Two Newton Colleges Consider Merger

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February 28, 2018

It is tough out there for a small liberal arts college. But Newton’s Lasell College and Mount Ida College are in talks considering combining as one, as a way to keep tuition as low and experience high-level, the colleges announced over the weekend. But not everyone was excited about the idea.

Lasell College and Mount Ida College announced an intention to explore a potential merger in a joint statement on Feb. 25, stressing a desire to keep each institution’s traditions and communities in tact. A statement signed by the two college presidents said the colleges were examining “the prospect of uniting to create a combined and dynamic institution of higher education for our students.”

The potential merger could add academic depth, and faculty mentorship, while maintaining small class sizes and independent education, the statement said. The idea is to save money by pooling more resources than the two already do and getting rid of redundancies.

“We understand that the prospect of change is difficult,” it went on to say. “Should we ultimately join forces, our goal will be to preserve all that is cherished about Lasell and Mount Ida, while expanding academic and extracurricular offerings.”

Still parents and some students took to social media and started a petition to discourage a merger on the grounds it could change the fabric of the institutions.

“By merging with Mount Ida, the community and atmosphere of Lasell College would be destroyed. There would be no more “Lasell College” as it would now forever be affiliated with Mount Ida,” wrote Olivia Knotts on Change.org, which had some 564 signatures as of Tuesday evening, many of the comments centered on what would happen with the atmosphere of the school.

Both Michael Alexander, president of Lasell College and Barry Brown, president of Mount Ida College said a merger is not yet set in stone.

The two Boards of Trustees need to find that an agreement to merge will substantially benefit students of both communities. A committee made up of representatives from both schools will meet to discuss this spring, taking into effect cost and chatting with alumni.

The school presidents said there wouldn’t be any disruption to current students or incoming Freshmen attending either.

This comes as some small private colleges are facing a declining enrollment as tuition costs prove too high for many. Colleges across the commonwealth are nipping and tucking as they figure out ways to adjust to the landscape.

Boston University and Wheelock College finalized a merger in October. The Boston Conservatory merged with Berklee College of Music in 2016. Newbury College in Brookline is considering selling off one of its buildings, and has recently announced a collaboration with Regis College’s graduate programs.

Lasell has 2,100 students. Mount Ida has 1,500 students. They already share some resources, according to the schools, such as campus safety staff, administration and operations.

Resistance to the idea

After Lasell announced the potential merger, at least six people indicated they were angered by the announcement, more indicated they were surprised, others simply indicated they liked the idea.

“We explored Mount Ida and we were not impressed with their campus or their program of study. We chose Lasell College and want to make sure my student Graduates from Lasell College. Not from Mount Ida. The program at Lasell College is much more rigorous and has a much better higher education respect in the professional world. Please hang on to that reputation,” posted one person named Elyzabeth Richards in response.

Some parents started a Facebook group and a change.org petition with the aim of discouraging a merger worried it would mean bigger class sizes and a lesser quality of education.

“As a parent of a Lasell College student, I am outraged at the consideration of a merger with Lasell and Mt Ida college,” posted Tracy Wagner Walker to social media.

Police Blotter

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Brookline.com

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February 28, 2018

Tuesday, Feb. 20

Graffiti on Stetson Street: Around 8:53 a.m. a caller reported graffiti on the front steps of a Stetson Street building.

Coyote on Hawthorne Road: At 9:55 a.m. a caller reported a coyote by High Street and Hawthorne Road.

Suspicious man on St. Paul Street: At 10:48 a.m. a caller reported a man sitting in a black car with the engine running on St. Paul Street. The caller said the car had been running for a while and thought it was suspicious.

Dumpster fire on Beacon Street: At 4:05 p.m. a caller reported a lot of smoke coming out of the trash in front of Lees Burger by the Beacon Street and Harvard Street intersection.

Break and enter on Mason Terrace: At 5:34 p.m. a caller reported that the back door to their Mason Terrace home was open and that jewelry was missing.

Drinking from a browned bag bottle on Francis Street: At 5:52 p.m. a caller reported three men in front of Lawrence school who were standing on the ramp and drinking from a bottle in a brown bag. The caller said they could smell alcohol as they walked by.

Loud youths at the Lawrence playground: At 10:16 p.m. a caller reported three kids on the Lawrence basketball court who were making a lot of noise.

Bat on Royal Road: At 10:58 p.m. a caller reported a bat in their bathroom on Royal Road.

Wednesday, Feb. 21

A running hose on Winthrop Road: At 4:40 a.m. a caller reported hearing noises – possibly a hose running on the back patio of a Winthrop Road home.

Man with a gas mask on Englewoood Avenue: At 6:36 p.m. a caller reported a man with a gas mask, a flashlight connected to his glasses and a spray can by Lanark Road and Englewood Avenue.

Thursday, Feb. 22

Suspicious man on Beacon Street: At 1:59 a.m. a caller reported that a man entered a Beacon Street building through a fire escape window on the fourth floor. The man was described as wearing all white clothing.

Graffiti at the high school: At 5:29 a.m. a Brookline High School custodian reported graffiti which he discovered that morning.

Urination and lipstick kisses on Stearns Road: At 9:08 a.m. a caller reported returning home on Stearns Road to find urine on the bed and lipstick kisses on the mirror.

Leaf blowers on Beacon Street: At 9:51 a.m. a caller reported four leaf blowers being used on Beacon Street.

Graffiti on Station Street: At 2:02 p.m. a caller reported graffiti on a town wall on Station Street by Puppet Place.

Group argument on Centre Street: At 2 a.m. police received a report of a group of people arguing in a parking lot between 40 and 50 Centre Street.

Male appendage along the Riverway: At 9:02 a.m. a caller reported a male appendage next to a tree along the Riverway walking path near the Carlton Street Footbridge. The caller was unable to determine if the appendage was real or fake.

Saturday, Feb. 24

Leaf blowers on Beacon Street: At 10:34 a.m. a caller reported a crew working with leaf blowers by Beacon Street and James Street.

Suspicious men on Wallis Road: At 3:32 p.m. police received a report of two men who attempted to enter a blue house on Wallis Road by Wolcott Road. According to the report, the men were in a black van that headed towards Newton Street.

Men yelling gibberish on Fuller Street: At 7:41 p.m. a caller reported a man standing in the middle of the road on Fuller Street yelling and talking gibberish.

Sunday, Feb. 25

Off-leash dogs in Griggs Park: At 8:37 a.m. police received a report that 10 dogs were off the leash in Griggs Park.

Blood droplets and smear on Beacon Street: At 8:47 a.m. a caller reported finding blood droplets, smear and possibly saliva on the landing near her third floor apartment on Beacon Street. The police report noted that this checked out ok.

Bat on Ivy Street: At 10:14 p.m. a caller reported a bat in the atrium of an Ivy Street building.

An Uncommon Feast In Brookline

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Brookline.com

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February 27, 2018

Unlike many a chef, neither of her parents cooked. Brookline’s chef Michelle Mulford ate out every week without fail as a child. She remembers some restaurants were fancy, some were hole in wall places where they had to stand in line outside. She loved it. But she said, if she had to choose, she preferred weekends and holidays at her Italian grandmother and great aunt’s home.

The women would gather at the kitchen table in the morning, aprons stretched over their bellies, and start making the afternoon lunch or evening meal by hand. Bickering, smoking cigarettes, and cooking.

She wanted what they had.

“It was that comradery,” she said. “For me it really felt like a way to take care of other people and I grew up seeing that. That’s what my family did.”

Mulford’s first job in a restaurant was at age 13 at Ray’s Sub Shop in Hyannis. And that sealed the deal. She worked her way up through the food business: restaurant kitchens, catering companies, pie-maker, personal chef to actors and directors, and a stint at Formaggio Kitchen South End.

In 2014, the Brookline resident opened Uncommon Feasts, a full-service, boutique catering company specializing in high-end home dinner parties, corporate events, weddings up to 100 guests, and other personal celebrations. But what she really wanted to do was capture that bond he family had in the kitchen and share it with others.

And she does. Decades later she lives and recreates that feeling she saw in her grandmother’s kitchen – minus the bickering and smoking with her business Uncommon Feasts, a boutique catering company in Brookline, which specializes in private home gatherings, small corporate parties and intimate personal celebrations.

Mulford works with clients to design a menu to their event, needs and taste, preparing everything from scratch using local ingredients.

Uncommon Feasts’ beverage director pairs each course with locally-imported wine and beer. You will not find conventional catering here. Some of Michelle’s favorite dishes are her house-cured salmon, savory swiss chard tart with currant pine nut relish and pork confit with apples and greens.

Every season, Michelle hosts a pop-up dinner to share her food with a larger group and to celebrate the freshest ingredients available during that time in New England. March 3rd she hosts a late-winter pop up featuring wine locally imported by Mise Wines and craft brews from Mystic Brewery.

The food she likes to focus on is not pretentious, but it is delicious she says and a lot of thought and care goes into designing the menu for each occasion.

“I spent the last many years estabilishing relationships with butchers and cheese mongers in the Boston and Maine area. So I work exclusively with them whenever possible. All the ingrediants are sourced with local people and on locally crafted serving pieces,” she said.

And one of the things that delights her about her popups – which are new for her as part of a joint endeavor with In Good Company in Washington Square — is the part about who shows up.

The farmer who supplies much of her food and who is raising the pigs for the pork she will be serving on March 3 will be at the dinner with his fiance. So will be the wine importers and the guy who makes the serving boards the food is brought out on.

“I start to geek out on things like this,” she said. “It’s an energizing community of food people and makers who are just passionate about what they do. And then there’s the people who just sign up. … I’m always so amazed and think it’s so cool of those who just sign up.”

Tickets are $125 (including all food and beverages) and will be limited to 50 attendees to encourage an intimate evening setting – event details, a full menu and tickets are available here.

Police Investigating Racist, Concerning Graffiti In Brookline

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Brookline.com

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February 27, 2018

The Brookline Police Department is currently investigating spray-painted messages on the side of the gym at Brookline High School.

The graffiti was first reported last week, on Feb 22. According to a custodian it included yellow and gold spray paint with profanities and was placed clearly in view from the Steps to Success and the African American/Latinos Scholar’s Program rooms.

After police took photographs of the graffiti and collected other evidence, the profanities were power washed from the brick wall.

Police told the media there have been a string of other spray paint incidents in the city and there is reason to believe they are all related.

Stan Trecker said he found graffiti outside his house in the same color that said “I thought you loved me.”

“We came out to take a walk and there was graffiti on the sidewalk and on the street with kind of a strange message that we don’t know how to interpret,” he said.

On the same road, graffiti saying “Help, I’m trapped” was also discovered.

“First of all, it’s really bad that someone did that with racist remarks at the high school. But the fact that it could be the same person is disturbing,” Trecker said.

Police are asking for anyone who may have surveillance video of the vandals to call 617–730–2222.

New Speed Limit Comes To Brookline

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Brookline.com

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February 26, 2018

Drivers will soon have to slow down as they navigate Brookline’s roads.

In October 2017, the Transportation Board voted in favor of establishing a new statutory speed limit at 25 miles per hour – down from the 30 miles per hour.

Though the board voted in October, the new speed limit is not enforceable until the town posts the new signs. Those signs arrived in mid-February, and so long as the ground does not freeze, crews will be able to install the signs in the coming weeks, according to Transportation Administrator Todd Kirrane.

Once the signs are up, the speed limit in town will be 25 miles per hour unless otherwise posted.

The town ordered 57 signs at $76.64 each. According to Kirrane, the signs are the state standard. They will go up at all town entryways.

According to Kirrane, Town Meeting accepted the change during annual Town Meeting in May 2017. The Transportation Board followed up with a public hearing in September and the vote to establish the new speed limit in October.

During the October public hearing some members of the public questioned whether establishing a lower statutory speed limit would be effective in enhancing safety.

“It’s just another tool that we can use along with other traffic calming policing,” Kirrane said.

Reducing the speed limit is part of larger town efforts to work on initiatives like complete streets, according to Kirrane.

Every time a street, like Babcock Street, is up for re-paving, the town first studies the street to see if and where traffic calming features could be added or improved.

“Instead of a street being paved it goes through that internal process [first],” said Kirrane.

So far, Kirrane said the conditions on the roads are getting safer.

“We are noticing a reduction in the speeds on streets with the traffic calming that we’re doing,” said Kirrane. “The feedback that we’re getting from residents is the perception or feeling on the road is safer.”

Brookline Police, Firefighters Escort Boy To School After Leukemia Diagnosis

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Brookline.com

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February 26, 2018

Police and firefighters in Brookline joined the more than 200 students from The Driscoll School welcoming back a student to school for the first time in over a year.

Mateo Goldman was diagnosed with leukemia in November 2016.

Monday marked his first time back to school since the diagnosis.

“Its been a long road!! You are one brave and tough young man!,” Brookline Police tweeted, sharing photos and videos of Goldman’s first “walk back” to school.

Are Brookline Voters Going To Be Asked To Increase Their Taxes?

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Brookline.com

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February 25, 2018

Brookline voters have passed property tax increases twice over the past decade. Will they do it again this year?

The town’s Select Board will hold a hearing at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday on proposed ballot questions aimed at raising revenue to support town and school operations and help pay for a high school expansion project.

The proposed override of Proposition 2½ would permanently raise the town’s tax levy by $11.7 million over three years, starting in fiscal 2019. (An alternative option calls for a $9 million hike.)

The town’s last override was approved in 2015. But that was before Congress passed a federal tax package, taking effect this year, that limits a filer’s deduction of state and local taxes to $10,000. In Brookline, the median single-family tax bill in fiscal 2017 was $11,684.

The Select Board will decide next month whether to place the tax questions on the town’s May 8 ballot.

Last fall, Somerville residents voted to fund the highest-priced school building project in Massachusetts history. But what about the trees?

At a 6:00 p.m. meeting Monday in the high school library, residents can learn more about the tree removal being planned before construction begins this spring on the $257 million project. Targeted trees include those between the rear of the school and the train tracks.

Brookline Pays $180K To Settle Former Police Officer’s Racial Discrimination Complaint

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Brookline.com

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February 24, 2018

Brookline has reached an $180,000 settlement with a former police officer who filed a racial discrimination complaint.

The town will pay the former officer, Estifanos Zerai-Misgun, $135,000. The rest of the money will go toward his attorney’s fees.

The settlement was reached in October, but only came to light through a public records request filed by the Globe.

Zerai-Misgun and another former officer were fired in April for refusing to come to work after they complained about facing racial epithets and harassment. Both of the officers are black.

Then-Police Chief Daniel O’Leary said he had worked to address the men’s concerns. O’Leary retired last month.

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice, which brought the case, says it is pleased with the settlement.

As part of the settlement Zerai-Misgun wrote a thank you note to the chief acknowledging the work he had done. Zerai-Misgun also agreed not to disparage the town or talk about the terms of the settlement. Also part of the settlement? Zerai-Misgun will never be able to work for the Town of Brookline again.

As part of the settlement, Zerai-Misgun submitted an affidavit that said he was actually happy with the way the chief handled the situation.

“I received many expressions of warm support from my colleagues (including supervisors in January 2015 and thereafter after they learned about the experiences that I reported to Chief O’Leary on December 2014 that are the subject of my lawsuit.”

He wrote that he understood that, following Chief O’Leary’s addressing of his concerns with the command staff, which were meant to be anonymous, that a sergeant inadvertently told officers who had complained, but had later apologized to Zerai-Misgun. The former police officer said that at the time he accepted his apology. “And I do accept his apology,” said Zerai-Misgun in the affidavit.

Following that, he said, a few officers who previously talked with him at roll call or out and about were less friendly, but he said, “They were few.”

“Mostly I enjoyed the support of my colleagues, including from Chief O’Leary. I appreciate Chief O’Leary’s expressions of caring and concern to me after my December 2014 report to him and while I was out on sick leave in March through early August,” Zerai-Misgun wrote.

He noted that he had been worried about returning to work after his concerns became so high profile.

“But I recognize that I would not have been in danger by returning,” he wrote.

“The period since I made my report has been hard on a personal level,” he said. “But I respect and admire my former colleagues with the Brookline Police Department and wish them the best.”

Pilot has not settled.

And the town is still in litigation with former Brookline firefighter Gerald Alston about racial harassment complaints.

Shopping For Seniors: Brookline Program Creates Bond Between Seniors & Students

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Brookline.com

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February 22, 2018

Grocery shopping usually just one more errand to add to the list. But for the elderly, it can be a daunting task.

That is why some high school students in Brookline are providing shopping help – while learning an important lesson.

For Yana Lazarova-Weng and Charlotta Cahill, their visit to Star Market on Beacon Street quickly turns into a scavenger hunt. As they look for tea, milk, and Nutella – they are diligently filling a shopping list for 94-year-old Marcella Katz.

These high school juniors are part of the Brookline SHOP program. It links seniors who have trouble getting out with students working on community service.

Cahill thought it was a good idea to get involved when she first heard about it. “It was just a different thing to do, and I feel like when I am old, I would want people to shop for me.”

Katz could not be more grateful for the help. She also cherishes socializing with a younger generation. “I learn about their lives, they learn about mine. I think they are interested that there is an older person who is capable.”

Lazarova-Weng believes misconceptions can go both ways and that this program proves teenagers do care about the world about them. “I think it just shows that many people might think that we are super invested in our phones and social media, but deep down, we do have an interest in things other than that.”

Patricia Burns, who runs the program out of the Brookline Senior Center, believes this is a great life lesson for the teens. She said the bonds created through the act of grocery shopping can last long after a student graduates, citing the case of a young man who shopped for the same women for four years.

“She went into the nursing home so she didn’t need grocery shopping anymore, and so he went and visited her in the nursing home every week instead,” Burns said.

That’s the program’s legacy – building a bridge from one generation to the next.

“It’s really fun to be able to talk to Marcella about things that we are learning in school,” said Cahill. “She is like, I lived through that. And we just hear stories from the text books, and Marcella tells us what it was really like.”

The Brookline Senior Center runs other programs to bring people of different ages together, including a popular one in which teens show seniors how to use a smartphone.

For more information on Brookline SHOP, contact Patricia Burns.

Medical Visionary, Harlem Renaissance Writer Among Famed Black Brookline Residents

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Brookline.com

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February 22, 2018

Founder of Plymouth Hospital and Nurses Training School, Dr. Cornelius N. Garland was a visionary and a Brookline resident.

Garland opened the small bi-racial hospital in the early 1900s, with the intention of expanding it to serve the area’s African-American community.

The hospital and training school, Garland believed, would fill a gap in the medicine world. At the time, hospitals and medical centers would not hire or even train African-American physicians and nurses, according to the Forest Hills Educational Trust’s site.

Garland’s vision was considered controversial. Civil rights activist William Monroe Trotter felt it would be better to focus on desegregating the system instead of offering a separate hospital, according to a Boston City Archives article.

By 1928, Garland was unable to continue with his idea and while Boston City Hospital admitted the first African-Americans to its nursing school and physician training programs, the first African-American physician was not appointed to the hospital’s staff until 1949, according to the trust’s site.

Garland is buried at Forest Hills Cemetery.

Marita Bonner

An influential writer and playwright in the mid 1900s, Marita Bonner was a prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance. She was also a Brookline High School graduate.

Before attending Radcliffe College in 1918, where she studied English and Comparative Literature, Bonner wrote for Brookline High’s own “Sagamore,” according to a University of Minnesota biography, “Voices from the Gaps: Marita Odette Bonner.” Bonner’s contributions to “The Sagamore” were just the beginnings of what would become a robust career.

After graduating in 1922, Bonner taught at schools in West Virginia and later Washington, DC. It was the untimely deaths of her parents shortly after 1924 that inspired Bonner’s first essay for “The Crisis” magazine, according to the University of Minnesota’s bio. “The Crisis” is the NAACP’s journal on civil rights, history, politics and culture, according to the journal’s website.

That first essay, which Bonner wrote, “On Being Young — a Woman — and Colored” addressed the discrimination that African-Americans, particularly women, faced in the United States. It earned her an award in 1925, according to Harvard University’s online archives.

“As a young woman of the 1900s, a black woman could see opportunity around her, but she could only watch and wait,” the University of Minnesota’s biography said. “The essay counsels women to not dwell on the bitterness, but try to outsmart negative situations.”

In addition to “The Crisis”, Bonner’s plays, essays and short fiction writings were published in “Opportunity,” another prominent magazine during the Harlem Renaissance, according to Harvard’s archives.

Among her many notable essays, short fiction and plays, is Bonner’s play “The Purple Flower.” Written in 1928, it tackles racial tensions in the United States.

Bonner married an accountant, William Almy Occomy, in 1930 and the pair moved to Chicago where they had three children, according to Harvard’s archives. She enjoyed a successful career writing short stories until the 1940s when she turned to teaching.

According to the University of Minnesota’s biography, Bonner taught mentally challenged individuals until she died after a house fire in 1971.

Surveillance Video Shows Group Setting Construction Equipment On Fire

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Brookline.com

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February 22, 2018

Police in Brookline are trying to track down the people who doused a Bobcat machine with gasoline then lit it on fire.

Brookline police say the incident happened late Tuesday night and say it is a clear act of arson.

In surveillance video police shared with the media, the group can be seen dousing the machine with gasoline, then the second it goes up in flames, all of them take off running.

“It is very concerning.. you see the people igniting the fire. It ignites very quickly,” said Brookline Police Lt. Philip Harrington.

After the group took off, someone walking down Pleasant Street saw the Bobcat smoldering and called 911. When investigators showed up, they found the gas can pictures in the surveillance video.

“A five gallon container that had a flammable liquid in it. That was the fuel that was first ignited,” said Harrington.

Brookline Fire Chief Keith Flaherty says this could have been a lot more dangerous.

“This could have turned very bad. The individuals could have been personally injured, the fire could have spread to the building or cars in the area,” said Flaherty.

That building is an elderly and disabled housing development run by the Brookline Housing Authority.

Police believe the suspects are around college age. Although they took off running, police did catch one of them on another surveillance camera. They are now asking everyone to take a good look and call them if you recognize the suspect.

Arson investigation underway after surveillance video catches a group torching construction equipment right next to a development for disabled and eldery people. Catch @boston25 at 6 pic.twitter.com/3D7TrJ3fVe

— Jessica Reyes (@jessicamreyes) 21 февруари 2018 г.

PSB Hosting Talk On Dyslexia On February 27

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Brookline.com

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February 22, 2018

On February 27, the Public Schools of Brookline is hosting a presentation and discussion about dyslexia in children. Dr. Nadine Gaab, a researcher in the Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience at Boston Children’s Hospital, will speak about the reading brain, early screening for dyslexia, and how students respond to remediation. Dr. Gaab’s research focuses on auditory and language processing in the human brain and its application on the development of langauge and literacy skills.

Join us for Dr. Gaab’s talk on February 27 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Lincoln School, 19 Kennard Road in Brookline.

Brookline Housing Authority (BHA) Request For Proposals For Architectural & Engineering Services

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Brookline.com

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February 21, 2018

The BHA seeks one or more qualified A&E firms to provide design services for the substantial rehab of 4 elderly, mid-rise public housing properties with a total of 339 units. The buildings will be rehabbed with residents in-place and will likely be subject to MGL Ch. 149, Building Construction Contracts.

It is expected that financing for the first property will close by November 30, 2018 with construction to begin shortly thereafter. The second property is expected to close in Spring 2019. Respondents must be prepared to meet these timelines.

The initial term of contract(s) will be three years, renewable at the sole discretion of the BHA by one two-year period. The total contract period shall not exceed five years plus any additional time necessary to complete construction administration for projects awarded in the first three-year period, and/or two-year extension.

Each respondent must submit one (1) signed original and three copies of its proposal. In addition to the hard copies, respondents must submit one exact copy of the proposal on a flash drive in Microsoft Office (2010 version or later) or Adobe PDF format. The original signed hard copy must be clearly labeled as such. If there are any differences between the original and any of the copies (or the electronic copy of the Proposal), the material in the hard copy original will prevail. The proposal must be submitted no later than 4 pm on March 22, 2018. Proposals received after this deadline will not be accepted. Proposals should be delivered to:

Patrick Dober
Executive Director and Procurement Officer
Brookline Housing Authority
90 Longwood Avenue
Brookline, MA 02446

Firms intending to submit a proposal should email their intention, with contact information, by March 6, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. Site visits for interested parties will be conducted on March 1 and March 6, 2018. Specific information is available in the RFP.

Inquiries or requests for clarification of the RFP must be submitted to mmaffei@brooklinehousing.org by March 7, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. The BHA will provide responses to all respondents that have indicated an intention to bid by March 14, 2018 at 5:00 p.m.

Please visit our website at http://brooklinehousing.org/Business&employmentOpportunities.html or contact Maria T. Maffei at maffei@brooklinehousing.org for a full copy of the RFP and submission instructions. The BHA reserves the right to make multiple awards, to reject any proposals, to cancel this RFP and to waive informalities if it is in the public interest to do so.

M/WBE firms are encouraged to apply.

Brookline Select Board Focuses On Ninth School Options

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Brookline.com

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February 21, 2018

Faced with more than 20 options for alternative ninth school sites, Brookline is close to wrapping up the first phase of site studies.

On Feb. 20, the Select Board voted to have HMFH Architects gather more information on three options at Baker, Pine Manor College and a 4.5-acre town-owned parcel at Putterham.

This vote did not mean that these three are the final options for the ninth school and the other options are out of the running. Rather, the question before the board on Feb. 20 was whether board members felt they had enough information about each of the 20 plus options to evaluate them and determine which sites should move forward into the second phase of study.

“Even though $300,000 is a lot of money, you can’t do traffic studies at multiple sights, you have to be strategic,” School Committee Chairman David Pollak explained after the meeting.

According to Pollak, the School Committee will not vote on which sites to study further during this first phase, as it feels it has all the needed information.

Police Blotter

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Brookline.com

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February 20, 2018

The following is a sample of the types of calls the Brookline police responded to the extended weekend of Feb. 16 through Feb. 19 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.

Friday, Feb. 16

Animal Bite: A Sumner Road resident called to report their dog was just attacked by a loose dog.

Graffiti: A Devotion Street property manager reported graffiti on a building there and someone else reported graffiti on Chestnut Street.

Break in? or delivery?: A dog sitter on Rawson Road called to report a possible attempted break in. The person told police they heard the door handle shaking intensely and it sounded like someone was trying to unlock the door with a key and they were not expecting any of the residents to be home. It turned out a neighbor who had the key was trying to deliver Amazon packages.

Drunk: Someone from Uber called to report a drunk woman wouldn’t get out of the car while it was parked on Beacon Street.

Sat. Feb. 17

Drive through at Anna’s? At 4:15 a.m. an officer reported seeing a car had crashed into Anna’s Taqueria on the corner of Harvard and Thorndike streets. The driver refused transport to hospital or any where. Perfection Towing company towed the car. The property owner and the building department were on scene.

Stolen: A Coolidge Street resident came into the station to report his Redline Conquest 18 Speed Cyclecross bike was stolen from the side of his house between Thursday and Friday morning.

Noisy neighbors: Someone reported loud talking and music on Strathmore Road at 11:10 p.m. Someone was given a citation. There were also calls about noise on Egmont Street at 1:53 a.m. and one about the loading dock at the Star Market on Beacon Street at 4 a.m. And a complaint about loud music and talking at 3:43 a.m. on Freeman Street.

Fight: Someone from CVS said there was a fight in the store around 7:31 p.m. Police gave them warnings.

Sunday, Feb. 18

Disturbing: Someone on Station Street called to report a fight in a nearby apartment. Someone reported hearing a woman yelling “Why are you hurting me?”

Injured Animal: A Hawthorn Road resident called to report an injured coyote in their back yard. They wanted to have it checked out. It turned out the animal was just laying down.

Damaged: A Kent Street resident came into the station to report that while her bike was locked to a meter pole in front of her home it was damaged. She said it might have been because of the sidewalk plow.

Monday, Feb 19

Snow plow damage: A Brookline Firefighter called to report the town sidewalk plow caused damage to the walk outside his mom’s house on Russett Road.

Wait, what?: A man came into the station to report that a couple days ago, on Feb. 16, while he was driving near the Dummer and Amory streets, someone shot a bullet at him. He said the bullet was still in his car.

That’s not the road: Someone called at 6 p.m. to report a car crashed into a fence on Francis Street and then the Lawrence School sign and then right into the playground. Someone described the car as a dark colored Jeep that then went up Toxtheth. She told police there was yelling before the crash and a passerby reported seeing the car swerving on Longwood. Police noted a car was towed.

This Brookline Condo Is Great For Empty Nesters

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Brookline.com

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February 19, 2018

This luxury condo at The Residences at Amory Parks in Brookline is the perfect landing place for area empty nesters who are looking to move closer to the city but might be priced out of living in Boston, the agent handling the sale says.

“It would be a very comfortable transition for somebody selling a larger home who wants to segue into a condominium,” Hammond Residential real estate agent Michele Friedler said of unit 103. “It’s a smaller association; there’s only 14 units, so the boutique feeling of the building is another nice feature that’s attractive to empty nesters.”

Located in the sought-after lower Beacon Street neighborhood, the 1,974-square-foot midrise condo — which went on the market yesterday for a little more than $2 million — was built in 2001, offers concierge service, a private balcony and has two garage parking spaces. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit’s open floor plan provides for an excellent flow between rooms, and the high ceilings make it feel far bigger than it is.

The dining room is framed by columns; the large master bedroom has a sitting area, en suite dressing room and bathroom — and the second bedroom has an en suite bathroom of its own. And when you need more room for visitors, the den — which could serve as an office space — also has a built-in Murphy bed.

The spacious kitchen has ceiling-height cabinets, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and a center island. There’s also a gas fireplace, a large in-unit laundry room and storage.

Friedler said people interested in touring the unit can stop by an open house today from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or tomorrow from noon to 1:30 p.m.

TRIPPS – Ride-Hailing Class

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Brookline.com

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February 19, 2018

Have you been hearing a lot about Uber and Lyft in the news? Curious how this new way of getting around can work for you?

Join this multi-session class to use your smartphone intelligently and learn to ride-share. We will introduce participants to ride-share, answer common questions, and even take short trips in the community.

Participants must have a smartphone and come with their Apple or Google password. Please register by calling 617-730-2644.

The event will take place on February 21, 2018 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. at:

The Public Library Of Brookline
Brookline Village – Conference Room
361 Washington Street
Brookline, MA 02445

Tel.: 617-730-2644

Brookline Athlete Sets School Record

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Brookline.com

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February 19, 2018

Senior forward Michal Alge, of Brookline, set a school record for most-ever career rebounds on the Yeshiva University women’s basketball team.

Alge grabbed her 832nd career rebound during the opening quarter, which breaks a program record that was previously held by Rebecca Yoshor. For the game, Alge produced a double-double with 12 points and 19 rebounds. Ten of Alge’s 19 boards were on the offensive side. The Boston native also forced three steals and distributed two assists. Alge entered the afternoon one rebound shy of tying the program record and two boards away from breaking it.

For informaton, please click here.

Events Around Town

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Brookline.com

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February 19, 2018

David Polansky performance: 3:30 p.m., Wingate Residences at Boylston Place, 615 Heath Street, Brookline. Free; space limited. For information or RSVP: 617-244-6400. An accomplished musician, Polansky entertains audiences of all ages with a program that mixes music, humor, wit and sensitivity.

NT Live: “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”: 7:00 p.m., Coolidge Corner Theatre, 209 Harvard Street, Brookline. Cost: $20-$23. For information: wesley@coolidge.org; coolidge.org. Sienna Miller, Jack O’Connell and Colm Meaney star in Tennessee Williams’ play.

Yiddish Sing: 7:30 – 9:00 p.m., Boston Workmen’s Circle, 1762 Beacon Street, Brookline. Free. For information: 617-776-0448; circleboston.org. An informal, multigenerational gathering to sing Yiddish folk songs. Songbooks provided. Free. Open to all, regardless of singing ability or knowledge of Yiddish. Musical instruments welcome.

Saturday, Feb. 24

Friends of the Minot Rose Garden Spring spring organizational meeting: 9-10 a.m., Sussman House Community Room, 50 Pleasant Street, Brookline. For information: Linda, Minotroses@aol.com. Open to new volunteers. No previous experience necessary. An opportunity to find out about volunteering in the garden.

Review of “Born Yesterday:” 1:30 p.m., Wingate Residences at Boylston Place, 615 Heath Street, Brookline. Free; space limited. For information or RSVP: 617-244-6400. Film critic Dan Kimmel will review the 1950 comedy.

Tuesday, Feb. 27

Better Together: Joint Ventures for Small Businesses and Consultants: 9:00 – 10:30 a.m., The Village Works, 202 Washington Street, Brookline. Free. A roundtable discussion about creating joint ventures with colleagues in order to expand business and contract opportunities.

˜The Songs of Oscar Hammerstein”: 3:00 p.m., Wingate Residences at Boylston Place, 615 Heath Street, Brookline. Free; space limited. For information or RSVP: 617-244-6400. Cabaret singer Will McMillan and classical and jazz musician Joe Reid will perform “My Favorite Things: The Songs of Oscar Hammerstein.”

M.O.V.E.! workshops: 7:00 – 8:30 p.m., Pine Manor Ferry Administration Building, 400 Heath Street, Chestnut Hill. For information: movegoals.com. Cathy Utzschneider will be holding a series workshops that apply her M.O.V.E.! goal achievement method that applies both to health and athletics, which she has been teaching in Brookline for 25 years. The first workshop will be led by Dr. Marwa Ahmed and will focus on goals for general health, the second will be led by Dr. Inez Kelleher and will be geared towards managing and staying strong with osteoporosis, and the third will be Marc Mangiacotti who will speak about the discipline of track and field influencing young adults – specifically for parents with children who like to run.

Wednesday, Feb. 28

Physician Finance: Planning for Residents: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., In Good Company, 1653 Beacon Street, Brookline. Free. For information: ingoodcompanyboston.com. Attendees learn how to protect themselves from the career risks that doctors face like malpractice. They will also learn some strategies for creating a solid financial foundation, saving for the future and paying down student debt.

Harry Downes Playground/Field design review meeting: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., Town Hall, sixth floor, 333 Washington Street, Brookline. For information: Jessie Waisnor, 617-264-6490. Public design review process to discuss universal access into and within the park, improvement of the park’s perimeter and entries, new play equipment for all ages/safety surfacing, site furniture for seating and picnicking, renovation of the natural turf athletic field, drainage improvements, and refurbishment of the synthetic turf field and track.

Thursday, March 1

Rice and Beans Class: 6:15 – 7:30 p.m., Olive Connection, 1426 Beacon Street, Brookline. Cost: $25. For information: 617-879-9980; info@oliveconnection.com; oliveconnection.com. Chef Nathan will share a variety of ways to cook favorite beans from Rancho Gordo.

Wine and Investing: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., In Good Company, 1653 Beacon Street, Brookline. Free. For information: ingoodcompanyboston.com. Attendees will learn to identify which smells and tastes appeal to them, and get a better understanding of the investment basics like the difference between stocks, bonds and mutual funds.

Saturday, March 3

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; brooklineartscenter.com. Participants bring a date to the ceramics studio and learn to make their own pots together. Attendees bring light refreshments to enjoy as their teacher guides them through the basics of the wheel and handbuilding.

Sunday, March 4

Music for Viola, Clarinet and Piano: 3:00 – 4:30 p.m., Brookline Music School, 25 Kennard Road, Brookline. Free. For information: bmsmusic.org. Free; suggested donation of $10. The performance will feature Brookline Music School faculty members Stephanie Fong, viola; Aimee Tsuchiya, piano; and Rane Moore, clarinet. Followed by a meet-the-artists reception.

Robotics FUN-raiser: 6:30 – 9:00 p.m., The Makery, Coolidge Corner, 2 Sewall Avenue, Brookline. Cost: $25. For information or to register: brooklinemakery.com. Attendees hear the latest from leaders in the robotics field including Jibo, the first social robot for the home, along with Spyce, pioneers in restaurant robotics.

Thursday, March 8

“Ending Ageism”: 6:00 – 7:30 p.m., Brookline Public Library, 361 Washington Street, Brookline. Free. For information: brooklineCAN.org; 617-730-2777. BrooklineCAN presents Margaret Morganroth Gullette, author of “Ending Ageism, or How Not to Shoot Old People.” Refreshments served from 6:00 – 6:30 p.m. Program and discussion from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

ONGOING

Watercolor exhibition: through Feb. 28, Gallery 93, 93 Winchester Street, Brookline. Watercolor paintings by Brookline artist Shirley Selhub.

“Discover Your Inner Resources: Tools for Living”: 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, through March 6, Brookline High School, MLK Room and Atrium, 115 Greenough Street, Brookline. Cost: $40. For information: campusce.net. Also known as the Peace Education Program, created by The Prem Rawat Foundation. Each class, based on Prem Rawat’s international public addresses, will focus on a theme, including personal peace, appreciation, inner strength, self-awareness, clarity, understanding, dignity and choice. No class Feb. 20.

“The Dialogue Starts Here – HELLO Brookline”: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. March 1, Hunneman Hall, Brookline Public Library, 361 Washington Street; 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: brooklinelibrary.org. 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, through February, 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: http://brooklinewfm.com.

Winter Learn-To-Skate classes: 4:00 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and 1:00 p.m. Sundays, Brookline/Cleveland Circle Reilly Memorial Rink, 355 Chestnut Hill Avenue; 10:45 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays, starting Dec. 2, Jack Kirrane Rink at Larz Anderson Park, 5 Newton Street, Brookline. For children, ages 4 ½ to 18. Participants can use figure, recreational or hockey skates. Beginner, intermediate and advanced classes available. For information or to register: Bay State Skating School, 781-890-8480; http://BayStateSkatingSchool.org.

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: brooklinelibrary.org/events.

Game Day for Seniors at Putterham Library: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Thursdays, Putterham Branch Library Community Room, 959 West Roxbury Parkway, Brookline. MahJongg, chess, Scrabble, dominoes, bring your own game or request. Handicapped accessible; wheelchair available. For information or to request a game: Helen, 617-942-7547.

Mindfulness Practice and Meditation: 7:00 – 8:40 p.m. Tuesdays, United Parish of Brookline, 210 Harvard St., 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 Avenue, 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.

Car Crashes Into Anna’s Taqueria In Brookline

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Brookline.com

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February 18, 2018

Anna’s Taqueria opened for business as usual after a car crashed into the restaurant just before 4:00 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 17 in JFK Crossing.

“We are so grateful no one was injured during this morning’s incident. We’d like to give thanks to first responders and everyone else involved in the cleanup process,” tweeted the folks at Anna’s on Harvard Street.

The owner of the property called Boston Board Up, a company that specializes in emergency building repair and they were on the scene and had cleaned up the debris so that the restaurant was ready to go the next morning.

Police did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Brookline Man Arrested After Stabbing At Allston Gas Station

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Brookline.com

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February 18, 2018

A 39-year-old Brookline man was arrested early yesterday morning, accused of stabbing a man in a fight in a gas station parking lot in the Allston/Brighton area.

Ruoding Zhang was arrested after state troopers approached three men involved in an altercation outside a Speedway gas station near Brighton Avenue and Linden Street at 1:42 a.m., state police said.

State troopers learned that a 25-year-old had been assaulted and stabbed.

The stabbing victim was transported by Boston EMS to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for treatment, state police said.

Boston police and detectives arrived on scene and assisted state trooper Brendan Donovan, who located a knife believed to be the weapon used in the altercation.

Zhang was transported from the State Police Brighton Barracks to the Boston police for further booking, state police said.

Possible Hoarding May Have Fueled Apartment Fire In Brookline

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Brookline.com

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February 16, 2018

Officials say a possible case of hoarding may have caused a fire at an apartment building Friday morning in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Firefighters were called to Brook House Condominiums at 77 Pond Avenue at about 4:00 a.m. where a fire was showing in a 5th-floor apartment.

The fire reached 2-alarms but crews were able to quickly get the blaze under control.

Authorities said there was one person in the apartment at the time but he was able to make it out safely. He also refused medical treatment.

Because the apartment owner had his door shut, fire officials said the blaze was contained to just that unit.

The dozens of other residents who live in the building also made it out safely. They have been temporarily displaced and are being assisted by the American Red Cross.

Authorities are investigating if the fire may have been fueled by a potential hoarding situation.

“We’re looking into a possible hoarding situation but very heavy fire in the construction of the building, you know, it holds the heat in. A lot of concrete. The fire is very hot, it self-vented and it broke through the windows on its own,” explained Brookline Deputy Fire Chief Robert Nelson.

2 Brookline Related Restaurants Make James Beard Semifinalists

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Brookline.com

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February 15, 2018

The 2018 James Beard Award semifinalists were announced Thursday morning, and among the honorees are two Brookline names.

Being nominated for a James Beard Award is a big deal for those in the food industry. It is often called the “Oscars” of the food world, and covers 21 different culinary categories. There were eight names from Massachusetts that made the list.

Brookline’s Taberna de Haro was a semifinalist for Outstanding Wine Program, one of two in New England. There were a total of 19 nominated in this category across the country.

Taberna de Haro is a tavern with an extensive Spanish wine menu and tapas in the St. Mary’s area along Beacon Street in North Brookline. Chef-owner Deborah Hansen spent eight years living in Spain, before coming back and opening the restaurant in Brookline. She and the restaurant are no stranger to awards. It’s selection was named Top 100 Wine Lists in America by the Wine Enthusiast magazine for the past three years (among other awards and recognition).

And Brookline’s own Irene Li, the co-owner and chef at Mei Mei on the Boston side of Audubon Circle near Fenway, was one of two New England chefs who made it into the category of rising chef. There were a total of 27 chefs nominated across the country. Li grew up in Brookline and her family still lives here even though her restaurant is on the Boston side.

Mei Mei started as a food truck in 2012 to acclaim, and then added the brick and mortar restaurant serving up creative Chinese-American cuisine made from local, sustainable ingredients. The restaurant opened in November 2013 and serves up casual truck-style lunch and contemporary table service dinner. Since then, they’ve also been no stranger to awards. Li has been named a James Beard Rising Star semi-finalist, StarChefs.com also awarded her as a Rising Stars winners for Concept. The restaurant was also one of Boston’s 50 Best Restaurants and Eater Boston’s Restaurant of the Year.

The long list of names will be winnowed down to a list of final Restaurant and Chef Award nominees on Wednesday, March 14, in Philadelphia. The annual awards gala will be May 7 in Chicago.

Brookline Police Officer Involved Crash In Coolidge Corner

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Brookline.com

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February 15, 2018

Brookline police are using the word “lucky” to describe the outcome of a non fatal crash involving a police officer in his police SUV and a woman driving a sedan in Coolidge Corner, that ended with her car up on the sidewalk next to Trader Joe’s.

Both the officer and the woman were taken to the hospital, said police, and both are expected to be OK. No passersby were reportedly harmed in the incident. The woman did not sustain any serious injuries but a friend described her as distraught.

The officer was responding to a call when he turned onto Beacon Street, according to police. The woman was driving inbound and the two collided, spinning the police cruiser around and sending the woman in her car up onto the sidewalk, bouncing off of a lamp pole and skidding down past the post box and newspaper boxes before it came to a stop in front of Trader Joe’s, according to police.

The lamp pole only appeared to have a large couple of scratches on it. Tire skid marks on the sidewalk and small pieces of the cars were all that was left of the ordeal by 8:00 a.m.

A woman said she was a friend of the woman who was injured in the crash said the driver had a green light at the time of the incident and described the woman as having “terror at the experience of being shoved onto the sidewalk due to sheer impact,” she said but declined to be named because she said she did not want to speak for her friend.

The crash closed down the inbound side of Beacon Street just as the morning commute was getting underway. Police routed drivers down Harvard and around the section of Beacon for less than an hour. By 7:30 a.m. the police SUV and the woman’s white Hyundai were towed and traffic was resuming.

“I’m just glad this happened so early before more people were here,” one officer told a man who appeared to be a DPW worker looking at the struck lamp post for damages after the cars were both removed from the scene.

Chiapas Photography Project Opening

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Brookline.com

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February 14, 2018

Respeto/Respect features photographs and trilingual text by 7 Maya women from two different ethnic-linguistic groups and non-traditional religions who are staff of the Chiapas Photography Project, and demonstrates Maya religious diversity and coexistence after decades of strife in the Chiapas, Mexico; these are values shared in common by Quakers and Maya/CPP. Issues also embedded in this exhibit include: indigenous and women’s rights and autonomy, post-colonialism, and decolonization.

Come hear Erica H. Adams, the curator of this exhibit, and General Mexican Consulate in Boston Emilio Rabasa discuss the project.

The event will take place on February 22 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the following address:

Brookline Public Library
Coolidge Corner – Meeting Room
31 Pleasant Street
Brookline, MA 02446

A Look At Slavery In Brookline

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Brookline.com

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February 14, 2018

Contrary to a common misconception, the North was not without slavery; in fact, most slave traders were from New England, and Brookline was no exception.

“We tend to think if slavery as a southern U.S. problem,” said Barbara Brown, a Brookline resident and member of Hidden Brookline, an organization that aims to shed light on the hidden histories of slavery and freedom in Brookline.

According to Brown, Brookline’s introduction to the slave trade began around 1675 with the enslavement of seven Native Americans. The enslavement of Native Americans was quite common, Brown said, as the government and white people were afraid that young Native American men would rise up against them, as had happened during King Philip’s War.

From 1675 to around 1800, the slave trade boomed. Many of Brookline’s household names like Edward Devotion, Henry Sewall, Thomas H. Perkins, Thomas Aspinwall and Joshua Boylston Esq. benefited from the slave trade.

“The slave trade was not considered a terrible thing to do,” said Brown. “It was part of ordinary business practices.”

Though slave traders were common in New England, most slaves were sent to the Caribbean. That is not to say that Brookline was without slaves. During the 1740s, at the height of slavery in Brookline, one household in four was a slave-owning property.

“We have records of people being sold into Brookline, usually around age 11,” said Brown.

Life as a Brookline slave

Life as a slave in Brookline was devastatingly lonely, Brown said. As a farming community, the properties were spread out and slaves were unlikely to meet each other. According to Brown, most slave-owners had jobs that took them away from their property, like military captains, doctors and ministers, so slaves were used to work the land.

“You were not likely to spend time with other enslaved people,” said Brown. “You were on your own and with no one on your side.”

Brown shared one story of a Brookline slave named Sambo, who while serving a meal to his owner and a guest, fell for a trick when his owner asked him which was heavier, a pound of iron or a pound of feathers. Sambo replied that a pound of iron was heavier.

Upon realizing his mistake, according to Brown, Sambo told his owner “well sir, which would you rather have fall on your head from a chimney?”

Though there are few details about Brookline’s enslaved, Sambo’s story is not singular. Going back through records, Barbara has discovered a few enslaved men with similar moments.

“These were men who found a way to maintain their dignity,” said Brown.

Records show that Brookline had a little over 80 enslaved people. Of those enslaved, two-thirds were men.

“The owners did not want women and they did not want children because they were in a place where they could buy new enslaved [men],” said Brown.

The need for inclusion in Brookline’s curriculum

In looking at curriculum in Massachusetts, Brown sees a gap in history lessons where slavery should be.

“We have a hard time in this country, and somewhat in Brookline as making slavery and the slave trade as not one side of our history but as essential to our history,” Brown said.

Slavery needs deeper attention in schools, according to Brown, as it makes up such a large part of history.

“Our notion of what it means to be free comes from this terrible history, our history,” said Brown.

Slavery’s presence in New England clashes with a common perception of the New England colonies as revolutionary and slave free. For Brookline High teacher and Hidden Brookline member Malcolm Cawthorne, Brookline’s history with slavery is not so much surprising as it is typical.

“It’s pretty typical that wealthy people in America were connected to slavery in some way, shape or form,” said Cawthorne.

Having grown up in Brookline and gone to Devotion – named after Edward Devotion, who was a slave owner – Cawthorne said Brookline’s history with slavery was something he was always sort of aware of, and when he began researching it more at an older age, what he learned didn’t produce an ‘ah hah’ moment, rather it made him feel vindicated.

“For me it was always on the peripheral, stuff I hadn’t truly absorbed” said Cawthorne.

This is true for many Brookline students.

Brown recounted a moment that Cawthorne shared with her from when he took one of his African American Studies classes to see the Town Hall plaque that lists the names of men from Brookline who marched to the Battle of Lexington. Included on that plaque are the names of three enslaved men who also marched. Upon learning who those men were one of Cawthorne’s students reportedly said it made him angry, because he had never learned this part of Brookline history.

“I think for a lot of kids, Brookline is depicted as this liberal bastion of fairness and equality, until they find out that’s not true history,” said Cawthorne. “Of course things aren’t fair; the reality of history tells us something different.”

Brookline is taking steps towards incorporating slavery more into the curriculum. About two years ago the schools introduced a unit on slavery into the third grade curriculum. Cawthorne would like to see the schools take it a step further.

Slavery is something that needs to be incorporated in at the high school level, he said.

“We have to give a deeper look,” said Cawthorne.

Remembering Brookline’s 84 enslaved people:

Ackey
Adam
Ben Boston
Boston
Bung
Caesar
Caesar
Charles
Coff
Cuff
Cuff
Cuffe
Dido
Dinah
Dinah
Dinah
Dinah
Dinah
Exeter
Felix
Flora
George

Great David
Hagar
Hawkins
Jack
Jack
Jack
Jackie
Jane
Jenny
Jenny
Jeremy
Jethro
John Indian
Kate
Kate
Kate
Katherine Cuff
Kent
Lemon
Margaret
Moll
Pamela

Peter
Peter
Phillis
Phillis
Pompey
Primus
Primus
Primus
Prince
Quaco
Reube
Rose
Rose
Sambo
Seco
Titus
Tobey
Tounnaquin
Venus
Venus
Violet
Warwick
William
– and eighteen whose owners listed them in documents simply as ‘negro’

Brookline Man Accused Of Masturbating While Peering Into Women’s Apartment

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Brookline.com

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February 14, 2018

A Brookline man is accused of touching himself outside a Brighton apartment and scaring the two women who live there.

One of the woman reported seeing the guy pacing outside her apartment around 11:00 p.m. Monday, and when she got inside her roommate saw him peering through the window and touching himself.

“They looked out their window and the could see the defendant walking back and forth along the walkway and then kneeling in front of a window and they watched him move his arm in a motion that would be consistent with masturbating,” an assistant district attorney said in court.

The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Bruce Seals, hid his face in court but has previously been arrested for similar behavior.

Neighbors said the report is concerning in an area that is generally considered safe.

“It’s definitely very disconcerting as a woman living in this neighborhood and in these buildings my building is on the first floor and I feel very uncomfortable with that,” Kathryn Harris said.

Seals lives just a few blocks away from where the alleged incident happened, and a man who identified himself as Seals’ housemate told Boston 25 News he had not heard about the arrest.

In court a judge set bail at $2,500 and ordered Seals to stay away from the victims.

Posters Welcoming All Go Up Across Brookline

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Brookline.com

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February 13, 2018

Brookline is soon to be plastered in posters welcoming visitors to the community in 28 different languages.

On Feb. 10, the Commission for Diversity, Inclusion and Community Relations led a team of community members on a mission to distribute those welcome posters to local businesses, public buildings, offices and places of worship. On Feb. 11, the commission held a unity event to celebrate the signs and thank volunteers.

Bright and colorful, the posters send a simple message – all are welcome.

The inspiration for the posters came from the signs that popped up around town with slogans that stated “We don’t care where you’re from, we’re glad you’re here” and “Hate has no home here.”

The core of those messages resonated with Commission Chair Kelly Race and other members, and they thought that having the same sign hanging all over Brookline would send a message not just of welcome but of united welcome.

“It’s difficult times right now, and we want to say that Brookline is a welcoming community,” Race said.

In designing the poster, the commission wanted a positive message that started positive rather than with a negative idea like some of the signs that had popped up around town.

“We just didn’t like that idea, ‘we don’t care,’” Race said. “Wouldn’t it be nicer, ‘we do care’?”

In addition to the positive message of welcome, the poster emphasizes the importance of diversity with the phrase “Diversity strengthens Brookline” stretching out below the image of a tree.

“The ‘Diversity strengthens Brookline’ is important because it does,” said Race. “It is the core of this community.”

So far the response to the posters has been positive, Race said.

In addition to local businesses, Race said the posters have gone up in town buildings and the police department. According to Race, Superintendent Andrew Bott has also been supportive and is working to bring the posters to Brookline schools.

In distributing the posters, Race said the commission is mainly focused on bringing the posters to public spaces where they will be seen, as opposed to residences. The commission has also talked of putting up signs on the street lights as well, according to Race.

Over the past few days the commission has distributed around 400 posters, according to Race, and even more will be distributed in the days to come.

Those interested in receiving a poster should contact the Department of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Relations.

Mass Pike Rebuild Project Could Mean Better Public Transit For Brookline

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Brookline.com

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February 13, 2018

As MassDOT looks to finalize the details of its I-90 Allston Interchange Improvement Project, Brookline is weighing in on the project.

Curving around old rail yards and toll booths, the project is intended to improve the outdated I-90 viaduct, thereby improving traffic flow and creating space for development and enhancing connectivity and livability in the area. According to MassDOT’s website, this section of the highway has an average traffic volume of around 144,000 vehicles per day.

Though located in Allston, the project is seen as an opportunity for Brookline.

“It will be big and it will be at Brookline’s doorstep,” said Transportation Board member Chris Dempsey.

Recently, Brookline’s Transportation Board presented its feedback on the project in a nine-page letter to the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, which is currently reviewing MassDOT’s plans.

The main element of the project is to straighten the I-90 viaduct which currently curves around rail yards and toll plaza space no longer in use. Straightening the viaduct will open that unused land – which Harvard University has purchased – for development of housing, commercial space and civic space, according to Dempsey.

In addition to updating the viaduct, the project is expected to benefit pedestrians, cyclists and public transit.

In particular, the project includes the creation of a new commuter rail stop on the Worcester/Framingham Commuter Line, to be named West Station. This station would serve as an alternative to those who currently use the B-line, Dempsey said, by offering faster service to downtown Boston.

Train service is not the only benefit to public transit users. The Transportation Board sees West Station as the opportunity to introduce a direct bus route to areas like Harvard Square.

“This is an opportunity to have a new bus line or a rerouted bus line that offers a more direct route,” said Dempsey.

Some Brookline residents have expressed concern that the new bus route and West Station would increase traffic in Brookline.

“Those are concerns the Transportation Board understands and supports,” Dempsey said. ”[The buses] would provide great access to Brookline without being on our streets.”

According to Dempsey, MassDOT has indicated that it would not start construction of West Station until 2040. In its letter, the Transportation Board asked that construction start much earlier so as to encourage transit-oriented development, rather than car-oriented development, Dempsey said.

Depending on the design that MassDOT chooses, the changes stemming from the viaduct’s new layout could allow for easier access to the Charles River and the Esplanade.

According to Dempsey, MassDOT has indicated preference for a design option for an elevated, widened viaduct with shoulders and pull off space. Brookline prefers a different option.

According to Dempsey, the Transportation Board prefers a different option that would create a ground-level highway kept at the width it is today. This would enable a better connection to the Esplanade and Charles River and would save money.

The ground-level option is estimated to have a cost difference of about $100 million according to Dempsey.

The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs is expected to review the letter, as well as any input from other communities, and weigh in on MassDOT’s plans, according to Dempsey.

$400 Worth Of Razors Stolen: Brookline Police Logs

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Brookline.com

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February 13, 2018

Here is a sample of the types of calls the Brookline Police department responded to this weekend.

Saturday, Feb. 10

Drunk: Someone called to report a drunk person at Bendi’s Fine Fitting & Talyor on Beacon Street. This person was transported to a hospital just before midnight.

Stolen: Someone called to report he left his wallet at Winn Residential on Village Way and later got an alert that someone was using his debit card. He said his wallet with license and social security card was in it.

Some friend: Someone came into the station to report his car was now stolen after he had made an unofficial agreement with his friend to rent his car. He said his friend had stopped paying him but still had the car.

Shoplifting: Someone reported a shoplifting incident at Back Motion on Beacon Street and then someone else reported one at the TJ Maxx on Harvard Street.

uh, if a tree falls in Brookline: A Lee Street resident called to report a large tree had started to fall on the main roadway and was precariously balanced against another tree. She wanted advice.

Sunday, Feb. 11

Suspicious: Two people called separately about someone they thought was fishy. An employee at a local pub said they saw a someone acting weird at the Station Street parking lot around 1:05 a.m.

Noisy: Someone on Beacon Street was given a citation for being too loud after midnight after being given a warning an hour earlier.

Oops: A Stearns Road resident called to report they were locked out of their apartment… and there was a burning candle inside.

Monday, Feb. 12

Vandals: Someone reported a sign on Fuller Street was vandalized somehow.

Lock your car: Someone came into the police station at 5:23 p.m. to report his truck, which was parked on Brookline Ave earlier this morning for an hour, was broken into and his bag of tools was taken. He said his his vehicle was unlocked.

Looking for a close shave: A manager at CVS on Beacon Street reported someone came in and stole about $400 worth of men’s razors on Saturday.

Pedestrian hit: Someone called to report a person was hit by a Toyota Prius near the corner of St. Paul street and Longwood Avenue. The person refused ambulance transport. The driver of the car was issued a citation.

Entryway pirates: Someone from the building management at a Parkman Street reported that there had been several packages stolen from the common area in the building over the past few days, including at least two stolen today.

Fire: Someone called to report an outside fire in a rear lot on Pleasant Street around 10:47 p.m. The person who called said she thought it was set by teens.

Larcenies, Car Theft Up, Most Other Crime Down: Brookline Police

By

Brookline.com

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February 12, 2018

There has not been a murder in Brookline for a decade and most crime in town is down compared to previous years, but larcenies and car thefts are up from last year, according to data just released by the Brookline Police Department.

Larcenies were up 11 percent from 476 to 527 and the number of car thefts were up from 7 to 10. Total property crimes (burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft) are up 9 percent with 597 this year compared with 547 last year.

Still, the incidents of crime reported over the entire year was down 67 percent from where it was in 1994 and is the second lowest year in that time. And total violent crime (murder, rape, robbery and assault) are down 7 percent – from 153 in 2016 to 142.

Police attributed the increase in larceny and car thefts for 2017 to crimes of opportunity – such as thefts of packages in unlocked foyers, thefts from unlocked motor vehicles and bikes.

“These thefts are often perpetrated by addicts in need of money to support their habit. Brookline is not immune to the opioid crisis we are seeing across America. In 2017, there were 26 reports of overdoses in Brookline, 17 of which indicated opiate usage,” according to the report.

And speaking of drug usage, Narcan was administered 14 times and there were three-opioid related deaths in town.

As far as other crime: In 2017, rapes were down from six reported in 2016 to four reported last year. Robberies were down from 12 to seven, assaults were down from 135 to 131, burglaries were down from 64 to 60.

Of the 739 Part A crimes reported last year, 123 cases were cleared by arrest, 80 cleared by court action, 43 cleared “exceptionally,” 14 closed by completed service, 3 cleared by referral and 1 was closed by other means, resulting in a 36 percent clearance of crimes for the year.

All four rape cases were considered closed, 86 percent of the assault cases, 57 percent of the robberies, 25 percent of burglaries, 24 percent of larcenies were all considered cleared last year. None of the car thefts were cleared.

There are some 739 active cases still under investigation.

The report could be found here.

Brookline’s Rebecca Stone Kicks Off Run For State Rep

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Brookline.com

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February 12, 2018

Rebecca Stone’s campaign for State Rep kicked off February 11, with a packed party at the home of Stuart Shieber and Cassia Wyner, in the heart of the district she hopes to represent, the campaign announced Sunday night.

The former Chair of the School Committee and longtime Town Meeting member, told the crowd that home was where she launched her campaign that won her seat for School Committee in 2005. “Stuart and Cassia’s house is my good luck charm,” she said.

Stone is seeking the Democratic nomination for State Representative from the 15th Norfolk District, the seat held by Rep. Frank Smizik, who announced his decision to retire late last year. She’s up against Town Meeting Member Tommy Vitolo so far.

Stone’s campaign is co-chaired by Casey Hatchett, a Brookline police officer who is also co-chair of the Brookline Women’s Commission and a Town Meeting Member from precinct 12. Former Advisory Committee Chair Harry Bohrs is her other campaign co-chair.

“The work and experience of being on the School Committee prepares you for the challenges and responsibilities of being a State Representative in ways few other things can,” Bohrs told the crowd, according to a press release.

Bohrs gave Stone credit for sounding the alarm on increased school enrollment, the need for additional school space, and the need to begin acting immediately, according to the campaign.

Stone credited her parents for inspiring her career in public policy and public service. At the dinner table growing up, she told the crowd, “they would talk about what really mattered: how we treat each other, what it means to act with integrity, and whether you are willing to stand up for what is right.”

Stone related that her father directed a pathbreaking play in 1963 about the African American experience called In White America. Her math-teacher mother founded a non-profit, opening the world’s first community technology access center in the basement of a Harlem housing project in 1980.

“My brothers and I understood that success in our parents’ eyes meant not just making a living, but making a difference,” Stone said.

Stone’s own professional history includes editing a newspaper for consumer advocate Ralph Nader’s Public Citizen, handling human rights and foreign policy legislation for two Members of Congress, advocating for adolescent reproductive rights and health care, and studying the dynamics of race and power imbalances in community building efforts.

Stone said her 12 years of Town-wide service on the School Committee was an eye opening experience that would help her serve Brookline from Beacon Hill.

“Rebecca is committed to achieving the shared goals of those she represents, and she works collaboratively with those outside her immediate constituency to achieve those goals,” said Town Meeting Member Bobbie Knable.

That appeared to be the theme of the evening.

“Political expediency creates laws with unfunded mandates that steal time and money from our schools and Town. Brookline needs someone on Beacon Hill who knows how these things affect our students, our teachers, our seniors, local businesses, our Town,” Stone said according to the campaign. “Someone who is watching out for Brookline and ready to act.”

Stone has lived with her family near the Lawrence School in Brookline Village/Coolidge Corner South Side since 1999. She has been a Town Meeting Member since 2002 and was elected to the Brookline School Committee four times, serving from 2005 – 2016. Stone was Vice Chair and then Chair of the Brookline School Committee from 2009-2012. She and her husband have two children who graduated from the Lawrence School and Brookline High School. She has been a consultant to non-profits and philanthropy for the past fifteen years, most recently developing special grant initiatives in family strengthening for the William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation. Stone has served on myriad committees over the years in Brookline, including the original Green Dog Program committee, the Selectmen’s [sic] Climate Action Committee, the Community Development Block Grants committee, B-SPACE, and the Steps to Success Board of Directors.

Stone’s endorsers include Select Board Chair Neil Wishinsky, BCAN founders Carol and Frank Caro, School Committee Chair David Pollak, Library Board Chair Puja Mehta, Housing Board Chair David Trietsch, Building Commission Chair Janet Fierman, and former School Committee Chairs Kitty Ames, Helen Charlupski, Kevin Lang, Judy Meyers, Alan Morse, and Henry Warren, according to the campaign.

Friday, Feb. 16

Sat. Feb. 17

Sunday, Feb. 18

Monday, Feb 19

Saturday, Feb. 10

Sunday, Feb. 11

Monday, Feb. 12

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