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Thanks
Thanks Adam.
The full set of photos I took can be seen by clicking here.
I was standing right in Bellingham Square (in the center traffic island) when I took these, they had already marched from East Boston down Meridian St over the bridge and into Chelsea to city hall, then looped around. They continued to march down Broadway and probably to Everett Ave and into Everett. (as planned)
It wasn't too bad, although it did cause traffic delays. (and local bus delays).
Kudos to Chelsea Collaborative (the planners) and CPD for working together on this. This was well planned out and executed. CPD 'escorted' them through town and blocked off streets and directed traffic as necessary.
A Gray May Day
I also live in Chelsea and usually admit to being a pinko-liberal of the worst kind, a self-professed 'Marxist.'
Today's demonstrations were not covered widely although one can imagine several ways in which the discontent with police brutality, the disproportionately adverse impact of poor public transportation, healthcare and education, could be harnessed into something which might actually yield some change...
I have no illusions. My partner texted me the 111 was delayed. As an abled-bodied young person, I walked from Maverick..
Empty symbolism and a sure way to get the bourgeois to hate you. But of course, can we not disrupt the cars today? Every traffic jam to me is a riot. But not a riot like in Baltimore, obviously.
There are so many crises, is what I am saying. Also, the Olympics. As a former urban bicyclist -- since the roads are too dreadful in poor Chelsea -- I can affirm that so many people are on the edge of some kind of political awakening.
Please don't let it be parochial / ethnic or for that matter gender/identity based interest.
Workers' rights is not as overrated as one would imagine. Boston forgets because it is on the most developed and privileged positions in the post-industrial world. Chelsea is a testament to the fact that blood, sweat, and tears still fuel society, invisibly so.
in crisis
Yes, in crisis. One cause is that billionaires pick candidates and fund them, and candidates are beholden to their agenda. We should fix campaign finance.
It's why we're shrinking government, giving tax breaks to millionaires, and passing more trade agreements. When you shrink government you cut services for the middle class and poor including transportation, education and the social safety net for everyone who works for poverty wages and everyone who can't find a job.
We de-industrialized the midwest and cities coast to coast when we decided globalization was the key to US economic supremacy. As a result US multinationals shipped manufacturing abroad were they can buy cheap labor and Americans lost hundreds of thousands of good paying jobs with benefits. High unemployment, tough on crime and war on drugs is a disaster. We put more people in jail per capita than ...anyone else?
I don't remember a time when there have been so many populist movements fueled by people who feel the government has been inadequate in addressing the issues. People want a livable wage, they want our criminal justice system to be more restrained with use of lethal force and accountability for law enforcement that uses lethal force when it's not warranted. The want to stop spending trillions on foreign wars and fix our broken infrastructure. They want shelters for homeless families, food assistance for working families living in poverty and recovery for people dealing with addictions. The middle class is shrinking. We know how to fix it.