I was in a community computer lab in the Port/Area 4 ‘round 3:40 pm on August 24th when I heard “pop pop BANG pop pop…” Suddenly every eye turned from their typing and gaming with an alarmed look that hurled the question “Was that gunshots?” I rushed outside selfishly praying there were no ‘bodies’. After all, my child, my nephew, and 98 other youth attend camps in the immediate area of the shooting - and at least a hundred others play at parks daylong. So in my panic I only thought of “The Babies!!!!”….

At least ten other neighbors cautiously spilled out into the streets, fear furrowing our eyebrows, as we witnessed two camp councilors with 20 kids rush from Clement Morgan Park “come on hurry!!!” they uttered while fast tracking their way back to a “safe spot”…Community members discussed what they saw, and we all unified in our fear and our mutual concern for each other as we spoke about the audacity of folks shooting Gunshots on our lawns. read more...

On Wednesday May 7th I buzzed into Cambridge City Hall’s Sullivan Chamber to witness some of the 2009 Budget Hearings. Every Spring, the heads of City Departments - from Cable T.V to the Women’s Commission – make their plea to at least get level funded for the upcoming year. And what is the bargain – getting scrutinized by City Councilors.

By 10:30 am, Councilors Decker, Seidel, Davis and Brian Murphy were in attendance, politicking to & fro. But it was Councilor Craig Kelley who eloquently fired up “the Grill” peppering questions & comments towards Lisa Peterson, Commissioner of Public Works a.k.a. DPW. It was then that I was reminded why I voted for Kelley in ’05 & last November – He is a head-chef when it comes to dicing up the meat of matters dear to himself and his neighbors. Plus as a seasonal bike rider, Kelley’s eye is on street level yearlong and he is an expert at boiling down the ‘pessimistic potatoes’ of pedestrians, drivers & fellow bikers. read more...

Last Thursday, on the evening of March 13th between 7-9PM, about 20 community members including two children, gathered at the Pisani Center in The Port/Area 4 for a monthly community meeting. Neighbors met & mingled while enjoying a delicious meal of rice & beans & Fried chicken which was provided by Izzy’s Restaurant. The meeting began with Open announcements then quickly moved to Park Updates, UDAG presentations, & Approvals for a Convenience store license…
The Harvard Street Park - Jim Wilcox from Public Works said that the new park, located one block from the Fletcher Maynard School, was almost complete even though work had begun on it in December 2006.

What caused the hold up? Workers had to first remove then replace contaminated soil “up to 6 feet” in some places said Wilcox. Jim speculates that the park will be open by late Summer 2008 but more work must be done - on the sidewalk, the community garden, installation of sod (grass) and more... read more...

On Wednesday, February 20th from 6:00-8:00PM, FOR the LOVE of LUCIEN , a poetry reading in Christalin's honor, will be held at the Margaret Fuller House @ 71 Cherry Street in the Port/Area4. For more info CALL - (617)-547-4680 -Or email margaretfullerhouse.org

A tribute BeLive show at CCTV will take place at 7:30 on the same evening, and will be cablecast live on channel 9. All are welcome to watch and/or participate.

I’m not really feeling this 2008 Valentine’s Day – for my heart is with the family of Lucien on this day. 18-year old Lucien Christalin, a Haitian–American man who attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin, died from gunshot wounds on Friday night in a living room on Windsor Street in Cambridge.

Lucien and his friends were playing with a gun, and while they were certainly going against the grain of doing what their parents taught – I still ask God why, why Lucien? After all, they are/were young folks who forgot, or misplaced their parents unending mantra of be wise, be safe. And though we parents say those words, pray those words, we never know what attack lies for our babies once they go out the front door.

I knew not Lucien, but his face is familiar to me. Surely I have bumped into him on some basketball court around the city, I must have said “Hey now”… with a “Yall be safe” to boot. I must have seen him amongst the gaggle of teens who weekly liven up the CCTV hallways – and matter of fact he made his mark by getting involved at CCTV in 2005. read more...

Squaring of the Square?

I knew more BIG change, and BIG business was coming to Central Square. The sign for me occurred a few years ago when the benches (where the harmlessly-dangerous drinkers used to chill) were taken away (Y'all miss ‘em too huh!!!). Then Manhattans, my urban gear store, departed only to be replaced by a bank. read more...

I am usually bright but sometimes the glare is too much, blue saunters in, and tries to take over. On a blue Friday, this past Spring, a friend reminded me of the ROAD program. It takes place in The Port (Area 4) at the Windsor Street clinic, and after she said Child care too, girl me an baby headed on over to check it out. Six months later, I am still involved with ROAD and because of that program my life has flipped right side up… read more...