“Why blame immigrants, and especially immigrant youth, for being criminals when overall crime rates are now historically low, when we don’t have a crime crisis, and when immigrants actually make our communities much safer?” Seiber asked. “I suggest that it has a lot to do with scapegoating.”
20/2018 VISION: REVISITING OUR AWESOME HELLISH YEAR ONE FINAL TIME
No outlet can cover everything. It’s not worth trying. But in reading back through several hundred pieces that we published in the past 12 months, I’m more than satisfied to say that we hit hard and often on a range of topics
’18 AND LIFE TO GO: OUR YEAR IN ALTERNATIVE MASS MEDIA
It’s anybody’s guess why cheeseball mainstream outlets tend to ignore topics such as poverty, surveillance, and climate change. Whatever the reason, we don’t spend too much time worrying about them; as you’ll see below, we had our hands full all year covering the stuff that they missed.
DRINKING WITH THE MERRIMACK VALLEY RECOVERY WORKERS WHO LIVE ON AN OLD CRUISE SHIP IN SOUTHIE
Overall, these cruise ship tenants seem exhausted, both physically and emotionally. There are perks, and decent pay, but there are also sleepless nights and more work the next morning. Not to mention what they call a shitty breakfast buffet.
HERE’S WHY WE’RE COMMITTED TO LONG-TERM COVERAGE OF THE MERRIMACK EXPLOSIONS
Columbia has spent in excess of half a million dollars lobbying in Mass over the past five years, while execs at Eversource, which Baker tapped to save the day, have pumped more than $40,000 into Baker and Polito’s war chests since 2015.
THE CITY OF LAWRENCE CAN’T BREATHE
Environmental justice must be at the center of recovery efforts
“WON’T SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?!”
Moral panic hamstrings promising North Andover cannabis farm deal Last fall, I wrote about the history of Osgood Landing—a large industrial facility in North Andover—as part of a column (“An Andover North Andover Deal?”) slamming a hasty bid to win the Amazon HQ2 contract put together by that town in partnership with nearby […]
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.”
MASSACHUSETTS SUPER TROOPERS
No matter how many bullets they shoot or dangerous arrests they may make, those who cover up atrocities and fortify a system that coddles the family and friends of the powerful are pathetic and weak next to the few who facilitate transparency.
AN AMAZON NORTH ANDOVER DEAL?
Sketch of the Merrimack Valley Works plant at North Andover while under construction in 1955 Merrimack Valley pols courting the tech behemoth have forgotten recent history A couple of weeks ago, I criticized the possibility of an Amazon Boston deal—on the grounds that most of the jobs it would provide would be for […]
