‘Heart’ public safety idea is a start, but far more investment is needed against domestic violence
The immediate issue facing the City Council concerns creating a new first response to some calls for help that go to the 911 dispatch system. We hope the city will move forward to do so. But the first response is just that. We must build up the resources and systems available after that first response.
In deciding to keep its library buildings closed, Cambridge chose safety for staff and residents
Could the staff of Cambridge’s public libraries have been doing more in recent months? Should the main library have opened earlier? During a global pandemic, the city chose safety first.
Four ways the Affordable Housing Overlay zoning is being misused on a proposal for Walden Square
A seven-story building proposed for Walden Square violates the spirit of the Affordable Housing Overlay in terms of geography and building height and around parking issues and the cost of land.
Police force’s choice for cadet reading material illustrates orientation toward violent tradition
The broad acceptance of some confrontational views on policing, including by our own force, reflects a fundamental orientation toward violence embedded in everything from procedures to training. As a result, meaningful reform seems unlikely.
MBTA’s plan for diesel hybrid buses does little toward climate goals, but we can change plan
Public comment is our opportunity to push the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority toward a goal of a fully electric fleet by 2030, a significant step toward healthier air and a required 50 percent reduction in transportation emissions.
What some affordable housing proponents miss
There are far safer and better ways of providing affordable housing than Cambridge’s current zoning approaches.
Why we refuse to proctor MCAS this year
As educators, we have never supported the MCAS testing system. Now 18 urban school superintendents agree that as we emerge from a pandemic, the test will be disruptive, and there is “no valid purpose” for administering it this spring to students.
One year after the killing of George Floyd, question is: How far have we actually come?
The daily trauma of excessive police force, racial violence and brutality continue to plague us. To make progress, we must hold our policing and legal systems accountable.
Council should stay out of Middle East politics
City councillors are urged by someone who had family in the Middle East during the crisis of 1948 to pause before condemning either side on the conflict between Hamas and Israel.
Holistic Emergency Alternative Response Team proposed by group as a city public safety system
A diverse group of Cantabrigians has come together to reimagine public safety through a fully participatory process and now proposes forming and funding for a quasi-governmental agency that is accountable to the community called the Holistic Emergency Alternative Response Team.
