DIG 22.32 – 8/13/20
Institutions with more wealth than many nations have no excuse for inaction during a pandemic
HARVARD AND MIT MUST HELP THEIR WORKERS AND AREA HOMELESS NOW
Homeless
CAMBRIDGE TEMPORARY HOMELESS SHELTER OPENS DAY LATE AFTER TESTING MANDATE
A temporary homeless shelter opened Saturday night at the War Memorial Recreation Center in Mid-Cambridge—after two weeks before city councillors and a day late after a last-minute change requiring guests to test negative for COVID-19. Results from tests at the city’s warming center for the homeless Thursday did not arrive until Saturday afternoon.
SIGN “MIT HARVARD PETITION” DEMANDING BETTER SOLUTIONS FOR CAMBRIDGE HOMELESS DURING PANDEMIC
Editor's note: The following petition was drafted by Cambridge City Councilor Quinton Zondervan and is reprinted here in the public interest. Read "Cambridge Plan to Warehouse Homeless Could Spark COVID Outbreak" by DigBoston's Jason Pramas for more background.
CAMBRIDGE PLAN TO WAREHOUSE HOMELESS COULD SPARK COVID OUTBREAK
City Council, Gov. Baker have the power to force universities—Harvard, MIT, and Lesley—and hotels to provide better alternatives
NO FINISH LINE IN SIGHT: 21ST ANNUAL HOMELESSNESS MARATHON TO BROADCAST FROM CAMBRIDGE
“We said we’re going to do this the same way the British had to get their troops out of Dunkirk,” the radio host said. “It was an immediate need. They were going to die and homeless people are dying.”
BREAK THE CYCLE
“There [are] unfortunately huge, discriminatory barriers that we can’t completely destroy on our own ... That takes a huge cultural movement."
GREENFIELD BLUES: HOMELESSNESS IS NOT JUST A BIG-CITY PROBLEM IN MASS
GUEST OP-ED: LAWRENCE AND THE NORTHERN FRONT
I know a homeless person who was told by a Beverly police officer to “go to Lynn.” In fact, he was even offered a one-way ride there. I met a couple from Saugus who lived under the Casey Bridge last summer. I asked them, “Why are you here?” They told me, “We are users but are trying to get back on our feet. The cops in Saugus wouldn’t let us stay camped out in the woods.”
DON’T MAKE US HOMELESS AGAIN: AN OPEN LETTER TO MAYOR WALSH
Since our first letter, the conditions we detailed (including lack of, or no food at meals; no access to beds or medication during the day; and lack of available case management staff) have only deteriorated daily.
THE SHAME OF OUR CITY: HOW BOSTON FAILED BELLA BOND AND BEYOND
With another cold front coming, the city doesn’t only need a better plan
