June 2004 - Issue 1

March to Abolish Poverty

Dozens of local activists took to the streets in April as the March to Abolish Poverty reached Somerville and Cambridge- two of 29 communities covered in the statewide March.

Activists are arrested in run-up to Dem convention

Eight housing activists were held at gunpoint by unidentified undercover officers and escorted out of an abandoned Cambridge gas station.

The dramatic gay marriage debate on Beacon Hill

When the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruled in the Goodridge decision in November that same-sex couples could not be barred from the institution of civil marriage, the shockwave was heard across the country.

"marriage was nothing to emulate"

I began thinking about the issue of queer marriage back when I was a baby-dyke, in the mid-80s. This isn't an issue that has suddenly and explosively come to light with the New Millennium. It's one which queer folk tossed around amongst ourselves for at least 20 years before it appeared on the radar of mainstream America.

Chuck Turner talks about the Spirit in politics and hip-hop culture

Excerpted from an interview with Chuck Turner conducted by Lloyd Smith on February 19, 2004 in Boston City Hall. This is a longer excerpt than the version printed in the June 2004 edition of The Bridge.

Leafletters harassed, Smith arrested by MIT cops

Katherine Gibson, Suzanne Nguyen, Anne Pollock, and Aimee Smith are members of the Social Justice Cooperative (SJC), a recognized MIT campus group. On the morning of June 4, they began handing out a leaflet to people arriving to attend graduation ceremonies.

A second exile for Amer Jubran

Palestinian Rights activist, Amer Jubran, while he didn't live in Cambridge, worked in the city and was very active in our community. He worked in the admissions department of Cambridge College for the medical interpreters program where he enjoyed the diverse and collegial environment of his workplace. Last election season, he served as the campaign manager of my campaign for Cambridge City Council.

Redeveloping the People's River

No place in Greater Boston is more familiar to more people. But very few know what is being planned for the familiar shores of the Charles River - though the plans are far from secret.