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City Hall blocks Somerville divestment petition

Somerville politicians can breathe a little easier today. Israel divestment will not be a question on the November ballot. On September 22, Superior Court Justice Julian Houston ruled against forcing the City to accept thousands of divestment petitions for validation.

Anarchy in New Orleans

As Katrina’s torrential rains passed and the tides rose on New Orleans, the mainstream media sang accounts of looting, violence, rape and mayhem. “Anarchy in New Orleans” the UK Independent declared as it told of how “under-resourced” federal agents supposedly encountered angry and armed residents “bent on shooting their way out of town” [1] . New Orleans chief of police Eddie Compass attested to “little babies getting raped at the superdome”.

Three of ‘Somerville Five’ still suspended

Around thirty people attended a community meeting against racial profiling and police brutality took place Tuesday October 4 at the Somerville Library. Largely organized by the International Action center (IAC), the meeting heard from students and parents concerning their experiences with suspension from high school while under police accusations.

Questions on divestment — and a proposal

The writer, a member of the Tikkun organization, presented this paper on Dec. 1 2004 to the Somerville Board of Aldermen, which did not act on it.

How the west is won: What I saw last month in Palestine

While the American and Western media fixed their cameras on tearful Jewish settlers being consoled by Israeli soldiers as they left the homes they stole from Palestinians in Gaza for Palestinian homes in Al Quds (Jerusalem), the Naqab (Negev) and the West Bank, Israel has continued to wage its colonial war against the Palestinian people with unprecedented speed and impunity. The sham peace was immediately exposed when Israel instituted brutal air strikes against Palestinians in Gaza and arrested over 400 Palestinians in the West Bank this past week.

Recruiting American Jews for Israel

The U.S. government funds Israel's ongoing program to remove the native population of Palestine, primarily Muslims and Christians, and supplant them with European-American Jewish colonists. Our tax dollars facilitate this ethnic cleansing and colonization of Occupied Palestine.

Davis Square “terrorist” exonerated

A local “terrorist scare” that attracted national attention to Somerville late this summer has been reduced by Federal Officials to nothing more than a drunk homeless man of Arab origin standing in front of a government building.

Cops targeting man who won case at Review Board?

The Cambridge Chronicle scream-headline could have been lifted straight from the front page of the New York Post: "Inca Son Leader Busted for Child Porn." The sensational, above-the-fold, 28-point Ariel Bold treatment came complete with a Fox News-style “backgrounder” sidebar, which intoned gravely: "About Inca Son." Inca Son is a local street band which has performed with the Boston Pops and in some other large venues such as the 1994 World Cup soccer games. The Chronicle entitled an additional subsection of the article: "International Star."

Eminent domain decision reminds us that urban renewal is still around

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed the authority of urban renewal agencies to use eminent domain powers to seize real estate and sell it to private developers. Every year, thousands of properties in the U.S. are threatened or condemned under eminent domain. Five years ago, a study by the conservative Pioneer Institute showed that its use was increasing in Massachusetts.

Corporate “citizens” are planning a new Inner Belt

The MBTA proposes to add certain "stakeholders" to the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC), which will oversee planning for Phase 2 of the Urban Ring transportation project. These would include Harvard University, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority (MTA) and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).

Harvard plans for science center could transform Charles River

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

School committee candidate Luc Schuster on the Cambridge schools and his campaign

Bridge Staff interview excerpts

Massachusetts’ housing crisis—and the world’s

A “crisis” usually means a temporary, unexpected condition. But the Massachusetts housing crisis is a more like a tradition.

‘Denise Simmons is the only sitting conuncillor worth considering’

The Progressive Democrats of Cambridge (PDC) have given their endorsement to 7 City Council candidates. Of these, five are incumbents. The commitment of the PDC to five incumbents makes their endorsement of so little worth, that Jesse Gordon is forced to resort to the Green-Rainbow Party name. So he the invited 2002 Green candidate for governor,Jill Stein, to endorse him at a fund-raiser to establish his ‘progressive’ credentials.

Grace tries to sweep 500 tons of asbestos under the rug

The giant W. R. Grace chemical corporation owns an asbestos mine and factory in Libby, Montana. Over the years, asbestos-laden vermiculite ore contaminated much of the town and was responsible for the deaths of over 200 people and the asbestos-related injuries of another 1200 people. The Federal government recently brought criminal indictments against the corporation and eight individuals, including Grace's chief legal counsel. The ten counts include charges of conspiracy, Clean Air Act violations, wire fraud, and obstruction of justice.

The twilight democracy

POLICE STATE is defined in Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary as “repressive government control… arbitrary exercise of power by police and esp. secret police in place of regular operation of administrative and judicial organs of the government according to publicly known legal procedures.”

Meetings about taxes prove… taxing

The City [of Cambridge] responded to citizens’ concerns about the “property tax bomb” by holding some more meetings. Mayor Sullivan called the first one to order on Thursday September 22, 2005.

Harvard moves to dominate riverfront; state report delayed

In January, studiously ignoring major objections to its development plans in Riverside, Harvard University made another big land purchase in Allston.

Shielding police abuses

Cambridge Police Commissioner Watson says, “For the second year in a row, we’ve received no complaints of excessive force....” That does not mean there were no incidents of excessive force, only that there were no complaints. Nor does that mean that there were no instances of police misconduct or abuse of police powers.

The property tax bomb—-again

The property tax is a perennial political issue. But this year it is a bigger issue than usual—particularly in Cambridge. No one has pushed this issue harder than city council candidate Jesse Gordon. He calls this year’s tax bills “the property tax bomb.” All the politicians are talking about the issue. Councilor David Mahar was perhaps the first to voice constituent tax complaints.

Israel bonds in Fidelity Mutual Funds

Israel enforces the Occupation with equipment bought from the U.S. Instead of paying for it in cash, the State of Israel issues bonds in its own name. Third party investors buy this public debt, assuming its risk and collecting interest payments until the bonds mature.

Fort Healy will replace Central Square Police HQ

Suddenly, at the city council meeting on April 11, Cambridge City Manager Robert Healy announced a golden opportunity to secure a building in East Cambridge for a new police station.

Joachim Martillo used to do business in Israel. Now he supports Divestment

Here is his story:

running commentary, october 2005

FBI murders Puerto Rican leader; The wide world of eminent domain; It’s all the fault of rent control; Parks not jails