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‘Somebody needs to do something': Migrant families sleep outside MBTA station in Quincy

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‘Somebody needs to do something': Migrant families sleep outside MBTA station in Quincy


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.

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Boston, MA

Karen Read analysis | What latest hearings say about coming retrial

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Karen Read analysis | What latest hearings say about coming retrial


No two trials are the same — and it appears that’ll be true for the high-profile Karen Read case as well.

Prosecutors have been working to keep several defense witnesses off the stand in the upcoming retrial over the killing of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

“It’s not surprising to me to at all that, with new lawyers on the case and fresh looks at the evidence, that they’re making a determination as to which pieces of evidence they think they have real chance of excluding,” NBC10 Boston legal analyst Michael Coyne said.

The witnesses whom the prosecution moved to exclude from the case are a doctor whose expertise includes dog bites, a forensic expert who challenged the now infamous Google search, “hos long to die in the snow,” as well as two accident reconstruction experts whose testimony under cut the state’s version of how O’Keefe died.

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Prosecutors in the Karen Read trial spent the day in court trying to discredit the expertise of the defense’s dog bite expert, Dr. Marie Russell, so she can’t testify in the retrial.

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Judge Beverly Cannone will decide if the witnesses testify. She allowed them at the first trial and Coyne said it could create problems if she says no for the next trial.

“It does put her in a difficult point to be able to now reverse herself, and I don’t think that’s likely to happen,” he said.

Special Assistant District Attorney Hank Brennan is now leading the state’s case, and he plans to cut down the number of witnesses while bringing a different style than the original lead prosecutor, Adam Lally.

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“Hank’s approach is like an everyman’s approach,” said Coyne, who knows the experienced defense lawyer. “He’s understated. He’s very quick on his feet. I think he’ll be well received by the jury.”

Read’s team remains intact, but she said Tuesday outside one of the witness hearings that they’re taking a second look, too.

“We’re going to re-tool everything. Maybe something will stay similar but we’re gonna shuffle a lot of things around,” she said.

Much of this preparation could be moot if the state’s Supreme Judicial Court decides to throw out two of the charges against Read.

The Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office says one of Karen Read’s key arguments has been “debunked” in a legal filing seeking to prevent testimony from a defense witness in the upcoming retrial.

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Boston, MA

What are those giant pink inflatable sculptures in downtown Boston?

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What are those giant pink inflatable sculptures in downtown Boston?


Giant pink people appear in Boston for art installation

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Giant pink people appear in Boston for art installation

01:09

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BOSTON – It’s a peculiar sight in downtown Boston: Giant pink people peering into restaurant windows and hanging out in alleyways.

These sculptures that are making their debut in the United States are called “Monsieur Rose” or “Mr. Pink” in English. It’s a new art installation designed to catch your attention and lift your spirits.

“These characters transform the streets into playful places and our daily travels into delightful, colorful journeys,” a website for the exhibit says.  

“Cute-ism” art

Their collective name in French roughly translates to “cute-ism” from artist Philippe Katerine. The inflatable sculptures are part of this year’s Winteractive art walk. 

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A Mr. Pink sculpture in Boston.

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CBS Boston


Winteractive is the same event that brought floating clown heads to the city last year. The Downtown Boston Alliance says the reaction encouraged them to up the ante this year.

Changing people’s days

Michael Nichols with the Downtown Boston Alliance says the organization is exploring “different ways of using our downtown to have fun.”

“It is the darkest, drabbest time of year in Boston. It’s gray … just cold and bitter,” he said. “And pops of pink color, bubblegum pink dotting the downtown in now six different locations is changing people’s day.”

Mr. Pink is only the beginning of the experience – new installations will be added to the collection every day for the next week. On Thursday morning there was another eye-catching sight: A display that appeared to show a satellite or small spacecraft that had crashed onto the hood of a car.

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A new art installation in downtown Boston showing a spacecraft or satellite on the hood of a car.

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Boston, MA

ICE blasts Boston: Feds say BPD refused 198 immigration detainer requests for ‘egregious crime’ in 2024, not 15

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ICE blasts Boston: Feds say BPD refused 198 immigration detainer requests for ‘egregious crime’ in 2024, not 15


Federal authorities said the Boston Police Department refused to act on 198 immigration detainer requests last year, far exceeding the 15 reported by BPD’s commissioner, while blasting the city for jeopardizing “public safety and national security.” 



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