Latest news with #EdFlynn
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Moment lawmaker halts meeting about veterans killing themselves to scold colleague who used 'offensive' phrase
A Boston City Councilor derailed a discussion about preventing suicides in the city, including among veterans, to warn her fellow members not to use what she called a 'stigmatizing' phrase. Sharon Durkan, a Democrat, was the next to speak after Councilor Ed Flynn introduced a resolution on Wednesday to make it more difficult for people to jump off high rise parking garages. Durkan took issue with Flynn saying a man who jumped to his death from a Chinatown parking garage last week 'committed suicide'. 'I know many people that feel so strongly about the way that we talk about this particular issue, and I think it's very important that we not use stigmatizing language to describe those that have taken their own lives,' she said. 'I would prefer instead of "committed suicide" that we say something like...' she continued before trailing off without offering an alternative. 'I, having found a family member who attempted, I feel very strongly that we not use stigmatizing language,' she concluded. Flynn, who is also a Democrat, initially responded to Durkan's criticism by bringing up his veteran status — having served 24 years in the US Navy — and by talking about his dedication to advocating for disabled veterans. 'I don't want to make this into anything more than a little bit of criticism from a colleague,' he said. 'I'm disappointed in hearing those comments.' After Council President Ruthzee Louijeune said the correct term was 'died by suicide,' Durkan was recognized to speak again and said Flynn's comments were 'triggering'. 'This really for me, it just was triggering for me so that's why I wanted to say something because I think we owe it to our constituents that have suicidal ideations to know that if they lose their life it is not their fault. It is never your fault,' she said. The hearing went further off topic when Councilor Julia Meija agreed with Durkan that the phrase 'committed suicide' was triggering for her. Meija also spent time talking about her own suicide attempt and how her mother allegedly did not properly care for her. 'I always like to see things as teachable moments. It's all how we choose to experience feedback that we get, I think we're all a work in progress,' Meija said. It was after this that Flynn directly accused Durkan of derailing the conversation, which was supposed to be cutting down on the number of suicides at parking garages. Before the entire session was hijacked to speak about language, Flynn proposed adding higher railings, training garage employees and adding signs with suicide-prevention hotlines. 'Councilor Durkan felt it necessary to continue the conversation a second time,' Flynn said. 'For a colleague to distract from the purpose of this hearing is disappointing. I don't want to use a stronger word, but I'll just say, disappointing.' Dozens of people responded to the clip of her condemning Flynn's use of the phrase 'committed suicide' 'My concern is, going forward, what are we going to do about high rise parking garages that are easily accessible for people without any rails or infrastructure. That's my message. That message has now been lost because of this distraction,' he added. Durkan was heavily criticized online for her conduct during the meeting, which one person called 'performance empathy'. 'What did @rondurk even hope to accomplish with this statement?' they wrote. 'She only wanted the spotlight to perform. How selfish and pathetic.' 'Her in a nutshell. Focused on all the wrong things,' another person wrote. Someone else disagreed with her premise entirely, writing: 'I think calling it exactly what it is, is the right thing to do. Words matter and being honest matters. Everyone knows what it is no matter how you change the words so stop trying to make it pretty.'
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Boston nonprofit under microscope for $30,000 in alleged misused federal grant funds
Boston city leaders are calling for a city and federal investigation after an independent watchdog agency uncovered tens of thousands of dollars in alleged misused federal grant money by a local non-profit. The Boston Finance Commission said it found more than $30,000 in changed bank statement entries from Three Squares Main Street in Jamaica Plain. Three Squares Main Street is part of the Main Street citywide initiative of 20 non-profits aimed at revitalizing and sustaining neighborhood commercial districts. The potential fraud involves ARPA funds that were part of the $560 million in pandemic relief money received by the city of Boston. 'Regardless of how much it was, whether it was $30,000 or $30 million, it's still taxpayer money,' said District 2 City Councilor Ed Flynn. 'This money came from the federal government to the city of Boston to support non-profits.' Councilor Flynn is calling for a thorough audit of all Main Street's programs after a two-page report from the Boston Finance Commission provided proof of alleged tampered bank statements from Three Squares Main Street. 'We have to investigate to determine if it was an isolated incident or is there are other Main Street programs involved as well,' he said. Boston 25 News reached out to Three Squares Main Street director Warren Williams as well as directors of other Main Street programs, and is still waiting to hear back. A letter from the Boston Finance Commission said it discovered irregularities after reviewing documents related to several grants provided by the City of Boston. 'It appears that all funds were deposited into a co-mingled bank account,' it said. 'When suspected altered statements were discovered, bank statements submitted for the same month for different grants were compared, and altered documents were detected.' 'In this case, it seems clear that they used it to line their own pockets, so they were stealing,' said At-Large Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy. 'It's important that the businesses in that area don't end up struggling because someone mismanaged money, and in this case, stole money.' Some city councilors are now calling for more fiscal oversight. However, Mayor Michelle Wu credits city staff for tracking every dollar of federal funds spent on pandemic recovery. 'Really thankful to our city employees who really carried out those oversight processes exactly as they should have, and now this larger investigation can take place,' said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. 'We are going to continue to audit very carefully all of the dollars that went out.' The Boston Finance Commission said it has alerted the feds of its findings. Boston 25 News reached out to the U.S. Attorney's Office for comment and has not yet heard back. It's still unclear if criminal charges are being pursued in connection with these allegations. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Yahoo
In Boston's Scooter 'Wild West,' Lawmakers Take Aim at the Wrong Target
After heated debates on the topic for almost a year, Boston's city council recently passed an ordinance addressing what it deems "dangerous conditions" caused by scooters and e-bikes operated by food delivery drivers. Instead of holding those responsible for the unsafe street conditions—the drivers themselves—the council instead decided to target delivery platforms. In June 2024, the Boston police department and Mayor's office warned delivery companies of an impending crackdown based on what they described as "widespread and ongoing incidents of running red lights, driving on city sidewalks, driving the wrong way down one-way streets, driving at speeds in excess of posted limited, and collisions." The mayor's office cited over 100 complaints filed in the last year regarding reckless moped drivers, many of which allegedly involved unregistered scooters operating illegally within the city. "Boston can no longer be the Wild West," said Councilor Ed Flynn, who represents the city's second district. "Whether it's cars, mopeds, dirt bikes, electric bikes, or bikes, everyone has to be obeying the same rules of the road." While no one wants an influx of scooter-related injuries—and few, if any, would endorse things like driving on sidewalks in heavily foot-trafficked areas—Boston's ordinance is curious in its selective application. It specifically applies to prominent gig companies that specialize in food delivery from restaurants, but does not apply to companies that focus on grocery delivery. The presumed logic is that a DoorDash scooter driver picking up a Chipotle burrito is more likely to access sidewalks with lots of pedestrians than an Instacart driver in a large, open grocery parking lot. This overlooks the reality that most urban grocery stores lack traditional suburbia-style lots, or that a grocery shopper is just as likely to deliver to a high-rise apartment in a busy area as a driver carrying a Five Guys order. Further adding to the arbitrary nature of the new ordinance, it only applies to delivery companies that fulfill at least one million orders per year. But when it comes to road safety, a scooter or e-bike driver's recklessness would rarely seem correlated to who provides his or her paycheck, any more than one could assume that a Domino's pizza delivery driver is automatically more dangerous than a driver from a local pizzeria. If anything, drivers for larger gig companies may be safer given that these companies usually require their drivers to be at least 18 years old even for scooter and bike delivery, whereas local joints might employ 16- or 17-year-old high schoolers for cheaper labor (16 is the minimum age to operate an e-bike in Massachusetts). One reason for the clunky and selective application of the new ordinance is that it is drivers, not e-platforms, who are behind the wheels of a scooter or e-bike. "Boston already has comprehensive traffic laws designed to address safety concerns associated with food delivery drivers," said Councilor Erin Murphy, one of only two councilmembers to vote against the ordinance. "Effective enforcement of these existing regulations should be our primary strategy, rather than introducing additional legislation that may be redundant and burdensome." (Ironically, Boston officials have even pushed the use of e-bikes for certain types of deliveries in recent years in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.) The proliferation of e-bikes and scooters in heavily urban areas raises important policy issues that deserve thoughtful deliberation. As senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute Nicole Gelinas has pointed out, much of the "conflict" between scooters and pedestrians has been "created by transportation planners who pit walkers, cyclists and now scooterists against each other by continuing to devote far more street space to the car." But instead of looking at themselves—or the drivers actually responsible for Beantown's concerns—Boston's progressive planners apparently find it much easier to keep targeting the gig economy boogeyman. The post In Boston's Scooter 'Wild West,' Lawmakers Take Aim at the Wrong Target appeared first on
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Navy sailors visit local veterans ahead of Evacuation Day anniversary
Monday marks the 250th anniversary of Evacuation Day in the city of Boston, and because of that the naval ship the USS Thomas Hudner is anchored here. 'With the sailors that are here, we want to say thank you to our veterans for the incredible service and sacrifice that they have provided,' said Boston City Councilor and Navy Veteran Ed Flynn. 'We are so fortunate to welcome the Navy back to Boston again.' Some of the sailors stationed on the ship joined members of the South Boston VFW post visiting veterans' communities for a cup of coffee and a chat. 'With the veterans here in the South Boston neighborhood to thank them for their service and to let them know that 'we love and care for you,' said Robert Santiago, the Commissioner of the City of Boston Office of Veterans Services. They went from community to community to swap stories, share benefits information, and even trade gear from their ships. Overall, just supporting each other, because service doesn't stop when you hang up the uniform. 'It's so important to reach out to veterans to let them know that we remember them,' said Santiago. 'Mostly to let them know that we don't forget.' Even though St. Patrick's Day weekend is a celebration of Irish culture in South Boston, it's the rich military history that this group wants to recognize as well. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Boston Globe
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
St. Patrick's Day Parade in South Boston will start Sunday at 11:30 a.m., officials want family friendly event
The earlier start time for the 2025 parade was supported by Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn and other South Boston elected officials who have been working with the police, parade organizers, and other agencies to ensure that the parade remains a family-friendly event that can be enjoyed by everyone from seniors to young children, as well as people with disabilities. Advertisement 'If you are a guest, or in South Boston for the Evacuation Day Parade — show some common courtesy and respect for the residents, for our veterans and military families, our dedicated first responders, and our history,' Flynn said in a statement. 'Operate under the golden rule, and if you wouldn't do it back home — don't do it here.' In a letter released last Thursday, Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox reminded the public that there will be 'Underage drinking is against the law and violations will be heavily enforced,' Cox said. 'If you plan to attend the St. Patrick's Day Parade in South Boston, we remind you that unlawful behavior will not be tolerated: public drinking is illegal at any age.' Advertisement Emily Sweeney can be reached at
