耆英遇襲、餐館遭搶 華埠治安亮紅燈? 華埠居民會要求州市馳援

波士頓華埠居民會6月會議，關注安全議題。

               (Boston Orange)波士頓華埠居民會6月2日晚在月例會中提醒亞裔耆英，出門小心，將聯絡社區組織，攜手要求州市政府提供援助，考慮安排交通工具，接送出門採購或辦事的亞裔耆英。

               在當晚會議中，華埠居民再度表示，反對夏利臣街(Harrison)321號改建為生化實驗室，直言”你說安全，我仍擔心”。

               波士頓華埠居民6月2日晚的月例會仍然在網上舉行，包括波士頓市第二區市議員愛德華費林(Ed Flynn)，波士頓市移民進步辦公室主任Yusufi Vali，幕僚長張家燁，波士頓市人權辦公室代表等，共有50多人參加。

Annie 述說祖母在回家路上遇襲，要求州市政府設法保護人民安全。
華人錢進會主任陳玉珍(左)協助翻譯。

               會議主要討論亞裔耆英的出入安全。

經華人前進會邀請，Annie Chi當晚到會說明，她祖母住在南端/後灣區，5月23日傍晚六、七點出門，到附近的Walgreen購物，回程路上突然被人襲擊，並伸手搶她的錢包，由於錢包中有她祖父的醫療證件，她祖母擔心失去證件，影響巨大，因而緊拽錢包，不肯放手，襲擊者於是不斷毆打她祖母，都把她祖母打倒在地了，還繼續拳打腳踢，終於搶走了錢包，還好此時有路人經過，撥打了911電話，叫來救護車，把她祖母送進醫院。當晚十點多，他們接到醫院通知，才知道發生了這種事，全家人都為此深感不安與憤怒。她祖母來美已三十多年，還是第一次遇到這種情況，驚嚇不已的不明白為什麼會發生這種事。

波士頓市議員Ed Flynn(下)，華埠居民會共同主席黃國威(右上)，
華埠圖書館之友代表Heang Rubin(左上)報告永久館址預定在R1地段。

Annie Chi表示，雖然他們沒有證據能顯示這宗案件和仇恨亞裔有關，但鑒於最近在美國各地發生的一連串類似的亞裔耆英無故遇襲事件，他們家決定把此事經過上傳社交媒體，希望提醒亞裔民眾注意安全。

Annie Chi表示，他們和華人前進會合作，希望藉此事件，呼籲社區攜手向州市政府提出三點援助要求，一為製作並分發傳單，教導耆英如何保護自身安全；二為要求政府提供交通工具，接送耆英出門，到超市採購或就醫等；三為在街道，耆英住宅大樓安裝更多監視攝影機鏡頭，以期捕捉住事件發生經過，盡快抓捕犯案者。

華人前進會名譽主席李素影(右)，主任陳玉珍呼籲大眾一同關心社區安全問題。

華人前進會行政主任陳玉珍表示，最近華埠不但有民眾遇襲，也有餐廳遇搶，小費箱或收銀機的錢被匪徒搶走，該會因此特地來到華埠居民會和居民討論，希望找出方法，保護社區安全。

華人前進會名譽主席李素影表示，Annie Chi祖母的遭遇，提醒人要告訴亞裔耆英們，出門別帶太多現金，重要文件也別放在錢包內，一旦遇到有人行搶，自己的人身安全最重要，別和搶匪爭奪，平日出門最好選在白天，並且約伴同型。

波士頓市移民進步辦公室主任Yusufi Vali出席說明，該辦公室願意竭力協助華埠民眾。

波士頓市移民進步辦公室主任Yusufi Vali當晚特地出席，為Annie Chi祖母的遭遇表示抱歉之後，強調該辦公室竭力協助居民因應各種狀況。他的辦公室裏有好幾名亞裔員工，如遭遇狀況，但不願意向警察局報案，可以和她們聯絡，該辦公室也願意協助籌辦”同伴計畫”，期以保護耆英們的安全。

               波士頓市移民進步辦公室幕僚長張家燁表示，她能說廣東話，上海話，以及一點點國語，有需要的民眾，可以和她連絡。她認為Annie Chi提出的舉辦旁觀者或受害者工作坊，幫助民眾在遭遇狀況時做適當反映，是很好的意見。她也把她自己的電話，電郵，在網路會議的聊天室中，留給了出席民眾。

華人前進會共同主席湯建華(下)表示，不論發展商怎麼說，居民們都擔心，
認為在華埠蓋生化實驗室不安全。

             波士頓市人權辦公室代表當晚也出席了會議。他透露，市府內的亞裔員工最近和波士頓市代市長Kim Janey開了一個多小時的會，討論了如何為亞裔提供援助資源。

               亞美社區發展協會(ACDC)主任劉安琪當晚在會議中表示，麻州內的一些亞裔，黑人及拉丁裔組織，已經有過一些初步討論，也已促使麻州政府通過法案，並討論增加刑罰，已加大嚇阻類似行為效力。

               當晚的另一議題為發展商有意在夏利臣街321號改建為生物實驗室，上個月出席華埠居民會月會後，做了些修改。這次來匯報修改內容。不過包括華人前進會共同主席湯建華在內，大多數居民再次表示，不論如何，都反對在人口密集的華埠內建生物實驗室。

               華埠圖書館之友代表Heang Rubin到會說明，和波士頓市府協商結果，華埠圖書館的永久館址，目前看來會在R1地段，待有進一步消息時，會再和華埠商量。

               波士頓華埠居民會共同主席黃國威會末報告，六月份內居民可以關注的活動包括6月3日晚6點，波士頓市長候選人論壇，主題為氣候正義；6月8日晚6點，昆市高中新校園項目公眾會議；6月10日下午6點，波士頓市長候選人論壇，主題為住房和土地；6月15日下午6點，華埠大麻電申請牌照的公眾會議；6月17日晚6點，耐熱性構想研究，6月22日晚6點，城中區的波士頓市長候選人論壇。

BTBA June webinar 6/5

 

波士頓公共圖書館6/8 劉仲岳講談新書"恆久掙扎 - 1880~2018"

 

Michael Liu — Forever Struggle: Activism, Identity, and Survival in Boston's Chinatown, 1880-2018

Michael Liu — Forever Struggle: Activism, Identity, and Survival in Boston's Chinatown, 1880-2018

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

 

6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Online event

Description

Join us for an online author talk with Michael Liu about Forever Struggle: Activism, Identity, and Survival in Boston's Chinatown, 1880-2018. This program, which will be moderated by Boston Public Library President David Leonard, is part of the BPL's Repairing America Series.

About Forever Struggle

Chinatown has a long history in Boston. Though little documented, it represents the city’s most sustained neighborhood effort to survive during eras of hostility and urban transformation. It has been wounded and transformed, slowly ceding ground; at the same time, its residents and organizations have gained a more prominent voice over their community’s fate.

In writing about Boston Chinatown’s long history, Michael Liu, a lifelong activist and scholar of the community, charts its journey and efforts for survival—from its emergence during a time of immigration and deep xenophobia to the highway construction and urban renewal projects that threatened the neighborhood after World War II to its more recent efforts to keep commercial developers at bay. At the ground level, Liu depicts its people, organizations, internal battles, and varied and complex strategies against land-taking by outside institutions and public authorities. The documented courage, resilience, and ingenuity of this low-income immigrant neighborhood of color have earned it a place amongst our urban narratives. Chinatown has much to teach us about neighborhood agency, the power of organizing, and the prospects of such neighborhoods in rapidly growing and changing cities.

To order this book from one of our local independent community bookstore partners, Trident Booksellers & Cafe, please visit this link to their website. Use the code BPLSHIP for free media mail delivery!

Michael Liu is coauthor of The Snake Dance of Asian American Activism: Community, Vision, and Power and former senior research associate at the Institute for Asian American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Born in Chinatown to working-class parents, Liu returned to Boston after graduating from Swarthmore College in 1970, and helped create social justice groups such as the Asian American Resource Workshop, the Chinese Progressive Association, the Boston Rainbow Coalition, and the Asian American Political Agenda Coalition. Liu holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from UMass Boston.

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The Repairing America Initiative is the Boston Public Library's pledge to focus its 2021 programming and services on bridging the gaps that divide America. By prioritizing economic recovery, civic engagement, COVID-19 recovery, racial equity, workforce development, and youth engagement, the BPL is working to help Americans rise above the challenges they face.

Programming like this is enabled through the generosity of a variety of public and private funding. To learn more and support our programming, visit the Boston Public Library Fund website.

波士頓華埠土地信託會學習之旅 6/3

 

Join these upcoming events!

Join our CLT Learning Series!     6月3日：傍晚6:30 至8:00   我們將探討社區土地信託如何能促進社區治理：在那裡和怎樣做決策，以及由誰做決策？ 居民和董事會成員在領導社區土地信託方面扮演什麼角色？請加入我們一起聆聽該領域的領導者的經驗：屋倫社區土地信託  加州屋倫社區地信託利用社區控制模式，將土地從投機市場中剔除，以便永遠為有色人種和低收入居民提供服務。 Learn about CLTs! The Greater Boston Community Land Trust Network (GBCLTN) is holding a Summer Learning Series. This is an opportunity for peer learning, discussion and community-building.   June 3rd:  6:30-8pm  We will explore how Community Land Trusts promote community governance:  Where and how are decisions made, and who makes them?  What roles do residents and board members have in leading the CLT? Join us to hear the experiences from a leader in the field:  Oakland CLT.   Using a model of community control, Oakland Community Land Trust in California removes land from the speculative market so that it serves communities of color and low-income residents forever    Register for sessions here   在线参与或致電到 +13017158592,,85025124684#。     Support our work to stabilize Chinatown! Chinatown CLT is part of a growing movement for community control of land as a way to stabilize working class neighborhoods with permanently affordable housing and shared neighborhood spaces.   ‌ ‌ ‌DONATE ‌ ‌     Anyone can become a member of Chinatown CLT if you agree with our mission and pay $5 annual dues. Chinatown residents are voting members; non-residents are supporting members. ‌ ‌JOIN ‌     Chinatown Community Land Trust www.chinatownclt.org E: participate@chinatownclt.org   ‌ ‌ ‌

關於Dennis White Kim Janey: 仔細思考後，我會做決定

Statement from Mayor Kim Janey on the Hearing for Dennis White

I held the hearing for Dennis White this morning, providing an opportunity for him to present any additional information. I will make a decision after careful deliberation.  

      (Boston Orange)波士頓代市長Kim Janey今(2)早發出聲明，表示停職中的波士頓警察局局長Dennis White是否該解雇，「仔細思考後，我會做決定」。

       Dennis White在今年2月1日匆促上任波士頓警察局局長僅約2天，就因1990年代的家暴案，由當時即將離任的波士頓市市長馬丁華殊(Martin Walsh)處以停職調查。    

    獨立調查機構的報告出爐後，波士頓市代理市長Kim Janey有意召開聽證會，以作為是否解雇Dennis White的參考。Dennis White立即入秉法院，申請禁制令，但法院及其後的上訴法庭，都駁回了Dennis White的要求。波士頓市長Kim Janey今早10點半，發出二行字的聲明，簡單表示，今早她舉行了一場聽證會，給Dennis White機會陳述額外資訊。她將在仔細思考後，做出決定。但並未給出時間

     

麻州州長繼續鼓勵注射新冠疫苗 6/1 (Video)

 Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito will join Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders to highlight a new mobile vaccination program at select Market Basket locations.

$800k Awarded for Two Residential Facilities for Adolescent Mental Health/Substance Use Treatment

 $800k Awarded for Two Residential Facilities for Adolescent Mental Health/Substance Use Treatment

 

New facilities will double the number of beds available for youth

 

BOSTON (June 2, 2021) – The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and the Department of Public Health (DPH) today announced $800,000 for two new residential treatment facilities for adolescents with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.

 

The grant recipients, the Center for Human Development in Chicopee and Lowell House in Reading, will provide critical residential treatment services for young people in Eastern and Western Massachusetts, with a combined capacity of 39 treatment beds.

 

“These awards are part of our ongoing investment in life-saving addiction treatment programs, especially for young people struggling with mental health concerns and substance use,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders. “The supports and services offered by inpatient treatment programs can often be the most effective option for many teens dealing with addiction and their families.”

 

“DPH is committed to ensuring that adolescents receive developmentally appropriate mental health and addiction treatment,” said Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD, MPH. “These treatment facilities will provide evidence-based care, intervention, and peer supports that in some cases cannot be solely provided in the teen’s home environment.”

 

The programs are designed to reflect the developmental needs, attitudes and interests of their adolescent populations and will provide mental health services, help address primary health concerns, support learning skills needed to maintain recovery and transition toward more independence, and identify resources for effective aftercare planning.

 

The Center for Human Development will have a 15-bed capacity serving males ages 13 to 17, and Lowell House will have 24 beds for a gender inclusive (co-ed) population ages 13 to 17, doubling the number of youth treatment beds in the state. Both facilities will provide supervision 24 hours a day, seven days a week in a residential setting licensed by DPH’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services.

 

The grant award will continue until 2030, with $400,000 distributed to each program annually. The program is funded through a combination of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) block grant and state funding.

 

“This award will ensure that youths have access to the integrated mental health and substance use disorder treatment they need,” said Deirdre Calvert, Director of DPH’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services. “DPH is dedicated to supporting young people in their recovery from substance use and ensuring their access to behavioral healthcare.” 

AG SECURES $260,000 FROM SOUTH SHORE ANESTHESIA PROVIDER TO SETTLE ALLEGED UNFAIR “SURPRISE BILLING” PRACTICES

AG SECURES $260,000 FROM SOUTH SHORE ANESTHESIA PROVIDER TO SETTLE ALLEGED UNFAIR “SURPRISE BILLING” PRACTICES

Medical Group Agrees to Stop Billing or Collecting on “Surprise Bills”

 

            BOSTON – South Shore Anesthesia Associates (SSAA), a Weymouth-based provider of anesthesia and pain management care, will pay $260,000 to settle allegations of “surprise billing” practices, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.

 

In an assurance of discontinuance filed on Tuesday in Suffolk Superior Court, SSAA settled the AG’s allegations that it violated the Massachusetts consumer protection law by failing to adequately disclose to certain patients that SSAA was out of network with those patients’ health plans and then seeking to collect unfairly high charges from the patients.

 

“Massachusetts residents have a right to transparency when it comes to their health care and should not be subjected to surprise billing practices when seeking medical care,” said AG Healey. “Health care providers should take the appropriate steps to provide consumers with adequate information to allow them to make informed health care decisions and avoid unexpected charges.”

 

This settlement is the result of an investigation initiated by the AG’s Office after receiving consumer complaints from individuals who sought health care at South Shore Hospital, an in-network provider for them. After receiving a bill, the patients found out for the first time that SSAA, the anesthesia provider at South Shore Hospital, was out of network and that they were being charged significantly more than they would have been charged for an in-network anesthesia provider.

 

SSAA, which ceased providing clinical services in June 2020 and is in the process of closing its practice, will pay a total of $260,000, including a $185,000 civil penalty, to the state under the terms of the settlement.

 

Additionally, SSAA has agreed to:

 

• stop billing for and collecting on any remaining balances for patient accounts involving out of network services or uninsured patients, and forgive the debts incurred by such patients;
• inform any outside collection agencies it has used that debts incurred by these patients have been satisfied; and
• take all necessary steps to have these patients’ accounts removed from any applicable credit report and credit reporting agency.

 

The investigation and settlement are part of the AG’s ongoing examination of how increased transparency can help consumers avoid unexpected charges. As part of this effort, in September 2018, the AG’s Office settled with Partners HealthCare System Inc., requiring it to provide patients important information concerning billing practices at hospital outpatient locations and urgent care centers.

 

If consumers have questions or concerns about their health insurance claims or medical bills, they can contact the AG’s Health Care Helpline at (888) 830-6277 or file a complaint here.

 

This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Lisa Gaulin, Paralegal Troy Brown, and Mediator Pat Hamilton, with assistance from Division Chief Eric Gold, all of the AG’s Health Care Division.

Michelle Wu on Lack of Childcare Accommodations and Insufficient Return Plan for City Workers

Michelle Wu on Lack of Childcare Accommodations and Insufficient Return Plan for City Workers

Boston, MA— The following statement can be attributed to Boston City Councilor At-Large and Candidate for Mayor Michelle Wu:

“It’s absolutely unacceptable for City Hall, of all workplaces, to demand a return to business as usual while turning a blind eye to the childcare crisis accelerated by the pandemic. Our policies and working conditions at City Hall--including for our childcare workforce right in the building--must meet this moment and set the tone for the equitable recovery we must deliver across all sectors.

“Creating a ‘task force’ to discuss employees’ concerns after the fact misses the opportunity for the proactive, transformative leadership Boston needs throughout our recovery--and it misses the mark for so many working families who have been working their hardest to serve this city through challenging times.”

Michelle Wu, Councilor Liz Breadon, Community Advocates Call on the State to accelerate West Station, embrace at-grade vision for the Allston Multimodal Project

 

Michelle Wu, Councilor Liz Breadon, Community Advocates Call on the State to accelerate West Station, embrace at-grade vision for the Allston Multimodal Project

L-R: Michelle Wu, Councilor Liz Breadon, Allston Civic President Anthony D'Isidoro and former State Transportation Secretary Fred Salvucci 

 

Boston, MA - Michelle Wu joined Councilor Liz Breadon and Allston community members in strong support of the at-grade vision for the Allston Multimodal Project, accelerating the construction of West Station and opening of two-track service, the introduction of new North-South bus routes, and the establishment of new pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure to create a safer urban environment for residents of Allston and the surrounding communities. The project has the backing of a broad, diverse coalition of environmental advocates, transit and mobility organizations and businesses. 

 

Speakers urged Governor Baker and Acting Secretary Tesler to embrace a bold vision for the  Allston multimodal project and avoid the design mistakes of the 20th century that put cars over transit riders, pedestrians and cyclists. 

 

The Allston Viaduct is close to the end of its lifespan and needs to be replaced, providing an opportunity to make improvements to the area. 

 

“The Allston multimodal project is a generational opportunity to repair the highway harms of the past and connect our communities. With federal funding in this moment of recovery, we need hands-on leadership in Boston to steer our infrastructure projects and fight for investments that will lay the foundation for mobility and resilience for generations to come,” said Michelle Wu. 

 

“The realignment of I-90 offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to reconnect the Allston neighborhood to the Charles River and to build 21st century transportation infrastructure that helps reduce carbon emissions,” said Councilor Liz Breadon.

 

“We have a once-in-a generation opportunity to rectify a serious oversight. With federal funding, we can create an alternative that allows us to become a regional transit hub and help eliminate the traffic congestion that is only getting worse,” said Anthony D’Isidoro, President of Allston Civic.

 

“When this project was first built, they could have built a little further south and spared the community - but they didn’t. They took our housing, community facilities and commuter rail stations, and left us with a barrier dividing the neighborhood and cutting us off from the Charles River, which should be a great asset. This is a great opportunity to build back a better road and put back the transit that was once here, and I thank Councilor Wu for her leadership,” said Fred Salvucci, Former State Transportation Secretary and Special Lecturer and Research Associate at the Transit Group within the MIT Department of Urban Studies.

 

"Boston's future depends on the kind of forward looking thinking embodied in Michelle Wu's advocacy for the at-grade design of the Allston Multimodal project, and for the significant sustainable mobility benefits arising from a new West Station and redesigned access to the Charles River. Michelle understands how opportunities like this will frame whether and how Boston grows equitably and sustainably. I'm grateful for her leadership and her persistence on these critical issues,” said Jim Aloisi, lifelong Boston resident and former State Transportation Secretary.

 

“The Allston Multimodal project provides a generational opportunity to create a city that prioritizes people over fossil fuel infrastructure. Climate justice in Boston means ensuring safe access to green spaces, prioritizing public transit and pedestrian walkways, and providing freedom from the noise and pollutants of major highways. Councillor Wu’s support for Allston community advocates’ vision, and for transit justice more broadly, is yet another reason why Sunrise Boston is proud to have endorsed her bid for mayor,” said Sunrise Boston.