Move4ART

On September 6th, 2017 a message dropped from a Boston.gov email account announcing  a "Farewell to Mattapan-Dorchester and the Haitian Community."  Buried in the message (in the very last paragraph, in fact), was a a cryptic mention that there would "also be updates regarding Mattapan Square...and the addition of a new tattoo parlor." This struck me as curious, since I already had an entry in my calendar, by then, to attend a hearing of the City's  Zoning Board of Appeals  about a tattoo parlor slated to go into the building next door to where I live. The Zoning Board's hearing notice had arrived in snail mail weeks before.  It confirmed what prior to then, was only rumor.  So I resolved to go and lodge a formal protest; specifically about the lack of public process related the proposed change of "business uses" at  438 River Street  in Mattapan, MA. I listened intently as Ruth Georges, out-going Boston Neighborhood Liaison, assured t...

Boston  politics has always been ‘machine politics’–where power is centralized, consolidated, and tightly controlled in the hands of a few, ostensibly for the benefit of ‘the many.’  Unfortunately,  whoever happens to be wielding power understands ‘the many’ as mostly class- and color-coded. Every four years, however, the concept of ‘the many’ is really encouraged to breathe–to find its broadest possible expanse; to stretch to embrace and accommodate, in fact, enough of the voting public.  This is when those who wield power loosen the reigns long enough so some of the rainwater trickles down to the grassroots.  And like art, water is life. And so it is that today  Martin J. Walsh ‘s campaign signs have papered over Mattapan Square with ‘walking around money.’  Curiously though, the racially-displaced (’cause they ain’t from ’round here), candy-sucking panhandlers were no where to be found  today .  And in case you missed it, Ma...

     If U.S.  Census data is to be believed, Mattapan lost nearly 10% of its population between 2000 and 2010.   This came as a surprise to those of us who live here.   Bus trips home remained congested,  and lines at the Post Office remained long.    In other words, nothing in our lived experience of the place confirmed what Census data reported.     Since then the nagging question has been, how did nearly 10,000 people leave without anyone noticing?            Now we know there’s been a concerted effort to whittle away at Mattapan’s territory, again.   This time, by selling Mattapan homeowners  on the idea that life would be better if they were Hyde Park residents.  Apparently many opted to leave Mattapan (figuratively speaking)—diluting the power of their vote in the larger pool of mostly white voters who live in Hyde Park.  And for what? Cheaper insur...