Dozens of migrant families spent the night outside the Wollaston MBTA station in Quincy, Massachusetts, on Monday.
Charitable groups said it’s a symptom of the lack of shelter space in the state and the result of new rules that went into effect earlier this month.
The Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network (BIJAN) said 47 people – about half of them children – were sleeping outside on the concrete floor, benches and on a lawn nearby.
It happened after the BIJAN ran out of money and were no longer able to sponsor their hotel rooms as they had for the past few nights.
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“There’s no space for us. You don’t do that. For me you don’t do that, it’s a lack of respect,” said Eisner Dervil, an immigrant from Haiti.
“Police got here early this morning and woke us up, telling us we couldn’t stay here,” said Wisler Sol, another Haitian immigrant.
Their presence was noticed by those passing by and living in the area.
“Somebody needs to do something,” said one neighbor who asked not to be identified. “You have to care because this is a problem; children are involved.”
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Fahema Rahman, an immigrant herself, learned about the families and decided to help out by donating food. She said she expects more from local leaders.
“Anyone’s babies should not be sleeping on the ground in America,” she said. “There are the smartest people in the country here we should be able to solve any problem.”
Last month the governor put an end to families sleeping at Logan Airport.
The area that housed nearly 50 migrant families at one point at Boston Logan International Airport is now empty. The last few families staying there were told by Gov. Maura Healey they had to evacuate by Tuesday.
At the beginning of the month, she introduced tighter measures to ease the burden on the shelter system – which her office said has helped, helping 3,800 families receive work permits leading to an average of 330 families being able to leave the shelters. But it has also pushed out more than 200 families who aren’t considered priority.
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“Unfortunately, it’s turned out that it’s really become really relying on volunteer support,” said BIJAN’s Annie Gonzalez.
Gonzalez said BIJAN used grant money and donations to place dozens of families who were pushed out of the state shelters into hotels for a few nights until their funds ran dry on Monday.
“There is a rainy day fund for emergencies that the state of Massachusetts has and I don’t know what else they think constitutes an emergency, but to me, this seems like one,” she said.
The governor’s office issued this statement, saying: “It’s terrible that families slept outside last night. We have asked the nonprofit assisting them to bring them to our family welcome centers today so that they can be referred to a temporary respite center.”
But with no immediate lasting relief in sight, worry and the cooler weather are creeping in.
CLEMSON, S.C. — Nick Davidson scored 21 straight points in the first half and finished with a season-high 25 as No. 22 Clemson beat Boston College, 74-50, on Tuesday night to remain undefeated in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Tigers (15-3, 5-0 ACC) won their eighth straight game, one day after reaching the Top 25 rankings for the first time this season.
Davidson, the Nevada transfer, accounted for all of Clemson’s scoring in a 21-9 run to turn a four-point deficit into a 32-24 lead.
Clemson started the second half on a 9-2 run. The Tigers were led by RJ Godfrey’s 5 points and extended their lead to double digits.
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Davidson’s two foul shots with 9:50 to play extended Clemson’s lead to 21 points and Boston College (7-10, 0-4) failed to respond. The Tigers eventually led by 25 in the second half.
Davidson made 8 of 11 shots from the field, including four of Clemson’s eight 3-pointers. He finished a point shy of his career high, set against Sam Houston State in November 2024.
Fred Payne led BC with 20 points.
Godfrey and Carter Welling each had 10 points and eight rebounds for Clemson.
BC opened quickly, hitting five of its first eight shots for a 15-11 lead. That’s when Davidson went on his run in a 10-minute stretch in which he accounted for all of Clemson’s offense.
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Jestin Porter, who scored 26 points in Clemson’s last outing in a win at Notre Dame, added a pair of 3-pointers down the stretch as the Tigers led 37-27 at the break.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s stalled tax shift bill will be taken up by the state Senate Thursday for the first time since it was killed there more than a year ago, but this time as an amendment filed for an alternate Senate-led tax relief proposal.
State Sen. Michael Rush, a Boston Democrat, filed an amendment to state Sen. William Brownsberger’s property tax shock bill that mirrors the language included in a home rule petition the mayor has been pushing for nearly two years that would shift more of the city’s tax burden from the residential to commercial sector.
“Property tax relief is a pressing issue for my constituents — and residents throughout the state,” Rush said Monday in a statement to the Herald. “On behalf of the people of Boston, I have filed the home rule petition passed by the Boston City Council to provide property tax relief for Boston residents.
“As the Senate considers several worthy proposals designed to address affordability in the Commonwealth, I am glad this proposal will be part of the discussion,” Rush said.
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Wu’s office told the Herald Saturday that the mayor had requested the amendment.
“Every senator has the opportunity to submit amendments related to these bills by Monday, and we have asked Boston’s senators to offer an amendment with our residential tax relief language that has been vetted thoroughly and never received a vote,” a Wu spokesperson said in a statement. “We are following closely and hope the final bills will include this needed relief for residents.”
Wu has said her legislation is aimed at lowering the 13% tax hike the average single-family homeowner is projected to face this year. Third-quarter tax bills went out to homeowners earlier this month.
The mayor’s bill seeks to shift more of the city’s tax burden onto commercial property owners, beyond the 175% state limit, for a three-year period.
It is set to be debated, along with several other amendments that have been filed by senators for Brownsberger’s property tax shock bill, at Thursday’s session.
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“All amendments filed by members of the Senate will be considered by the full body during our session on Thursday,” a spokesperson for Senate President Karen Spilka’s office said Monday in a statement to the Herald.
A vote is expected on the bill and underlying amendments on the same day, according to state Sen. Nick Collins, a South Boston Democrat whose alternative tax relief bill and amendments will also be considered.
Collins, who opposes the tax shift element of the mayor’s home rule petition and helped lead the push to kill it on the Senate floor in late 2024, has put forward a bill and amendments that include other elements of what Wu has proposed.
He’s pushing for tax rebates for low- and middle-income homeowners who already receive the residential tax exemption by using surplus funds, along with senior, veterans and small business tax relief provisions.
“I think that the relief measures are positive in terms of the amendments that I and others have filed that are relief in nature or relief options, but I think anything that involves a tax increase is going to be difficult,” Collins told the Herald Monday when asked about the chances for the mayor’s proposal.
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“Especially when the city is sitting on $552 million of what they consider to be free cash, it’s hard to make the case that tax increase is necessary,” Collins added.
In a statement issued by his office, Collins added that the city’s decision to hike residential property taxes by double-digits “with so much in the City of Boston’s surplus fund” was “unnecessary, unfair and clearly inequitable.”
“To cancel out that tax increase, my legislation would authorize the city to issue direct rebates to homeowners,” Collins said.
He pointed to a similar approach that he said was taken at the state level in 2022, when the governor and legislature issued rebates after tax revenues exceeded the cap established under voter-approved state law, Chapter 62F, which limits the growth of state tax collections.
In terms of Rush’s amendment, Collins said he’s also concerned that the senator’s language would make the mayor’s tax shift bill applicable statewide, rather than just in Boston.
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Collins said he has also filed an amendment that would allow for an extension of the abatement process to April 1, to allow homeowners and commercial property owners a longer period of time to challenge city property assessments that have an impact on how much they pay in property taxes.
The mayor added tax rebates to her home rule petition at the beginning of last year as a fall-back option, and renewed her push for the Senate to approve the bill last month.
Collins is a co-sponsor of Brownsberger’s bill, which seeks to shield homeowners from double-digit tax bills, by phasing in increases or offering targeted tax credits in years when property tax hikes are projected to exceed 10%.
Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, a Gloucester Republican, co-sponsored both the Collins- and Brownsberger-led bills that will be debated on Thursday.
If the bills, and any related amendments, are approved, they will move onto the House of Representatives for consideration.
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Sen. Nick Collins (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald, File)
A chaotic carousel is turning at Boston City Hall.
One week has passed since City Councilor Liz Breadon, who represents District 9, was elected president following a last-minute candidacy.
“It’s been a very rock start,” said District 2 City Councilor Ed Flynn.
“It’s really important, today, that we move forward,” said City Councilor Sharon Durkan of District 8.
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Breadon claiming the gavel was aided by a late-night meeting from Durkan and District 5 City Councilor Enrique Pepén, who came to Breadon’s home hours before the vote asking her to be a compromise candidate.
In November, District 1 City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata claimed to have the votes needed to become council president, but she faced a challenge from City Councilor Brian Worrell of District 4.
Coletta Zapata bowed out of the race the night before the vote.
“This city council election for presidency divided the council,” said Flynn. “Many people thought of all the 13 city councilors, the most talented and well-respected was Brian Worrell.”
“You actually saw it all play out in real time on the council floor,” said Durkan. “A lot’s been made about the visit that I made to Councilor Braden’s house. It really, I just thought she would make a good president, and when I was unable to reach her on the phone, I just thought, ‘Why not.’”
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Questions have also swirled about whether Boston Mayor Michelle Wu played a role in Breadon’s candidacy.
“My choice for president has always been about what I think is good for the city, but it’s true, what’s good for the city council and what’s good for the mayor is good for the city,” said Durkan.
That back-and-forth spilled into the weekend. On Friday, Breadon told NBC10 Boston’s @Issue that she would choose Coletta Zapata as her vice president. But on Saturday, she said Coletta Zapata wanted to be chair of government operations instead, and that Worrell would be vice president.
Sunday night, Worrell said he would decline the role, and on Monday, Coletta Zapata said she had accepted it.
“I look forward to a city council that’s ready to work, together, for our city,” Coletta Zapata said via text message.
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Breadon echoed those sentiments on @Issue.
“It behooves me to really engage with my colleagues and try and heal the wounds and move forward as a solid body,” she said.
The Boston City Council does not have a scheduled meeting until Jan. 28 as committee assignments for the term are finalized.
