Cambridge-based group that fights against rent control, agrees with this sentiment but does not agree with the legislation City Life/Vida Urbana supports. The group engaged in a counterprotest, holding “Zero Rent is Robbery” signs

— Andres Del Castillo

BANNER PHOTO

Right To The City organizer Andres Del Castillo addresses reporters at the State House. in front of the eviction protesters.

Some of the counterdemonstrators shouted over Hodes as he spoke. SPOA Executive Director Skip Schloming called the Housing Stability Act “drastic” and “outrageous.”

The Housing Stability Act creates a fund for property owners, in addition to a forbearance process, which allows owners to miss or reduce mortgage payments for a limited period of time. The funds will be distributed “with priority

BLACK LIVES MATTER CODMAN SQUARE HEALTH CENTER STANDS WITH OUR COMMUNITY IN FIGHTING RACIAL INJUSTICE

given to low- and middle-income renters and homeowners affected by the COVID-19 crisis,” the text of the bill reads.

But Schloming says the measure will not adequately protect landlords from the financial damage caused by non-paying tenants.

“They put it in there to make it look nice. It catches people’s eye but it’s never going to get to small landlords,” he told the Banner.

When it comes to housing

security in Boston, evictions are not the only thing that organizers are worried about. Andres Del Castillo, senior organizer at Right to the City Boston, says that communities also cannot afford the rent they were paying before the COVID-19 crisis. Del Castillo says he expects the crisis to worsen after the state of emergency is lifted.

“We’re going to see a massive rent increase overnight,” he told the Banner. “We need protections

for tenants on a state level to relieve pressure from homeowners.”

Del Castillo also said that information accessibility is still low for Spanish-speakers, though hearings in the Legislature and City Council meetings have translators.

“Most of them aren’t being interpreted, and when they are, it is not simultaneous,” he said, noting that this causes Spanish-speaking viewers to fall behind in the conversation.

As the Legislature attempts to decide on several housing and police reform bills in the short time before July 31, activists are applying pressure from several avenues, including an open letter to the governor and Senate president organized by Homes For All Massachusetts.

“Up to 20,000 eviction cases are expected immediately after the current moratorium ends … according to landlord advocates and estimates from the state’s Housing Court system,” the letter reads.

There are 89 legislators who already support the bill.

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Thursday, July 30, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 3

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EDITORIAL

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INSIDE: BUSINESS, 14 • ARTS & CULTURE, 21 • CLASSIFIEDS, 23

Established 1965

Gun control: the next social change Most people now accept the slogan violent conflicts between states. The “Black Lives Matter,” but not Donald Second Amendment to the ConstituTrump. In a recent interview, he comtion was approved to enable states to plained that the police actually kill more maintain armed militias against hostile whites. Apparently in Trump’s view, the neighbors. black complaint is vitiated by the fact It was always anticipated that, like that substantially more whites die at the other countries, the United States would hands of the police. With 1,003 people maintain an army and a navy to defend shot to death by the police in 2019, it is the nation against foreign enemies, but bizarre to take comfort in the racial mix arms and munitions would be provided of the victims. by the federal government. There was Some well-meaning supporters of no expectation that citizens would posthe Black Lives Matter movement have sess cannons or other weapons of war. attempted to rebut Trump’s position by The weapons anticipated by the Second pointing out that the number of blacks Amendment were muskets equivalent killed by the police was racially disto hunting rifles. Those are the kinds of proportionate. Those protesters would weapons that the Second Amendment apparently be satisfied if the number of sanctioned as “the right of the people to blacks killed by the police was the same keep and bear arms.” percentage of the black Americans now take population as were the it for granted that the It should be clear to whites. republic has 50 states, everyone that the The real issue, howbut the process of achievever, is that there is a prevalent availability ing unity has been a great flaw in American challenge. Maine sepaof guns in America culture for us to give the rated from Massachumakes it impossible police license to be so setts so that there would brutal and violent. The be an equal number of to disarm the police. liberals recognize this, so slave and free states. Virthey adopted “defund the ginia surrendered seven police” as a policy altercounties to Kentucky in native. While that is a catchy phrase, it order to resolve political disputes in the provides no hint of a useful implemenCommonwealth of Virginia. Texas was tation. In fact, its vagueness helps the a republic from 1836-1846 that rebelled opposition. and separated from Mexico. As the U.S. It should be clear to everyone that Supreme Court recently ruled, part of the prevalent availability of guns in Oklahoma actually belongs to five tribes America makes it impossible to disarm of Native Americans. the police. The legal foundation for this With such ethnic, cultural and relipolicy rests on the Second Amendment gious diversity, it is impossible to avoid to the U.S. Constitution. When this a high level of conflict in America. The country was established, there were 13 challenge has always been to develop original states: New Hampshire, Masfrom such diversity a productive and sachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, united citizenry. But the history of conNew York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, flict has also created a rich market for Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North the National Rifle Association and the Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. gun manufacturers.

The map of the United States in 1776 Opposition to violence and brutality did not look at all like it does today. by the police has generated an uncomThe Founding Fathers knew that mon spirit of solidarity among many there would be changes in the structure Americans of different races and social of the states. Residents of Maine had classes. There is a great opportunity even moved to be independent from to divert the energy for change to the Massachusetts, and that was achieved in development of greater controls on the 1819 with the Missouri Compromise in availability of firearms. Then there will a friendly separation. With the hostility be a strong foundation for changing between the free and slave states, the the oppressive culture that is frequently Founding Fathers knew there could be adopted by the police.

“We have to get guns off the street before we defund the police.”

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The Bay State Banner is published every Thursday.

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John Lewis: an unflinching commitment to justice

Resources needed for elders to age in place

By EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON The instant the news flashed that Congressman John Lewis had died, the expected and much-deserved avalanche of tributes poured in. Trump’s tribute was in that avalanche. Lewis was praised as a civil rights icon, courageous, unremitting and a historic example of how a life devoted to civil rights can result in monumental changes in how America deals with race and racism.

Lewis was, of course, all of that. But he was much more, and that much more culminated not in the speech that he gave at the 1963 March on Washington that rocket-launched his name to national awareness, but rather in the speech he didn’t give.

Lewis was invited to speak because he was chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. SNCC was doing the hardest, dirtiest, most dangerous work in backwater Klan-ridden Southern towns. SNCC organizers were the ones who pushed the envelope on voting rights. They provided much of the grunt work for MLK and the other established civil rights organizations in those same backwater towns.

But in the months before the march, SNCC had begun to sharply pivot toward radicalism. They were beginning to loudly declaim not just voting rights denial and racist sheriffs and registrars, but capitalism. They embraced liberation movements in Africa and Asia and denounced the troop escalation in Vietnam.

This was way too much for the moderate mainstream civil rights organizations. They began to quietly inch away from SNCC’s organizing tactics, methods and politics, and in time they would vehemently denounce the organization.

Lewis was caught in the middle. He was never all-in for SNCC’s sharp shift to anti-capitalist radicalism and liberation movements. However, some of this talk did appeal to Lewis. That set the stage for the speech he planned to give at the march. There was much public and behind-the-scenes wrangling, and threats from some civil rights leaders and moderate churchmen to boycott the march. The Kennedy administration virtually demanded that Lewis scrap the speech.

Lewis wobbled. He agreed to make cuts. The speech he gave was hardly moderate, timid or milk sop. It punched the right buttons about militant protest and the endgame of the civil rights movement to obliterate segregation. However, what was butchered out was the visionary tone in the speech.

He made clear that police abuse and violence was a major concern of SNCC and the single biggest threat to Black rights and lives. He made clear that he and SNCC would not back the Kennedy civil rights bill if it did not include stiff penalties and enforcement for police violence against Blacks. This was a no-no and created panic among the moderates. However, Lewis and SNCC, by making the bold call for an attack by the federal government on police violence, understood that without strong federal civil rights laws and enforcement of those laws against police violence, Black lives would always be in mortal danger. Local prosecutors and officials would not crack down on that violence. Lewis’ compromise was that SNCC would back the bill but with “great reservations.” This was the great reservation.

The fast-evolving international liberation movements were very much on SNCC organizers’ minds. Lewis openly called for a revolution aimed at breaking down the violence, poverty and discrimination that dumped poor Blacks at the bottom of the political and economic barrel. He did not shirk from naming “the Black masses” as the driving force of that revolution.

Mainstream civil rights organizations bluntly told Lewis he could not use those incendiary words. Lewis upped the ante by talking of burning down Jim Crow to the ground, though quickly adding “nonviolently.” It didn’t help. This smacked way too much of the left-wing radicalism that civil rights leaders feared would taint the civil rights movement as communist, radical and dangerous. The Kennedys would quickly cut and run from that.

The civil rights organizations certainly read the White House correctly. Kennedy, Hoover and the FBI, always on the lookout for any scintilla of communist involvement in the civil rights movement, would have had a field day with Lewis’ words. However, those words captured the mood of the Black masses for the kind of radical change that would do more than stop at the passage of civil rights laws, but demanded a frontal assault on poverty, violence and the gaping economic disparities that shackled the Black poor. Lewis on that score got it right. He was way head of the game, as time has amply proved.

This is the John Lewis that I will always remember.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst.

By MICHAEL A. VANCE, VALERIE FRIAS, MEG HOGAN & LISA GURGONE During the month of June, designated Elder Abuse Awareness Month, Central Boston Elder Services, a state-designated Aging Services Access Point (ASAP) and the city’s official Adult Protective Services Program, reported over 200 incidents of elder abuse. Many incidents, no doubt, have been exacerbated by the stress factors caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Central Boston Elder Services, Ethos and Boston Senior Home Care are part of the statewide Aging Services Access Points network, represented by Mass Home Care, that provides services to 60,000 older adults to help them remain safely and independently in our communities. A recent poll by AARP found that more than 90% of older adults age 65 and over choose to stay in their homes.

The necessity of supporting and expanding resources for seniors to age in place has never been greater. ASAPs specialize in providing in-home services such as personal care, laundry, meal preparation, grocery shopping

and companionship. In addition, ASAPs provide the following direct and protective services: information and referral, interdisciplinary case management, and investigations of abuse and neglect of elders.

Statistics show that adults age 60 and over are at the greatest risk of dying from the coronavirus. And if they have

the virus. They worry constantly about a second and more deadly wave of the virus. The grim statistics have shown that older adults are at risk whether they reside in nursing homes, assisted living communities or veterans’ homes.

We must do more to care for and protect our elders no matter where they live.

During the month of June, designated Elder Abuse Awareness month, Central Boston Elder Services … reported over 200 incidents of elder abuse. underlying health conditions, as many do, particularly our black and brown seniors, the risks are compounded by a host of other contributors caused by the virus, among them increased food insecurity, mental health challenges and self-isolation. Older adults are frightened, and rightly so.

Even as the pandemic for most of the population has declined, they still feel endangered. Many are even reluctant to leave their homes for appointments for medical services disrupted by

ASAP programs have proven to be cost-effective, providing important resources and lifelines to our elders in the comfort and safety of their homes during a pandemic that disproportionately impacts our most vulnerable. The city and state would be wise to invest more funding for this program.

Michael A. Vance is CEO of Central Boston Elder Services; Valerie Frias is CEO of Ethos; Meg Hogan is CEO Boston Senior Home Care and Lisa Gurgone is executive director Mass. Home Care.

IN THE NEWS

YVONNE JONES The board of directors of ABCD (Action for Boston Community Development), Greater Boston’s anti-poverty agency, has reelected community leader, educator, and activist Yvonne Jones of Dorchester to a fourth year as chair. Jones will serve in that role for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.

A retired educator and senior administrator, Jones holds a Bachelor of Science degree in human services management from Lesley University and a Master of Education degree in education administration from the University of Massachusetts, She is a former site director with VIP Child Care and a longtime director with the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) for the towns of Cohasset and Belmont.

Roxbury resident Sean Daughtry, who serves in a public sector seat representing State Rep. Elizabeth A. Malia, was elected first vice chair. In that capacity, he will be second to the chair and serve in her stead when she is unavailable.

Daughtry, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Morehouse College and a Master of Science degree in

inorganic chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is a director of technical operations, analytical at Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

ABCD President/CEO John J. Drew said, “In reelecting Yvonne Jones to a fourth year as chair, the ABCD Board of Directors acknowledged her exceptional leadership and tireless commitment to our neighbors who face the toughest social and economic barriers. Her vast experience in K-12 education, management and of course her passion for

the Dorchester community and underserved residents of Greater Boston bring insight and vision to this important work.”

As a federally recognized Community Action Agency, ABCD is required to have a tripartite board of directors. A minimum of one-third must be democratically selected representatives of low-income individuals and families residing in the geographic area served by the agency. One-third must be elected officials or their representatives. The remaining board members must be chosen from business, labor, religious, law enforcement, education, or other major groups and interests in the community served.

“ABCD is very near and dear to me,” said Jones, an ABCD Board member since 2005. “When I arrived in Boston, I learned about ABCD’s Urban College program. That rich experience would become the foundation for continuing my education, including earning an advanced degree.

ABCD changed my life, and I am honored and humbled to contribute what I can so that others can gain access to previously elusive opportunities and to live happy, fulfilling lives.”

6 • Thursday, July 30, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

Local student feeds needy during pandemic

By MAYRA PARRILLA GUERRERO Biology student Eve Abraha was wrapping up her junior year at Tufts University. She did informal hair braiding from her home at Medford and had a job, but that didn’t stop her from starting to make food and distribute it to those in need during the public health emergency COVID-19 to make sure some members of the community have the resources they need.

Since the start of July, Abraha has been cooking and delivering 40 homemade meals in biodegradable containers each week, at her own expense, to those in need near Boston Medical Center. Her full-time internship at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston helps her cover the expenses to make and deliver the meals.

Abraha’s initiative is inspired by her work in March as a project coordinator at Building Audacity, a nonprofit providing programs aimed at building leadership skills for youths, among other things. In this role, she reached out to vendors to encourage them to make food donations. Abraha and Building Audacity were able to deliver about three to five days’ worth of groceries to over 500 families in the Eastern Massachusetts area over a three-to-four-month period with the help of volunteers from Boston and at Tufts University.

Going forward, Abraha hopes to start an organization and recruit volunteers to continue her initiative. She has begun looking

for grants and was offered partial sponsorship from Building Audacity but is still looking for additional grants to help her jumpstart the organization.

The following transcript was edited for length and clarity.

What areas do you deliver your homemade food to?

I specifically deliver, right now, only to people on Massachusetts Avenue, right by the Boston Medical Center. Right there, that is like the epicenter of drug abuse, specifically heroin. Heroin is a big issue there, so they have drug addiction and they are dealing with homelessness.

What was your motivation in delivering food to this community?

A big reason why I am in tune with them is because, when it comes to depression and trauma, people treat it as if it’s not a big deal. But it is a big deal. Trauma and depression literally leads you to doing things you will never imagine. For these people, it took them to the point to do drugs for them to feel numb to the world, you know? … I resonate to that feeling sometimes when I am feeling down because of the trauma that I endured and that I continue to endure … I think that’s kind of where I get my empathy from, because I am like ‘How would I want people to support me,’ you know?

Like I want people to help me when I am hurting, and so what can I do for these people to help them? Empathy and caring for others is what really drives me.

Why do you choose to make homemade meals instead of getting ready-cooked food from the store?

It’s expensive to buy premade things. In addition, some of the groceries that I use to make these foods are donated. I would ask my friends for food they won’t use because in the end I want people to be able to be involved in this. Not everyone wants to deliver food, right?

Not everyone wants to make food, but some want to donate, so I let them donate. I want everyone to feel like they can help in some way.

How do you finance the food besides donation?

Honestly, I have a job, so it’s easy. That’s it, I have a job. People think it is burdensome to make like 50 meals [per week] but I can make 50 meals and I can spend maybe like 30 bucks! It really depends on the meals, I am trying to up my meals to make it nutritional and more quality, so what I will estimate for 50 people is $30 to $50 and that doesn’t really make a big dent in my account.

What makes you feel most proud of your work?

Community organizing is beautiful. There’s a quote I live by and it reads like this: “I don’t know how to tell you that you should care about others.” That’s it. That’s the standard I live by. If you have two crumbs of food, you share your crumbs with others. If you have one, you give it away. I personally am a strong advocate for distributing wealth. Sharing with others is so critical and truly is the epitome

PHOTO: COURTESY NKEMDILIM ADUKA

Abraha and her homemade food, ready to be delivered to people in need. of caring for others. Giving and not expecting to receive is important. At the end of the day, these are humans who deserve just the same as the rest of us.

What keeps you going?

What keeps me going is how people express their gratitude for feeling love. Everyone deserves to be loved. I don’t know if I am making changes, I haven’t done this long enough, but what I can tell you is that when I do this, people seem happy and appreciative.

What’s your plan going forward?

I am trying to get grants that

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provide funding to do this work.

Mainly I want funding to buy the food, the biodegradable containers and then for me specifically, I need money to get a car. I have been using Zipcars to move around and it is just so expensive. If I want to do it more frequently, I need a car, but my main priority is how are we going to fund the food and how are we going to fund the biodegradable containers, because the more food I can buy and the more containers I can buy, the more food I can provide.

This article originally appeared in The Scope: a project of the Northeastern University School of Journalism.

Thursday, July 30, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 7

Police Task Force holds first listening sessions Mayoral-appointed group takes up body cameras, implicit bias

By MORGAN C. MULLINGS In two public listening sessions last week, Boston residents questioned the Boston Police Reform Task Force about body cameras and implicit bias training. The first of four planned listening sessions, these two were held via video conference on July 22 and 23 with the 11 members of the task force.

Though many attendees raised questions and suggestions, the goal of the sessions is not to provide answers, but for task force members to simply listen and take note. Many participants’ comments were followed with silence until another was ready to testify.

Those with suggestions could virtually raise their hand or submit written questions and testimonies.

“The Task Force is here to listen.

I’m trying to keep the conversation going for not too much dead air, but hopefully I’m not sharing my personal views,” said Darrin Howell, task force member and president of the community organization DRIVE Boston, after encouraging more suggestions halfway through the session.

Some of the main concerns expressed in the first session included how the public gets access to body-worn camera (BWC) footage, how it is used within the

police department, and what disciplinary actions are in place for officers who do not use their cameras.

In response to some inquiries about data, some was provided.

Task force member and Boston resident Jamarhl Crawford posted an analysis of body camera usage from 2018 in the virtual chat room for attendees to read. The study by Northeastern University revealed that officers with body cameras received fewer complaints from citizens and generated fewer use-offorce reports.

“

How will the city of Boston and how will you as a Task Force determine what a violation of the BWC policy is and what isn’t a violation of the bodyworn camera policies?”

— Chad Fletcher

Attendee Chad Fletcher presented a few questions, including “How will the city of Boston and how will you as a Task Force

BANNER FILE PHOTO

Boston police headquarters. determine what a violation of the BWC policy is and what isn’t a violation of the body-worn camera policies?”

Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers (MAMLEO) President Eddy Chrispin, a member of the task force, attended both listening sessions and gave feedback to attendees. When asked how officers’ usage of body cameras is tracked, he answered, “If I can track that you were dispatched to 50 calls over the last three or four days and you don’t have any body camera footage, that would be concerning. That would

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be an indication that you’re not turning on your camera.”

Mayor Martin Walsh announced the creation of the task force last month. The other task force members are Chairman Wayne Budd, former U.S. Attorney; Tanisha Sullivan, president of the NAACP Boston branch; Allison Cartwright, attorney in charge at the Roxbury Public Defender’s Office; Joseph Feaster, Jr., Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts board chairman; Superintendent Dennis White, chief of staff of the Boston Police Department; Reverend Jeffrey Brown of Historic

Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury; former state Rep. Marie St. Fleur; and Javier Flores, partner at Dinsmore & Shohl.

The group’s next two sessions, on July 29 and 30 at 3:00 p.m., cover the Community Ombudsman Oversight Panel and use-of-force policies. The group is expected to submit recommendations to the mayor by August 14.

“We’re flying the plane while building it, so please bear with us on some of the challenges,” said Howell. “We’re learning together and growing together. But that was definitely helpful feedback.”

8 • Thursday, July 30, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

FIO

continued from page 1 arrest before they can legally do so. The probable cause standard is enshrined in the Fourth Amendment, which bans illegal search and seizure and has its roots in 17th-century English common law.

Yet, Weathers says, “They search us all the time,” he said.

“They don’t give a reason for stopping you. They don’t apologize.

They just tell you, ‘Get the f--- out of here.’”

The same level of scrutiny does not seem to apply to whites, who account for 44.5% of the city’s population yet make up just 25% of stops recorded in the FIO database.

“I’ve seen cops deal with white people,” Weathers said. “I know it’s different. The police speak in a respectful way. They act reasonable. That never happens with my people.”

In 2017, Weathers says, his car was surrounded by more than 10 police cruisers at Warren and Dale streets.

“They came out of nowhere,” he said. “They searched us and pulled us out of the car. They had no reason to. There was no probable cause.”

Violations of the Fourth Amendment occur on a daily basis, youth advocates say, when officers stop, question and search young Black men and women in Boston’s neighborhoods.

“Nearly everyone I work with has been stopped,” says Toni Golston, a 15-year-old youth organizer who works with The Center for Teen Empowerment and has herself been stopped

and questioned. “It’s very belittling. The police assume we’re criminals.”

While Weathers, Golston and many other young Bostonians seem familiar with the Fourth Amendment, it’s unclear to what extent Boston Police are. When police engaged in Operation Clean Sweep in August of last year — an action aimed at moving homeless people from the area near the Suffolk County House of Corrections — they cordoned off Atkinson Street and ordered pedestrians there to provide identification before being allowed to exit, according to a WBUR report.

Officers then ran checks for outstanding warrants and made 18 arrests.

“

They see you on the streets, they think you’re in a gang, they roll up on you and take your ID and then you’re one step closer to being in a gang.”

— Carl Williams, attorney

The mass detention of people in the area without any clear evidence they were breaking laws appears to be a violation of their constitutional rights. Yet when asked by an officer whether he should keep his body camera on, the officer in charge, Captain John Danilecki told the officer to

BANNER FILE PHOTO

Of those stopped by police in Boston last year, 69 percent were Black. leave his camera on.

“We got nothing to hide,” Danilecki told the officer. “Because the ACLU might subpoena these records and we want to show them we’re doing everything by the book.”

Rather than driving down crime, the aggressive policing black teens and adults are subjected to may actually be driving up crime statistics, Rahsaan Hall says.

“There are studies that show cities that have greater investments in violence prevention have reductions in violent crime,” he said. “Instead of spending $414 million on policing with significant amounts of that going to overtimes so police and deliver evidence to court, they could

spend money on programs and practices that produce the effect of reducing crime.”

Hall cited summer jobs, youth programming and street workers as areas in the city budget that are underfunded while the police budget continues to increase.

Gang database

As much as activists question the efficacy of the FIO database, the department’s gang database is even more problematic, criminal justice reform advocates say. Under the department’s rule 335, police have the power to designate as a gang three or more people who frequent an area and individually or collectively engage or have engaged in criminal activity. In 2019, Boston police listed

5,300 people as active or inactive gang members or affiliates in the city. While Chicago, a city of 2.7 million people, lists 59 gangs in its database, Boston police have identified 160 active and inactive gangs here.

Under the department’s scoring system for determining whether an individual is gang-affiliated, simply being seen in contact with someone police consider a gang member results in two points.

After just three such contacts, documented through FIOs, the individual is entered into the database, notes Carl Williams, a criminal defense attorney in Boston.

“They see you on the streets, they think you’re in a gang, they roll up on you and take your ID and then you’re one step closer to being in a gang,” Williams said.

A listing in the gang database can have long-term consequences for Bostonians, whether or not they’re gang-involved. In one case highlighted in the news media in 2018, an East Boston teen identified as gang-involved by school officials was deported after Boston police shared information with federal immigration officials.

Police are under no obligation to tell people whether they’re in the database and there’s no provision for having one’s name removed from the list.

We a t h e r s d o e s n’ t k n o w whether he’s in the gang database, but he says he has never been in a gang. As a youth organizer, he talks to people in rival groups in neighborhoods throughout Boston and works to resolve conflicts peacefully.

“I get along with everyone,” he said.Everyone, that is, except the police.

Thursday, July 30, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 9

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police reform continued from page 1

if the act in question results in them being decertified and removed from the force. The Senate bill removes protections only when a person’s civil rights are infringed upon.

Second, while the House bill promises bias free policing, defined in the bill as “policing decisions made by and conduct of law enforcement officers that shall not consider a person’s race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, mental or physical disability, immigration status or socioeconomic or professional level.” It does not explicitly ban racial profiling.

The governor, the Senate and the House have all established commissions through recent legislation that monitor the police state wide. “[The House bill] establishes a civilian-led, with police representation, independent body that will oversee the decision-making process of investigations outcomes and discipline,” Rep. Gonzales told the Banner. “This takes it out of the hands of the Executive Office of Public Safety which is where the governor had it, and where the Senate has it,” he said.

Two of the commission members would be appointed by the

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The House bill contains more specific limits on no-knock

warrants, the same type used when Breonna Taylor was killed in her home in Louisville, which allows police to enter a residence without warning or identifying themselves. The House voted to adopt

Rep. Liz Miranda’s amendment, which adds that if a no-knock warrant is issued by a judge, the officer must attest that there are no children or elderly in the home.

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83 to 76. The Senate bill also requires a judge’s signature on such warrants.

Though the Senate bill received support from the Massachusetts ACLU, the House bill has seen opposition since the vote. Carol Rose, executive director of the Massachusetts ACLU said in a statement that the bill “does not reflect the fierce urgency that deadly police violence against Black people demands. Instead, it reflects the depth of entrenched opposition to necessary police reform,” she said.

Rose said that the bill misses the mark because it does not help victims of violence hold police accountable.

Both the House and the Senate bill cover the same major points – a commission on certifying and investigating police, limiting use of force and other possibly violent tactics, and preventing racial profiling – but when reaching a consensus, the specifics vary.

The board of each bill’s commission is completely different despite each of them pursuing the same goal.

“I think the time is now the moment is here, and there should be nothing in the way that should keep us away from getting something to the governor,” Rep. Gonzales said.

The session will end Friday, and legislators anticipate a final bill being signed that day.

Thursday, July 30, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 11

BPS, developers present McCormack plans

By YAWU MILLER Last year, the Boston Public Schools’ plan to sell off the playing fields next to the John W. McCormack Middle School in Dorchester appeared to come to a halt as students and local abutters raised concerns about the loss of open space and a development process that appeared to put developers first.

Last Wednesday, BPS officials and the prospective developers of the land presented plans to move the project forward.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester teamed up with the Martin Richard Foundation and were the sole respondents to a request for proposals released by the city in 2018 for the redevelopment of the land next to the school, which currently includes a sports field, a playground and two basketball courts.

Over the last two years, McCormack students and residents of the abutting Harbor Point housing development argued that the land ought to remain open to preserve outdoor space for recess and sports.

Yet at last Wednesday’s School Committee meeting, Rob Consalvo, who handles intergovernmental relations for the district, said BPS will advance the plan.

“Our intention is to make the recommendation that we move forward with a lease to the sole applicant who responded to the RFP that we put out.”

The department’s push to advance the project seemed to come out of the blue, according to School Committee member Lorna Rivera, who told the Banner that committee members received the PowerPoint presentation from the developers at 2:30 Wednesday afternoon, just two-and-a half-hours before the 5 p.m. meeting.

“Why would this even be coming up at this point?” she said.

Students and teachers at the

McCormack have argued for the preservation of open space, but Consalvo said the students don’t use the space in the winter, a point teacher Neema Avashia disputes.

“Every day it is above 32 degrees, as long as there isn’t snow or ice out there, we have recess outside,” she told the Banner.

The plan advanced by the nonprofits calls for an indoor sports facility with three basketball courts at ground level, a track at the second level and a turf field on the third level. A separate wing would contain smaller exercise rooms and activity rooms.

Consalvo said the facility would be made available to the McCormack School, the abutting Dever Elementary School and other BPS schools in the area.

The RFP also called for a facility that would lease space to sports teams.

“The business model for the facility outlined in the RFP calls for a sharing of space for revenue-generating league sports,” said Kevin Deabler, an architect working on the proposal. “The gym and field are then like the engine, sort of generating demand and driving public use.”

Deabler said the plans have taken into consideration calls for open space. Although the area

GOOGLE EARTH IMAGE

A sports field, playground and basketball courts are currently used by McCormack students and abutters. now occupied by basketball courts currently use the fields.

“We had a chance to meet with would be used for parking, the buildings are set at angles, leaving them on two occasions, and it was triangular patches of grass around just wonderful,” he said. “That’s where you have to start a process, the outside of the parcel.

But critics of the plan say it listening to the children.”

Avashia said that the students hasn’t taken into consideration the perspectives of the students presented their own proposals to and Harbor Point residents, who Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester in School Committee meetings representatives during the meetand community meetings asked ings. None of the students’ plans that the fields be improved or left for the fields included an indoor facility. as is, not built on.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester President and CEO Bob Scan- School transformation nell noted that he had met with Laura Carroll, an attorney for the students from the schools that the Harbor Point Community Task Force, said the RFP release and most of the meetings happened before the district announced that the McCormack would be transitioned from a middle school to a 7-12 school.

“To say we’re going to give away land to belonging to BPS to build something for young kids at the same time you’re talking about tripling the size of the student body and bringing in teenagers makes no sense,” she said at the School Committee meeting. “I really urge you to put a halt on that until plans for the new McCormack 7-12 school are established, know what footprint it wants, know what it RODE ARCHITECTS RENDERING Viewed from the north, the planned field house would sit at an angle, opening up some needs for athletic facilities before outdoor space. Parking is at the rear. you do this giveaway to the Boys &

Girls Club.”

Some School Committee members appeared to express support for the project during the meeting.

School Committee Chairman Michael Loconto praised the prospective developers for their efforts to advance the project.

“This is a long time coming,” he said. “We know you folks collectively have been hard at work for a number of months since you’ve put in your RFP, and certainly a long time before that. You’ve been pounding the pavement to talk about your proposal and create that support. I think that’s evident in the 67 letters of support that you mentioned.”

Jeri Robinson, however, echoed Carroll’s question of whether the plan takes into consideration the needs of the larger and older student body at the McCormack school.

“As the school transitions from middle school to 7-12, how will outdoor activity be balanced with indoor activity?” she asked.

Rivera questioned whether the district has taken into account the objections of Harbor Point residents, noting that community members have asked for a pause while the McCormack School design is planned.

“Really, we should be centering, as BPS, the McCormack School’s needs and the Dever, and be thinking about what construction plans need to shift to serve older students,” she said.

Consalvo acknowledged the importance of a planning process.

“Planning is a hugely important issue in any neighborhood,” he said, adding that the Boston Planning and Development Agency will oversee a larger planning process for the peninsula. UMass officials are planning to redevelop the nearby sprawling Bayside site.

“We’ve already spoken with the BPDA,” Consalvo said. “They are overseeing the thoughtful planning process as it relates to that entire community.

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12 • Thursday, July 30, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

‘Ride for Black Lives’ takes it to the streets

By YAWU MILLER Outside White Stadium in Franklin Park, hundreds of cyclists gathered Saturday while organizers of the Ride for Black Lives as organizers handed out water bottles and snacks. By the time they began the ride, the group had swelled to an estimated 600 riders.

“This idea came from the fact that Black lives matter to us as people and as a cycling community,” said organizer Noah Hicks, who led the ride through Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill, the Fenway, Back Bay and the North End, before bringing riders to the Boston Common.

While a June 27 Ride for Black Lives took place entirely within the predominantly black neighborhoods of Dorchester and Roxbury, last Saturday’s ride took riders through white communities, Freeman noted.

“We wanted to show up and speak out in other communities,” he said. “White people need to see us. We don’t just want communities of color to acknowledge that Black lives matter. We want everyone to.”

Along the route, the multiracial crowd of riders chanted “Black lives matter,” and some adorned their bikes with signs. Many wore the black “Ride for Black Lives” T-shirts designed for the event by graphic illustrator and designer Alex Joachim.

Cars honked in support as the procession made its way through traffic and many bystanders yelled, “Black lives matter.” In some places, whites yelled, “All lives matter,” but their rants appeared lost amid the sea of cyclists.

The event was less a protest than a demonstration in affirmation of Black lives. Police were not present during the ride.

The atmosphere on the ride remained festive during the

hour-long ride through Boston’s streets. The celebratory feeling was what organizers were aiming for.

“Biking is amazing,” said ride organizer Saskia VannJames, a mechanic at Broadway Bicycle School in Cambridge. “It allows you to reconnect with nature. It allows you to move when the world feels stagnant. There’s so much magic in the bicycling community.”

The businesses and nonprofits co-sponsoring the event include Freeman’s bicycle shop Spokehouse, Boston Bike Party, New England Bike Life, CrimsonBikes Cambridge and Bikes Not Bombs.

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Guru the Caterer owner helps workers with English skills, on-the-job training

By AVANTIKA PANDA Mehzabin Shaikh’s stall is one of many unique local businesses showcased at the Boston farmers market in Copley Square, always crowded as customers enjoy the irresistible aroma of rich, spice-infused curries from freshly cooked Indian food lingering in the air.

But what many customers aren’t aware of is the journey of the woman behind her small restaurant, Guru the Caterer.

Shaikh, co-owner of Guru the Caterer, located in Somerville and Downtown Crossing, caters much more than just food. She provides opportunity and job training for her workers, who lack education and English communication skills.

Shaikh was born in a small village in rural Gujarat, India. Her family owned a chicken farm, which was their primary source of income, but there was barely enough profit to sustain a living.

With financial troubles and lack of resources, Shaikh never had access to proper education and, because her siblings were too young to help, she had to work on the farm with her parents. Her family saw the chance to migrate to America as an opportunity to escape their uncertain and hard life in India, and in 1998, when Shaikh was 12, they moved to Boston.

“Basically, people who come from our culture, like the women, are not supposed to work,” Shaikh said. “They just take care of the house, as being a homemaker is their responsibility.”

Shaikh belongs to the Gujarati-Muslim community which happens to be a minority both in

India and America. In India, it’s a Muslim community in the large and predominantly Hindu state of Gujrat. According to Shaikh, being a woman in a minority religious community is equivalent to being a sub-minority, as expected societal ideals are very conservative, especially when it comes to women and gender roles.

Shaikh’s father passed away shortly after the family’s arrival in America and Shaikh had to take on responsibility for her mother and two siblings. “My mom never had been working,” she said. “So, I’m the first person in my house who actually obtained a job at the earliest age possible.”

Despite continuing to face financial barriers in America, worsened by communication difficulties, Shaikh’s school teachers encouraged her to pursue her dreams.

“My English was less, but there were these teachers in my school who helped me when I was struggling and that created the opportunity for me,” said Shaikh.

Now, she has a Bachelor’s degree in medical laboratory technology from UMass Lowell, and is licensed to practice.

“Sometimes it just takes one person to do a little help, and that small help can change someone’s life,” she said.

In 2015, when her partner wanted to start a business, they purchased the restaurant Guru the Caterer. The employees of the restaurant were all female immigrants from India. After taking over the business, Shaikh oversaw the staff and kitchen. She became a part of these women’s lives and realized that most of them could not speak English or did not have

PHOTO: AVANTIKA PANDA

Mehzabin Mitzy Shaikh, owner of Guru the Caterer, serves hearty lunches to customers at the farmer’s market in Copley Square.

“

I know how hard it is to start a new life. And if I can help them in that journey, I can make a difference and that’s all that matters.”

— Mehzabin Mitzy Shaikhn

any qualifications. For these workers their job at the restaurant was their only source of income.

“I realized there was no security for these women. They were working at my restaurant, but in case I did not own it, and did not want to keep them hired they would have just lost their livelihood,” she said.

Inspired by her own life experiences, Shaikh decided to help.

She started training her workers by teaching them English and also about the health regulations

required by the restaurant industry. Shaikh also helped out her staff with their federal forms and applications for health insurance and other official procedures that are often mostly in English.

She got all her workers certified in ServSafe® a food and beverage safety training, a certificate program administered by the U.S. National Restaurant Association.

Shaikh hires many people who require a job, regardless of their nationality. She said many of her friends or co-workers often send people to her who are looking for jobs. These people are usually new immigrants, people too afraid to get a job because of their language consciousness or lack of qualifications.

She said her agenda is not just helping immigrants, but all people who struggle due to something like a language barrier. “I hire people who don’t get hired by others,” she said.

With the closure of the farmers market in spring, Shaikh is

busy with her catering service, which she’s been operating from her restaurant at Somerville. She plans to expand her restaurant and catering service in the future.

“I know how hard it is to start a new life. And if I can help them in that journey, I can make a difference and that’s all that matters.”

Shaikh said.

Shaikh and her staff at Guru the Caterer have, like many non-essential businesses in Boston, had to adapt during the coronavirus pandemic. They have already provided paid leave for older workers and those with a long commute.

Only staff that live near the restaurant are working, and Shaikh herself is making the no-contact deliveries from their Somerville location. Customers can order and pay online through delivery apps like Grubhub, or through the restaurant’s website.

The article originally appeared in The Scope, a project of the Northeastern University School of Journalism.

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Thursday, July 30, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 15

BLACK OWNED BUSINESS SPECIAL SECTION

Resources for Boston’s small businesses The City of Boston offers many resources for small business owners — from COVID-19 guidance and support, to workshops in marketing, accounting, HR and more.

For businesses impacted by COVID-19 Open restaurants

A tool for restaurants to register online and to publicly share that they’re open, share gift-card information, and which (if any) delivery/take-out services they use.

This guide is available for residents to utilize, and explore what local businesses are open in their neighborhoods. The City of Boston lifted licensing regulations to allow takeout/delivery at all restaurants, and created a guidebook for offering take-out and delivery that can also be used for groceries, pharmacies, and others. boston.gov/departments/small-business-development/ support-bostons-restaurants

Food trucks summer pilot program

A summer pilot program for the City of Boston’s Food Truck Program that will support valuable small businesses that have been greatly impacted by COVID-19, as well as provide residents throughout the City’s neighborhoods with additional accessible and safe food options. boston.gov/food-trucks

immigrant-owned. Grants can be used to help address fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, lost sales, lost opportunities, and other working capital expenses that could have been recognized had the COVID-19 pandemic not occurred. boston.gov/business-relief

Reopen Boston Fund

$6 million in new debt-free grants to support the safe and healthy reopening of small businesses in Boston. The funding will help qualified small businesses implement the necessary public health measures required to reopen safely. The Reopen Boston Fund has distributed $1.7 million to more than 1,000 businesses for safety measures including PPE, partitions, and outdoor space. boston.gov/reopen-fund

Existing small business resources boston.gov/small-business

Open businesses in Boston

A tool for essential businesses (now more broad as reopening continues) to publicly share that they are open, share gift-card information, and which (if any) delivery/ take-out services they use. This guide is available for residents to utilize, and explore what local businesses are open in their neighborhoods. We encouraged all essential businesses that were allowed to remain open during the statewide closure of businesses that are non-essential to the COVID-19 response, to register online if they were still open. boston.gov/departments/small-business-development/ supporting-bostons-open-businesses

Black- and brown-owned businesses in Boston

This list is meant to showcase our businesses that have Black and Brown owners to help us ensure that residents of color can share equally in our City’s economic prosperity. Businesses can fill out a short application to be included in the directory and learn more about the benefits of certification, and it offers procurement liaisons for external organizations a directory for purchasing. We worked with BECMA, AmplifyLatinX, the Commonwealth’s Supplier Diversity Office, and others to launch the directory. boston.gov/black-brown-businesses

PPE & cleaning supplies directory

New platform created to help businesses source personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies to protect employees and customers as the economy begins to reopen.

Along with industry-specific reopening requirements, the page includes a list of self-identified, local suppliers of PPE and cleaning supplies, information on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ vendor database, and partner organizations helping to connect businesses with vendors. Partners include BECMA and the N95 Project. boston.gov/business-ppe

Small business relief fund

We have established the Small Business Financial Relief Fund to help businesses most impacted by COVID-19. The Fund has distributed $6.5 million to nearly 1,900 small businesses. 50% of those businesses are owned by people of color, and 47% are

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The Small Business Unit within the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development manages initiatives aimed at supporting small businesses and neighborhood wealth creation and works with small businesses throughout the city via direct services and its partnership with the Boston Main Streets Foundation and its 20 neighborhood-based 501(c)3 organizations. n Technical Assistance n Restore n We-Bos (Women Entrepreneurs Boston)

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Reopening technical assistance information sessions

The City has also hosted a series of industry-specific technical assistance workshops to address the challenges our small businesses will face as they reopen and have offered simultaneous translation in the highest need languages.

Weekly small business conference call

Beginning in March, the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development hosts small business conference calls every Tuesday at 3pm to communicate directly to small business owners and entrepreneurs about the constantly evolving COVID-19 response, regulations and public health guidance, as well as resources created to assist businesses in this unprecedented time.

Small business virtual office hours

The Small Business team is available every Friday from 9-11am and 2-4pm to take questions, assist with applications for grants/loans/programs, offer guidance, and connect business owners with needed translation services or external agencies.

COVID-19: resources for business

Offered updates on resources, regulations, and policy changes. As business owners, employers, and employees navigate an evolving COVID-19related assistance landscape, the Economic Development Office created a Federal Assistance Guide, Financial Relief Handbook and FAQ document. boston.gov/covid19-businesses ADOBE STOCK

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Economic Development Center boston.gov/economic-centerr

Launched by Mayor Walsh in his 2019 State of the City address, the Economic Development Center was designed to engage with residents on economic development opportunities around job growth, business development, placemaking and community economic development. The Center is accessible and convenient to all communities in order to generate economic opportunities for all residents and businesses, and discuss policy and planning in a thoughtful and collaborative manner. All workshops offer interpretive services and are family-friendly.

Small business resources include workshops series on business planning, digital marketing, accounting and HR, as well as accelerator series to focus on starting a food business or restaurant, at-home childcare business, and series specific for artists and the creative economy, restaurants, and immigrant small business owners.

The “Contracting with the City” series is designed to create a network of individuals and businesses to connect with good jobs and public procurement opportunities, and serve as a vehicle to engage directly with diverse communities on equity policy and decision making. We regularly host “Opportunity Fairs,” RFP/Bid workshops, match-making sessions, contracting clinics and information sessions on upcoming City of Boston procurement opportunities.

CONTRACTING WITH THE CITY Workshop Schedule: GOODS/PROFESSIONAL SERVICES •3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

•Tuesday, July 28, 2020 • Register at: www.eventbrite.com/e pathways-tocity-contracting-contracting-clinic-goods-prof-services-tickets-111698210354

CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS •3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

•Wednesday, August 5, 2020 • Register at: www.eventbrite.com/e/pathways-to-city-contracting-contracting-clinic-construction-tickets-111689323774

16 • Thursday, July 30, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

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Small businesses face challenges

By MORGAN C. MULLINGS A recent study from MassINC Polling Group shows that a third of small businesses in Massachusetts aren’t able to fully reopen, and Black-owned businesses continue to struggle to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

MassINC, a nonpartisan research firm based in Boston, surveyed 1,868 small-business owners in seven different languages to get a clearer picture of small businesses’ needs during the crisis.

They held a webinar Thursday to reveal the results of the survey.

Black small business owners in Boston were most likely to report that they missed a payment on rent or other expenses, and small businesses owners of all races located in Boston proper were more likely to report missed payments than those in other parts of Massachusetts.

Black and Latinx small-business owners were also more likely to not have applied for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, while white and Asian small business owners applied at a rate of about 70%. While many small businesses did receive PPP loans (overall, 78% of small businesses received the full amount they needed), Black and Latinx businesses were slightly less likely to receive the full amount.

MassINC, a nonpartisan research firm based in Boston, surveyed 1,868 small-business owners in seven different languages to get a clearer picture of small businesses’ needs during the [COVID-19] crisis.

Dr. Tracy Corley, a fellow at MassINC, says that this may cause Black small businesses to have a harder time recovering in the future.

“If we do not do more to get some sort of relief in the coming years, they will find themselves over the wall trying to make their mortgage payments, or face creditors seeking their personal assets,” Corley said during the webinar.

“Given the lower rates at which Black and brown people own property, and other drastically lower wealth, this means that the wealth gap will widen even more – a pretty high chasm between the haves and have-nots, especially in cities with lower levels of income and property values,” she said.

The smaller the business is, the more trouble it may have, the survey reveals. Many businesses that made $24,000 or less in 2019 report that they have no bank account or no insurance. Less than 40% of the smallest businesses — many of which only have one or two employees — applied for

PPP loans. And as employees stay home waiting for businesses to reopen, many of their employers are having trouble convincing them to come back to work. The smallest companies cite fear of being infected as the main reason why, while larger small businesses are seeing their employees making more on unemployment. Another significant deterrent is the lack of child care since the pandemic started.

Corley said the survival of small businesses is key to a desirable quality of life in regions across the state.

“Despite the downturn, we must continue to invest in our region and our state,” Corley said.

“In the end, if small businesses cannot thrive to create places that people want to live, [larger] companies will relocate to places with better amenities for retaining and attracting employees, and with better infrastructure for getting workers where they need to go without congestion, pollution and frequent system breakdowns.”

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Thursday, July 30, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 17

HELPING BLACK BUSINESSES ACROSS MASSACHUSETTS COMBAT COVID-19

PROVIDING RELIEF $500K $5M

We connected BECMA members to over $500k worth of relief through a partnership with Berkshire Bank.

Through partnerships with the Foundation for Business Equity, LISC Boston, and dozens of others, we connected members and other businesses to over $5 million worth of grants and PPP loans.

PROTECTING COMMUNITIES We launched Protect MA, an online marketplace connecting local Black and Latinx PPE suppliers to those who need it most, generating commerce for struggling businesses and keeping our families healthy and strong.

INFLUENCING POLICY Engaged more than 3,000 stakeholders through our virtual event series “On the Mark”, by making their voices heard directly by policy makers and doers on local and federal levels.

Organized the Black Mass. Coalition, a group of statewide Black led organizations that developed a blueprint for the private sector, nonprofits, philanthropic organizations and government to follow through on for the liberation of Black lives.

Are you a Black owned business?

Become a member at becma.org/membership.

18 • Thursday, July 30, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

BLACK OWNED BUSINESS SPECIAL SECTION

CFPB gives a green light to predatory payday lenders Ability-to-repay stripped from regulation

By CHARLENE CROWELL As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc throughout the country, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently took an ill-advised and untimely action. On July 7, the agency gutted its own 2017 payday rule that required lenders to first determine whether a consumer could afford to repay the high-cost loan.

This regulatory reversal represents a financial favor to payday and car-title lenders, and certain harm to consumers who are just a few hundred dollars short for their monthly expenses. In very real and measurable ways, the agency created to protect consumers gave a green light to predatory lenders to continue to prey upon the nation’s poorest and most vulnerable consumers.

“There is never a good time to enable predatory loans carrying 400% interest rates,” noted Mike Calhoun, President of the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), “but this is the worst possible time. The pain caused by the CFPB gutting the payday rule will be felt most by those who can least afford it, including communities of color who are

disproportionately targeted by payday lenders.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has jeopardized the ability of people to safely go to work, altered how students try to continue their studies, and imposed grim realities in meeting life’s most basic needs like food, shelter, and utilities.

Consumers affected by job layoffs should also mark their calendars for July 31. On that day, the additional $600 in monthly federal unemployment benefits through the CARES Act will expire. Additionally, renters who have managed to preserve their housing even when they could not pay, should also be mindful of whether eviction notices will come their way. Either of these circumstances carry the potential for America’s most cash-strapped consumers to seek and become financially trapped in unaffordable predatory loans.

The lure of ‘quick and easy’ cash entraps an estimated 12 million American consumers each year. Instead of a short-term financial fix, most loans last several months or longer to fully repay.

CRL research finds that the typical payday loans are in strings of 10 or more. Further, the amount of interest paid on the loan often

exceeds the dollars originally borrowed.

Even with decades of consumer advocacy, triple-digit interest on payday loans remains legal in 34 states. In these locales, the profusion of payday and car-title stores located in Black and other communities of color increases the likelihood of consumers becom-

“

racial wealth gap.”

Historically Blacks have been disproportionately affected by unemployment compared to other racial and ethnic groups. That trend continues to hold in the midst of the pandemic. As of early July, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 17.8 million people were unemployed. Black

By disproportionately locating storefronts in majority Black and Latino neighborhoods, predatory payday lenders systematically target communities of color, further exacerbating the racial wealth gap.”

— Rachel Gittelman, Financial Services Outreach Manager, Consumer Federation of America

ing financial prey that ensures lenders of an annual $8 billion in fees alone. The growth in online lending increases access to these loans.

“By disproportionately locating storefronts in majority Black and Latino neighborhoods,” observed Rachel Gittelman, Financial Services Outreach Manager with the Consumer Federation of America, “predatory payday lenders systematically target communities of color, further exacerbating the

unemployment at 15.4%, was closely followed by that of Latinos at 14.5%. By comparison, only 10% of whites were unemployed.

However, multiple news outlets report that the nation’s total unemployed since the spring onset of the pandemic is 30 million.

“The CFPB has no basis for gutting the heart of common-sense protections that merely required payday lenders to do what responsible lenders already do: ensure that the borrower has the ability

to repay,” noted Lauren Sanders, the National Consumer Law Center’s Associate Director. “The evidence to support the debt trap of payday loans is overwhelming and the CFPB’s flimsy excuses for repealing protections do not stand up.”

Earlier this year, a poll conducted by Morning Consult and commissioned by CRL found strong and bipartisan support for a 36% rate cap on payday and installment loans. With a 70% national majority, voters supported the double-digit rate cap. On a state-by-state basis, voter support for a rate cap had a range of 64-73%. Further 62% of polled voters had an unfavorable view of payday lenders.

With nearly half of American adults living in households that have experienced a loss of income, and more than 40% of adults delaying medical care due to financial concerns, there is no justification for abandoning consumer financial protections.

If a 36% rate cap is good enough for the nation’s military be protected from predatory lending – which is the law for service members under the federal Military Lending Act -- it is time to extend that same protection to the civilian population.

Charlene Crowell is a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending.

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Small Business Strong, a private and public sector partnership, recognizes that our 650,000 Massachusetts small businesses are the lifeblood of our towns, cities and communities, and that these businesses – many of which are often women and/or minority-owned – have been hit the hardest by the current economic fallout from COVID-19. As a result, Small Business Strong was assembled to help these small businesses, primarily minority and women-owned, navigate the devastating economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To help bring quick support, Small Business Strong has launched a website, free to the public, that hosts articles and other online resources on topics ranging from PPP “Made Easy”, how to have a constructive conversation with a landlord, Bank of America mental health resources, and much more. Additionally, Small Business Strong can also provide expedited consultative resources to these businesses, free of charge, tailored to the specific need of the small businesses. The guidance and Flowetik advice provided by Small Business Strong includes how to address immediate challenges for a small business, and further expertise in areas such as finance and accounting, human resources, marketing, operations and law.

Greater Boston

Chamber of Commerce Small Business Strong is supported by collaborative efforts from State Street Corporation, The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, McKinsey & Co., Bank of America, PwC, Foundation for Business Equity, The Boston Foundation, Federal The Boston Foundation Reserve Bank of Boston, Eastern Bank and Nutter, McClennen & Fish LLP. and several other organizations throughout the Commonwealth.

Eastern Bank El Mundo

All services offered through Small Business Strong are free of charge to the small business owner. No strings attached.

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Foundation for Business Equity

Small business owners can visit our website at www.smallbstrong.com, and may explore the online resources housed there.

If they require guidance or advice on how to overcome an immediate, critical challenge, they may choose to engage with a Small Business Strong consultant by choosing the “Consult an Advisor” button on our homepage. As a reminder, this service is provided at no cost to the small business.

JP Morgan Chase MassMutual McKinsey & Company

No. We are currently committed to providing high-quality information and advice. We understand that capital access is a critical need for small businesses and one of our key missions objectives is to facilitate access to capital from various sources.

That is why we have emphasized capital access information on our website (e.g., a “PPP Made Easy” guide, an updated list of other federal, state, and local loan and grant opportunities). We also offer skilled consultants and finance/accounting specialists to guide businesses through the process of determining what type and source of capital is best for their business at this time.

National Grid Nutter PwC State Street Suffolk Construction Company

Small Business Strong’s mission is to help provide support and guidance to minority and women owned small businesses throughout Massachusetts, free of charge. However, it will not “turn away” small businesses that do not match that description. Additionally, the resources housed on the Small Business Strong website are available to the public.

Weber Shandwick

Yes. Small Business Strong is a statewide initiative to help small businesses throughout the Commonwealth stay viable during COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Although the majority of our resources are currently in English, we are working diligently to make many of our resources available in other languages such as Spanish, Portuguese and Haitian Creole. Spanish speakers can also visit our website at www.smallbstrong.com/fuerte.

Recursos para negocios estan disponible en Espanol. Visite a www.smallbstrong.com/fuerte.

Yes, Small Businesses Strong can provide small businesses with guidance and advice in more than one area, although the five functional areas we currently provide support in are: finance, accounting and tax; human resources; marketing and digital; law; operations.

Absolutely. Small Business Strong places a high priority on feedback. Please send any and all feedback to internal.support@smallbstrong.com.

We appreciate your partnership and guidance on how we can continue to make improvements to better serve our Massachusetts small businesses.

Please reach out to internal.support@smallbstrong.com with requests to either serve as a volunteer, or to make a financial contribution, and we will follow-up with you regarding next steps.

Please direct any questions to support@smallbstrong.com and a member of our team will get back to you within 48 hours.

20 • Thursday, July 30, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

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OneUnited Bank reserves the right to cancel this promotion at any time.

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Thursday, July 30, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 21

ARTS&CULTURE CHECK OUT MORE ARTS NEWS ONLINE: WWW.BAYSTATEBANNER.COM/CATEGORY/ARTS-AND-CULTURE

An Art Fair for Everyone

AREA CODE Art Fair debuts with egalitarian aims

By CELINA COLBY August 1 through 31, AREA CODE art fair will debut as one of the only fairs exclusively featuring contemporary artists with ties to New England. The fair will show solo artists and galleries from the region both online and in socially distanced outdoor spaces. A calendar of safe programming accompanies the monthlong event, with digital art projections and pop-up art viewings.

What makes the AREA CODE Fair unique is both its focus on New England and its accessibility to artists and the public. Fair organizers aim to tear down the exclusive, hierarchal structure of most art fairs by accepting individual artists as well as galleries and nonprofits to show their work. The fair itself is also completely free to the public to view and experience.

“We decided to have the fair be a hybrid between online and offline events,” says David Guerra, the director of AREA Gallery and the creator of the fair. “The fair is basically a big umbrella for collaborations to happen.”

Online visitors can view a selection of work juried by Octavio Zaya. This will take the form of around 50 presentations, a mini-solo-show for each artist. Livestreamed performances curated by Gabriel Sosa will also screen online.

On Aug. 14, AREA CODE will host an outdoor art experience at Salem State University. The evening will include projections of artworks on the side of the Salem State Arena and digital artwork curated by Leonie Bradbury and presented drive-in style in partnership with LuminArtz.

In Boston, storefronts and public spaces will be activated in partnership with Space Us as gallery walls. Juried by Jen Mergel, these presentations will feature work by MFA graduates around New England who were not able to have their institutional shows due to COVID-19. The artists were able to choose which neighborhoods their art is placed in, allowing increased access in communities that lack museums or galleries. Visitors can walk by and view the art from the street in a safe, socially distanced way.

A map of the pop-up exhibitions will be live on the art fair’s website on Aug. 1.

Most works on view online and in person will be available for purchase, with prices ranging from $300–$20,000, a range meant to be approachable for a large audience. “It’s a great opportunity to start a collection or add to a collection,” says Guerra. But if you’re an art lover but don’t have the desire or the resources to be collecting art, you can still support the artists in a direct way. Every artist will have their Venmo and PayPal information on view for fair visitors who would like to support their work without purchasing a piece.

Guerra says much of the art is socially engaged. “We’re highlighting the most important

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Mourning the loss of a mural ‘Roxbury Love’ mural demolished to make way for new construction

By CELINA COLBY On Thursday, July 23, Cruz Companies began demolition on a building at the corner of Warren and Clifford Streets in Roxbury. This was the site of the iconic “Roxbury Love” mural by artists Ricardo “Deme5” Gomez and Thomas “Kwest” Burns. The demolition sparked outrage in the community that has come to embrace the mural as one of Roxbury’s signature art pieces.

Commissioned in 2014 by the City of Boston’s “Pop Up! Dudley Connections” program, the mural was only slated to be up for 18 months. Six years later, it had become an integral part of the Roxbury landscape. The 100-foot spray-painted mural featured a black-and-white portrait of Nelson Mandela in the

“ “The fair is basically a big umbrella for collaborations to happen.”

— David Guerra

issues that our society is facing today. There’s a lot on racial justice, a lot on equity,” says Guerra.

Now is not the time for art to be silent, and AREA CODE Art Fair is amplifying as many socially active artistic voices as possible.

Overall, the goal is to make an art fair for everyone. And with the online and in-person hybrid, that fair will feel more intimate and tailored than most large art gatherings. “The idea is quality more than quantity,” says Guerra.

“Every presentation should feel like a solo show of that artist.”

(top) Elizabeth Awalt, “Catching Light” 60 x 50, oil on canvas. COURTESY PHOTO (bottom) Jessica Tam, “Untitled (from Launch series of 10)” 24 x 49, oil on panel.

I would’ve liked to have had the chance to say goodbye.”

— Ricardo “Deme5” Gomez

center, smiling with his finger on his temple. The words “Roxbury Love” flanked the portrait, and a boldly colored pattern ran the full length of the wall. The mural was inspired by Mandela’s 1990 trip to Boston and launched the hashtag #RoxburyLove on social media platforms. On that trip, Mandela spoke at Roxbury’s Madison Park High School, just a mile from the site of the mural.

The Boston Planning and Development Agency approved plans for the demolition and construction on the site in 2016.

Cruz Companies, a Black-owned and operated company based in Roxbury, will build 95 units of affordable and elderly housing on the site and a ground floor set of commercial spaces, according to the BPDA documents. The property will also house the Cruz Companies offices, which currently

COURTESY PHOTO

On the web Participate in the AREA CODE Art Fair Aug. 1–31 at: www.areacodeartfair.com

See MURAL, page 22

ON THE WEB Read the statement from artist Ricardo “Deme5” Gomez at www.instagram.com/p/

CDB0SoSntEJ/

22 • Thursday, July 30, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

ARTS&CULTURE CHECK OUT MORE ARTS NEWS ONLINE: WWW.BAYSTATEBANNER.COM/CATEGORY/ARTS-AND-CULTURE

Modern Connections dance classes resume in person

“

By CELINA COLBY Modern Connections dance collective, run by dancer and activist Jenny Oliver, announced that in-person classes would be making a comeback, with increased safety and sanitation measures, on July 12. In less than 12 hours, the class was sold out. Oliver says reopening was an easy choice to make because the in-person community and connectivity is so essential to her dance practice.

Since March, Modern Connections has been running well-attended classes online, but Oliver says it hasn’t been the same. “I think that’s something that we really learned through this quarantine, is that there’s nothing like being around other people.

There’s nothing like that energy exchange that happens when you’re with others,” she says.

To make in-person classes safe, a number of new procedures are in place. Class sizes are limited so students can be six feet apart, registration and payment is done online in advance, masks are required during class and anywhere in the building, and the shower facilities are not available.

The space is also being cleaned at increased intervals and one-way path-finding has been instated to reduce congestion in hallways

I think that’s something that we really learned through this quarantine, is that there’s nothing like being around other people. There’s nothing like that energy exchange that happens when you’re with others.”

— Jenny Oliver

PHOTO: STEFANIE BLENAVIS,THE DIAHANN PROJECT

Jenny Oliver and entrances.

Every Saturday, Oliver teaches the Modern Connections class at the Dance Complex in Cambridge’s Central Square, focusing on the Horton technique, a favorite of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater as well. The class is open to dancers of all levels, from longtime practitioners to first-time dancers. “Anyone can take the class,

and then depending on who’s in the room, I give modifications to make it more advanced or to make it less advanced if people are coming to it for the first time,” says Oliver. The classes will continue to be streamed online and Oliver also hosts an informal “Kitchen Class” on Instagram once a week, streamed from her home.

Oliver also runs Connections

Dance Theater, a contemporary dance troupe that creates work around social and political issues.

Though they’ve been on hiatus for most of the quarantine, Oliver says she’s been thinking carefully about how to apply the art form to the racial justice issues at hand.

She anticipates a work will begin to evolve in the coming months.

In the meantime, she’s found

that the COVID-19 shutdowns have exposed how essential art and dance really is, for social justice issues and individual fulfillment. “Imagine a world without art. In this quarantine you wouldn’t have anything.

You wouldn’t have books, you wouldn’t have TV, you wouldn’t have music, you wouldn’t be able to watch any kind of videos with dance or singing or acting,” she says. “We wouldn’t be a society without art.”

ON THE WEB Learn more and register at

www.modernconnectionscollective.com

A MUST-READ FOR EVERY BOSTONIAN! Did you know...

One of Boston’s skyscrapers — State Street Bank — was developed by black people?

That Roxbury’s Clifton Wharton Jr. became the first black president of a major U.S. college?

BANNER FILE PHOTO

The “Roxbury Love” mural has been demolished to make way for affordable housing and commercial space.

mural

continued from page 21

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are in John Eliot Square. The 2016 plan also includes $8,000 set aside to replace the “Roxbury Love” mural with another artwork onsite. Unconfirmed reports say that Gomez and Burns have been commissioned to create a piece for Nubian Square in the wake of the demolition.

Despite these plans, the wound left by the destruction of “Roxbury Love” stings for many community members. Gomez posted a video on his Instagram page of

him watching the demolition. In a statement on the post he wrote, “If I think rationally, I can say I knew this mural wasn’t going to be permanent. But if I go with my heart, to say that this mural meant a lot to me is an understatement.”

Several community meetings were hosted to discuss the project in the early stages of its planning, but neighborhood residents are saying they were not informed of the date the demolition would occur. There was no formal opportunity to view the mural one last time. Gomez wrote, “I would’ve liked to have had the chance to say goodbye.”

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Thursday, July 30, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 23

BANNER CLASSIFIEDS LEGAL

LEGAL

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department

on these documents from interested parties regarding 1.) The use of HOME funds for the development of affordable housing in the North Shore HOME Consortium region 2.) The use of CDBG funds to assist low and moderate-income persons in the City of Peabody over the next five years and specific projects for the coming year. The Consortium’s communities include: Amesbury, Andover, Beverly, Boxford, Danvers, Essex, Gloucester, Georgetown, Hamilton, Haverhill, Ipswich, Lynnfield, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Merrimac, Methuen, Middleton, Newburyport, North Andover, North Reading, Peabody, Rockport, Rowley, Salem, Salisbury, Swampscott, Topsfield, Wenham, West Newbury and Wilmington. The activities proposed with HOME funds include: Creating Affordable Rental Housing; Rehabilitating Existing Housing Stock & Removing Physical Barriers for People who are Disabled; Creating Affordable Homeownership Housing Units; Providing Tenant-based Rental Assistance to Target Populations; Assisting Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs). Proposed CDBG projects in Peabody for the next five years include Social Service, Infrastructure and Safety Improvements, the Creation of Affordable Units, Economic Development and Urgent Need Activities. CDBG projects for the coming year include the funding of Social Service Activities, Economic Development and Infrastructure Improvements.

SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU20P1175GD

Citation Giving Notice of Petition for Appointment of Guardian for Incapacitated Person Pursuant to G.L. c. 190B, §5-304 In the matter of: Ciro Moran Of: Boston, MA RESPONDENT Alleged Incapacitated Person To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by Beth Israel D Medical Center of Boston, MA in the above captioned matter alleging that Ciro Moran is in need of a Guardian and requesting that Illuminada Ayla De Moran of Lawrence, MA (or some other suitable person) be appointed as Guardian to serve on the bond.

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

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 08/19/2020. This day is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline date by which you have to file the written appearance if you object to the petition. If you fail to file the written appearance by the return date, action may be taken in this matter without further notice to you. In addition to filing the written appearance, you or your attorney must file a written affidavit stating the specific facts and grounds of your objection within 30 days after the return date.

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

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

WITNESS, Hon. Brian J. Dunn, First Justice of this Court.

Date: July 17, 2020

Felix D. Arroyo Register of Probate

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

Docket No. SU20P1183GD

Citation Giving Notice of Petition for Appointment of Guardian for Incapacitated Person Pursuant to G.L. c. 190B, §5-304 In the matter of: Angel P. Rodriguez Of: Roxbury, MA RESPONDENT Alleged Incapacitated Person

HELP WANTED

An electronic copy of the Consortium’s Five-Year Consolidated Plan, Annual Action plan, and Citizen Participation Plan will be available on August 10, 2020 at www.peabody-ma.gov. . The public comment period will begin on August 10th and will end on September 10th, 2020. During this time, three online Public Hearings will be held to invite comment on the draft document, in accordance with 24 CFR 91.105(c)(2) of the federal regulations relative to citizen participation for Community Planning and Development Programs and applicable waivers made available to those requirements through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Pursuant to Governor Baker’s March 12, 2020 Order suspending certain provisions of the Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A § 18, and the Governor’s March 15, 2020 Order imposing strict limitation on the number of people that may gather in one place, meetings will be conducted via remote participation to the greatest extent possible. No in-person attendance of members of the public will be permitted, but every effort will be made to ensure that the public can adequately access the proceedings in real time, via technological means.

Individuals may participate in the meeting via a remote participation platform called Zoom. Members of the public who wish to attend this meeting may access the remote participation through any one of the following ways: • Participants can enter in the Zoom Webinar link below under the selected date into their web browser to participate online • Participants can enter this link into your web browser to open the Zoom website: https://zoom.us/join, and then enter the selected meeting ID from below as directed on the webpage and click “Join”. Follow the on-screen instructions to join the meeting.

• Participants can dial a toll-free number 1-646-558-8656 to join the meeting. When prompted, enter meeting ID from the selected meeting below and follow the instructions to join .

Three hearing times are available for you to choose from: Aug 10, 2020 10:00 AM Eastern Time. To Join meeting enter the link below into your web browser: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82529929996?pwd=OGM4RzlyRGMxQ09DOFE4TUlJVmpjdz09

To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by Boston Medical Center of Boston, MA in the above captioned matter alleging that Angel P. Rodriguez is in need of a Guardian and requesting that Angel D. Rodriguez, of Boston, MA (or some other suitable person) be appointed as Guardian to serve Without Surety on the bond.

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

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 08/28/2020. This day is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline date by which you have to file the written appearance if you object to the petition. If you fail to file the written appearance by the return date, action may be taken in this matter without further notice to you. In addition to filing the written appearance, you or your attorney must file a written affidavit stating the specific facts and grounds of your objection within 30 days after the return date.

Meeting ID: 825 2992 9996 558-8656

Passcode: 881587

Or Dial in: 1-646-

Aug 10, 2020 06:00 PM Eastern Time. To Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86827981649?pwd=NFJZZ05CeksvUTFEN0hrV2xLZmw4dz09 Meeting ID: 868 2798 1649 558-8656

Passcode: 361852

Or Dial in: 1-646-

Aug 13, 2020 05:00 PM Eastern Time. To Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87342265138?pwd=WEYrdkRmckx6UWlKc1htYnhjdlV2dz09 Meeting ID: 873 4226 5138 8656

Passcode: 800069

Or Dial in: 1-646-558-

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.

Real-time responses and accommodations for persons with disabilities and/ or with limited English proficiency will be made available upon request to the greatest extent possible. Citizens, all interested parties, representatives from the Consortium’s member communities, and nonprofit providers are urged to participate in these hearings. Written comments are also encouraged and may be addressed, on or before September 10, 2020, to: The Department of Community Development, City Hall, 24 Lowell Street, Peabody, Massachusetts 01960 or via e-mail to: lisa.greene@peabody-ma. gov or stacey.bernson@peabody-ma.gov

WITNESS, Hon. Brian J. Dunn, First Justice of this Court.

Date: July 17, 2020

The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority is seeking bids for the following:

Felix D. Arroyo Register of Probate

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING AND PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR DRAFT FIVE-YEAR CONSOLIDATED PLAN 2020-2025, ANNUAL ACTION PLAN 2020-21, AND CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PLAN The City of Peabody, in cooperation with the North Shore HOME Consortium, an organization comprised of thirty cities and towns in the Merrimack Valley and the North Shore, is holding meetings and seeking public comment on the draft Five-year Consolidated Plan for Program years 2020-2025, Annual Action Plan for Program Year 2020-21 and the Citizen Participation Plan before submission to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The purpose of this meeting is to receive feedback

UHM Properties LLC is seeking an experienced property manager to join its team. The successful candidate must have a minimum of 2 years of experience in managing Project Based Section 8 properties layered with Low Income Housing Tax Credit. The candidate will be a team player with strong verbal, organizational and written communication skills.

Proficiency in a second language is a plus. Professional Certifications as Certified Occupancy Specialist (COS) and Tax Credit Specialist (C3P) are required. Transportation is a must. Submit resume and cover letter to: shydes@uhmproperties.com no later than August 14, 2020.

UHM Properties LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH Buffalo) seeks a Director of Community Development to lead our

affordable housing and related community development activities, centered primarily on the West Side of Buffalo, New York. Our mission is: to mobilize residents to create strong neighborhoods with quality affordable housing; to expand local hiring opportunities; and to advance social, economic and environmental justice in Buffalo.

The Director of Community Development leads PUSH’s efforts to create high-quality affordable and sustainable housing for low income households, and community development projects that advance economic justice. We seek a creative, mission driven developer to become our next Director of Community Development. They will be comfortable carrying out comprehensive community planning processes, together with the board, the community and others on staff, in order to determine project priorities.

Please submit one PDF document containing a cover letter and an up-to-date resume to: http://annlsilverman.com/push-community-development-director/ See www.pushbuffalo.org for more information about PUSH Buffalo and its programs.

PUSH Buffalo seeks a diverse pool of candidates. We are committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age.

Physical Education Instructor – Part Time

Thacher Montessori School The ideal PE teacher candidate will have: ■ At least three years of PE teaching experience ■ A Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent Education (Preferred) ■ A genuine passion, motivation, and enthusiasm for teaching

elementary and Middle School students Flexibility in addressing students’ needs Excellent observation skills A sense of humility and sense of humor with peers Strong communication skills with students, parents, and colleagues ■ The ability to listen and be present ■ ■ ■ ■

The Physical Education Instructor will design and implement a program in PE for students ages 6 through 14, incorporating team-building activities for all students at least once each month. Following state education guidelines, create age-appropriate activities for physical development for elementary students. The Instructor will provide fun and engaging instruction to help build a health and wellness foundation in the students and will facilitate students’ physical, cognitive, and social and emotional learning through lessons designed to sequentially develop skills appropriate to their ability and confidence levels.

BID NO.

DESCRIPTION

DATE

TIME

WRA-4873

Hydraulic Cylinder Rebuild and Oil Flush on the MWRA Clinton Crest Gates

08/12/20

2:00 p.m.

The position is a three-day per week position for a total of 12 hours per week.

7691/7692

RFQ/P Agency-Wide Technical Assistance Consulting Services

08/25/20

11:00 a.m.

S597

Thermal and Hydro Power Plant Maintenance

08/27/20

2:00 p.m.

Located within a half-mile of Boston city limits, the school enjoys a rich cultural and geographic diversity in a natural setting, lying between a 7,000-acre nature preserve and The Wakefield Estate, a 23-acre arboretum with livestock and specimen gardens. Each of our 8 classrooms, housed in a 1989 building designed for Montessori education, is led by a Montessori-trained teacher assisted by a second faculty member. The school is AISNE and AMS accredited for all ages and recognized at the 0-3 and 3-6 levels by AMI. With a strong foundation built over the last 50 years, the school is poised to carry out its Mission as a fully-realized and still-developing Montessori community.

To access and bid on Event(s) please go to the MWRA Supplier Portal at www.mwra.com.

FOLLOW THE BAY STATE BANNER

MORE JOBS!

PROPERTY MANAGER

Apply by emailing vickyvarnum@thacherschool.org

CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE CLASSIFIED LISTINGS:

MORE JOBS!

BAYSTATEBANNER.COM/JOBS

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