Dear Neighbors, particularly those in Somerville,

This newsletter is from me as a person (yes, I'm not just a senator).  It's about an issue in Somerville. I'll write soon about the budget.

Very few people in Somerville or in the affected area know about the Somernova development proposed on tiny residential streets near Market Basket. Yet many of us can vote Wednesday June 4 on a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA). 

If the CBA passes, the City Council is likely to approve this huge development.

That's why I'll be voting no.

Can you vote?  Anyone who lives, works, volunteers, or owns a business in the “catchment area” can vote this Wednesday, June 4, from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm at St. Anthony’s School on Somerville Ave.  There’s more here, including details of the benefits, and how you need to identify yourself.  You can vote remotely if you sign up on that site by noon, tomorrow (Tuesday).   

Dear Neighbor,

It's been a busy month, and a long time since I wrote.  The last newsletter was about a conversation in Cambridge about the graduation requirement.    Better late than never, letting you know about an official listening session tonight.

LISTENING SESSION TONIGHT ON HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Do we need new statewide high school graduation requirements?
Tonight at Somerville High School, the governor's High School Graduation Council, is holding a "listening" session at which you can speak your mind about that.   5 to 7pm, 81 Highland Ave. (Registration is optional.)

Last November, the voters eliminated the requirement that students pass the MCAS to get their diplomas by passing Question 2, 59 to 41 percent. I supported Question 2 because I think the laser focus on MCAS scores did a lot of harm to our students' high school education and virtually no good.

Dear Neighbor, 

In November, Massachusetts voters passed Question 2 to eliminate MCAS scores as a high school graduation requirement.  The vote was 59%-41%

There's a lot of data showing the MCAS requirement didn't improve national test scores, and hurt students.  I wrote about that data last fall.

Now there’s a drive to create new graduation requirements, rather than leaving it to local decision-makers. This newsletter is about how you can participate in that process.

Last fall, Senator Jason Lewis of Winchester, co-chair of the Education Committee, said if the measure passed, he would propose legislation to require students to pass MassCore recommended courses.  His bill would establish an advisory council to advise the Department of Education on establishing "a program of study intended to align high school coursework with college and career expectations and promote civic engagement."  

Gov. Healey established a Graduation Council to do similar work.

Many teachers, parents, and students opposed the MCAS graduation requirement. But officials who make education policy were determined to keep it. That’s why it took a ballot question to end it. 

Before coming up with new requirements, we need to listen to and respect the views of the people most affected by our high schools. 

Dear Neighbor,

You have almost certainly seen the news coverage by local, metro, national, and international media of Rumeysa Ozturk, abducted on a Somerville street without a warrant by at least six masked ICE agents who claimed to be police.  

The video of her abduction has been circulated through all those media and far more.

Tuesday, on less than a day's notice, thousands of us gathered in Powderhouse Park in the first of many protests.  The protest also generated a lot of coverage.  People with opposing views on other issues, including Israel and Palestine, were united in outrage.  

This is a version of one of the signs that day.  I wrote last week about a fuller version of the Pastor Niemoller quote, "First they came for..."  The Nazis came for many people, not just communists, socialists, unions, and Jews, but disabled people, Roma, and dissidents - including eventually Niemoller, after he turned against them.  Rumeysa Ozturk is a member of SEIU 509, which brought members to the rally.

On Tuesday, I posted this statement: 

Dear Neighbors,

Here are a few things I thought you might be interested in.  Still working on newsletters on transportation, revenue, and the shelter crisis. Hard to keep up!

Dear Neighbor,

RULES REFORM AND TRANSPARENCY

Many of you have written in support of increased transparency and rules reform.  The House and Senate have passed their versions of rules reform.  Each chamber has made changes in its own rules, and a conference committee will resolve the differences for joint rules.

I can't do better than Progressive Mass' summary of the changes.  For example, many people have asked that committee votes and testimony (except for sensitive information) be public, and they will.

Dear Neighbor,

RESPONSES TO FEDERAL ACTIONS

Tomorrow, Tuesday March 4, prior to President Trump's address to a joint session of Congress, 50501 Massachusetts will hold a rally at the Boston Common to speak about the state of our Union today and the need for nonviolent resistance to protect our democracy.  It's part of the "50 States 50 Protests One Movement."  Speakers start at 4:30.

Medford Democrats will host a tea time at Medford City Hall on Saturday, March 8th at 12PM in the Council Chambers. RSVP on Facebook.
The purpose is to have informal conversations with like-minded people, create a space for discussions about local organizing, mingle, and reinvigorate in-person political communities in these uncertain times.  You can also join with Google Meet or phone 1-317-743-0515 PIN 364048387

Senator Markey invites people to a town hall in Malden on Saturday, March 8 at 2 pm.  Doors open at 1; getting a free ticket in advance may be wise.  He's also having an organizing call  at 6:30pm this Wednesday, March 5 about taking on the Trump-Musk administration with grassroots activists.

Dear Neighbors,

Coup-o-meter Update

The coup-o-meter is now updating every day with Trump/Musk actions, reactions, retractions and more. 
One of my constituents visited the office with a pin he had made of the coup-o-meter.


Not Necessarily the News

Last week was school vacation week and the Senate wasn't in formal session, so I went to visit my sister Carolyn at her rented condo on St. Simon Island, Georgia.   I thought I'd share a few things I learned there, some relevant to Black History Month.

Dear Neighbor,

It's overwhelming, trying to keep up with the hourly avalanche of news: the actions, reactions, and retractions of the Trump/Musk administration and the rising resistance.  And that's the point.

In 2019, Steve Bannon proposed this "muzzle velocity" strategy,  as reported in Ezra Klein's excellent piece.  "The opposition party is the media. And the media can only, because they’re dumb and they’re lazy, they can only focus on one thing at a time. …

All we have to do is flood the zone. Every day we hit them with three things. They’ll bite on one, and we’ll get all of our stuff done. Bang, bang, bang. These guys will never — will never be able to recover. But we’ve got to start with muzzle velocity."

Klein says Trump's unilateral orders project strength but actually show weakness; he can't get all of them through legal, legislative means. "Trump is acting like a king because he is too weak to govern like a president."  He won the popular vote by 1.5%, has a low approval rating, and has thin margins in the House and Senate.