Latest news with #SomervilleCityCouncil
Boston Globe
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Could Somerville mayoral hopeful Willie Burnley fairly represent Zionist constituents?
Councilor Willie Burnley Jr.'s seat was empty except for a keffiyeh while constituent Daniel Engel spoke at a Somerville City Council meeting on March 27. Courtesy David Lichter Burnley told me he left not to insult Engel but to protect the protesters after council chair Judy Pineda Neufeld threatened to have police remove them if they continued chanting. 'I stood up to use my presence as a city councilor to potentially protect many residents who were expressing their political beliefs,' Burnley said. (According to Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up Advertisement To Engel, Burnley's actions epitomized his approach. 'My experience with him has been he wants to pander to his people and doesn't necessarily want to work with anybody who disagrees with him,' Engel said in an interview. Burnley is running for Somerville mayor against incumbent Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and Councilor Jake Wilson in the Sept. 16 preliminary election. Burnley's been compared to New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Both are democratic socialists. Both are raising fears among many Jewish, Zionist constituents who worry that amid Advertisement In a recent Burnley said he would implement the ballot question if it passes. Many Jews see the measure as discriminatory against Israel and local businesses with Israeli ties. How broadly it applies would depend on interpretation, but there are concrete impacts. For example, divestment supporters Two photographs of Burnley at pro-Palestinian protests amplify some voters' fears. In one, which Burnley posted on social media, Burnley poses at a Washington, D.C., rally while in the background, someone holds a sign with a Nazi swastika flag next to an Israeli flag. In another, at a 2024 Tufts University encampment, Burnley poses in front of posters reading 'Glory to the martyrs,' 'Zionist tactics were used to kill Eric Garner, George Floyd … ' and other victims of police violence, and a picture of American and Israeli flags on fire. Advertisement Burnley has a right to protest. But those signs are offensive. A swastika represents the Nazi regime that killed 6 million Jews and millions of others. 'Glory to the martyrs' extols political violence, since Islamist terrorist groups Burnley said he didn't create the artwork or know who was holding the swastika sign. He removed the swastika photo from his social media last year, after some people asked him to. But he wouldn't disavow the sentiments. Because some US police officers have He suggested 'martyrs' could refer to 'all people murdered by Israeli genocide,' including children. Burnley said the swastika sign was a 'comparison about two governments' actions, two governments that many … view to have committed a genocide.' (The genocide accusation itself is Anti-Zionism isn't always antisemitism, and Burnley says he's I spoke to nearly a dozen Jewish Somerville residents, including some acquaintances from my time living in the area. Many moved there seeking a liberal, diverse, welcoming community. Now, they feel unwelcome and ostracized. Advertisement Brian Sokol, a Somerville human rights commissioner speaking for himself, said his pro-Israel lawn sign After the Somerville City Council Group members told me they often see anti-Israel graffiti in public spaces. Some expressed discomfort with protests that block access to public places. In a letter to the state's antisemitism commission, Shalom Somerville said an Israeli child had his locker vandalized with pro-Palestinian graffiti his first day at a Somerville public school. Teachers posted pro-Palestinian signs in classrooms, according to Shalom Somerville and a photograph one member emailed me. 'I don't want to live in a community where I have to worry if my mayor or city council will all of a sudden say if you're Israeli, you're not welcome here, or if you work for an Israeli company, you're not welcome here,' resident Bruce Kaplan told me. Elana Bloomfield, a Somerville physician, told me she feels like almost every public city event becomes a platform for pro-Palestinian signs and rallies, and she worries about electing a mayor who encourages that activism. 'It's really hard to live like that. It's not a comfortable environment,' she said. Advertisement I asked Burnley if he could represent Zionist constituents. Burnley said he has neighbors with different political views, and Zionist constituents 'might not always agree with my analysis, my decisions, my approach, but they will always know where I stand.' Somerville residents need to know their mayor will clean graffiti; enforce time, place, and manner restrictions on protests; take harassment seriously; and ensure events are welcoming to all residents, including Jews, Zionists, and Israelis. Voters must decide if they believe Burnley can. Shira Schoenberg can be reached at
CBS News
28-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Outrage grows after Tufts student detained by ICE, Marco Rubio defends action
Protesters rallied a second day before the Somerville City Council, pushing councilors to help get Rumeysa Ozturk released . The outrage is growing the longer the Tufts PhD student stays in ICE custody. It comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio admitted they detained the international student because of her activism. On Tuesday, federal agents detained the Turkish national in Somerville and revoked her visa, claiming she engaged in activities supporting terrorist organization Hamas. But her supporters say she is being targeted for her political beliefs. "Even if she did have some Pro-Hamas views-which again I disagree with, that's her right, we don't take people's rights away because you disagree with them that's not what this country has ever been founded on," said longtime Somerville resident Michael Johnson. Last year, Ozturk was one of the authors of an op-ed calling for Tufts University to acknowledge genocide in Palestine. Tufts was also the site of a pro-Palestinian encampment . On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the case. "If you apply for a visa to enter the United States and be a student, and you tell us that the reason you are coming to the United States is not just because you want to write op-eds, but because you want to participate in movements that are involved in doing things like vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus--we're not going to give you a visa," said Rubio. Rubio said at least 300 foreign students' visas have been revoked. The secretary added it was "crazy" and "stupid" for any country to issue visas to anyone that intends to be disruptive on college campuses. "Once you've lost your visa, you're no longer legally in the United States. And we have a right, like every country in the world has a right, to remove you from our country. So, it's just that simple," added Rubio. Rumeysa Ozturk was quickly taken out of Massachusetts to a Central Louisiana ICE Detention Center before a federal judge issued an order limiting the government's ability to move her. Immigration officials were ordered by the judge to provide more information about the detainment by Friday.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The economic impacts of shifting immigration policy and how it impacts you
Immigration is a huge focus of President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office. But as much as immigration is a political issue, it's also an economic one. We worked with our sister stations around the country and spoke with small business owners and attorneys. They say we will all feel the impacts of shifting immigration policy in one way or another. 'You can see the street here is empty,' said restaurant owner Daniel Bojorquez. An empty Broadway in Somerville is creating concern for the businesses that surround it. Bojorquez has owned La Brasa restaurant on Broadway for 11 years. 'It requires people it requires workers who work people on the streets, requires people to activate the economy,' Bojorquez said. Bojorquez believes many people in the East Somerville community, which is home to many immigrants, are too afraid to come out. He says there's been a noticeable shift in street traffic since the beginning of the year. And he's heard from fellow business owners in the area who aren't sure they'll survive this period. The concern so great, he brought it to the attention of the Somerville City Council. 'They are talking about potential closures,' Bojorquez said when addressing the council during a meeting on February 13th. 'I feel like a lot of people are kind of holding pattern,' Borjorquez told Boston 25′s Kerry Kavanaugh. 'They're basically going to give it until March, April. But if the pattern is still the same basically that people are going to close because it's not sustainable, basically,' That fear not isolated to Somerville. 'They're starting to be afraid because they don't feel as invited or as welcome as they used to be,' said Felipe Andre, owner of Gostoso Bakery in Orlando, Florida. Specializing in Brazilian baked goods since 2004, they have predominantly immigrant workers and customers, many of whom are tourists. 'They don't have documents. They're not coming to Orlando. People from Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, New York, New York, they are afraid to come and drive here,' Andre said. That means fewer customers, according to Andre. 'People are an economic engine, and they drive they drive the economy,' said Boston-based immigration attorney Matthew Maiona. He's also an adjunct professor of business immigration law at Suffolk University Law School and a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Maiona says immigration crackdowns aren't just costing customers but also workers, from restaurants and hospitality to construction to healthcare. 'So, you can expect, I think, prices to go up when employees are harder to find to perform certain tasks,' he said. 'Maybe your grandparents don't get their Meals on Wheels delivery or maybe don't get there their home health aide because that person is no longer working or even afraid to work.' Maiona says he also works with doctors, and scientists, and researchers stuck in what he calls a broken immigration system. 'People are trying to do their best, right? And companies are trying to stay open. You know, restaurants are trying to stay open,' Maiona says, 'Like a lot of these people who are doing this, some jobs are immigrants. And if that goes away, that's going to have another effect as well,' Bojorquez said. Maiona believes there simply aren't enough legal pathways to immigration and for years has been advocating for comprehensive immigration reform from Congress. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
