One Civic Act

Today, I visited atop three in my tour of Somerville landmarks: The Prospect Hill Tower. Prospect Hill was the site of a Revolutionary War lookout point, with views across Boston Harbor and up the Charles River. It’s also where the first American flag was flown, on January 1, 1776, by the order of George Washington. Later, it was a muster point for the Civil War. You can only climb the tower a couple times a year, on docent led tours. It’s worth it; the views are awesome.

I wrote about the national Indivisible movement earlier. Basically, it’s an attempt to use Tea Party techniques to advance progressive causes. But it left me unconvinced, as I wrote about. Apparently, there are local chapters, too. Today, I went to an info session from an Indivisble Somerville outreach committee member. And I have to say I was impressed by the amount of coordination and infrastructure they’ve put in place, in just three months of existence. They mostly focus on state and local policy, as well as building some tools to help other chapters. So I signed up. Although I don’t think I’ll have time to do leadership or committee work, they do send daily action emails that seem quite well thought out and researched. Let’s see where this goes.

Cities are where the battle to reduce carbon emissions will be won or lost. They host the majority of the world population, consume 78%  of the world’s energy and produce more than 60% of all carbon dioxide emissions. My city, Somerville, is out in front, driving to become “carbon neutral” (that is, for us as a community to emit net-zero carbon dioxide equivalents) by 2050. That’s a science-based target, as they say, which will be required for every city to achieve if we are to limit the worst effects of climate change. Mayor Curtatone made that pledge in 2014, joined the Compact of Mayors in 2015 and led the creation of a 14-city metro-Boston net-zero region in 2016. I’m proud to see my city lead. The city even has its own brand microsite:  Sustainaville . Today, I went to a presentation by the city on its carbon neutrality pathways. Basically, the city presented its modeling of how the city can move from its baseline emissions, measured in 2014, to net z...

It’s Marathon Day in Boston (excuse me, “Evacuation Day”), which is a big deal in these parts. The event creates over $150 million of economic activity in Greater Boston. Many athletes are able to run only by raising money for charity – over $25 million of donations are made each year. But the Marathon Day bombing in 2013 also remains on Bostonians’ minds. That year, the marathon was on April 15, a date the City of Boston has christened  One Boston Day . Every year, the Mayor calls for citizens to commit a civic act on One Boston Day. I happened to be at the Tax Day Rally on April 15; I didn’t think that was the best act to pledge for One Boston Day. Today, I made my pledge for One Boston Day by donating to the Brittany Fund for Trauma and Recovery . The long and short of it: Brittany Loring was a survivor of the Marathon Bombing four years ago. The fund she started, with her family and with the Good Samaritan EMT-in-training who helped her at the sce...

Last night, two friends lost their Somerville home to a fire. They’re okay, but it’s an incredibly disruptive time. Another friend put up a Gofundme campaign to get them back on their feet; they raised $5k quickly and the campaign ended. Today, I reached out and offered our home to them. I hope they take us up on the offer; we have an empty guestroom and off-street parking, both of which are at a premium in Somerville. But I’m also sure they have other options and I’m not going to be pushy in a very dire time of need for them. [ Edit: I thought I posted this April 16. ]

Neighborhood associations are a good example of meaningful civic engagement. Done well, and they provide not only a voice to a community, but also a counterweight to moneyed interests. My neighborhood, Davis Square, has many politically aware and civically engaged citizens. And yet it hasn’t been able to get an association to stick around, partly, in my opinion, because of a resistance to a formal structure, roles and accountability. Today, I attended a meeting organized by my Alderman, but intended to be the start of a new neighborhood association. Very promising. Unfortunately, the old hands were present, pushing again for a loosey goosey structure. And I couldn’t help influence it, because I had to leave early and wasn’t able to speak before I departed. It’s a shame. But I’ll stay involved because I want it to work.

If you’ve spent time in Boston, you’ve come to realize that the most iconic element in Boston’s skyline is more of a billboard than a building: the Citgo sign in Kenmore Square. It has added relevance for me; when I was in college, we could see the Citgo sign from our house. It was a part of my college experience. The sign had been in danger because of, what else, a landlord dispute. Just yesterday , the new owner of the building finally came to agreement with Citgo to renew the lease on the sign. Hooray. That’s not enough. Today, I signed a petition to ask the city of Boston to grant the Citgo sign Landmark status. Landmark status would, in the words of the petition’s sponsors, “protect the CITGO sign permanently and require any possible changes to be reviewed. Further, it will recognize the CITGO sign as an important piece of Boston history and culture.” How could anyone argue with that?

Did you know that the US hosts 25% of the world’s prison population? I think we’re doing something wrong. Today, I joined the Day of Empathy , organized nationally by #cut50 and locally by MassINC , the Massacushetts think tank. #Cut50 is part of Van Jones’s Dream Corps and is trying to catalyze legislation to safely reduce our prison population. MassINC organized this event at the State House to tell stories about people affected by the criminal justice system. At this Day of Empathy event, we heard just how difficult it is to break out of the cycle of poverty and incarceration, messages of how, in effect, we have systemically criminalized poverty. Powerful and moving. One speaker asked us to break out of our comfort zone and help. It’s not clear how I can make a difference, however, which seems to be a recurring theme of my exploration so far.

A loyal reader in California alerted me to an interesting opportunity back in Massachusetts. Neighboring Cambridge has turned to the crowd to raise capital funds. Check out the campaign here . Muni bonds are a staple asset class for investors, because of their tax efficiency. They are, of course, not without risk. Just ask the holders of Detroit  paper just before its $18 billion bankruptcy. The Motor City is far from alone in its financial woes. But analyst Meredith Whitney, who famously “called” the mortgage meltdown a decade ago, didn’t quite get her second act, a  muni bond implosion , right. (At least, not yet.) In any case, the opportunity for modest individual investors to buy directly into a single municipal entity is limited. And, given the concentration of risk, why would you want to invest – except where you are emotionally vested? Enter the “minibonds,” which are being brokered by a startup called Neighborly  (and which thankfully isn...

Today, I went to the Somerville Zoning Board of Appeals meeting. I went because there were two different applicants seeking special permits to open medical marijuana dispensaries. The applicants are not only across the street from each other, they’re both in stone’s throw from my house. In fact, I can see one storefront from my bedroom window. Consider my interest piqued. There was a large turnout and the elephant in the room did not go unstated. Last year, Massachusetts voters also approved recreational marijuana. So aren’t these medical dispensaries just loss leaders until they’re able to open recreational retail dispensaries? Surely that would be bad for the neighborhood – and for real estate values. Here’s the thing:  I  went looking for empirical research on real estate value nearby dispensaries. The only study I could find was this one, on medical dispensaries that converted to retail dispensaries when that became possible in Denver, Colorado. ...

If you live in Boston long enough, you’ll probably get to know a Spare Change News vendor. They’re a remarkably loyal bunch; many have been distributing the paper for decades. And they’re all currently or formerly homeless, or otherwise low-income individuals. Spare Change News does its best to hire current or former homeless individuals for many roles, not just for distribution. From writers to editors to graphic designers, they tap an under-appreciated talent market. And they do that without sacrificing editorial standards. The current issue has a great Q&A with civil-rights icon and US representative John Lewis, for example. Today, I bought a copy of Spare Change News from my local vendor. It’s published by the Homeless Empowerment Project, which provides stability and community for its vendors, and provides other resources to enable the homeless to transition. I remember when the paper was launched 25 years ago. I was impressed by the idea at the time,...

“Attacks on reproductive freedom, immigration, the environment, Muslims, LGBTQ rights and more got you feeling down?” asked the  Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts . “Us too.” It was a time for a semi-break from the seriousness. So, today, I went to comedy for a cause: the Stand Up with Planned Parenthood comedy fundraiser, which held two sold-out shows – on a Sunday night, in the midst of a blizzard, I should point out. Reproductive health jokes were welcome, though not necessarily the funniest. Added bonus: the shows took place at the Somerville Brewing Company , aka Slumbrew, taproom and brewery. The owners have always stayed personally connected with their neighbors, which goes to show the importance of small businesses in supporting the community. And I enjoyed with gusto their nitro stout, which they named “#ThanksObama.” Thanks, indeed.

They say good fences make good neighbors. So do good shovels, I hope. Today, I shoveled out two neighbors from the snowstorm that pummeled Boston yesterday. As I was clearing the sidewalk outside my house this morning, one neighbor stepped outside with her baby, and headed to her car. Her driveway was already cleared – thanks to our great neighbors,  Redbones restaurant and their dedicated staff (and snowblowers) – but the curb cut was plowed over. So I immediately moved over and cleared the snow so she could get out. Then, as I cleared my own driveway, I was sure to dig out and clear the snow off of my other neighbor’s car; we share a driveway. That’s just being neighborly. But the real heroes are at Redbones . They were snow blowing sidewalks all day yesterday, through the heart of the storm. We ate there last night, as the storm was dying down, in appreciation of their effort.