Kim Janey宣佈推出精神健康試驗計畫 John Barros: 我受寵若驚

MAYOR JANEY ANNOUNCES PILOT FOR MENTAL HEALTH EMERGENCIES Initiative will increase the role of mental health workers in crisis response

 

Kim Janey.  BOSTON - Thursday, August 5, 2021 - Mayor Kim Janey today announced a pilot initiative to address the way the City of Boston responds to mental health crises. The pilot plan follows a call by Mayor Janey in April to amplify the role of mental health workers and reduce the role of police officers in response to mental health crises in the city.  The pilot was developed by the City’s Mental Health Crisis Response Working Group, which included the heads of the Health and Human Services Cabinet, Emergency Medical Services and the Boston Police Department, as well as the Chief of Policy. Over the course of 15 weeks, the group assessed existing protocols for mental health crisis responses, reviewed best practices around the country; hosted over 10 community listening sessions; and administered resident surveys in multiple languages across Boston.  “I am proud to launch a pilot program that reimagines how we respond to mental health calls,” said Mayor Janey. “These pilot investments will connect residents - and their families - with the care they need as we bring more safety, justice, and healing to Boston neighborhoods.” Funded with $1.75 million from the Health and Human Services Cabinet’s FY22 Budget, the pilot program will include three response models: ·    Co-response will improve and expand dedicated teams of police officers and mental health workers to respond to 911 calls that report a mental health crisis with a safety risk. Implementation of improvements to Boston’s co-response program will begin in September. ·    Currently, dispatch of co-response takes place on a case-by-case basis. The pilot initiative standardizes this process. Dispatchers will automatically ask if a co-response team is available to respond to mental health calls that pose a safety risk. This component of the pilot will begin in September. ·    In addition, co-response cars with a police officer and mental health worker can currently be asked to respond to any call type. The pilot will designate dedicated co-response cars, which will only be dispatched to calls that are likely to have a mental health concern. This component of the pilot will begin in October, in Boston Police Districts A1 and B2, in the Downtown/Charlestown and Roxbury neighborhoods. ·    Alternative response will deploy teams of Emergency Medical Technicians and mental health workers to respond to 911 calls that report a mental health crisis without a safety risk. Work to develop this model will begin immediately, in partnership with unions representing BPD and EMS employees. ·    Community-led response will begin with a facilitated, community-led process to propose a model of mental health response that is led by trained community members who may have lived experience with mental illness and with the communities they’re serving. A request for proposal for the facilitator of the community-led response model will open in September, followed by a community design process that starts in December.  In Boston, more than 10,000 mental health calls were placed to 911 in 2020. Analysis of last year’s data showed incidents city wide, with the highest call volumes in Dorchester, Roxbury, and the South End, a pattern that also reflects higher call volume overall in these neighborhoods. Based on the data and district resources, new dedicated co-response cars will be available Downtown/Charlestown and in Roxbury. The new alternative response unit will be available city-wide.  Statement from John Barros on Boston’s New Mental Health Pilot John Barros (Photo by Chutze Chou) BOSTON — John Barros, candidate for Mayor of Boston, today issued a statement in response to Acting Mayor Janey’s announcement of a new mental health pilot program for 911 calls. “I’m flattered Acting Mayor Kim Janey is impressed with my proposal for a new Safe and Healthy Communities Agency that I announced last week. Over the last few months I have had many positive conversations with law enforcement, social workers, and community-based organizations, and am proud of the human-centered approach to community safety that I’ve outlined in full on my campaign website and have been sharing with the community throughout my campaign.” John Barros's twitter.

波士頓金融區「佛跳牆」重新開業 Kim Janey、Aaron Michlewitz雙雙出席剪綵

波士頓市金融區，「佛跳牆(Foumami)」復業剪綵。右起，麻州眾議員
Aaron Michlewitz，房東，波士頓代市長Kim Janey，店東王裕傑，房東2。
(周菊子攝)

             (Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導)2新冠疫情還未消退，千家百行爭取復業。位於金融區的「佛跳牆(Foumami)」，在波士頓代市長Kim Janey和麻州眾議員麥家威(Aaron Michlewitz)出席剪綵的隆重中，8月4日正式復業。

             店東王裕傑(Michael Wang)感恩表示，這家店，他開了11年，卻因為新冠疫情，關門17個月，2019年底開始，在劍橋市哈佛廣場那兒裝修開分店的行動，也被迫取消。現在這是他所有的一切，他必須撐下去。他很感謝波士頓市府等給予他的一切協助。

麻州眾議員Aaron Michlewitz(右)，波士頓代市長Kim Janey(左)，聯袂
出席「佛跳牆」復業剪綵儀式。(周菊子攝)

             波士頓市長Kim Janey表示，「佛跳牆」的重新開業，說明了市府和企業做為夥伴的重要性，她很高興在協助「佛跳牆」復業上，市府提供了6500元補助。她希望波士頓市內所有小企業，尤其是波士頓市內第三大行業的餐飲娛樂業，能夠都復業。她為此特地召開過餐館業者圓桌會議，也清楚聽到餐館業者的需求，將提供招募及留住員工的津貼，以期各行各業不但恢復正常，還要經營得更好。

             麻州眾議員麥家威特地送上一份表揚狀，鼓勵「佛跳牆」的復業，稱那是波士頓市金融區恢復正常的象徵。

「佛跳牆(Foumami)」店東王裕傑也是有哈佛學歷的餐飲人。
(周菊子攝)

             麻州餐館協會會長Bob Luz表示，麻州內的餐館業者都非常感謝州市首長，議員們的協助。他估計9月8日以後，人們將漸漸回到工作崗位，但疫情還未消散，人們對餐飲業的持續支持很重要。

             王裕傑是祖籍山東的韓國華僑，一家三代都曾從事餐飲業。他祖父在韓國開的餐館「聚英樓」，出售後來還成為了上市公司。他自己其實原本在金融公司高盛(Goldman Sachs)工作，修讀了哈佛大學企管碩士，但最終決定自己當老闆，獨資開設「佛跳牆」，設計出「燒餅三明治」等獨特食品。他的生意原本穩定成長，前年還正準備擴張，沒想到新冠病毒疫情一來，被逼關門17個月，打擊實在太大。在感謝州市政府協助之餘，他也很感謝房東的伸出援手，才讓他得以支撐下來。他的店，原本有7名員工，疫情後，只有1名以前的員工回來上班，但很幸運，他能招募到全面復業所需的人手。

             根據波士頓市小企業局，波士頓市內約有4萬家企業，其中約3千家因疫情打擊關上大門。波士頓市府指出，為協助小企業經營，市府設有多項援助計畫，希望市民上網查詢，善加利用。

麻州已完整注射疫苗者中累計7737人再次確診100人死亡

 

             (Boston Orange 編譯)麻州政府週二公佈的"穿透個案(breakthrough case)”顯示，在麻州已完整注射新冠疫苗的430萬人中，有100人死於新冠病毒(COVID-19)，比率約為0.002%。

              截至7月31日，麻州公共衛生廳在州內完整注射了新冠疫苗的人中，累計有7,737名確診者，約為應已免疫人口的0.18%。

              上週六的累計計算反映出，到7月24日，有1,364宗”穿透個案”。在一週之內的所有新確診個案中佔了30%。

              麻州公共衛生廳從今年一月有了第一位完整注射了疫苗的居民起，已有395名已免疫居民因新冠病毒住院，100人死亡。

              這些數字，包括34宗新的穿透住院個案，以及9宗新增死亡。

              由於Delta變種病毒的傳染，甚至發生在那些已完整注射了疫苗的人之中，過去數週來，麻州及全美總個案數目持續上升，但醫療專家不斷強調，在稀罕的穿透個案中，注射疫苗減低了病情嚴重度及死亡率。

              麻州公共衛生廳早前公佈了穿透感染的數據，以回應索取記錄的要求。週二第一次公佈這些訊息，以後將於每個工作日持續公佈更新報告

              根據麻州公共衛生廳8月4日公佈的新冠病毒數據，這天有962人確診，245人住院，其中58人住在重症病房，19人插管，新增5人死亡。

累計已有676,387人確診，17723人死亡。

波士頓公校總監陷入無照任職窘境

               (Boston Orange編譯)波士頓環球報探討波士頓及麻州教育界差距的「大鴻溝(Great Divid)」系列，8月4日刊文驚稱，波士頓公校總監Brenda Cassellius目前無照執業。

              該文指稱，由於上週六(7月31日)是Brenda Cassellius必須拿到新執照的截止日期，但她卻仍未參加必要的考試，於是成了全麻州400個學區中，唯一的無證公校總監。

              Brenda Cassellius是明尼蘇達州(Minnesota)前任教育局長，總是直言不諱地批評標準測試。她在接受波士頓環球報採訪時表示，她並不是一個「良心反對者」，只是沒有時間去考試。病毒大流行讓她太忙，而且那是個5小時長的考試。

              週三晚上，Brenda Cassellius像波士頓學校委員會道歉，說她還沒考試，純粹是因為誤會了執照截止日，而且她已排定8月14日去考試。

              麻州政府人員表示，波士頓學區必須為Brenda Cassellius的沒有執照，向州政府申請豁免，而且這豁免只是暫時的。Brenda Cassellius仍然必須參加並通過認證考試。

              波士頓學校委員會一個多月前才評給Brenda Cassellius優良考績，還通過展延合約2年，而這合約規定，Brenda Cassellius必須持有效的麻州學校總監執照，否則就得面臨解雇命運。不過這份合約已在執照混亂聲中落實了。

              波士頓學校委員會委員Ernani Jose DeAraujo 質疑為什麼學校委員會未能查察Brenda Cassellius的狀況，也問Brenda Cassellius麻州政府是否已給她緩衝期。

              Brenda Cassellius表示，她正在和州政府溝通。

              波士頓學校委員會主席 Jeri Robinson 責怪波士頓學校部門的人是辦公室未通知學校委員會，Brenda Cassellius的執照可能有問題。

              Brenda Cassellius從2019年1月1日起，就已經使用暫時執照了。麻州教育局發言人Colleen Quinn 表示，7月31日時，Brenda Cassellius就已經沒了有效執照。

              麻州政府人員還說，過去6個月內，他們已經提醒Brenda Cassellius2次，她得去考試，這個MTEL的溝通及識字能力考試。

Kim Janey宣佈32萬餘元補助27個公共藝術項目 吳友雯、徐乙漾入選

MAYOR JANEY ANNOUNCES 27 SHORT-TERM PUBLIC ART PROJECTS AND ACTIVATIONS FUNDED IN FIRST PHASE OF TRANSFORMATIVE PUBLIC ART PROGRAM

 

BOSTON - Wednesday, August 4, 2021 - Mayor Kim Janey and the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, in collaboration with the Boston Art Commission, today announced 27 short-term public art projects and activations will receive grants totaling $323,950 this summer as part of the first phase of the City’s Transformative Public Art Program.  “These public art projects and activations are a wonderful way to come together and experience joy, recovery, and renewal,” said Mayor Janey. “I encourage everyone to enjoy and engage with these projects in our inviting and accessible public spaces.” This is the third year of the Transformative Public Art Program. Last year, 24 public art projects were awarded grants totaling $35,000. In addition to the $273,950 allocated by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture this year, the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) allocated $50,000 to projects based in Roxbury’s Nubian Square. The Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture allocated another $350,000 to mural projects as part of this program, and those will be announced later this summer. The program relaunched as a key part of the Mayor’s Joy Agenda, which is a citywide invitation, opportunity, and investment in our collective well being. This program aligns with the Joy Agenda’s goals to provide job opportunities for creative workers across various neighborhoods that contribute to the city’s recovery from COVID-19. This year, the call for applications included three different opportunities that funded mural projects at locations identified by the City and artists who had a specific, short-term project and location in mind. Projects could include murals, new media, traditional media, installations or performances, community-engaged cultural practices, social practice, or elements that specifically engage youth and/or non-English speaking communities. “The Transformative Public Art Program allows us to invest in individual artists who continue to need increased support due to the impacts of COVID-19, while bringing cultural gatherings and activations of space to communities across the City,” said Kara Elliott-Ortega, Chief of Arts and Culture for the City of Boston. Projects selected in this first phase of the 2021 Transformative Public Art Program include:  ·    Yu-Wen Wu’s citywide light-based project that joyously celebrates the diverse communities using neon as a sculpture light piece. ·    Dayenne Walters’s project “Billboard Hope,” a curated billboard project in John Eliot Square in Roxbury that features the work of a different local artist every month on the theme of “Hope and Inspiration for the Future.”  ·    Black Market Nubian’s Nubiana, a community-driven place-making initiative envisioned to activate the Roxbury Cultural District with dynamic artwork curated by over 40 artists at the Blair Lot. ·    Daphne Xu’s “The Immigrant History Trail,” a multimedia creative placekeeping project that uplifts and preserves the diverse immigrant, working-class histories of Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood. ·    Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation’s Sanative Summer Arts Fest 2021 project, an arts festival held at Oasis @ Bartlett, Nuestra’s new public arts park in Nubian Square, devised to explore joy and healing in COVID-impacted Roxbury. ·    Dunamis’ Jamaica Plain Porchfest 2021, a two-day event that will focus on highlighting BIPOC organizations and creatives who are committed to sharing their art with the community of Jamaica Plain. ·    Boston Children’s Chorus’ summer series, BCC WE SING, taking place in public parks throughout Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan, Chelsea, and Chinatown.  ·    Allison Tanenhaus and Maria Finkelmeier’s interactive multimedia mural that will crowdsource and creatively process the sounds and sights of Allston-Brighton. The mural projects funded through the Transformative Public Art Program will be announced later this summer. To learn more about the Transformative Public Art Program and see the complete list of grantees, visit here.

大學沙龍: 中國地方政府績效的滿意度:來自調查的證據 8/8

主持人楊雪冬

哈佛大學甘迺迪政府學院教授Anthony Saich
直言，現在做中國研究越來越不容易。

余可平教授。

Kim Janey任命Alison Brizius為波士頓環保局局長

MAYOR JANEY ANNOUNCES DR. ALISON BRIZIUS APPOINTED AS COMMISSIONER OF THE ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT   BOSTON - Wednesday, August 4, 2021 - Mayor Kim Janey announced that she has appointed Dr. Alison Brizius as Commissioner of the Environment Department. In this role, Dr. Brizius will be responsible for supporting the Department in achieving its mission of enhancing environmental justice and quality of life in Boston by protecting air, water, climate, and land resources, as well as preserving and improving the integrity of Boston's architectural and historic resources. Dr. Brizius will assume the role previously held by Carl Spector, who has retired after 16 years with the Environment Department.  Dr. Brizius has extensive background in supporting the City of Boston in mitigating and adapting to the negative effects of climate change. Dr. Brizius is currently the Director of Climate and Environmental Planning for the City of Boston, a position she has held since 2017. She manages the Environment Department's work on climate adaptation and resilience, greenhouse gas reduction, air and noise pollution, wetlands protection, parking freezes, and solid waste. Prior to her position with the City, Dr. Brizius was the Executive Director of the Center for Robust Decision making on Climate and Energy Policy (RDCEP) at the University of Chicago, a multi-institutional interdisciplinary center founded to improve society's ability to respond to climate change and energy supply challenges. She received her Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Chicago.  “Right now, our communities are experiencing the impacts of climate change and it has never been more critical to take urgent action to protect our residents’ health and quality of life,” said Mayor Janey. “Dr. Brizius has a wealth of knowledge, experience and leadership that makes her the right person to lead the charge in reducing our city’s carbon emissions and preparing our residents for the effects of climate change.”  As Environment Commissioner, Dr. Brizius will oversee programs related to climate mitigation and adaptation, environmental protection, historic preservation, and other aspects of sustainability. Dr. Brizius and her colleagues in the Environment Department are responsible for steering the City of Boston toward the goals outlined in Boston’s Climate Action Plan Update, which outlines strategies to reduce carbon emissions and prepare for the impacts of climate change. Among related programs, the Environment Department includes the Air Pollution and Control Commission, the Conservation Commission, and the Boston Landmarks Commission. Dr. Brizius began her new role on Monday, August 2nd.  Mayor Janey’s Administration is taking steps to recognize and address the risks of climate change, and to protect Boston’s urban ecosystem. Mayor Janey’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget includes significant investments for environmental resilience and climate justice including: ·    $48 million for Phase 2 and 3 of Renew Boston Trust, which is designed to identify energy retrofit project opportunities in City-owned buildings to create future energy savings. ·    $5 million to support the development of a Climate Ready Boston Harbor Study that will examine the feasibility of measures along and within the harbor to reduce vulnerability of coastal flooding due to sea level rise caused by climate change. ·    $20 million to design and implement a signature, climate resilient waterfront park along the Fort Point Channel. ·    $4 million in workforce development and training opportunities for green jobs in the environment. ·    $1 million in workforce development and training opportunities for zero waste and mobility jobs. ·    $500,000 to support residents in making energy efficient upgrades to their homes. ·    $340,000 to support a new Healthy Places Initiative targeted for environmental justice populations, who often live in hotter neighborhoods with less tree canopy cover. ·    $200,000 towards the preservation and maintenance of historic and cultural sites in Boston.    Mayor Janey also recently appointed Reverend Mariama White-Hammond as Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space for the City of Boston. The Cabinet includes the Environment Department and the Parks and Recreation Department. As Chief, Rev. White-Hammond oversees policy and programs on energy, climate change, sustainability, building safety, historic preservation, and open space. ‌ ‌

洛士百利週一晚槍響40聲 無人傷亡也無人被捕

             (Boston Orange編譯)波士頓警察在週一(2日)晚上接獲舉報，洛士百利槍響幾十聲，9點05分趕到Brunswick街50號，發現40顆子彈碎片。

                                一名警察發言人說，槍彈掃及6輛車，2棟樓，但未射到或傷及任何人。

                                截至週二下午，警方還未逮捕任何人。

                                和2020年相比，今年發生的槍擊案數量較少，截至上週日為止，全市共發生過107宗槍擊案，和去年同期有134宗相比，減少了20%。

                            今年迄今為止有122名槍擊案受害人，比去年同期的160人減少了24%。

                                在這122名槍傷受害人中，13人死了，比去年同期的有30人死亡，低了57%。

                                不過持械被捕案件，今年卻增加了。波士頓警察迄今已執行了370次有關槍械的逮捕行動，比去年同期的292宗增加了27%。

TAAF發表聲明 促新冠病毒源起調查機構審慎

(Boston Orange 編譯) 亞美基金會 (TAAF)8月3日發佈聲明，回應共和黨眾議會外國事務委員會成員，眾議員Rep. Michael McCaul所發表，有關新冠病毒大流行源起的報告。

TAAF稱該，報告讓人對新冠病毒是由發現病毒的武漢病毒研究所洩漏出來的，感到更加擔憂。

亞美基金會會長Sonal Shah回應該報告，發表了以下聲明:

亞美基金會非常擔憂，在新冠病毒大流行期間已然陡增的反亞裔仇恨及暴力，會把該報告的內容當作武器來搧風點火。亞裔社區已經被當作代罪羔羊，被責怪，成為數目極高的仇恨事件對象，然而美國原本是個不容許這類事情發生的地方。所以只要新冠病毒大流行源起的調查繼續，調查者在發佈發現時，把亞裔的安全考慮進去事至關重要的。亞裔基金會致力和夥伴合作，改善危機預防及回應架構，以確保我們的社區，未來在免於反亞裔仇恨及暴力上被保護得更好。

                           拜登政府正在做自己的新冠病毒源起調查，五月時，拜登總統要求情報社區就新冠病毒源起，給他一份報告，這報告預定於今夏稍後完成。

                             亞裔基金會創立於2021年5月，旨在解決長期以來的亞裔社區得不到投資與資源等問題，並先從反仇恨，數據及研究，教育等三方面著手。在反仇恨上，由於反亞裔仇恨及暴力事件有著持續的驚人發生率，反仇恨工作尤其重要。從2019年到2020年，針對亞裔社區的仇恨犯罪，在紐約市增加率高達833%，在洛杉磯增加率高達114%。

TAAF President Releases Statement on COVID-19 Origins Report From Leading GOP House Foreign Affairs Committee Member 

 WASHINGTON, DC, August 3, 2021 — The Asian

American Foundation ("TAAF") today shared a statement in response to the report released Monday by the ranking Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul, on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report raises growing concerns that the pandemic was started by a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, located in the city of Wuhan where the virus was first detected.

 Sonal Shah, President of TAAF, released the following statement in response to the report:

 “TAAF is deeply concerned that the findings in this report will be weaponized to fan the flames of anti-AAPI hate and violence that have already been surging throughout the pandemic. AAPI communities have been scapegoated, blamed, and subjected to extremely high numbers of hate incidents, which have no place in America. We cannot let the public health crisis continue to give way to a crisis of hate in our communities. So as long as investigations into the origins of the pandemic continue, it is imperative that investigators communicate their findings with the safety of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in mind. Working with our partners, TAAF is committed to improving crisis prevention and response infrastructure that will ensure our communities are better protected from anti-AAPI hate and violence in the future.”

The Biden administration is conducting its own investigation into the origins of the pandemic and in May President Biden called on the Intelligence Community to provide a report to him on the origins of COVID-19 which is expected later this summer.

TAAF was founded in May 2021 to help solve the longstanding lack of investment and resources provided to AAPI communities. To start, it is focusing its efforts on three key areas of concern: anti-hate, data and research, and education. Its anti-hate work continues to be especially important as anti-AAPI hate and violence persist at alarming rates. From 2019 to 2020, hate crimes targeting AAPI communities have increased by 833% in New York City and 114% in Los Angeles.