Analysts See $0.24 EPS For Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (BRKL)
Investors sentiment decreased to 1.3 in Q3 2017. It is down 0.09, from 1.39 in 2017Q2. It fell, as 12 investors sold Brookline Bancorp, Inc. shares while 48 reduced holdings. 23 funds opened positions while 55 raised stakes. 57.96 million shares or 0.37% less from 58.17 million shares in 2017Q2 were reported.
Tci Wealth holds 0% of its portfolio in Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL) for 73 shares. Employees Retirement System Of Ohio owns 13,953 shares for 0% of their portfolio. 101,187 are held by Matarin Ltd. Company. Zacks Mgmt holds 0.03% of its portfolio in Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL) for 72,401 shares. Thrivent Fincl For Lutherans has 298,207 shares. American Intll Gp reported 59,654 shares or 0% of all its holdings. Crestwood Advsr Grp. Inc. Ltd. Limited Liability Company holds 0.02% in Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL) or 11,493 shares. North Mgmt stated it has 19,682 shares. Prudential Financial has invested 0.01% in Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL). Banc Funds Limited Company reported 325,000 shares. 105,525 were reported by Aqr Capital Limited Liability. Mutual Of America Ltd. Liability stated it has 0.13% in Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL). Dimensional Fund Advsrs Limited Partnership accumulated 6.32M shares. 1,094 are held by Winslow Evans Crocker Incorporated. Wells Fargo & Mn, a California-based fund reported 293,704 shares.
Since February 5, 2018, it had 0 insider purchases, and 4 insider sales for $784,850 activity. 5,000 shares valued at $81,250 were sold by HACKETT JOHN A on Wednesday, February 7. Cosman James M had sold 12,500 shares worth $209,500. Another trade for 10,000 shares valued at $164,300 was made by PECK CHARLES H on Tuesday, February 27.
Analysts expect Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL) to report $0.24 EPS on April, 25.They anticipate $0.05 EPS change or 26.32 % from last quarter’s $0.19 EPS. BRKL’s profit would be $19.11 million giving it 17.03 P/E if the $0.24 EPS is correct. After having $0.21 EPS previously, Brookline Bancorp, Inc.’s analysts see 14.29 % EPS growth. The stock increased 2.51% or $0.4 during the last trading session, reaching $16.35. About 280,170 shares traded. Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL) has risen 26.02% since March 27, 2017 and is uptrending. It has outperformed by 9.32% the S&P500.
Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL) Ratings Coverage
Among 4 analysts covering Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL), 0 have Buy rating, 0 Sell and 4 Hold. Therefore 0 are positive. Brookline Bancorp, Inc. had 16 analyst reports since September 3, 2015 according to SRatingsIntel. The stock of Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL) earned “Buy” rating by Compass Point on Thursday, October 22. The stock of Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL) has “Hold” rating given on Monday, October 23 by Piper Jaffray. The firm has “Hold” rating by Sandler O’Neill given on Tuesday, June 7. The stock has “Hold” rating by Keefe Bruyette & Woods on Friday, February 2. The stock has “Hold” rating by Sandler O’Neill on Thursday, October 19. Keefe Bruyette & Woods maintained the stock with “Hold” rating in Thursday, June 1 report. The stock has “Hold” rating by Keefe Bruyette & Woods on Thursday, December 21. The stock has “Buy” rating by Sandler O’Neill on Thursday, September 3. The rating was maintained by Keefe Bruyette & Woods on Friday, October 13 with “Hold”. On Friday, November 18 the stock rating was downgraded by Compass Point to “Neutral”.
Brookline Bancorp, Inc. Company Profile
Brookline Bancorp, Inc. operates as a multi-bank holding company for Brookline Bank and its subsidiaries; Bank Rhode Island (BankRI) and its subsidiaries; First Ipswich Bank (First Ipswich) and its subsidiaries, and Brookline Securities Corp. As a commercially focused financial institution with 50 full-service banking offices throughout greater Boston, the north shore of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the Company, through Brookline Bank, BankRI and First Ipswich (individually and collectively the Banks), offered a range of commercial, business and retail banking services, including cash management products, online banking services, consumer and residential loans and investment services throughout central New England, as of December 31, 2016.
Porto Maltese, A Seafood Restaurant Opens Doors In Brookline’s Washington Square
Porto Maltese offers your choice of over 20 types of fresh, top-quality seafood in the portions you choose, prepared in any of seven artful and totally authentic Mediterranean styles, or in any other way you prefer, and served by our friendly and attentive staff in a casual, yet elegant atmosphere that evokes sea, sunshine, and good company!
Porto Maltese is more than a great restaurant; it is a distinct and exciting approach to Mediterranean cuisine developed in the seaports of the historic island of Malta, at the very heart of the Mediterranean! In the mid-1980s this authentic approach to seafood began to inspire restaurants from Barcelona to Rome and all across Europe.
At Porto Maltese, we have a uniquely varied, flexible, and authentic menu. We display over 20 varieties of fresh fish and shellfish on ice. Each choice is labeled and priced by item and by weight, so that you can choose exactly the portions of seafood you want. Do you want a whole fish or half of it? Seven shrimp, or three, or two? A whole octopus or just one tentacle?
We prepare wild-caught or organic seafood in six healthy, traditional styles, perfected in over 20 Mediterranean countries …
- Naturally Charcoal Grilled. Our grandmothers used charcoal, and so do we. The seafood gets a smoky flavor, enhanced by spices and marinades.
- Sea Salt-Encrusted and Flambéed, a delicious, spectacular way to present and enjoy seafood.
- Cooked in a Traditional Charcoal Oven. The home-style cooking of the Mediterranean. This cannot be done using electricity or gas! Our oven is 100% authentic.
- Steamed, the healthiest choice, but you will be amazed at how delicious healthy can be.
- Fried in a Small Amount of Olive and Sunflower Oil according to the type of fish.
- Porto Maltese Style. Grilled, marinated and then sautéed, but that doesn’t do it justice. Try it!
OR… tell us your whim or show us your recipe and we will make your choice of seafood your way! Our wait staff, and if need be, our chef, will find out just how you want it!
We also offer your choice of salads and vegetarian dishes, sides, meats, poultry, desserts, and excellent wines! In fact we have three types of bars: a raw bar, a wine bar, and a full bar!
Our freshly baked breads will delight you!
Our open kitchen is a spectacle in itself! Watch us do our magic! And that is Porto Maltese – open, friendly, causal, elegant, authentic, spectacular – and, above all, dedicated to serving you uniquely delicious food just the way you like it!
For updates on expanding hours, please keep an eye on the restaurant’s Facebook page here.
What You Need To Know About Colorectal Cancer
The information above is available as a downloadable and printable brochure in .pdf format and could be accessed here.
U-Haul Van Rolls Over On Pond Avenue
According to Brookline Police, there was a traffic crash this morning on Pond Avenue at Highland Road, in which an U-Haul van lost control driving into the uphill wooded area on the right-hand side of the road and rolled over on its left side.
Fortunately there have been no injuries reported.
The road is now clear and open.
Presenting “Sonic Peace” By Kiriu Minashita
Reminder for all Japanese culture enthusiasts: Spencer Thurlow and I will be giving a “Book Talk” at Gen Sou En in Coolidge Corner this Sunday.
There will be reading from the translation of “Sonic Peace” by Kiriu Minashita, and sharing some stories about translating this remarkable book by a living Japanese poet.
The event runs from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. and is free & open to the public.
Taxi Driver Accused Of Dragging Another Driver In Brookline In Fight Over A Client
A taxi driver is facing charges Friday morning after allegedly dragging another taxi driver with his car.
The two drivers reportedly got into a dispute on Webster Street in front of the Brookline Courtyard Marriott hotel in Brookline, Massachusetts. The suspect then dragged the victim 40 to 50 feet with his car.
Police say the fight began over a disagreement involving fare and who would take a guest of the hotel to the airport. An officer witnessed the disagreement and wrote in his report, “I observed the taxi begin to accelerate as [the other driver Hassan] Mohamed was yelling and hanging out of the rear passenger door. Mohamed was being dragged by the taxi.”
No injuries were reported.
Police identified the suspect as 61-year-old Ossmane Offre of Brockton. He is facing charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Patrick Gioia says his client, 61-year-old Osmane Offre, did not mean to drag his competition. “I’m confident he’s going to be fully vindicated,” said Gioia.
Gioia says his client was just trying to do his job. He blames Mohamed, the other driver, for instigating the violence.
Offre has driven for Bay State Taxi since 1989. Friday afternoon he posted his $100 bond and is ordered to stay away from Mohamed.
How Food Stamps Are Keeping Small Farms In Business
On a weekend morning, the farmers market stretches out like a long caterpillar. Customers mill about, pushing strollers and walking dogs. A band is playing something folksy. Vendors stand behind tables that are literally spilling over with winter greens and root vegetables. It is a picture-perfect image that connotes abundance and community—if you have the cash for it.
The local food movement has been criticized for catering to middle- and upper-class Americans, and for leaving behind the low-income in all of the hype for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and “know your farmer” initiatives touted in glossy food magazines. But in the last decade, food justice activists have sought to correct this, connecting low-income consumers with cooking classes, gardening workshops, children’s programming, and locally grown and culturally appropriate foods.
Enter Double Up Food Bucks, a program that doubles Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, commonly known as food stamps) benefits for recipients shopping at participating farmers markets or grocery stores, up to $20 per visit. Launched by the nonprofit Fair Food Network, Double Up Food Bucks began at five Detroit farmers markets in 2009. Today, 20 states have launched programs modeled after the original, including my home state of Arizona.
“Double Up is a win-win-win,” says Adrienne Udarbe, executive director of Pinnacle Prevention, the nonprofit that manages Arizona’s statewide Double Up initiative. “SNAP recipients have access to more fruits and vegetables, local farmers make more money, and more dollars stay in the local economy.“
Pinnacle Prevention operates 23 Double Up sites across Arizona under the Fair Food Network national umbrella, including a mobile market with 80 stops on its route. Each of them has seen an uptick in SNAP spending, and Udarbe says local produce vendors have indicated an increase in sales since the program started.
Since Pinnacle Prevention’s Double Up program began in 2016, Udarbe says SNAP spending at participating farmers markets has increased by between 67 and 290 percent. Additionally, 84 percent of SNAP customers shopping at Pinnacle Prevention’s Double Up sites responded that they “buy and eat a greater variety of fruits and vegetables as a result of Double Up Food Bucks.” This increase in spending is significant, especially since in 2016, nationwide SNAP spending dropped to its lowest point since 2010.
The handful of Double Up programs in Arizona that are not managed by Pinnacle Prevention have also reported ballooning SNAP spending after their programs began. The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona (CFBSA), one of Arizona’s earliest adapters of the Double Up concept, reported $9,000 in SNAP spending at its Tucson farmers markets in 2015. But in 2016, after receiving federal funding to implement Double Up, program manager Audra Christophel says SNAP spending at CFBSA markets increased to $37,000. And in 2017, the total SNAP spending exceeded $43,000—nearly half of which was spent on Arizona-grown fruits and vegetables.
* * *
In September 2018, the federal Farm Bill will expire. This means legislators are working now to craft a nearly $900 billion piece of legislation to steer food and agriculture programs over the next five years, including crop insurance, farmer loans, SNAP, and the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) grants program that funds Pinnacle Prevention’s Double Up program. Udarbe says including FINI in the 2018 Farm Bill is important for the SNAP customers and farmers who count on similar produce incentive programs across the country.
But the recent unveiling of the USDA America’s Harvest Box, part of a theoretical overhaul to the SNAP program that would include deep cuts, shows that the Trump administration may have a different plan in mind. America’s Harvest Box—a Blue Apron-style box for SNAP recipients—would contain pre-determined rations of U.S.-produced breads, shelf-stable milk, pastas, and canned goods.
The box program was immediately met with widespread criticism from individuals and organizations working in the fields of nutrition and food security. In February, when a USDA official discussed the concept of America’s Harvest Box during a National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference, Politico reported that “boos and mocking laughter erupted” from a crowd of 1,200 anti-hunger advocates, and “at least 20 people walked out in protest.”
Udarbe says, “The Harvest Box idea contradicts everything we have been doing over the past decade to move in a direction that best supports food-insecure families and farmers.” Indeed, America’s Harvest Box would remove the element of choice and would not provide fresh fruits or vegetables. It would also cut back on the economic opportunities for local produce farmers across the United States, who have come to count on the Double Up program for sales.
The far-reaching benefits of Double Up, combined with increased pressure by the federal government for states to cough up funding for such programs, are at the foundation of SB 1245, a new bill introduced by State Sen. Kate Brophy McGee (R).
If passed, SB 1245 would allocate $400,000 from the Arizona state general fund to be used as a match for Double Up Food Bucks. Udarbe and Christophel each say that federal grant applications will be more competitive if they can show a match from the state. “While match requirements aren’t new to USDA grants,” says Udarbe, it helps if applicants can show “evidence of buy-in and support from local leaders.”
And though SB 1245 was introduced before the unveiling of America’s Harvest Box by the USDA, it is hard not to contrast the two strategies—they’re literally at opposite ends of the continuum. “I passionately, passionately believe in this bill,” said McGee during public hearing for the bill. “If we are going to be spending food stamp dollars, this is where we need to be spending them.”
* * *
As a former vegetable farmer and SNAP recipient, I have been on both sides of the table—I actually qualified for SNAP when I was growing food for my community, a cruel irony replicated among the millions of food insecure food workers in America. Farmers are often low-income (in fact, median farm income is projected to be negative $1,316 in 2018), a fact that highlights the role of programs like Double Up in providing economic benefits for direct-market farmers.
“Funding for this program truly is the world to local farmers who sell directly at farmers markets in terms of being able to not only feed their families, but keep lights on and keep a roof over their heads,” says Udarbe.
This sentiment is echoed by Dave Brady, a vegetable producer from Pinal County in Arizona, who testified in support of SB 1245. “I was basically at the point where farmers markets just weren’t working for me,” he says. “But the one thing that made sense to me was Double Up SNAP program. It just makes it possible for me to get my volumes up to a level that’s practical, that I can actual make a decent living at it.”
Because of Double Up, Brady has started experimenting with a box program for seniors in his community who are SNAP recipients. A far cry from America’s Harvest Box, Brady’s boxes are comprised of fresh fruits and vegetables and customized to meet the needs of the seniors.
“When seniors participate in Double Up, I can help them stretch their food dollars and supply them with enough locally grown produce for an entire month,” he says.
In the months ahead, votes by federal and state lawmakers may determine the future of the Double Up program—and the lives of the consumers and farmers like Brady who depend on it.
Dеbbiе Wеingаrtеn
Casey McNamara To Run The Boston Marathon
On April 16, 18-year-old Casey McNamara will be among the youngest running the Boston Marathon. The Brookline resident is running to raise money for the Joslin Diabetes Center and to show others and herself that though she has type 1 diabetes (T1D), she can do anything.
Grateful to the doctors and nurses at the Joslin Center, McNamara is running for all those who have “researched, worked, or even just donated money in hopes of making the lives of T1D better.” She credits their work with being the reason why she can not only live with diabetes but can take on such challenges as the Boston Marathon.
Aiming to raise $15,000, McNamara has raised over $5,000 so far.
Ahead of the marathon, McNamara took some time to answer a few questions, asked by the media.
Why are you running for the Joslin Center?
More than anything I want a cure for T1D. I want to run for Joslin so that I can give back and help raise money for an organization near and dear to my heart and to help progress the research for T1D. I hope that the money I raise for Joslin will help make type one diabetes just a little easier. I hope that there is progress in the research of T1D and more smiles in the process of finding a cure. I hope that with the money that is raised people who have T1D are feeling better, doing better, and living better.
How are you training?
I am still trying to perfect my system for keeping my blood glucose levels in check while I run. I keep Clif gummy blocks with me in case I go low during a run. I try to fuel up before a run, especially if it is a long one and I make sure to replenish my food after I finish exercising. I have been doing a pretty good job, but just like with most areas of diabetes, it could always improve. I also have my own personal coach who is amazing. He checks in on me regarding nutrition, strength, endurance, and everything else that goes along with marathon training. He keeps me on schedule and helps me balance marathon training with my school work, social life, and varsity sports.
What keeps you motivated as you prepare?
I have so many motivations. One of my biggest motivations is my cousin Cameron who is 6 years old and was diagnosed with T1D when he was 16 months old. He is such a wonderful little boy who doesn’t let T1D stop him from doing anything. I am motivated by him because I realize that the work I do now can help his teenage years, which can be the hardest years to manage T1D. I don’t want Cameron to have to go through what I as well as so many other type one diabetics go through. By raising the money and spreading awareness we will generate progress and be that much closer to a cure.
What challenges have/do you face?
I think that it is hard sometimes with all the hard/bad things that can happen in life to look at T1D as something positive. But the longer I live I realize that it is because of T1D that I have found the most strength. When we physically are training to get stronger we weight train and resistance train and our muscle fibers get torn down and it allows them to repair themselves and come back stronger. I think that this same idea applies to how I look at my diabetes. Because I have diabetes and deal with diabetes I have grown and gotten stronger and it is through this strength that motivates me to keep going. I think that it is my diabetes which motivates me to want to run, to show I can and I will.
What message do you hope to send to others with T1D?
I hope that I can inspire some girl or boy who has diabetes and might be doubting what they can accomplish because of their diabetes and serve as a reminder that it only makes what you do more amazing and incredible. Even though it may make situations more challenging it makes accomplishing goals so much more rewarding.
For more information or to donate, please visit McNamara’s fundraising page here.
Lawrence School To Get A New Temporary Principal
As Lawrence Principal Alysson Hart steps down at the end of this school year, Brookline’s Monica Crowley will step in as the interim principal.
Crowley has served as the principal of the Upper Devotion School for the last four years and served as Lawrence Vice Principal from 2008 to 2014, according to a letter that Superintendent Andrew Bott sent to families and staff.
In February, Hart submitted her resignation effective at the end of the current school year. According to a letter Superintendent Andrew Bott sent to families, Hart is leaving for personal and family reasons.
Hart’s resignation is yet another change for the Lawrence community in just three years. Her departure has presented Bott and school administrators with the challenge of helping the Lawrence community through yet another transition. Ahead of Crowley’s appointment, Bott had deliberated between appointing an interim principal for the next school year and pursuing a full search process later, or to starting the search process now in order to place a permanent principal at Lawrence for the start of the 2018-2019 school year.
“It is critically important to me personally that stability return to the school,” Bott said in an interview with the media last week.
While serving as vice principal at Lawrence, Crowley created the town-wide middle school advisory program, co-chaired the School Council and served as a member of Faculty Planning and Child Study Teams, according to the letter.
“Ms. Crowley’s close ties with Lawrence staff and families and her strong track record of instructional leadership in the district will serve the Lawrence community well,” Bott said in the letter.
In addition to Crowley, Lawrence will also gain Janet Palmer Owens who will work with Hart and the rest of the Lawrence administrative team to help ease the transition process, according to the letter.
Crowley’s appointment comes days after Bott announced that Driscoll interim principal Dr. Sujan “Suzie” Talukdar would assume the permanent principal position at the school. Bott is also expected to announce the permanent principal for the Pierce School in the coming days.
Bott was not immediately available for comment on how this would impact Upper Devotion School.
Online Launch Of “There’s Something In The Air”, A Virtual Reality Air Pollution Visualization
Launching March 22nd online and in virtual reality, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Brookline Interactive Group (BIG), The Public VR Lab, and Datavized Technologies are pleased to announce the public launch of “There’s Something in the Air,” a VR data visualization experience exploring air pollution and global data over time around the globe. The public launch coincides with the official launch of Datavized’s closed beta platform at the Data for Development Festival, the inaugural gathering of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data in Bristol, March 21-23 and will be on view in the VR Data Play Space along with access to Datavized software tools and at the festival and the Bristol Data Dive on March 23.
The visualization, powered by Datavized WebVR software, was presented by the Public VR Lab’s team at the third session of the United Nations Environment Assembly “Towards a Pollution-Free Planet” of the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) in Nairobi, Kenya on Dec. 4-6, 2017 to 800 – 1,000 UNEA delegates, volunteers, NGOs, students, businesses, activists and world leaders, helping them to experience and understand environmental data stories in a new way.
The collaborative project was spearheaded by the UNEP, Brookline Interactive Group, The Public VR Lab, The EcoLearn Project, and Datavized Technologies to demonstrate how VR can create a paradigm shift to a more hands-on, visceral understanding of environmental issues through immersive data storytelling, and the physical sense of presence and increased empathy that VR provides. “There’s Something in the Air” presents estimates of air pollution based on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and mean annual exposure by country every five years from 1990-2010 and yearly between 2010 and 2015. Data sources include the Health Effects Institute – State of Global Air.
For the past two years the Public VR Lab has provided free community VR demos, launched a VR Academy teaching six different ways to create XR content, and began creating VR/AR experiences in the public interest, working with artists, local museums, education, arts and technical organizations, and with local government. The Lab is training the next generation of creators and environmental educators through a high school job training program, the VR Ecohack, a hackathon focused on mentoring new storycoders, and supporting immersive journalism projects like their collaboration with the Boston Globe’s STAT news team.
In 2018 the Lab launched a national collaborative VR filmmaking project on American immigration/migration stories with 15 community-based filmmakers and organizations from Alaska to Philadelphia, called “Immigration in Full Frame”. With the goal of accessibility in mind, the Lab recently began providing low-cost VR Demos & Creator Toolkits to libraries, schools, arts organizations, filmmakers, universities, governments, and other cultural organizations to build their capacity to demo VR, create local content, and to show that VR can be accessible and used in the public interest.
“There’s Something in the Air” features a customized visualization of the Datavized software tools scheduled to be released in 2018. Datavized immersive visualization technology, built on the WebVR API, enables users with efficient, easy-to-use, three-dimensional geospatial templates for mapping global, national and city data visualizations. The startup, headquartered in New York, is currently expanding its closed beta program working with pilot partners in industries including government, business, education, transportation, mapping, statistics and sustainable development. Business and individual users can sign up to request access to the beta platform through datavized.com.
The experience is viewable on any connected device here, including mobile, desktop, tablet and in VR through WebVR browsers, including in the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, Google Daydream, Google Cardboard and Microsoft Windows Mixed Reality headsets. For details on WebVR browsers and supported platforms, visit here.
Quotes
“We want to inspire local communities to craft their own collaborative, immersive storytelling and visual data experiences, and to then be able to share their experiences and data with other communities around the world, with compelling, visceral and visual storytelling around critical issues in the public interest,” shared Kathy Bisbee, co-founder and executive director at The Public VR Lab.
“The response of over 800 UNEA delegates and world leaders was absolute raw delight and enthusiasm for their experience of virtual reality. From the seven-year-old environmental activist, Sasha Bennett, to Ibrahim Thiaw, Assistant Secretary-General at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), all remarked how very real and impactful their virtual reality experience was,” added Ms. Bisbee.
“This experience demonstrates how big data and VR can be used together to create an immersive environment for increased understanding and enhanced communication of real-world challenges. We are delighted Datavized geospatial software products and mapping technologies are being used as powerful tools for environmental education, awareness and impact,” Debra Anderson, co-founder and chief strategy officer, Datavized Technologies, Inc.
“The data collected and experienced through this pioneering VR initiative will inform policymakers on the status of air pollution in their respective constituencies worldwide. We, at UN Environment, hope that this VR experience will help expedite the implementation of the recommendations in the resolution approved at the Third UN Environment Assembly,” said Cristian Mazzei, special assistant to the director of the ecosystem division of the United Nations Environmental Programme.
“The experience we created together represents a new frontier in environmental education, uniting the possibilities of new technologies with the urgency of crises such as air pollution. The leaders exposed to this tool gain a new understanding of the issue, and also an understanding of how emerging technologies can add a vital dimension to education,” said Nir Darom, lead creative designer at The Public VR Lab.
About Brookline Interactive Group (BIG):
Brookline Interactive Group (BIG) is an integrated media and technology education center and a community media hub for Brookline, Massachusetts and the region. BIG facilitates diverse community dialogue, incubates and funds hyperlocal storytelling, arts, journalism and technology projects, and serves over 500 youth and adults annually through innovative classes and partnerships. BIG offers extensive multimedia training, VR, AR and 360-video cameras and training, access to high-quality filmmaking equipment, production grants, artists’ residencies, and provides low-cost professional media services to nonprofit organizations, education partners, businesses, and to local government.
About The Public VR Lab
The Public VR Lab, a project of Brookline Interactive Group, is building a global network for a Community VR/XR movement that facilitates public dialogue; provides professional training; empowers community knowledge and creation of 360, virtual and augmented content; offers access to tools, headsets, arcades, toolkits, and professional expertise; and generates locally-focused, broadly impactful, XR experiences in the public interest. For more details, please visit here.
About Datavized Technologies
Datavized is an immersive visualization platform that makes it easy to turn complex data into fully interactive web experiences. Datavized’s geodata software products provide users with web-based drag and drop tools to effortlessly turn location data in spreadsheets into fully interactive 3D maps for enhanced spatial analysis, visualization and decision making. Datavized works on all platforms and connected devices; including desktop, mobile, tablet, and with virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality headsets, enabling users to tell immersive data-driven stories. Datavized Technologies Inc is currently in closed beta and is headquartered in New York. For more information, pelase visit here.
About EcoLearn
EcoLearn is an educational research group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education that explores the use of immersive technologies to support learning about the complexity of ecosystems. EcoMUVE and EcoMOBILE are two products that are freely available for download and use. EcoMOBILE uses mobile devices and augmented reality to infuse real environments with digital resources that engage, inspire and educate people about the complexities of the natural systems that sustain us. For more information, please visit here.
In Brookline, Can Renaming A School Help Right The Wrongs Of The Past?
In the past year, Greater Boston has made incremental progress toward reckoning with its fraught racial past. The lone Confederate monument, on a Boston Harbor Island, has been boarded up. Hearings are underway to remove alleged baseball segregationist Tom Yawkey’s name from the street next to Fenway Park. And in May, Brookline will consider whether a slave owner’s name should remain on its newly-renovated elementary school.
Proponents of renaming the Edward Devotion School, named for a Brookline resident who left the town a bequest for a school and listed “1 Negrow” among his assets, say putting the old name on the new school belies the town’s claims of equity and diversity. Others say changing the name amounts to a cover-up.
Brookline’s School Committee has said the naming committee will have to determine who else, besides Edward C. Devotion, can meet its criteria of national significance, cultural importance or community service.
… amassing wealth and holding public office aren’t the only measures of service and significance.
The question of who earns a civic monument — Union or Confederate, abolitionist or slave owner — seems more urgent than ever. But it is only one of the larger questions we should ask about how and why certain figures are remembered, and others get pushed aside.
Brookline, like much of greater Boston, is older than the United States itself, and while that history is rich and important, it has undeniably ugly sides. Our streets, monuments, and schools are not named for women, LGBTQ people, and people of color because they were marginalized, oppressed and not given the same rights of citizenship as white men.
This legacy is reflected in present-day leadership as much as past. Today, only one Brookline public school is named for a woman and none are named for people of color. The town is more than 300 years old, but women were not an elected majority on the Select Board until 2007, and according to the town’s chief diversity officer, the town has hired only three non-white department heads — ever.
The town may take its cues from its neighbor: Boston stands in stark contrast to its major metropolitan counterparts, having only elected white male mayors since the city received its charter in 1822.
It is the obituary problem, recently acknowledged by the New York Times in its new “Overlooked” section: honors for past achievements tend to leave out women, people of color and LGBTQ people because “relatively few of them were allowed to make such a mark on society in their own time,” writes obituaries editor William McDonald. “The tables of power were crowded with white men; there were few seats for anyone else.”
Brookline prides itself on its reputation as a progressive community, but most of its institutions bear the names of those who sat at those old tables of power. The new school — a $120 million renovation that will add more than 24,000 square feet of brand-new construction — offers a rare opportunity to shift that imbalance.
If the naming committee has not yet found a worthy candidate, here are a few to consider:
- What about Brookline native Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who established and championed the Special Olympics?
- Or Marita O. Bonner, a Brookline High graduate, writer and essayist who was considered a key satellite figure of the Harlem Renaissance?
- Or Ethel C. Weiss, who already holds a prominent place in the heart of school alumni and families? Weiss served the neighborhood for more than 75 years as the owner of Irving’s Toy & Card Shop, the shoebox-sized penny-candy store across the street. She always made her young customers abide by her hand-written list of rules, which included a warning to buy only what their parents would approve of. When she died in 2015, at the age of 101, the windows of her store were filled with notes from the generations of students who loved her.
Edward Devotion had his turn at the table of power. It’s time to make room for someone who never got a seat.
When it comes to a sense of community and pride, it is likely that many, many more of the school’s alumni feel a link to candy-shop owner Ethel Weiss than to Edward C. Devotion or any other town leader, past or present.
Red Sox owner John Henry, a Brookline resident, says he is “haunted” by the racist past of the team under former owner Tom Yawkey. The commonwealth may actually ship the monument from Georges’ Island all the way back to Daughters of the Confederacy headquarters. Surely Brookline’s naming committee can find a namesake for its newest school that will make its students and alumni proud.
This is an opportunity to acknowledge that amassing wealth and holding public office are not the only measures of service and significance. Edward Devotion had his turn at the table of power. It is time to make room for someone who never got a seat.
Jеssiса Ulliаn
If You Can’t Do The Little Things Right…
Former US Navy Admiral, William H. McRaven
Mistral’s 21st Annual Season Finale April 7, 8
Mistral brings its 21st Season to a close on April 7 at 5:00 p.m., in Andover and April 8 at 5:00 p.m., in Brookline, with “Bel Canto,” a program that features a new chamber arrangement of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, and “Bel Canto,” the fifth string quartet of Brookline resident and composer Elena Ruehr, who will attend the concert and introduce her work.
Mistral explores a literary landscape for the second time this season, as Elena Ruehr’s String Quartet, Bel Canto, takes its inspiration from Ann Patchett’s novel in which music plays a central role. The story is based on the Japanese embassy hostage crisis (1996) in Lima, Peru, which gradually transforms into a tale of music, friendship and love. The main characters are the vice president, a Japanese businessman, and a soprano who has been hired for the occasion.
The 10-movement work, she says, is like a story with chapters. Ruehr will be in attendance at both concerts to introduce each movement. Elena Ruehr’s music has been described as “sumptuously scored and full of soaring melodies” (NYTimes), and “unspeakably gorgeous” (Gramophone).
It is widely believed that Chopin’s piano music was greatly inspired by the “Bel Canto,” or “beautiful song,” singing quality of opera composers. The program will culminate with a new chamber version of Chopin’s ever-beloved second piano concerto. When Chopin gave the premiere of this piano concerto, in the first public concert of his own music in Warsaw in 1830, he was immediately acclaimed as a national hero. His first appearance in Paris, in 1832, again performing this concerto, drew the city’s most discriminating musicians—both Liszt and Mendelssohn attended and were full of praise.
The Second piano concerto is a youthful work, characterized by piano writing of deep imagination and beauty. The slow movement, a quietly stunning nocturne with a rhapsodic, embellished piano melody that sounds almost improvised. Those who remember the beautiful BBC television show about George Sand will remember this music as the closing credits rolled.
“The whole of the piece is of a perfection almost ideal,” Liszt wrote, “its expression, now radiant with light, now full of tender pathos.”
This final concert of Mistral’s 21st season welcomes two New York guests to the stage: cellist Adrian Daurov, originally from St, Petersburg, Russia, and violist Anat Almani, as well as four Mistral members: violinists Sarita Kwok and Gabriela Diaz, bassist Donald Palma, pianist Ya Fei Chuang, and artistic director and flutist Julie Scolnik, who will open the program with two Chopin Nocturnes arranged for flute. Ms. Chuang has appeared at numerous international festivals, and as soloist with orchestras across Europe and the US.
If you go
Mistral Presents: “Bel Canto” Julie Scolnik, artistic director
When & where:
- Saturday, April 7, 5:00 p.m. West Parish Church, 129 Reservation Road, Andover, MA 01810;
- Sunday, April 8, 5:00 p.m., St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 15 St. Paul Street, Brookline, MA 02446.
Price:
- free admission to all students at the door if seating is available;
- tickets: $35;
- group discounts are available.
Buy online and print directly at MistralMusic.org, call 978-474-6222 or e-mail sales@MistralMusic.org.
Around Town
1. Learn about the journeys of four women writers at the Women’s Journeys in Writing event at the Brookline Public Library on March 22. Fiction writer Grace Talusan, journalist Firuzeh Shokooh-Valle, and poets Yara Liceaga-Rojas and Sharon Amuguni will discuss their work, and the challenges and opportunities they have faced. The event will run from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in Hunneman Hall at the Brookline Village library branch.
2. Enjoy a fun evening at Ceramics Date Night at the Brookline Arts Center on March 23. Participants can bring a date to the ceramics studio and learn to make pots together. The cost is $80 per couple. To register or to find more information visit here.
3. Start the morning off right at the Rotary Club of Brookline’s annual Pancake Breakfast on March 24. The event will include pancakes, music, clowns, face painting, a silent auction and puzzles. It will run from 8:00 a.m. to noon at Brookline High School. Tickets are available at the door.
4. Drop by for story time at the Brookline Booksmith on March 25. Author Jane Sutton will read her new book “Paulie’s Passover Predicament”. Drop-in story time starts at 10:30 a.m.
5. Learn about the history of food in Massachusetts at “Food for Thought: the Origins of Massachusetts Food and Why it Matters” on March 26. Held at the Brookline Library’s Putterham branch, the event is part of the Brookline Eats! series. Director of the Commonwealth Museum Stephen Kenney will talk about food history in Massachusetts, with a look at what foods are native to Massachusetts and what foods arrived with the English colonists. It will run from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Can Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (BRKL) Run The Gamut?
Investors are keeping a close eye on levels of Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (BRKL). The Average Directional Index or ADX is a technical analysis indicator used to describe if a market is trending or not trending. The ADX alone measures trend strength but not direction. Using the ADX with the Plus Directional Indicator (+DI) and Minus Directional Indicator (-DI) may help determine the direction of the trend as well as the overall momentum. Many traders will use the ADX alongside other indicators in order to help spot proper trading entry/exit points. After a recent check, the 14-day ADX is 16.30. Generally speaking, an ADX value from 0-25 would indicate an absent or weak trend. A value of 25-50 would indicate a strong trend. A value of 50-75 would signal a very strong trend, and a value of 75-100 would indicate an extremely strong trend.
Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (BRKL) presently has a 14-day Commodity Channel Index (CCI) of 28.57. Typically, the CCI oscillates above and below a zero line. Normal oscillations tend to stay in the range of -100 to +100. A CCI reading of +100 may represent overbought conditions, while readings near -100 may indicate oversold territory. Although the CCI indicator was developed for commodities, it has become a popular tool for equity evaluation as well. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is a momentum oscillator that measures the speed and change of stock price movements. The RSI was developed by J. Welles Wilder, and it oscillates between 0 and 100. Generally, the RSI is considered to be oversold when it falls below 30 and overbought when it heads above 70. RSI can be used to detect general trends as well as finding divergences and failure swings. The 14-day RSI is currently at 56.19, the 7-day stands at 54.39, and the 3-day is sitting at 36.39.
Taking a peek at some Moving Averages, the 200-day is at 15.28, and the 50-day is 16.41. Dedicated investors may be looking to employ another tool for doing technical stock analysis. The Williams Percent Range or Williams %R is a technical indicator that was designed to measure overbought and oversold market conditions. The Williams %R indicator helps show the relative situation of the current price close to the period being observed. Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (BRKL)’s Williams Percent Range or 14 day Williams %R presently is at -24.14. In general, if the reading goes above -20, the stock may be considered to be overbought. Alternately, if the indicator goes under -80, this may show the stock as being oversold.
Brookline Bancorp, Inc. Company Profile
Brookline Bancorp, Inc. operates as a multi-bank holding company for Brookline Bank and its subsidiaries; Bank Rhode Island (BankRI) and its subsidiaries; First Ipswich Bank (First Ipswich) and its subsidiaries, and Brookline Securities Corp. As a commercially focused financial institution with 50 full-service banking offices throughout greater Boston, the north shore of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the Company, through Brookline Bank, BankRI and First Ipswich (individually and collectively the Banks), offered a range of commercial, business and retail banking services, including cash management products, online banking services, consumer and residential loans and investment services throughout central New England, as of December 31, 2016.
Brookline Forces Remember France
The large crowd showing up at All Saints Church to hear the Brookline Symphony on Saturday night (and Sunday afternoon), mostly, I imagine, to hear Fauré’s beloved Requiem, enjoyed assorted French music for choir and orchestra, including several jewels I had not heard before by Lili Boulanger and Maurice Ravel. The Metropolitan Chorale, sensitively prepared by Lisa Graham, added its 100 voices to “Une Vague du Souvenir” (Wave of Remembrance).
In its eight season, the Brookline Symphony sounded markedly better than I had remembered it. Clearly, its excellent new conductor Andrew Altenbach has worked wonders. An all French program is a tricky venture for a community orchestra, yet instrumental, chorus and soloists all made fine impressions. (Truth be told, most of us harpists love and appreciate French music, with it scintillating, well-written orchestral parts, solo and chamber music).
Ravel wrote his beguiling “Trois Chansons” (Nicolette, Trois beaux oiseaux du Paradis, and Ronde), his only mature work for unaccompanied chamber choir, to his own texts between December 1914 and February 1915, when, despite poor health, he was waiting eagerly enlist in World War. This undertaking provided a fine first hearing.
Gabriel Fauré’s gorgeous Cantique de Jean Racine (1865) was Fauré’s first significant composition, written in while he was in his final year at the École Niedermeyer, the “École de musique religieuse et classique”. He submitted the piece for the composition prize, and won, though it was only published 11 years later, with a full orchestral version following in 1906. It currently exists in several versions including one with punishing harp pedals (it is extremely chromatic). At this satisfying performance, the harp appeared rather dramatically toward the end.
Seventeenth-century French dramatist Jean Racine translated the text “Verbe égal au Trés-Haut” from a medieval Latin hymn for Tuesday matins, “Consors paterni luminis.” Rather than using the title of the original hymn, Fauré paid tribute to the author of the translation.
Nadia Boulanger’s (1893-1918) younger, far less famous sister Marie-Juliette Olga (Lili) Boulanger, was represented by her moving “Psalm 129″, “ls m’int assez opprimé,” composed two years before her death at age 24. During her all-too-brief life, she studied with Fauré, and at 19, was the first woman to win the Paris Conservatoire’s Prix de Rome (Ravel was denied this honor). The men’s chorus under Graham impressed in this rarity.
The ambitious orchestra and women’s chorus ended the first half with a colorful account of Claude Debussy’s (1862-1918) Nocturnes (Nuages, Fetes, Sire`ns). The acoustics of Brookline’s All Saints Parish seemed to favor the brass, who played impressively all evening, as did harpist Sofija Sibinović.
In the ever popular Fauré Requiem, Baritone David McFerrin, whom I have admired in Blue Heron, gave a heartfelt account of “Libera Me.” Blue Heron’s and Lorelei’s soprano, Sonja Dutoit Tengblad, seems to appear as soloist weekly with one distinguished group after another. Her sublimity in “Pie Jesu,” left this reviewer in tears.
I have heard, and played, the Requiem numerous times, but never with two such awe-inspiring soloists. It was memorable evening indeed.
Susan Miron is a book critic, essayist, and harpist. She writes about classical music and books for The Arts Fuse. Her last two CDs featured her transcriptions of keyboard music of Domenico Scarlatti.
Rotary Club Host 24th Annual Pancake Breakfast
The Rotary Club of Brookline will offer great fun for the entire family at its annual Pancake Breakfast.
This year’s event will be Saturday, March 24, 2018, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. As always, the breakfast will be held at the Brookline High School cafeteria, 115 Greenough Street. Come and join your neighbors for pancakes, music, clowns, face painting and puzzles. Be part of this Brookline tradition!
Proceeds benefit Brookline Rotary charities such as Senior Center, Teen Center, Food Pantry, Mental Health services and others. Help us help the community while having fun.
Tickets will be available at the door.
About Rotary Club of Brookline
The Rotary Club of Brookline has been chartered since 1938 and is open to any community member inspired by service to the local and world community. Brookline Rotary is part of Rotary International, founded in 1905. Rotary sponsors programs in literacy, health and clean water among others. One of Rotary’s greatest achievements is the establishment of PolioPlus, its massive effort to eradicate poliomyelitis from the world. In conjunction with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotary International has contributed more than $650 million to this effort. As a result, polio remains in only three countries worldwide. Within Brookline, the Brookline Emergency Food Pantry, Brookline Senior Center, Brookline Community Mental Health Center, Steps to Success, Women, and Girls Thriving in Brookline, Kids Clothes Club, and many other community charities have been the beneficiaries of Brookline Rotary. Rotary: Connecting Leaders, Sharing Ideas and Taking Action!
Announcing The New First Parish Concert Series
In celebration of our newly rebuilt Steinway piano, First Parish will be hosting a series of three wildly diverse concerts this Spring, the first of which is coming up on March 23rd at 7:00 p.m.
First Parish is located at 382 Walnut Street. There is no mandatory admission charge for this concert.
This first program is titled: “Oh, Glory,” and is sung and presented by baritone James Dargan. The program is many things: a recital program; an old-fashioned black church partay; a history lesson; and mostly importantly, a really good time! Spirituals share the program with Schubert, and art song melds into jazz, opera, and spoken word.
Additionally, James will be starting the event with a Q & A where we will be discussing the appropriation (and/or misappropriation) of spirituals as well as their historical (and spiritual) significance. This program will really dive headfirst into our year-long study on racism and whiteness, all through the vehicle of incredibly beautiful music!
Spring Is Here – Volunteer
Perhaps we should have used a snowflake instead of a flower for this first day of Spring?
Snow, rain or shine, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine volunteers are recovering food daily throughout the Boston area! We are eager to grow our volunteer base in order to fulfill the increasing demand for food donations in the city. In order to expand food donation to other towns, we must first have enough volunteers signed up – then, we can start recruiting Food Donors in those towns with enough volunteers. So, wherever you are in Massachusetts, please sign up to volunteer and spread the word.
To sign up: rescuingleftovercuisine.org/users/sign_up
To learn more: rescuingleftovercuisine.org/ma
Join the conversation: facebook.com/groups/RLCMA
#RLCMA #RescuingLeftoverCuisine #PayItForward #Volunteer#Massachusetts #Boston
Worcester Deputy Fire Chief John Sullivan To Take Top Job At Brookline Department
Worcester Deputy Fire Chief John Sullivan, 55, is leaving the department to take a job as chief of the Brookline Fire Department.
Sullivan has worked at the department for more than 30 years and announced his departure via an email Tuesday afternoon.
“It has been an honor for me to have served my hometown and the citizens of Worcester for 30 years and to have been part of this outstanding organization and these men and women,” he said by phone.
Sullivan, a Worcester native, started at the department in 1987 at the Tatnuck Fire Station. In 1994, he was promoted to lieutenant at the Grafton Street station, then, after three years, he moved back to headquarters. After the Cold Storage fire in 1999, he was promoted to captain of the training division, where he trained firefighters from all over the world in new safety measures that emerged as a result of the deadly fire.
“We had people say, you know, your fire changed the way we do business in Berlin, Germany,” he said.
He also trained the department’s first female firefighters before moving up district chief in the north end of the city in 2004. In 2012, he was made deputy chief of operations for the department.
Looking back over a long career at the department, he said nothing stands out more than the Cold Storage fire.
“It was a tragic, tragic event, but in the same breathe the incredible work and resiliency of this department and its members in the years that followed was truly an amazing thing to be part of,” said Sullivan. “I couldn’t be prouder to be a Worcester firefighter.”
The new opportunity in Brookline is one that does not come around very often, he said, and he is honored to take part in it.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity,” he said. “But leaving behind my hometown and the department where I grew up and worked alongside all the men and women here. It’s going to be difficult to up and walk away from that.”
Sullivan starts as the Brookline Fire Chief on Monday.
Emergency Crews Respond To 2 Rollover Crashes In Brookline
Emergency crews responded to a rollover crash Tuesday morning in Brookline that temporarily shut down Beacon Street.
Officials say the crash before 10:00 a.m. and involved two cars. One of the vehicles was found flipped on its roof. The flip happened when someone reportedly tried to make a U-Turn at Winthrop and caught a car in traffic, causing it to swerve and hit a curb causing it to roll over.
One person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The road has since been reopened and the cause of the crash is not clear.
The second rollover happened on Clyde Street around 1:30 p.m. and only involved that car, police said. No word yet on what caused it.
Town Reconciles With Black History
In 1619, a Dutch ship carried over 20 African slaves to the British colony of Jamestown, VA. This would be just the beginning of one of the most historically cruel and dehumanizing American traditions.
American history is filled with stories of racial injustices against many different minority groups, and Brookline’s story is not immune to that same racism found so prevalently in America’s development, including centuries of slavery, segregation, and racial discrimination.
The Edward Devotion School is a clear example of how the legacy of slavery in Brookline is still found today. Upon Edward Devotion’s death, much of his property was given to the town. This included a slave who helped build the Edward Devotion School.
Many slaves fought for the United States in the American Revolution—including several from Brookline whose names can be found at town hall—but it would be another century before slavery was abolished and replaced with new forms of discrimination.
A caveat added to many housing sales in the early to mid 20th century was that homeowners were barred from selling their house to any people of color. Racially restrictive housing covenants were used as a strategy to prevent African-Americans from moving into Brookline for decades.
According to The Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston, racially restrictive covenants were legally enforceable “contracts” contained within the deeds of houses and imposed upon the owners. Those who violated the terms of housing covenants risked forfeiture of their property.
Social studies teacher Malcolm Cawthorne explained that Roland Hayes, born in 1887, was an African-American son of slaves, who, despite being a prominent performer for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, faced extreme difficulty moving into Brookline.
“Roland Hayes becomes one of the most prominent concert performers of his time,” Cawthorne said. “He was the first Black person to sing with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and did other really incredible stuff, but because of what are known as housing covenants, people wouldn’t sell their home to him here originally.”
Despite the many initial struggles, Hayes persevered and ultimately lived in Brookline for almost 50 years.
Cawthorne explains that other influential Brookline citizens, like Amos Lawrence, the Amos A. Lawrence School’s namesake, were also instrumental in some of America’s greatest anti-slavery movements.
“The land that was once where slaves worked and lived, now has a school that is named after a man who was a really fervent abolitionist, who helped John Brown fight in Kansas by sending rifles,” Cawthorne said. “Lawrence, Kansas is actually named after Amos Lawrence from Brookline.”
Junior Richard Desir worries that many people are unaware of this connection between historical and current events.
“I feel like there’s an issue of people not understanding or being able to empathize with other people’s situations,” Desir explained. “When you only see it on the news, people don’t necessarily understand why certain people are going through certain things.”
Cawthorne explains there is evidence that showed Brookline was a “sundown town.” This means that historically, African-Americans in Brookline have been racially profiled after sundown.
“Even in the current, you hear people talking about ‘driving while Black’ in Brookline,” Cawthorne said. “We still give a disproportionate number of moving violations to African-Americans in Brookline.”
According to the Brookline Police Department 2017 Year End Report, Blacks received 2,668–almost 18 percent–of the total 14,938 moving violations issued in 2017, despite Black people accounting for less than 3 percent of the total population of Brookline.
Even some of the most progressive and diversifying programs at the high school have somewhat dubious origins, Cawthorne explained. In the mid-1960s, the busing between districts to integrate schools began, and the METCO program arose in 1966 to respond to this.
“It is pioneering that we jump on and say, ‘this will help us become more diverse’, but there is also another backstory,” Cawthorne said. “This saved Brookline kids from getting shipped to Boston, and I think sometimes we have a hard time grasping that both can be true.”
In recent decades, many steps have been made to make Brookline more racially inclusive. An example of this is the formation of the African American and Latino Scholars Program (AALSP).
AALSP teacher Stephanie Hunt said that AALSP began in the early 2000’s as an X-block club with the goal of helping more African-American and Latino students earn a spot in the National Honors Society, but it has since expanded into a whole class with additional goals.
“Fast forward 15 years or so, and it’s a program that serves about 130 students,” Hunt said. “It has grown with the goal still being National Honors Society, but also success in honors and Advanced Placement classes and admission into competitive and selective colleges and universities.”
Hunt explains one of her first experiences of being exposed to the benefits of the program was in a “clustered” honors Modern World History class that she was teaching at the time. AALSP students are grouped together in “clustered” classes to provide one another with academic and social support.
“The Scholars really helped and motivated each other, and for the White students that were in that class, it was great because it changed for them, even if it was only for one block a day, what an honors class looks like,” Hunt explained. “It helped to redefine who takes honors classes, and who can be successful in honors classes.”
Despite the numerous successes of the AALSP, incidents like the video on social media of an alumnus and a student at the high school publicly ridiculing the program and one of its members, show that the racism found throughout Brookline’s history is still present.
According to Desir, a member of AALSP, there are ways the administration could improve their response to these types of racist incidents.
“I think more transparency and displaying what the administration knows when they first hear about it to keep students on the same page with them is important,” Desir said. “A lot of students, especially students of color, felt like they had already heard about the situation. For the administration to wait multiple days before saying anything about it made a lot of people angry.”
Although he was disgusted by this incident on Snapchat, Cawthorne was not surprised at the latest in a long line of similarly offensive events.
“When I was a freshman here, on what was then called the point stairs, someone wrote ‘n***** go home,’” Cawthorne explained. “That was in the fall of 1984. For me, you have to take from there and go all the way up 30 or so years of these recurring incidents.”
Cawthorne said that it is important to remember that Brookline is no exception to the racism found throughout the history of America.
“Sometimes we think of Brookline as an isolation from this kind of racism, instead of just realizing that we are as much a part of it as any other place in America,” Cawthorne said.
Police Blotter
Here is a sample of the types of calls the Brookline police responded to between Sunday, March 11 and Sunday March 18 taken from the public log and the Brookline police blog, meant to give residents an idea of what people report to the police and what Brookline police respond to. Note that just because someone reports an issue to the police is not necessarily the way it actually happened. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
Sunday, March 11
Stolen car, and home break in: On Sunday evening, an officer was dispatched to Sherman Rd for a past breaking and entering into a residence and for a stolen motor vehicle report. Upon arrival, the officer was met with three victims, who had been out of town since Wednesday (3/7). When returning back to their residence Sunday afternoon, they realized that it had been ransacked and that several items were missing from the apartment. Upon hearing the statements from all three victims, they observed a cut screen window near the front door of their residence that belonged to one of the windows within their kitchen. Between the victims, multiple electronics, video games, backpacks, sneakers and cash had been stolen from their residence while they were away. Additionally, a set of car keys was missing, belonging to one of their friends. Once noticing the missing car keys, they exited their apartment to go to their friend’s car that had been parked within the vicinity of their apartment. After several attempts, they were unable to locate the vehicle. This investigation is ongoing.
Monday, March 12
Shoplifter: At approximately 9:00 p.m. on Monday, officers responded to Harvard Street for a reported shoplifting. Upon arrival, officers spoke with the reporting party, an employee, who stated she noticed a man attempting to conceal various items from the store inside of his jacket. The reporting party then attempted to stop the suspect but he continued to exit the store. A follow-up has been requested for this active case.
Tuesday, March 13
Storm damage: An officer responded to Salisbury Road at approximately 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday for an uprooted tree that fell across the roadway and came to rest against a home. On scene, officers observed a large tree resting on the rooftop of the home. However, they were unable to make a complete assessment of the potential damage due to the snow covered roof. The Forestry Division was notified and removed the fallen tree. The resident was advised of the event.
*Over the course of Tuesday’s Blizzard, 53 motor vehicle tows were initiated due to the snow ban. Additionally, 4 trees fell onto residential property, 2 of them blocking roadways. 14 calls regarding down or low hanging wires were made, 9 of them occurring on residential properties.
Wednesday, March 14
Stolen: At approximately 9:00 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the front desk of the Station to take a larceny report. The victim stated that a passport and a check were both taken from his residence. A follow-up has been requested.
Porch pirates: On Wednesday night, an officer was dispatched to Beacon Street for a reported package theft. Upon arrival, the officer met with the victim. The victim stated that she received confirmation that 2 packages were delivered to her residence that morning. When going to retrieve the packages in the foyer of the building, she noticed them missing and called Brookline Police. This case is under investigation.
Thursday, March 15
Break in? A Beacon Street resident called to report they saw a man wearing all black and a black beanie holding a flashlight looking through a suitcase in the nearby apartment. Police said it checked out OK, and by OK, they meant it was a bed bug inspection.
Stolen: Someone at the High School reported their iPhone 6S went missing from a class in the basement of the UA building.
Break in: Several calls came in about a break in at triplex Kendall Street building. One woman said she was missing a laptop and a safe.
Car? Someone called to report they thought their car might have been stolen from Harvard Street. But it turned out they just forgot where they parked it.
Friday, March 16
Wallet Stolen: An officer took a report about the larceny on Warren Street.
Dog bite: Someone called to report a dog bite that happened at Waldstein Park on Dean Road.
Trashed: Someone called to report a trash truck hit a parked car on Cushing Road.
Uh: Someone called to report an employee of a business hit a coworker with a drill and knocked his teeth out on Commonwealth Avenue. Police took a report at 10:24 a.m.
Saturday, March 17
Drunk: Someone called to report a drunk person at the Washington Square T stop at 10:16 p.m. They were taken to the hospital.
Can’t see: Someone reported a UPS package with some eyeglasses were missing.
Happening: Two people reported possible break ins happening, including one on Denny Road just after 10:00 p.m. (police said it checked out ok), and one on Kent Street that also turned out to be OK.
Sunday, March 18
Car break ins: Four calls came in reporting car break ins on Leicester, Clinton Road, Clinton, and Buckminster roads.
Break in: A Littell Road resident called to report someone broke into her apartment by way of the fire escape. Adrienne Leslie of Bow Street in Medford was arrested for breaking and entering with intent to commit a misdemeanor, disturbing the peace and defrauding an inkeeper.
Shoplifter: Someone at the CVS on Comm Ave called to report a man described as white, about 6’1, in his 30’s wearing a black jacket, pants, gloves and scarf and white shoes stole something around 1:00 p.m.
Upcoming Events
Upcoming
Thursday, March 22
PTO Presidents, Brookline Business Professionals Coffee: 8:30 – 10:00 a.m., Viking Sports, 143 Cyprus Street, Brookline. Free; space limited. To RSVP, please click here. Attendees meet with PTO presidents to discuss the best ways for businesses and PTOs to work together.
NT Live: “Julius Caesar:” 7:00 p.m., Coolidge Corner Theatre, 209 Harvard Street, Brookline. Cost: $20-$23. For more information, please click wesley@coolidge.org; or here. Ben Whishaw and Michelle Fairley play Brutus and Cassius, David Calder plays Caesar, and David Morrissey is Mark Antony. Broadcast live from The Bridge Theatre, London.
Yiddish Sing: 7:30 p.m., Boston Workmen’s Circle, 1762 Beacon Street, Brookline. Free. For information: 617-776-0448. An informal, multigenerational gathering to sing Yiddish folk songs. Songbooks provided. Open to all, regardless of singing ability or knowledge of Yiddish. Musical instruments are welcome.
Friday, March 23
Ceramics Date Night: 6:30 – 9:30 p.m., Brookline Arts Center, 86 Monmouth Street, Brookline. Cost: $80 per couple. For information or to register: 617-566-5715; office@brooklineartscenter.com; http://brooklineartscenter.com. Participants bring a date to the ceramics studio and learn to their your own pots together. Light refreshments welcome.
Rotary Pancake Breakfast: 8:00 a.m. – noon, Brookline High School cafeteria, 115 Greenough Street, Brookline. Pancakes, music, clowns, face painting, silent auction and puzzles. Tickets are available at the door. Proceeds benefit Brookline Rotary charities.
Spring Fun Fair: 10 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., All Saints Parish, 1773 Beacon Street, Brookline. For ages 2-7 and older. Cost: $10 per child; $25 per family of three children or more. For information: 617-738-4631; here. Kids’ games/activities, face painting, silent auction, raffle, food and a live puppet show by CactusHead Puppets.
Sunday, March 25
Design and Paper Cutting Level 2: 3-5 p.m. March 25 and 6:30-8:30 p.m. March 28, The Makery, 2 Sewall Avenue, Brookline. Cost: $30; $25 for Makery members. For more information, please click here. The second in the series taught by paper cut artist Rebecca Loechler. Attendees learn how to incorporate curved lines and shapes in your designs and create a beautiful and intricate paper cut to take home.
Monday, March 26
Unity – Basic Coding: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., Brookline Interactive Group, 46 Tappan Street, Brookline. To register, please click here. This workshop will introduce attendees to the basic functions and concepts of Unity and will provide them with the opportunity to learn basic C# coding.
Tuesdays, March 27
360 Camera and Editing: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., Brookline Interactive Group, 46 Tappan Street, Brookline. For information: here. Attendees gain a basic understanding of using a 360 camera, stitching content with software, uploading to YouTube and editing footage in Premiere.
Wednesday, March 28
Financial Foundations: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., In Good Company, 1653 Beacon Street, Brookline. To RSVP, please click here. For information, please call 617-695-4617; http://ingoodcompany@massmutual.com. A discussion and hands-on activities to identify core values and learn how they can inform financial decisions and goals.
Thursday, March 29
“A Year in Chile:” 2:30 p.m. March 29, Wingate Residences at Boylston Place, 615 Heath Street, Brookline. Free; space limited. RSVP: 617-244-6400. Photojournalist Barry Pell explores the environment and ecology of Chile.
Tuesday, April 3
“What Is A Park For? Olmsted, Obama and the Meanings of Urban Landscape:” 6-8:30 p.m. April 3, Wheelock College, 43 Hawes Street, Brookline. Carlo Rotello, director of the American Studies Program at Boston College, discusses Barack Obama’s plan to build his presidential library in Chicago’s Jackson Park, and what the relationship is between a park and the surrounding neighborhoods.
Ongoing
“Off the Wall”: 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, through April 27, Gallery 93, 93 Winchester Street, Brookline. Photographs by Julie Smith, taken during her travels, feature stencils and wall art superimposed on layers of paint and plaster.
“The Dialogue Starts Here – HELLO Brookline:” 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. April 3, Brookline Senior Center, 93 Winchester Street; 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. April 13, Putterham Branch Library Community Room, 959 West Roxbury Parkway, Brookline. To register, please click here. Community members of all ages to come together and play a game developed by Common Practice. The game asks players a series of questions about their end-of-life wishes in a fun, light-hearted environment.
Release Rebalance Restore Essentrics Class: noon – 1:00 p.m. Fridays, All Saints Parish, 1773 Beacon Street. Cost: $15-$65. For information: 617-738-1810; allsaintsbrookline.org. A full-body, rebalancing exercise program designed to slowly build strength, flexibility and balance. This class is for those who are new to, or returning to exercise, have slightly-limited mobility, or have atrophy-related stiffness, frozen shoulder or other chronic aches and pains.
Brookline Winter Farmers Market: 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Sundays through March 25, The Coolidge Corner Arcade, 318 Harvard Street, Brookline. For information: here.
Zen meditation and talk: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Thursdays, Eishoji Zen Center, 1318 Beacon Street, Brookline. Free; space limited. RSVP: Jason, 508-360-2323.
Al-Anon Family Group meeting: 7:00 – 8:40 p.m. Tuesdays, United Parish – Brookline, Choir Room, 210 Harvard Street, Brookline. For families and friends of problem drinkers. Anonymous, confidential and free. Open to newcomers.
Caffe’ Italiano — Free Italian Conversations: 12:30 p.m. Wednesday and noon Fridays, Coolidge Corner Library, meeting room, 31 Pleasant Street, Brookline. Supported by the Publish Library of Brookline and the Italian Consulate in Boston. A free and friendly Italian conversation, leaded by an Italian teacher. Participants practice and improve their Italian regardless of proficiency. No registration require; drop-in. For information: here.
Mindfulness Practice and Meditation: 7:00 – 8:40 p.m. Tuesdays, United Parish of Brookline, 210 Harvard Street, Brookline. Attendees sit and walk mindfully together, read a text and share what comes up for us in the reading. MPCGB links the 17 ongoing meditation groups in the greater Boston area that practice in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, to build relationships and deepen the practice of mindfulness. Free. For information: 617-738-5917; Sangha.Matters@gmail.com.
Learn to Meditate: 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Sundays, Shambhala Meditation Center of Boston, 646 Brookline Ave., Brookline. Taught by qualified instructors, this basic meditation class is for beginners, as well as anyone who would like to refresh their understanding of the technique. Drop-in class; no registration required. Participants are welcome to come as often as you like, but the class is designed as a one-time introduction with the same content each week. Suggested donation: $5-$10. For information: 617-734-1498; boston.shambhala.org.
Overeaters Anonymous: 9:45 – 11:00 a.m. every Saturday, Brighton Marine Health Center, Hawes Building, third floor, 77 Warren Street, Brighton. Attendees find physical, emotional and spiritual recovery. For information: Deanna, 617-731-8150.
