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FEATURE

OSCAR GUTIERREZ

AND THE RISE OF A TRANSNATIONAL IDENTITY IN BOSTON

THE TOKIN’ TRUTH

FACEBOOK JUST SAYS “NO” BUT HATE SPEECH IS STILL COOL MUSIC

THANKS(FOR)GIVING MUSIC FILLS THE TUMMY

ARTS

CAMERAS CAN’T REPLACE GUARDS THE MFA CUTS BACK ITS SECURITY

速

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Bill Blumenreich Presents

BILL BLUMENREICH PRESENTS

MIKE EPPS

VOL 17 + ISSUE 47

NOVEMBER 25, 2015 - DECEMBER 2, 2015 EDITORIAL

DEAR READER

EDITOR + PUBLISHER Jeff lawrence

Not all Thanksgivings are equal. This year, your conservative aunts and uncles are almost guaranteed to be extra awful, as their empty fearful heads are good and swollen with hope of a President Trump. Sadly, we’ve no real advice to help you deal with them, though you’re always welcome to read any number of holiday table prep manuals available on thinkpiece sites like Salon. What we do have, however, is a special cornucopia of extra liberal features to help you prepare for battle. From our cover story on immigration and transnational identity, to the real story of Thanksgiving, to articles about movies and bands your dickhead relatives are sure to loathe, you might even get to be the most obnoxious family member of all.

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ON THE COVER Colombian activist Oscar Gutierrez represents this week.

Read about his recent visit to East Boston.

Photo by Mario E. Quiroz-Servellón.

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It was fun while it lasted. And I'll admit, liberal smartasses like me probably stoked you a little too much, maybe even angered you with our superior intelligence. But now this shit is getting ugly, what with you assaulting people of color at your rallies, and with that dick hat leader of yours validating the violence. Even when Trump fades, I know you won't go away, but this has really been a wake up call.

Because as long as ignorant bigots like you populate even the far-left throes of red Massachusetts, it's clear that nothing could ever make America great again, whatever the fuck that means in the first place.

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NEWS US would allow requesters to challenge an extension to the supervisor or a requirement that requesters be notified when an agency seeks or receives an extension.

That’s “crazy,” Morisy says. In theory, these extended time periods would only apply to “complex” requests, but they will likely be abused. “I think anybody who’s familiar with how agencies work around here, they’re just going to say every request is complex,” Morisy adds.

BROKEN RECORDS NEWS TO US

Mass public records laws may be about to get much, much worse

BY ANDREW QUEMERE @ANDREW_BSE Massachusetts has some of the weakest government transparency laws in the country, so our state lawmakers decided to make them even worse.

Public records laws are a dry, technical subject that most people don’t have the patience for, but they’re important for journalists, lawyers, and activists who use public records to expose police brutality, information about deaths of children linked to abuse and neglect, and dirt on the now-defunct Boston 2024 Olympics bid, just to give a few recent examples.

Under the current public records law, anyone can request records from any state or local government agency (although the governor’s office, Legislature, and courts are exempt). Agencies are then required to comply with records requests in 10 days, but often stonewall for months because they face no consequences. Agencies also obstruct requests by citing exemptions to the law—relevant or otherwise—or by charging exorbitant fees for requests.

The supervisor of records, an official appointed by the secretary of the Commonwealth, can order agencies to comply with records requests, but agencies often ignore those orders. To get orders enforced, the supervisor must refer cases to the state attorney general, but almost never does so. The AG then has the option of seeking criminal charges against public officials who violate the law, but has never gotten around to it even once.

This past year, there has been a push by state lawmakers to update the law, which hasn’t been significantly altered since 1973. A bill filed in the Legislature earlier this year would have improved the law in a number of ways, but it was radically changed and approved by the House last week. It appears that the bill has been sabotaged by the Massachusetts Municipal Association, a private special interest group made up of local government officials, which has been lobbying state lawmakers and leading a scare campaign against the 4

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old bill. The new bill contains a few improvements over the current law, such as putting more limits on the fees agencies can charge for records, but otherwise reads like it was written by the MMA itself (virtually every change advocated by MMA executive director Geoffrey Beckwith was implemented). Most of the positive parts of the old bill were watered down or stripped out completely, and it contains a number of new provisions that will make it substantially harder to get public records.

“I thought [the old bill] was a very strong bill that would’ve actually brought Massachusetts up to where other states are,” says Michael Morisy, founder of MuckRock, a Boston-based website that assists users with making information requests all around the country. “[The revised] bill takes what was already a low bar and in some ways sets it even lower … [It] doesn’t really do anything to solve the core problems with what’s broken in Massachusetts public records law.”

The bill still needs to go before the Senate, which will likely change it yet again, so there’s still hope that it will be fixed. But after seeing how the bill was devastated by the House, the future is unpredictable. There’s too much wrong with this bill to summarize in one article, but here are some of the most glaring problems with the current language…

The bill would give agencies months to comply with requests The revised bill would give state agencies up to 60 days and local agencies up to 75 days to comply with records requests. Furthermore, agencies would have the option to apply for an extension with the supervisor of records within 45 days of receiving a request. They would only be allowed one extension, but there would be no limit on the length, allowing agencies to delay requests for months or even years. The bill does not include any language that

The bill would let records law breakers off the hook The bill as it was originally written would have made the law easier to enforce by encouraging people who were wrongfully denied records to sue agencies. Under that bill, judges would have been required to award attorney’s fees to requesters who successfully sued agencies. Under the new bill, judges would have complete discretion over whether to award the fees, and the bill contains no guidelines for making these decisions.

Joel Fleming, a Boston attorney who is familiar with the system, opined on Twitter that he think judges would be “extremely hesitant” to award fees under the new bill since the money would be coming from taxpayers.

That means attorneys would be unlikely to accept public records cases unless they were paid up front or working for free, which is already the status quo. Some attorneys might agree to take cases on a contingency basis, Fleming says, but it wouldn’t make any financial sense for them to do so. His question: “[W]hy would I invest time in a case, where I have say a 20% chance of getting paid my hourly rate and 80% of $0?”

Todd Wallack, a reporter and public records expert for the Boston Globe, noted that even though the Commonwealth’s largest newspaper has “terrific” outside counsel on retainer, even they find it “difficult to make [the] decision to sue and prepare paperwork in 30 days.”

And remember, 30 days is less than the amount of time government agencies have to comply with requests under the bill. In fact, it’s less than the 45-day period they would have to file for an extension.

The revised bill also fails to address the lack of enforcement by the supervisor of records and attorney general. The old bill would have required the supervisor to refer orders to the attorney general when agencies refuse to comply, and that the attorney general enforce them.

However, the language requiring referrals was removed.

The bill would allow agencies to force requesters to pay private vendors for records The revised public records bill puts more limits on how much agencies can charge for fulfilling records requests. It would not allow agencies to charge for the first few hours of personnel time, and it would cap the hourly rate for preparing records at $25 for state agencies (local agencies could still charge more per hour). However, this provision includes a significant loophole: it allows an agency to hire private vendors to process records requests if said agency “lacks the qualified staffing or technological capabilities” to do so. Agencies could require requesters to sign “an enforceable written agreement” to cover the costs of hiring a vendor, or else refuse to turn over the records.

According to Morisy, some agencies are already using private vendors, often pricey information technology companies who are hired to extract digital records from databases. “[It’s] another tool to discourage public records requests,” he said. “Agencies choose vendors that are expensive … That’s pathetic. Any other entity that was operating would naturally choose the most efficient, most open way to maintain and store data. It’s just common sense.”

BROKEN RECORDS continued on pg. 6

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BROKEN RECORDS continued from pg. 4 Where does that leave us?

Senators will begin discussing the public records bill this week, and will begin revising it again, although they will not vote on it until next year. On a positive note, I spoke by phone with Senator James Eldridge, one of the lawmakers who has been behind the push to update the law, and he expressed concern about many of the problems discussed herein.

“Massachusetts needs the strongest public records bill in the country, and I do think the House bill falls short,” Eldridge says, adding that he took issue with the extreme amounts of time the bill would give agencies, the lack of mandatory attorney’s fees in lawsuits, and the lack of any “strong enforcement” provisions.

There’s hope that folks in the Senate—Eldridge in particular—will help repair the bill and get an improved version signed into law. But if they can’t significantly improve the bill, it shouldn’t be passed at all. This is the 21st Century, and decades of technological innovation have made the process of storing, retrieving, and copying records more efficient—the last thing we need is a law that makes it harder to obtain public records than it was in the ‘70s.

As Morisy put it while reacting to the House bill, “It’s sad that the Legislature has such low regard for the agencies and departments in Massachusetts that they just think they’re the worst in the country, and they’re okay with that. I think this is an amazing state, I think there’s amazingly talented people in government in Massachusetts, and I think we should respect them enough to ask that they be good at their job.”

Let’s hope our senators agree.

THE TOKIN’ TRUTH

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CANNA-BLOCK

Facebook rejects weed ads, OKs hate speech

BY MIKE CRAWFORD @MIKECANNBOSTON My editor had a question about social media and marijuana, something I’m a bit familiar with. “You ever have a problem with buying weed-related ads on Facebook?”

Yes, I have. In the past, running ads on Facebook for my blog and more recently for “The Young Jurks,” I have learned that it is standard operating procedure for the site not to approve ads with marijuana leaf graphics or with “objectionable” words such as “cannabis.”

With the most recent example, they were blocking Facebook promotion for this column, The Tokin’ Truth. Not because we’re selling legal medical marijuana (we’re not). Rather, they’re rejecting the mere words used in our stories, and denying us the ability to further disseminate political commentary. This may be their right as a private company, but it’s nevertheless censorship of the ugliest kind. It’s worth noting that political campaigns aiming to legalize the herb have been similarly frustrated by Facebook’s cannabis ban.

Here’s where things get extra sticky: There is also an ongoing ridiculous doublestandard afoot. This is worth noting because this same social media bigfoot profits big time off app games like Pot Farm, and because Facebook happily accepts some seriously objectionable ads. But we’ll get to one of those in a moment.

In October, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted: “US jails hold around 2.4 million people—about 25 percent of the world’s population. Blacks and Hispanics are significantly more likely than whites to be arrested for possession and sale of marijuana and to receive a conviction and criminal record, even though the majority of marijuana users are non-Hispanic whites.”

With that in mind, perhaps Zuckerberg should lift the Facebook block on journalism that reports this same news. Maybe instead of blocking ads for this column and others like it, the behemoth should offer us some free promotion.

This canna-blocking is especially strange when you consider some of the organizations that Facebook takes ads from, like Americans for Peace & Tolerance (APT), who are far from peaceful or tolerant. Recently, APT linked to a Breitbart. com article that attempts to cast Muslim Cambridge City Councilor Nadeem Mazen as being aligned with Hamas. Disgustingly, the APT ad uses murdered MIT police officer Sean Collier to push a hateful agenda, while the article itself is full of conspiracy, innuendo, and misrepresentations.

Mazen calls the Breitbart takedown hate speech and Islamophobia, which is plainly the case. Backing him up, on the most recent episode of “The Young Jurks,” Cambridge resident and recent candidate for City Council Mike Connolly called the Breitbart piece “trash,” while the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has labeled APT a hate group, and US Attorney Carmen Ortiz called the group’s claims “incredibly racist and unfair.”

Facebook is OK with advertisements for libelous hate speech and slander against Muslims. Ads for credible marijuana reform journalism, on the other hand, no way. Zuckerberg, if you are listening, you have a problem. Fix it.

Facebook did not return a request for response in time for our deadline.

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APPARENT HORIZON

REMEMBRANCE AND PROTEST

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Sat 11/28 9:30PM - (Beatles Tribute)

Tues 12/1 8PM - (Blues)

Thur 12/3 7:30PM - (Comedy)

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MARTHA DAVIS & THE MOTELS

Sat 12/26 7PM

SUPERHONEY (REUNION) (Funk)

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+ EDDIE JAPAN ETHAN ROSSITER & THE JAMBERRIES RUST NEVER SLEEPS

GLEN DAVID ANDREWS + NEW ORLEANS SUSPECTS + BEN KNIGHT

17 Holland St., Davis Sq. Somerville (617) 776-2004 Directly on T Red Line at Davis

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Sat 12/5 7:30PM - (Tribute to Neil Young)

(Funk/New Orleans)

The following passage is excerpted from a piece I wrote in 2005. It recounts the story of King Philip’s War—which was fought across southern New England 340 years ago, and started not far from where I attended a Thanksgiving dinner that year at my cousin’s place in North Attleborough. Read it. Think about it. Discuss it with friends and family. And, if you can make it, join the United American Indians of New England and allies for a day of remembrance and protest at the 46th National Day of Mourning on November 26 at noon at Coles Hill in Plymouth. Get all the information, and a more accurate version of the history of “Thanksgiving” at the UAINE website.

In 1675, a Wampanoag sachem named Metacomet (or King Philip to the English) launched—somewhat reluctantly—a war against English colonists in what is now Massachusetts that came closer than any other war launched

by America’s native peoples to ending European domination in at least one corner of the “New World.” It was the last colonial war in which the two sides had relatively equal numbers, and used basically equivalent technology.

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The grievances of the faction of the Wampanoags that began the war—and the other nations that joined them including the Narragansetts, Pocumtucks, and Nipmucks—were fairly straightforward. The English unceasingly attempted by foul means and fair to convert the native nations to Christianity. And they continually overstepped the bounds of various treaties and contracts with native peoples in taking land that wasn’t theirs for their own exclusive use.

Two years later, roughly 800 colonists and 6000 Native Americans were dead.

Dozens of towns and settlements on both sides were wholly or substantially destroyed. Atrocities were committed by all parties to the conflict—though the English outdid their opposition in that respect, unsurprisingly.

The war forever cast Native Americans into the role of “savages”—a subhuman status fit only for subjugation or extermination. For 300 years after the war, most American historians gave short shrift to native justifications for the conflict, and exulted in the glory of a holy war won against the forces of darkness.

After you absorb that Native American history, I recommend you delve into some local Black history that activists at Harvard Law School have unearthed. It seems the school was founded with money from a vile family of slavers by the name of Royall. Making matters worse, Harvard Law then adopted the Royall family coat of arms as its crest. The protesters are calling for the decolonization of their campus, the symbols, the curriculum and the history of Harvard Law School. Readers can find out more by following #RoyallMustFall on Twitter and Facebook.

Apparent Horizon is syndicated by the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism.

Jason Pramas is BINJ’s network director.

COPYRIGHT 2015 JASON PRAMAS. LICENSED FOR USE BY THE BOSTON INSTITUTE FOR NONPROFIT JOURNALISM AND MEDIA OUTLETS IN ITS NETWORK.

Had not disease already decimated the native population of the area decades before, the English never could have won.

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OSCAR GUTIERREZ, IN HAT, LEADS A DISCUSSION ON COLOMBIAN POLITICS. LUIS FERNANDEZ-CASTRO (LEFT) OF THE PDA INVITED HIM TO BOSTON.

BETWEEN THE BALLOT BOX AND BOGOTA FEATURE

Part I in ‘A Higher Allegiance: The Rise of a Transnational Identity in Boston’s Immigrant Communities,’ a BINJ series

On a recent cold Sunday evening in mid-November, Oscar Gutierrez landed at Logan Airport and immediately hopped on the Blue Line toward East Boston. In a rush and rocking his signature fedora, the veteran Colombian activist had just left New York City and was on the next leg of his tour of the Northeast to discuss agricultural justice, Colombian politics, and the effects of corporate globalization on his home country. His audience for most of these talks is made up of Colombian immigrants, some of whom are politically active, others just curious about the situation back home.

Gutierrez arrived at the Neighborhood of Affordable Housing office in Eastie a little late for his event, but was warmly welcomed by a circle of 15 people—all Colombians now living and working in Boston. Gutierrez had been invited by local members of the Polo Democrático Alternativo, the only Colombian opposition party. The PDA has a few representatives based in the Colombian consulate in Back Bay, and Gutierrez is a member of the party’s neighborhood outreach wing.

The PDA is a young political party—established in 2005—and while it had an early run of getting senators elected, a corrupt mayor and subsequent rift within the ranks left the PDA in recovery since 2011. However, the outcome of the Oct 25 municipal elections in Colombia gave leftists like Gutierrez reason to stay optimistic.

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“The results this year were better for us than the last,” he said to the room. Not everything was ideal, though, as Gutierrez expressed deep frustration about the “dirty” campaign opponents ran against the PDA’s mayoral candidate in Bogota.

In practice, Gutierrez is more than a party man selling political promises. He’s a seasoned Colombian agricultural activist and the executive director of Dignidad Agropecuararia (Agricultural and Fishing Dignity), which defends small farmers and business owners against government and corporate greed. His background and connection with the group spurred lively discussion: There were inside jokes about certain regions, questions about the economy, political debate, and compliments on the pan de bono (Colombian cheese bread) provided for the event. One man, an economist, took issue with Gutierrez’s comments on globalization.

Another asked how Colombians could truly trust any political party, including the PDA, which is still reeling from said scandal. Former party bigwig Samuel Moreno was mayor of Bogota from 2007 to 2011, leading a corrupt administration that Colombia Reports describes as a four-year “alleged embezzlement binge.” He was arrested in 2011, leaving the PDA fractured and without some prominent members.

In conversation, Gutierrez didn’t shy away from

controversial topics, and acknowledged that the PDA still has a lot of growing to do. There were some skeptics in the room, but even all the way in Boston, it’s worth trying to court them. According to surveys done in the past decade, there are more than 7,000 Colombians living in Boston, with the group making up just under 5 percent of the Hub’s immigrant population. Furthermore, Colombia is one of eleven Latin American countries that allows citizens living abroad to vote at local consulates.

Capitalizing on this fact, Colombian pols often visit some of the larger expat communities in US cities like New York and Boston.

“They usually only visit when it comes to the elections,” says Antuán Castro Del Rio, a reporter with East Boston Zoom. “And you usually get the candidates who are wealthy enough to travel.”

Turnout abroad for non-presidential Colombian elections is relatively low, hovering between 10 and 15 percent. But compared with the turnout for local Boston elections, which have recently attracted as few as 13 percent of voters, the number is still significant, and indicates that many Colombians do not entirely leave their country behind after emigrating. Rather, their home countries remain a big part of their lives, even as they become American in many ways, thus challenging the idea of total assimilation being the only option for immigrants.

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TURNOUT AND BURNOUT

Before dropping his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal told crowds that “immigration without assimilation is invasion.” Similarly, Donald Trump scolded GOP rival Jeb Bush for speaking Spanish on the campaign trail, saying it set a bad example for immigrants who should be assimilating. The idea that immigrants need to assimilate in order to prove their loyalty or just be good citizens are old refrains. Such xenophobic demands fail to acknowledge how arduous the process can be and ignore the various ways immigrants can retain ties to their homeland while living full lives in the US. Transnational migrants—people who retain close and active ties to both their host country and country of origin—are sometimes seen as resisting assimilation, though a 2010 paper by sociologists at Texas Tech University notes the experience of transnationals involves an active and dynamic involvement with both their new home and their old home. Technology has only helped make this status more widespread and maintainable: “It is easier now than ever before to be filled in on all the political and social happenings in the home country. In the past, this information might have been difficult or time-consuming to obtain, but now the physical distance gap is closing, allowing immigrants to feel connected to their former society when they might not otherwise have had the ability to do so.”

There are many ways to participate in a transnational identity, from interpersonal connections back home to political or corporate activity. As Peggy Levitt, a sociology professor at Wellesley College, once wrote for the Migration Policy Institute, “These allegiances are not antithetical to one another.” Colombians and other Latinos commonly find themselves in such complex scenarios, or “between here and there” situations as Pew Hispanic called them in a 2007 study, which noted that 63 percent of Latino immigrants show “moderate attachment” to their home country.

“Many Colombians come to America not because they want to live here, but because they need to work,” Castro Del Rio says. “They still have friends and family and community back in Colombia. It makes sense they’d still be invested in their well-being.”

Colombia’s poverty rate is 32 percent as of 2012, and the country’s external debt reached record levels in 2014, hitting $100 billion. The agricultural system is also hurting: 52 percent of rural land is owned by 1.15 percent of landowners. Included in that 1.15 percent are international mining businesses, digging up land for minerals used in cellphones.

At the same time, the country imports 10 million tons of food per year. (Gutierrez called it the age of “¡Vivan las importaciones!” [“Long live imports!”].) Colombia’s political history is notoriously turbulent, with political

assassinations haunting the country for the last 30 years.

It’s a heavy, tragic legacy, and certainly each Colombian carries that weight with them after leaving the country.

“We feel Colombia is heading in a wrong direction,” says Luis Fernandez-Castro, who works for the PDA out of the Colombian consulate in Boston. Fernandez-Castro says over the phone that his home country is heading towards a situation similar to Greece’s, given the weak state of industries like agriculture and the massive amount of debt. Fernandez-Castro’s job in Boston is to educate as many locals as possible on these issues by getting them to participate in speeches, forums, and rallies.

Still, getting folks to the ballot box is difficult both inside and outside Colombia. Fernandez-Castro notes that many Colombians are disillusioned with politics and seem more concerned with providing for their families than with getting politically active. While turnout can be high for presidential elections, only about 13 percent of voters abroad participated in the country’s 2010’s congressional elections.

“Many of them must hold down two or three jobs,” Fernandez-Castro says of Colombian immigrants. “That leaves them no time for political education or activities like political organization.”

Political Colombians like Fernandez-Castro find such trends disappointing, since in many ways voters abroad have more access to information and can visit voting booths where no one tries to bribe or intimidate them. Voting in the Colombian elections is also easy: visit the consulate, present an ID, and register. The practical ease of voting does not necessarily improve participation, though—within Colombia’s borders, voter turnout usually reaches 50 percent. Granted, that’s still better than participation in the US for non-presidential elections: In 2011, average turnout for municipal elections was 21 percent, while the 2014 midterms only attracted 36 percent (the lowest turnout since the Second World War).

In the most recent election, voter turnout in Colombia was 59 percent. Castro Del Rio, the reporter in East Boston, says it was a bad election for the PDA, but FernandezCastro is optimistic.

“In Colombia, being a leftist is not easy,” says Fernandez-Castro. “But it was a good election since the Polo didn’t disappear.”

THE GAP

There are tools other than the ballot that can be used to influence global politics and change Colombia’s direction from abroad. As Castro Del Rio notes, “Many see that there’s more influence outside Colombia than inside … We can get more influence from a US senator than from an activist in Colombia.”

This fact “disgusts” Castro Del Rio, since it reflects what he calls “the subjugation of Latin American countries,” but at the same time, he’s “glad it works.”

Colombia is actually the third-largest beneficiary of US

ANTUAN CASTRO DEL RIO, IN THE WHITE HAT, DISCUSSES THE MERITS OF “THE POLO” WITH THE CROWD AT NOAH. NEWS TO US

“Many of them must hold down two or three jobs. That leaves them no time for political education or activities like political organization.” foreign assistance, so pressuring American politicians makes strategic sense. For example, says Castro Del Rio, Colombian activists pushed to make the safety of ofttargeted Colombian union leaders a priority during the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement discussions.

The Colombian activists show that transnationalism is about more than having two homes, two cultures, two societies—it’s about having multiple fights and causes and negotiating various conflicts and contradictions.

Because of this, even after Colombia’s election season is over, advocates like Fernandez-Castro and Castro Del Rio aren’t done working. They’re both involved with local protests and want to create as much solidarity as possible between activists in the US and activists at home. Fernandez-Castro often encourages Colombian immigrants to join local minimum wage and labor actions, and Castro Del Rio helped organize undocumented immigrants to testify in favor of the Boston Trust Act that the City Council passed in 2014.

That ordinance mandates that Boston police will no longer detain undocumented immigrants for possible deportation without a criminal warrant. (As of 2013, Migration Policy Institute estimates there about 5,000 undocumented Colombians in the Greater Boston Area.)

Fernandez-Castro adds that a big responsibility for local Colombian activists is showing what issues affect both Colombians and Americans. He says Colombia and the US suffer from the same dilemma: big corporations running politics and policy. Another similar issue is public education—in both countries, as funding and quality dips, private schools and universities are often perceived as the only viable options in some neighborhoods.

“That creates a gap between rich and those that can’t afford those opportunities,” Fernandez-Castro says. Due to drastic underfunding, Colombian students protested against privatization efforts and even went on strike in 2011. Meanwhile, in the US soaring tuition rates are leaving college students with record levels of debt as corporate-funded charter schools clash with public school advocates. Even in the Commonwealth, the UMass system—which educates more Bay State citizens than private universities—is clamoring for more public funding to stay competitive.

As the Wellesley sociologist Levitt found, such complex and interrelated political scenarios evolve as transnational individuals become more numerous and politically active. “The challenge,” she writes, “is to figure out how individuals who live between two cultures can best be protected and represented and what we should expect from them in return … To meet it, we need to acknowledge the interdependence between the United States and sending countries and begin to solve problems by looking outside the nation-state box.”

“There is not a struggle in the world where the participation of other countries and nations is not needed,” said Gutierrez after the small forum in Eastie concluded. “It’s a worldwide experience.”

‘A Higher Allegiance’ was funded with a $10,000 crowdfunding campaign by the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism on Beacon Reader. Each donation was matched dollar-for-dollar from Beacon’s $3 million immigration reporting fund. For more information, go to www.binjonline.org FEATURE

DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

11

MAC ATTACK

WEDNESDAYS NOVEMBER 4TH -25TH 5-11pm

HONEST PINT

THE ODDLY TRUE STORY OF THANKSBEERING It’s the giving that keeps on drinking

BY JEFF LAWRENCE @29THOUSAND

MAC-ANCINI

Flash Fried Mac & Cheese Croquettes | Spicy Tomato Herb Gravy

DECADENCE

Crème Fraiche | Fontina Cheese | Gemelli Pasta | Bordelaise Sauce Truffle Essence

SOUTHERN STYLE Macaroni | Cheddar Cheese | Fried Chicken | Collard Greens Corn Bread Crumble

ROASTED PUMPKIN Shell Pasta | Mascarpone Cheese |

Vermont Cheddar | Maple Cured Bacon Crispy Fried Sage

BACON BOMB

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Portobello Mushroom | Foccacia Herb Crumbs

BLUE RIBBON Macaroni | Cheddar Cheese | Buttermilk Biscuit Crust

Slow Smoked Baby Back Ribs Before placing order, please inform your food server if anyone in your party has a food allergy *Consuming raw or undercooked meat/poultry/ seafood/shellfish/eggs may increase risk of food borne illness

@MAGOUNSSALOON OLDEMAGOUNSSALOON 518 Medford St Somerville

magounssaloon.com|617 - 7 76 - 2 6 0 0 12

11.25.15 - 12.2.15

|

DIGBOSTON.COM

If it weren’t for Edward Winslow, we’d still be giving no fucks instead of giving much thanks. His lucid words of good crops and better fortune were the seeds that grew into our modern-day celebration Thanksgiving, and while he was quite the drunkard and no doubt penned his bubbly screed whilst chin-deep in gin and juice, he was also a man of hops and profound ale-wisdom. Oh did he love his beer and thankfully so, as this in turn was the exact ingredient that finally fermented the meal of all meals into a national holiday.

It was 1631 and frankly, everything had gone to shit. The Wampanoag tribe had become petty and indignant towards the Pilgrim settlers, who in return had become repugnant and useless. The annual “gathering of thanks” had become nothing more than a showboating “look at me, I’m an Indian, with all my colorful garb and feasty food I catch and you don’t do shit” vs “Yeah, well, I discovered your sorry asses and now I’m tired and stuff. Whatever.”

To be fair though, the Pilgrims had in fact become quite lazy and offered to bring only “appetizers” or spoons to the annual dinner, so the Wamps were right in being duly pissed. They built porches and adirondack chairs instead of hunting fowl and small game. They wrote poems and grew beards instead of carving canoes with their bare hands out of a felled spruce that had been charred in a slow deep sweat lodge for 30 days. In other words, there was no “thanks” to be had on the Wamps’ side, if you know what I mean.

All of this needed to change, though, and change quick. The Pilgrims knew they had to start showing up with a platter of sand or something, or the great Wampanoag tribe would surely no longer share their rich bounty, and they’d starve to death eating sand. So Mr. Winslow and his two very close associates, Mr. Constance Abbot and Solomon Janeway, roused their brains for a storm unlike any other. They would save the settlers from certain death and create the perfect item to bring to this most joyous feast of giving and thanks!

Well, it only took a few hours of drinking Solomon’s famous triple-fermented heather ale before the three men realized the answer was right in front of them all along; when they had sat on their porch procrastinating about a loom to be fixed, or an oxen yoke to be mended, all the while sipping ale heartily from their pewter mug, they had never once offered the beleaguered natives one drop of their devilish drip. They had held out!

“Good fucking God, lads, we’ve had it right here in front of our pointy little wigs all along,” bellowed Winslow. “Gentleman! WE’RE BRINGING THE BEER!” And so it was and preserved, and thereafter, and for every year since, our clans have convened annually on this final Thursday in November, and at this time we each expound on our share and thanks—but there is always one among us who stands tallest and most thankful, and that is how it should be, for they are the ones who show up with the beer.

“It was 1631 and frankly, everything had gone to shit. ”

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NEWS TO US

FEATURE

DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

13

ARTS ENTERTAINMENT

EVEN JOE PESCI IS AFRAID OF HIM

14

FRI 11.27

SAT 11.28

SAT 11.28

SUN 11.29

SUN 11.29

MON 11.30

Huzzah!

Tavern Nights

The Charles Hotel Annual Tree Lighting Event

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead

The Court Stenographers of Comedy Present!

Show Mom Fest 2

‘Movie Mondays’ Series at Brass Union

Don your finest powdered wig and musket and leave the 21st century behind as you join the Sons and Daughters of Liberty for some 18th-century Boston fun. Raise your ale and voice in song as Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Dorothy Quincy state their grievances against the tyrant King George.

You’ll get to play authentic 18th-century games, learn boisterous songs, and participate in a spirited colonial dance. Like Benjamin Franklin once said, “Come to this or you’re lame.”

With the holidays less than a month away, it’s time for the ceremonial tree lightings to begin. As we all learn in elementary school, the winter holidays can’t truly start until the Charles Hotel tree lighting event comes to a close. This year, however, it demands your presence. Santa Claus’ Jazz Band will even be there performing promptly at 5 pm, all for you. Would you really deprive the people of Cambridge of their holiday cheer? More importantly, the event is helping to benefit Cradles to Crayons, so bring some hats, gloves, and baby coats to donate. It never hurts to give.

Joe Russo’s not dead, but he almost is, so come and pay tribute over at the Paradise Rock Club and jam out to some solid Grateful Dead covers. You’ll need a valid ID to get a ticket, but I can’t think of a better way to come down from the Thanksgiving high than with the near death of Joe Russo. There are so many things to be grateful for this holiday season; why not be grateful for the Grateful Dead as well?

Revel in your innermost carnal desires this Sunday night with the Court Stenographers of Comedy as they bring you a night of sketches and stand-up comedy. Join some guys named Owen, Adam, Sam, and James in the postThanksgiving comedy sensation of the year. Special guests include Gary Peterson, Jo Galvin, Wes Hazard, Lisa Lang, Rachel Klein, Thom Crowley, Pamela Ross, Julia Clair, and what we’re told is “at least one surprise spot.” Do you recognize any of those names?

Go! Do you not recognize any of those names? Still go! It’s free!

Mom said it was time you supported your local Boston bands (and also some from Philly and Chicago.

They’re basically Boston, right?). Mosey your groovy butt on down to the Out of the Blue Gallery for an out-of-this-world concert featuring the likes of Palm, Banned Books, Beth Israel, Personality Girls, and local bands Ursula, Jonah Furman (we’re told he’s an ex-Jonah Hill impersonator and was in Krill), Strange Mangers, Stumpf, Yrrapyrrap, Candy Miami, Dump Him, and Michi.

November is coming to an end, and that means one thing and one thing alone: Christmas movies.

We all know them, we all love them, and Brass Union is featuring classic cinema on its 70-inch screen with full surround sound. The best part? It’s all complimentary. Except the drinks. The drinks aren’t complimentary. But admission and popcorn are! The film of the evening will be Home Alone, the Macaulay Culkin classic from before he started looking like Skeletor from He-Man.

Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum. 306 Congress St., Boston. 7-9pm/all ages/$40.50. trustedtours. com/store/tavern-nights-atboston-tea-party-ships.aspx

The Charles Hotel.

1 Bennett St., Cambridge.

4-6:30pm/all ages/ FREE. facebook.com/ events/913222948757943/

Paradise Rock Club.

967-969 Comm. Ave., Boston. 8pm-12am/18+/$27.50. paradiserock.club

Zuzu. 472 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. 10pm-1am/21+/ FREE. facebook.com/ events/817013951758372/

Out of the Blue Gallery.

541 Mass. Ave., Cambridge.

6:30-10pm/all ages/$1015. allstonpudding.com/ preview-ticket-giveawayshow-mom-fest-2/

Brass Union. 70 Union Sq., Somerville. 8-10:30pm/21+/ FREE. brassunion.com

11.25.15 - 12.2.15

|

DIGBOSTON.COM

BUY TICKETS AT LIVENATION.COM • houseofblues.com/boston • 800-745-3000. TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE SCION BOX OFFICE AT THE HOUSE OF BLUES BOSTON SHOW DAYS ONLY STARTING 1 HOUR PRIOR TO DOOR TIME. TICKETS ALSO AVAILABLE AT THE ORPHEUM THEATRE BOX OFFICE, ONE HAMILTON PLACE, BOSTON WITHOUT SERVICE CHARGES. All dates, acts and ticket prices subject to change without notice. Prices listed above are advance Box Office prices. Tickets are also available online at LiveNation.com where additional service charges may apply.

NEWS TO US

FEATURE

DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

15

MUSIC

MUSIC

MOTHER-IN-LAWS

THANKS(FOR)GIVING

How Show Mom Collective successfully nurtures the underdogs

BY NINA CORCORAN @NINA_CORCORAN

Feeding the groups that feed us the music

BY NINA CORCORAN @NINA_CORCORAN You don’t need us to tell you that Boston’s ripe with big sounds. The swarm of college breeding grounds helps (cough, Berklee, cough), but even more than that, it comes from the venues, booking agents, and concertgoers who break their backs applauding the indie rock, psych, folk, jazz, and metal acts springing alive each month.

Since there’s already turducken on the table and apple crisp in the fridge, put down the pecan pie and put that money towards Boston’s musical appetite. Bowery Boston and Crossroads Presents work hard booking the big name acts of the Paradise and the Sinclair. Boston Hassle, Illegally Blind, and Show Mom Collective book the Middle East Upstairs and the DIY spaces struggling to stay afloat. By buying tickets to shows, you help support their sleepless nights spent billing shows, getting bands the money they need, and making sure the event goes so smoothly that you forget someone did all the organizing in the first place.

As important as that is, there are a few organizations that take priority, especially if we want our children to understand not only the worth of music but their role in keeping it alive. The least we can do is give the next generation a chance of their own, starting with the opportunity and option to play music themselves.

On the event page for Show Mom Fest 2, the information section is surprisingly sparse. Each band is listed (as is its website), followed by the venue address and the time doors open. The only text that isn’t barebone fact comes at the very bottom. The first, next to the sliding scale ticket price ($10-15): “Look at all the people on the bill that need $$$.” The second, on the very bottom in all caps: “BE RESPECTFUL OR BE GONE.” Above all else, Show Mom Collective put respect and equality at the top of its list when organizing shows. The three-person booking group—comprised of Jasmine Taibi, Kara Stokowski, and Mona Maruyama—formed two years ago when they found themselves booking show after show in the Boston area. Acts or words of racism, sexism, ageism, ableism, homophobia, or transphobia were never tolerated, and when things got out of hand, they were often the first to step up.

The first festival, Show Mom Fest, came as a result of a female-fronted bill that grew into a roll call too large for a regular evening show. The second edition of the festival, this Sunday’s Show Mom Fest 2, brings an even more diverse and enticing lineup to Out of the Blue Gallery. “We definitely booked way more acts than we planned, but as bookers, we have a hard time saying no to people, because we love everyone who is currently on the bill,” laughs Taibi. “We are huge fans of Palm and Banned Books, of course. Ursula is hands down our favorite band in Boston. YrrapYrrap is also a huge favorite of ours. She has never performed the same set twice!”

Don’t mistake their eagerness. Taibi and co. aren’t pushovers; they’re architects who figure out how to make oddly shaped pieces, ones that are otherwise easy to set aside, fit into a single puzzle. When they shift the weight of their booking spotlight, they choose to highlight artists denied stage time for a variety of reasons. “We would like bookers to be more conscious when booking more diverse bills,” she admits. “We’d like to see showgoers become a little more self-aware at shows, and hopefully contribute to creating a safer, more inclusive environment for everyone.”

And while Show Mom Collective is focused on creating interesting bills, it’s also extremely committed to its audience. “People who come to shows are what keep this community thriving,” explains Taibi. “Without paying showgoers, we wouldn’t be able to pay bands a reasonable ‘wage,’ and we want to make sure that people who come to our show feel safe and welcome. Everyone pays the same amount to see a band, and there is no reason anyone should feel unsafe in a space that works hard to feel inclusive.”

Considering all the hard work—much of which goes unnoticed—mothers do, the moniker is a coy nod to the three’s own modest persistence. Show Mom Collective looks out for you, only this time your mom has way better taste in music than you do. The second edition of the fest proves so. >> SHOW MOM FEST 2. SUN 11.29. OUT OF THE BLUE GALLERY, 541 MASS. AVE., CAMBRIDGE. 6:30PM/ALL AGES/$10-15. FACEBOOK.COM/SHOWMOMCOLLECTIVE

MUSIC EVENTS WED 11.25

BEACHY GUITAR POP-ROCK SURFER BLOOD + THE LIGHTHOUSE AND THE WHALER

[The Middle East Upstairs, 472 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. 8pm/18+/$15. mideastoffers.com]

16

11.25.15 - 12.2.15

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FRI 11.27

FRI 11.27

[The Democracy Center, 45 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge. 7pm/all ages/$7.]

[The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Cambridge. 8pm/18+/$21. sinclaircambridge.com]

LO-FI AND DIY MISTY SIN + DAEPHNE

DIGBOSTON.COM

DUBBY POWER THE NTH POWER + DUB APOCALYPSE

SAT 11.28

HARD CORE + BAD ASS AUGUST BURNS RED + EVERY TIME I DIE + MORE

[Worcester Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester.

5:30pm/all ages/$22. thepalladium.net]

Boston girlsrockboston.org In the past five years, Girls Rock Campaign Boston has served over 500 girls ages 8 to 17 during its summer programming, created an after-school program, and built an inspiring community of female mentors that double as role models.

There’s nothing that builds an inner drive like your first pair of drumsticks—especially when you get them for free. Give the gift of a feminist summer camp experience that leads to a future starlet’s breakout. It’s a Sleater-Kinney factory with extra helpings of East Coast pride and the Raincoats-style oomf.

ZUMIX

East Boston zumix.org

ZUMIX may be the loudest nonprofit you’ve never heard of if you only cross over to Eastie to catch a flight out of here.

Ever since 1991, ZUMIX has fostered a natural afterschool environment where self-

expression, confidence, and community come together for a support system many students can’t find elsewhere.

Any donation keeps the organization able to maintain its in-house recording studio, prep students for the college application process, or expand their musical horizons so they can secretly pump MF Doom or Tame Impala through their headphones when they leave at 8 pm after an evening of judgement-free jamming.

YMCA

Greater Boston ymcaboston.org

You absorb knowledge at your quickest rate when young. That’s why toddlers, kids, and teens are eligible to sign up for classes at their local YMCA. Over the last few months in particular, the YMCA has upped its programs to include stronger music education programs that stretch beyond socioeconomic, ethnic, and cultural lines. YMCA is set on bridging whatever gap keeps kids from pursuing their dreams, especially if it comes down to balancing a life of basketball and bass or swimming and trying out ukulele for the first time.

SUN 11.29

MON 11.30

[Johnny D’s Uptown Restaurant + Music Club, 17 Holland St., Somerville.

4pm/all ages/free. johnnyds.com]

[Toad, 1912 Mass Ave., Cambridge. 9pm/21+/free. toadcambridge.com]

BLUESY BEATS OPEN BLUES JAM

INDIE GRIND + MASTERS OF MELODY THE WHITE OWLS

SHOW MOM FEST 2 PHOTO BY MONA MARUYAMA AND KARA STOKOWSKI

GIRLS ROCK

Boston’s Best Irish Pub

512 Mass. Ave. Central Sq. Cambridge, MA 617-576-6260 phoenixlandingbar.com

WED Nov.25 10PM

HITS NOT

WORK

FRI 11/27

(Thanksgiving Eve Bash) DJs: Thami Mottolla & Brek.One AFROBEAT, REGGAE, HIP HOP & RN’B

SAT 11/28/15

FRI Nov.27 9:30PM

TWITCHING TONGUES

LIQUID STRANGER MON 11/30 - LEEDZ PRESENTS:

WITT LOWRY WED 12/2 COMMUNION BOSTON

MAIL THE HORSE

FRI 12/4 - BOWERY PRESENTS:

PARQUET COURTS

SAT 12/5 - CRUSH BOSTON PRES.:

MIMOSA VOLTRAN

BOOTIE BOSTON VS.

SOCIAL

STUDIES

Jovonn, Brenden Wesley, Alfredo + Jabulani, McFly, Spencer4Hire UPSTAIRS = MASHUPS / DOWNSTAIRS = ACID HOUSE, DISCO & TECHNO SAT Nov.28 9:30PM

FRI 11/27 - LEEDZ PRESENTS:

ALEX SCHECHTER SAT 11/28

NEGATIVE APPROACH NIGHT BIRDS (FAT WRECK) CASANOVAS IN HEAT SUN 11/29

NIGHT RIOTS

PARKS SHIFFLEY TUE 12/1 - LEEDZ PRESENTS:

DYLAN REESE

WED 12/2 - ROCK ON! PRESENTS:

AGNOSTIC FRONT

THU 12/3 - CRUSH BOSTON PRES.:

MARK INSTINCT TWOFOLD

DRANKS

GIVING Joshua Carl, Amadeezy and Code Red The Trendsetter HIP HOP. REGGAE, PARTY JAMS TUE Dec. 1 6PM

GAME NIGHT

video games card games & board games (ALL AGES WITH ID)

WEDNESDAYS GEEKS WHO DRINK Free Trivia Pub Quiz from 7:30PM - 9:30PM

MONDAYS

RE:SET WEDNESDAYS

MAKKA MONDAY 14+yrs every Monday night, Bringing Roots, Reggae & Dancehall Tunes 21+, 10PM - 1AM

Weekly Dance Party, House, Disco, Techno, Local & International DJ’s 19+, 10PM - 1AM

THURSDAYS

FRIDAYS

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PRETTY YOUNG THING

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15+ Years of Resident Drum & Bass Bringing some of the worlds biggest DnB DJ’s to Cambridge 19+, 10PM - 2AM

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WWW.PHOENIXLANDINGBAR.COM NEWS TO US

FEATURE

DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

17

FILM

INTERIM CHAMPION

Ryan Coogler’s Rocky shows a franchise in transition

BY JAKE MULLIGAN @_JAKEMULLIGAN Give Ryan Coogler a moving body and he’ll give you a moment worthy of the Rocky series. And since the Fruitvale Station director has moved into that franchise game with his second film—his sequel is about a welloff African-American boxer called Creed—he’s got some iconic motions to work with. Take the steadicam shot of our eponymous underdog boxer, Adonis Johnson Creed (Michael B Jordan), jogging through Philadelphia streets: Coogler stations his camera behind his actor, and he lets boys on mopeds and motorbikes rush through the left and right of the frame, blurring by while his centerpiece runs. And when Jordan’s boxer reaches the building where Rocky is waiting, Coogler and his crew drop all the sound out. Adonis is yelling up to his mentor, but we don’t need to hear what he’s saying. We’re just luxuriating in the glory of the motion.

The boys turn their bikes up toward 12 o’clock, and you know that we’re not in 1976 anymore. But this is still the famous running scene from Rocky, and it’s hardly the only moment that Coogler dutifully recreates. He manages to resist some of the more obvious moments: Jordan’s boxer doesn’t pound any prime meat, and no statues are erected in his honor. But there are still moments of subservient fan service—why else would the camera pan to a turtle at the climax of a love scene? So when you finish watching this movie, you’re not sure: Either you just saw one of the more sensual and soulful American studio pictures made in some time, or you just saw another cash-in sequel that borrows the working parts from a better movie in lieu of forging its own. Which, of course, means that Creed is both.

His name is Adonis Johnson, because he never met the father that conceived him. He’s a teen living in a group home when Creed begins, caught in one of Coogler’s rushing panoramas: The camera chases its way down a hallway fit for a state prison, only to find two young boys fistfighting in the lunch room that waits at its end. The young Johnson lands himself in solitary, where a Mary Anne Creed comes to visit. She tells the boy that he had a father once. Then she tells him that he can have a home— now. There’s a close-up of Adonis’ fist as it is slowly unclenched. But then there’s a cut that crosses a decade, to the young man (now played by Jordan) fighting in Tijuana. Next is a cut to the following day, where he and his bloody face are back on the clock stateside, working at a financial institution. So his palm does open up, but never permanently. Like Coogler, he craves the physicality.

You can ditch a name, but you can’t erase your daddy’s address. Everyone in Adonis’ native California knows where this boy comes from. So he puts himself in a Philadelphia prison-cell studio apartment, directly adjacent to Uncle Rocky’s old-timers restaurant. He needs a new trainer. And the old man, bless him, wouldn’t mind a new place to read his newspaper—Micky’s old gym is as good a spot as his late wife’s grave. That all sets you up for a clash of cultures, rather than a clash of champions. Rocky devises a workout plan for Adonis, who snaps a picture of it with his phone. The elder asks why he doesn’t need the paper copy. “It’s in the cloud,” the kid responds, and Rocky, missing a few beats, can only look up: “What cloud?”

That’s a funny joke, but it does what Adonis won’t—it’s using a name and a caricature to give us the pleasure of

recognition. Lucky that Coogler’s not content to ride out that fight plan. There’s a reason this isn’t called Rocky VII. He is, however, beholden to the general outline of the series. So as a successor to Talia Shire’s temporarily mute neighbor Adrian, we have Tessa Thompson’s soon-tobe-deaf Bianca. She lives under Adrian’s apartment and annoys him with her music all night long. And she’s got progressive hearing loss, which means she’s got a good excuse to keep him locked out. (That’s not much developed here, but we suppose that’s what sequels are made for.)

That’s the same setup as the Stallone original—a hard heart meets a hardhead—but Coogler gives his actors the time needed to claim it as their own. More importantly, he gives them the space. He stages a whole club scene just so that Adonis can watch Bianca perform. Another scene sees him taking her to a specific real-world cheese-steak hangout, just so he can seduce his way into a date to her next gig. The tradition might get boring, but Coogler knows that the antidote is texture.

Soon enough Adonis and Bianca are sleeping together.

The boxer throws together comically inept raps to go over his girlfriend’s beats while they’re lying in bed.

That’s the kind of go-nowhere moment that crafts such a texture. And that’s Coogler’s strongest skill as a filmmaker—the invisible kind: he can instigate chemistry.

Even when the Johnson-Creed relationship turns tragic (as it must), Coogler has time for scenes that expand the margins of their friendship. The center of his movie is this strange relationship between an old white widower and the black phenom who shows up insistent that his elder is obligated to help him. There’s no cliché in those sequences and only a few jokes as easy as “What cloud?”

The focus is on these two men—the influencer and the influenced—realizing they owe each other something.

When that happens, you see the smooth touch of Coogler’s invisible hand.

But that hand isn’t aligned with his eye just yet.

Coogler shot his first film, Fruitvale Station, with simple blocking and handheld cameras. He shoots these loose character moments similarly, which is to say unobtrusively. But the “Rocky Moments” get the bravura physicality and directorial gloss we described up top—he even employs on-screen text for added style, even though he has nothing to accomplish with it. He uses long takes and audacious choreography, often digitally stitching shots together for added effect, and yet all of it strikes you as a concession to modern bombast. These loud shots feels faker than the people fighting within them.

When Adonis fights his big bad guy—the unstoppable “Pretty” Ricky Conlan, who fills the Unstoppable Champion role that Adonis’ father once did—the camera follows him from the back to the front row in a single shot. That’s lifted from Raging Bull, as are many expressionistic details that follow. But you notice Tupac’s “Hail Mary” playing under that entrance, and you realize its connection to the woman who first redeemed Adonis.

And you realize Coogler has the nuance to let that connection go unacknowledged. And that’s when you forgive the borrowed shots and overambitious aesthetics as growing pains. This is a transitional sequel, and Coogler is making a transition of his own. Creed isn’t his destination. But like his characters, he’s moving swiftly.

>> CREED. RATED PG-13. NOW PLAYING EVERYWHERE.

FILM EVENTS WED NOV 25

FRI NOV 27

[Brattle Theatre.

40 Brattle St., Harvard Sq., Cambridge. 4:30 and 9:15pm/NR/$9-11. 35mm.

Also plays 11.26 at same showtimes. brattlefilm.org]

[Brattle Theatre.

40 Brattle St., Harvard Sq., Cambridge. 2:30 and 7pm/NR/$9-11. 35mm. brattlefilm.org]

THE BRATTLE THEATRE PRESENTS ‘AUTHORS OF FILM NOIR’ THE BIG SLEEP

18

11.25.15 - 12.2.15

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ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S STRANGERS ON A TRAIN

DIGBOSTON.COM

COOLIDGE AFTER MIDNIGHT POULTRYGEIST: NIGHT OF THE CHICKEN DEAD

[Coolidge Corner Theatre.

290 Harvard St., Brookline.

Midnight/NR/$11.25. 35mm. coolidge.org]

SAT NOV 28

MAURICE PIALAT’S RARELY SCREENED MINISERIES THE HOUSE IN THE WOODS

[Harvard Film Archive. 24 Quincy St., Harvard Sq., Cambridge. 4pm/NR/$7-9.

7 episodes of 52 minutes each. hcl.harvard.edu/hfa]

MON NOV 30

TUE DEC 1

[Harvard Film Archive. 24 Quincy St., Harvard Sq., Cambridge. 7pm/PG/$7-9.

35mm. hcl.harvard.edu/ hfa]

[Coolidge Corner Theatre.

290 Harvard St., Brookline.

7pm/NR/$11.25. coolidge. org]

ATHINA RACHEL TSANGARI PRESENTS GIRLFRIENDS

DIRECTOR MARK PHINNEY IN PERSON FAT

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FEATURE

DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

19

ARTS

HOUSE OF GUARDS Union Busting at the MFA?

BY CHRISTOPHER EHLERS @_CHRISEHLERS

The guards at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts are up in arms about proposed changes to their jobs, including new security models and inflexible schedules that they say will force many long-time employees to resign.

The guards are members of MISU, the Museum Independent Security Union, which was founded in 1995. The union’s president, Evan Henderson, says that Nicki Luongo, Director of Protective Services at the MFA, is fulfilling the museum’s longtime desire to crush the union.

According to Henderson, Luongo is trying to transform the guards into “best-in-class security,” which means that the guards will go through extensive training to prepare them to handle disasters like battling active shooters, rather than focus on protecting the art or interacting with visitors. Henderson says that Luongo will “rely heavily on her camera installation throughout the building to ‘protect the art.’”

While you’d be hard pressed to find someone who thinks museums should have fewer cameras, it is certain that cameras and alarms do not stop people from touching the art; by the time someone watching a monitor notices some indiscretion, it’s too late. It’s already happened. “We have seen a major increase in visitors touching and damaging artwork,” Henderson said. “We have even had many visitors come and complain to us and the museum that they see others touching things and that they are disgusted with the lack of protection of the art.

This is what Luongo created.”

“If there are not enough guards available, then galleries don’t get covered,” said Gary McManus, a 19-year veteran of the MFA. “Many of the reports we get from our command center are from galleries where there are no guards visible, and people take chances and touch things they normally wouldn’t.”

McManus points to the museum’s current exhibit, the spectacular Class Distinctions, where he says you will find four guards working in the galleries because the loaners of the paintings – some of the biggest museums in the world—require it. “What do they know that our director does not?” he added.

“The new technology will not change people’s behavior,” said McManus.

“Alarms scream daily, but visitors are oblivious to the source.”

The presence of guards in museum galleries is indeed an invaluable component to both the enjoyment of visitors and the protection of the artwork.

I happened to visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum on Saturday, and there were a handful of instances where the guards had to step in to correct bad behavior. If the guards hadn’t been there, each of the situations I witnessed could have ended very differently. Oddly enough, it was after that visit that I ran into Henderson and his colleagues picketing on Huntington Avenue.

Last week, the guards were informed that new schedules would be implemented on Jan 3. Schedules, Henderson told me, that the museum already knows the guards won’t be able to pull off, thereby forcing them to quit. Rather than regular, full-time guards getting off work at 5:15 pm, the proposed schedule change would have them working until midnight. Henderson says that this will greatly affect those that are parents, especially single parents, most of whom have a long commute and couldn’t possibly work until midnight. “With this ‘new security model’ and ‘take it or leave it’ schedules, people are being laid off through attrition,” said Henderson.

“The Museum is union busting subtly. They will try to make the forced quitting seem like the employees’ decisions. They have already told us they are not willing to offer packages to anyone who cannot work the schedules. No one will be able to claim unemployment. Smart folks, those union busters.”

20

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FEATURE

DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

21

SAVAGE LOVE

COCKSUCKER

WHAT'S FOR BREAKFAST

BY PATT KELLEY WHATS4BREAKFAST.COM

BY DAN SAVAGE @FAKEDANSAVAGE | MAIL@SAVAGELOVE.NET I love that you use the term “cocksucker” only in a non-pejorative way. I don’t know if you’ve said so explicitly, but I imagine your aim is to remove its negative connotation. As the owner of a cock, I think cocksucking is WONDERFUL! Therefore, cocksuckers are wonderful as well. There needs to be more cocksucking in this world! Following your example, I am trying to use the term only in its literal sense and only in a positive light. Do you have a good substitute word for a person one is not pleased with?

Changing Language Is Terrific How about “kochbrother,” CLIT? Same number of syllables, same explosive/percussive “K” sound at the start, same “er” ending—and our democracy (and our environment) would be a lot better off if there were more cocksuckers out there and fewer Koch brothers.

I would like some clarification. Does my situation fall into the “when it’s okay to have an affair” category or am I just looking for you to absolve me of guilt? I got divorced a year ago, and I’m 100 percent focused on being a mom during the time my son is with me and helping him through the divorce transition. I met a man who has been married for 20-plus years and I’m having an affair with him. He and his wife spend all of their time taking care of their adult disabled son.

He said they have nothing in common but caretaking.

He’s never said anything bad about the wife except they’ve grown apart and he can’t (or won’t) leave because of their son. It works for me because he’s the most incredible lover I’ve ever had and he doesn’t bother me or demand attention when I’m busy being a mom. I do have strong feelings for him but no expectation of him leaving his wife to be with me.

Does this meet your “okay to cheat” criteria?

Loving Isn’t Always Really Simple Indeed it does, LIARS. Your situation, in fact, is a good example of the kind of affair people rarely hear about and advice professionals pretend don’t exist, i.e., the affair that saves a marriage and improves the lives and lots of everyone involved, whether directly or indirectly. Your marriage is over, of course, but you’re getting your sexual needs met by someone who doesn’t distract you from your son’s needs. And the time your lover spends with you—the intimacy, affirmation, and release you provide him—has doubtless helped to make him a kinder and less resentful companion/partner and a better father/ caretaker. Here’s hoping your lover’s wife is getting the kind of sanity-preserving intimacy, affirmation, and release she needs, too—whether sexual or in some other form.

THE STRANGERER

BY PAT FALCO ILLFALCO.COM

22

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FEATURE

DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

23

BOWERY BOSTON

For show announcements, giveaways, contests, and more, follow us on:

WWW.BOWERYBOSTON.COM • • • • LIVE MUSIC IN AND AROUND BOSTON • • • •

ROYALE 279 Tremont St. Boston, MA • royaleboston.com/concerts ON SALE NOW!

COUNTRY 102.5 PRESENTS

DEERHUNTER W/ ATLAS SOUND

THURS. DECEMBER 10

SAT. DECEMBER 12

THURS. JANUARY 14

WED. JANUARY 20

FRI. JANUARY 22

RON POPE + THE NIGHTHAWKS

WERS 88.9 DISCOVERY SHOW

WITH SPECIAL GUEST

TUES. FEBRUARY 2

ON SALE THURS 12/3 AT 10AM!

W/ TR UETT WED. FEBRUARY 17

SUN. FEBRUARY 21

THURS. FEBRUARY 25

52 Church St. Cambridge, MA

TUESDAY, MARCH 1

SATURDAY, MARCH 12

THURSDAY, APRIL 14

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28

sinclaircambridge.com

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29

ADAM EZRA GROUP

W/ SEOUL MONDAY, DECEMBER 7

THURS. & FRI. DECEMBER 3 & 4

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1

W/ JASON SPOONER

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31

PRESENTS

ON SALE NOW!

ON SALE NOW!

W/ THE SWINGING STEAKS, DANIELLE MIRAGLIA

W/ CLOAKROOM, WILDHONEY

W/ THE POMPS, THE FEEL GOODS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17

ON SALE NOW!

ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER

A TRIBUTE TO HANK WILLIAMS - LIVE FRIDAY, JANUARY 1

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20

ELVIS DEPRESSEDLY JOE FLETCHER 1222 Comm. Ave. Allston, MA greatscottboston.com

FRIDAYS AT 7PM!

‘s S GA E TH

MONDAY, MARCH 14

ALL THEM WITCHES

& THE WRONG REASONS

W/ BRITTLE BRIAN, COOPER KNIGHTS

W/ THE SILKS, THESE WILD PLAINS

W/ PHOTAY

W/ NEW MADRID

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5

JESSE MARCHANT

W/ CHARLY BLISS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8

MONDAY, DECEMBER 7

W/ HEATHER WOODS BRODERICK

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6

W/ ESCONDIDO, AUSTIN MANUEL

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9

AND THE KIDS DES ARK W/ PWR BTTM

W/ DREAMTIGERS, LONGINGS

W/ HONDURAS

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11

MONDAY, DECEMBER 14

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15

TORRES

W/ PALEHOUND

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22

≠ 11/30 PANAMA WEDDING ≠ 12/02 BRIAN CARPENTER & THE CONFESSIONS ≠ 12/3, 12/10 & 12/17 PILE RESIDENCY ≠ 12/12 MORNE ≠ 12/18 THE RATIONALES ≠ 12/19 THE FIGGS / THE UPPER CRUST ≠ 12/20 BLINDSPOT ≠ 12/21 ME IN CAPRIS

W/ PARKS, SHIFFLEY

OTHER SHOWS AROUND TOWN:

PERFECT PUSSY

JULIEN BAKER

W/ BIG UPS, PHANTOM RIDES

SUN. NOVEMBER 29 MIDDLE EAST UP

WED. DECEMBER 16 MIDDLE EAST UP

SAT. JANUARY 23 CAFE 939

ALEX G / PORCHES

W/ SON LITTLE FRI. MARCH 4 SOMERVILLE THEATRE

SATURDAY, MARCH 5 CITI WANG THEATRE

SAT. FEBRUARY 27 SOMERVILLE THEATRE

W/ IRIS DEMENT

W/ YOUR FRIEND

SATURDAY, APRIL 9 SHUBERT THEATRE

TUES. APRIL 12 MIDDLE EAST DOWN

Tickets for Royale, The Sinclair, and Great Scott can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 745-3000.

No fee tickets available at The Sinclair box office Wednesdays - Saturdays 12:00 - 7:00PM

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND A COMPLETE LIST OF SHOWS, VISIT BOWERYBOSTON.COM