Blarney Blowback

APD Chief Livingstone (officers standing in background)

Amherst Police Chief Scott Livingstone defended his department's response to the Blarney Blowout this evening to a solidly supportive Select Board and Town Manager while dozens and dozens of Amherst police officers stood behind him in the Town Room.

Police Union lawyer Terence Coles:  Understaffing hurts response capability

Unlike the day of the Blarney Blowout, where police had do deal with unruly crowds numbering in the thousands, the Chief found plenty of support tonight from the board and audience members. 

Select Board Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe was particularly effusive with her praise for the professionalism of all the public safety departments involved, pointing out how she listened, spellbound, all day on a scanner.

 

Attorney Peter Vickery:  Shut off all alcohol sales next year for Blarney Blowout 

Indiegogo fundraiser for Amherst Record Digital News

Solace on St Patrick's Day

Growing up less than well off in a Irish Catholic single-parent household in Amherst, you couldn't help but notably mark St Patrick's Day.  To my mother it was perhaps more important than Christmas or Easter -- two pretty sacred days for Catholics.

So I've always tried to use it in a positive way.  Seven years ago today I started this blog, now fast approaching one million unique visitors.  Two years ago I gave up drinking, and today I don't miss it a bit.

From 1992 through 2001, March 17 was the start date of training for the bike race up Mt Washington, so from St Patrick's day until the end of August a day would not go by -- no matter the weather -- without an hour training in the saddle. 

At the impressionable age of 17 -- in the summer of 1972 -- in fell in love with both karate and journalism.  For you non history majors that was the beginning of Watergate, where dogged determination by two reporters over a (too) long time period led to the downfall of the most powerful man on earth.

I founded my karate school in 1982 to distract myself from not accomplishing a goal I had set at age 17:  Becoming the #1 ranked sport karate player in the nation.  But I did manage to come in at #3 that year.

Since then, two hip and one knee replacement later, my karate skills are not nearly what they were at peak when for a brief moment I was perhaps unbeatable.  But my journalism skills are better today than at any point in the past, partially because I accepted early on the awesome power of the Internet.

For the 1982 grand opening of the Karate Health Fitness Center and the following two years, I advertised in the weekly paper I had grown up reading, The Amherst Record. In fact my father and his father before him had advertised the Kelley Plumbing & Heating business in the paper as well. 

It was one of those traditional home town weeklies where you read about the people you would see in the downtown on any given day.

The Amherst Record folded in 1984 because of normal business competition not the upheaval cause by the Internet, which now threatens the entire print industry.

So why bring back the Amherst Record in digital form?  Because the more people shining a light on government, business and education the better -- especially in Amherst, where education is king.  And I have over 30 years of institutional memory to guide my spotlight.

I promise to pursue important stories with the same zeal and boundless determination I demonstrated in the karate ring, or while running a small business for almost 30 years.

Please join me in that quest: 

Indiegogo fundraiser for Amherst Record Digital News

All Blarney All Of The Time

A week later and Blarney Blowout is still front page news

So now its been a tad over a week and the ignominious day of debauchery known as Blarney Blowout is still in the news.

The entire above the fold section of the weekend Gazette; and the print edition of today's Sunday Springfield Republican also has a guest column from UMass Student Government Association President Zac Broughton branding the actions of Amherst police "inexcusable."

Of course he cites snippets of video posted to the juvenile party-all-the-time website barstoolsports who said last's year's blowout, "looked like fun."  Tellingly their support of this year's disaster has been less cheerleader-like, other than posting those videos.

Zac also asks why UMass has not come up with "alternative programming options" to preoccupy the kids.  Of course his Student Government Association was co-sponsor of just such an event on campus last October on the night of the Red Sox World Series win and, umm, that "programming option" turned into a riot.

The simple fact of the matter is students congregated into an overwhelmingly large mass, most of them under the influence of alcohol.   The disorderly crowd started throwing snowballs, bottles and cans along with other acts of vandalism, giving police no choice but to do their job:  protect public safety.

Amherst Police Department will soon be issuing video from that day on their blog.  Since their photographer was standing next to me, at one point I heard him get hit in the leg with an object thrown from the crowd, so I'm betting the video he took will be telling.

I hope they release the combat footage tomorrow -- as Monday is the start of the news cycle, and the Amherst Select Board is scheduled to discuss the Blarney Blowout at their meeting  in Amherst Town Hall.

Attorney Peter Vickery will start things off at 6:30 p.m. Public Comment period by asking the Select Board to use their powers as liquor commissioners to ban all alcohol sales next year for the Blarney Blowout. 

Another blog has a tremendous point

High Cost Of Blarney Blowout

Crowds on North Pleasant Street (note white pepper ball shot residue in road)

Besides the untold damage to the reputation of UMass Amherst, the flagship of higher education in Massachusetts, the Blarney Blowout also had real implications for hard pressed taxpayers who fund both town first responder services and UMass Amherst.

The recently announced "comprehensive review" contract awarded to former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis has a budget "up to $160,000," so we kind of know what that final bill will be.

I asked a grumpy UMass source how that much money could be so quickly consigned without a somewhat time consuming bid proposal and she replied, "By policy the University can sole source a contract."

Okay, fair enough, but that looks like it's limited to between $5,000 and $25,000 which $160,000 would seem to top that by a bit.

But at least the University did not ask the town to contribute half,  as they did recently with a  "town/gown consultant" to help map a strategy of mutual growth over the foreseeable future.  That contract has a top end limit of $60,000 with each entity paying half and was bid out in the normal somewhat time consuming Request For Proposals manner.

 

Chief Livingstone (white cap) assists officer with arrest

APD "one under, liquor law violation."  #BlarneyBlowout pic.twitter.com/Z9uCTHD02X
— Larry Kelley (@amherstac) March 8, 2014

APD Chief Scott Livingstone had to muster all hands on deck to deal with crowd control starting well before noon, with the first arrest clocking in at 10:18 a.m .  At an over time cost to his department of $12,500 plus another $1,300 for indispensable Dispatch.

Plus the $160,000 "review" will tie up more of his time and that of his top brass.

And since the finished report -- which will not result in any formal charges of police brutality -- isn't due until graduation time, the Amherst Police Department will be operating these next few months under a dark cloud.

And that's bad for all of us.

New York Times picks up the sad story

FinCom Votes NO To $15/hr Minimum Wage

 

Minimum wage to $15/hr would cost add $220K to town budget for employees!

Current minimum wage in Mass is $8/hr (proposed to go up  $11 by 2016)

Saying pretty much the town of Amherst should not go it alone, the Finance Committee, trusted advisers to Amherst Town Meeting, voted 5-0 last night to oppose the only article on the March 19 Special Town Meeting warrant which would allow Amherst to raise the minimum wage from $8/hr to $15/hr.

When Town Meeting votes down the article, labor activist Matthew Cunningham-Cook has threatened to obtain the 880 registered voters signatures required to place the question on a town general election ballot to overturn the Town Meeting vote.

That would then require an insurmountable 18% of the current 17,596 registered voters (3,167) to agree to overturn Town Meeting and approve the measure, otherwise the endeavor fails.

Since a stand alone election costs the taxpayers $12,000, I will make a "Motion to Dismiss" the article on March 19 and when that passes (by simple majority vote) there is nothing an election can do to change the outcome.

Although I did offer Matthew Cunningham-Cook, who moved to Amherst less than six months ago to join SLAP -- the Student Labor Action Project at UMass -- a deal:  If he and his group submit a check to the town for $12,000 I will stand down with my motion.

And if the article miraculously passes, so no election will be called, I would simply give them back their money.

It's one thing when a grade school teacher suggests school children write a Letter To The Editor as a civic exercise, since that doesn't cost taxpayers a dime.  It's quite another when an academic project will cost taxpayers $12,000 and a large group of volunteer citizens an entire night stuck in the Middle School Auditorium.

Let's hope Town Meeting passes my motion, and slaps down SLAP.

Cost to another prominent Amherst business

More Blarney: From UMass President Caret

Police clad in riot gear make an arrest on Fearing Street near Frat

UPDATE:  UMass announces "comprehensive review" of police/town/university response to Blarney Blowout.  No BIG surprise (sarcasm).

#####

Bowing to pressure brought to bear by 100 kids holding a good old fashioned "protest march" and snippets of video posted on the web, UMass President Caret is calling for a full investigation of the Blarney Blowout including how heavily outnumbered police handled the sordid situation.

 Objects were throw from 3rd floor roof of Frat

He also complained to a Springfield Republican reporter about the Amherst bars being allowed to open early that day, and that those businesses bear some responsibility.  Except of course the bars were NOT open early that day, as the Select Board stopped allowing that a few years back because of the problems it caused. 

Perhaps the President just wants to look like he's doing something -- since the Blarney Blowout is receiving such blowout national media attention -- but he picked the wrong people to cast aspersions upon.

Interestingly President Caret hyped a "performance review" issued today that gave the highest rating ("Excellent)" for the goal:  "Admit high-quality students, striving to increase the academic profiles across all campuses."  Not the greatest timing in light of Blarney Blowout BS.

Amherst Firefighters just released a statement strongly supporting the actions of the Amherst, UMass and State police who had to rein in the largest out-of-control crowds this town has ever seen.  Firefighters reportedly faced "repeated aggressive and assaultive behavior."

Crowds THAT large, under the influence of copious amounts of alcohol, are a danger to themselves as well as innocent bystanders.  By many, many accounts (mine included) bottles and cans were hurled at police officers before the pepper balls started flying.

If President Caret wants to call for a full investigation, how about looking at discipline meted out these past few years for the hundreds of students arrested for rowdy off campus behavior?  Or why UMass doesn't provide on campus social events to preoccupy kids?

55 APD arrests vs only 3 UMPD arrests underscores the battles were all fought off campus. 

Amherst police will now be seconding guessing their use of any force over the next few months, just when the weather turns warm and partying escalates exponentially.

It's going to be a l-o-n-g spring.

Last year's preparation:  Also didn't work

Downtown bar owners ask for early opening hours in 2011

Police on North Pleasant Street, town jurisdiction, 12:10 p.m.

Blarney Blowout Solution?

 One APD arrest of 55 during Blarney Blowout

Local attorney Peter Vickery has resubmitted his radical proposal to the Amherst Select Board to use their powers as liquor commissioners to shut off all liquor sales in Amherst next year on the day before and day of the Blarney Blowout.

Last year UMass was criticized for not sending out threatening emails to students and their parents about the consequences of turning Blarney Blowout into a day of debauchery.  So this year the emails went out, and the results were even worse.

Last October for the final Red Sox game in the World Series, UMass tried giving the kids something to do by setting up a giant play area with large screen TVs, food and (non alcohol) drinks in the Southwest gathering area. They ended up with a riot anyway, with UMPD arresting 15.

Maybe it's time for the Amherst Select Board to implement Mr. Vickery's suggestion.  At the very least, put it on their March 17 agenda to facilitate a badly needed public discussion.  

   Ban Alcohol for Blarney Blowout

Hey-Hey, Ho-Ho

Plenty of media showed up to cover the protest march (but not a lot of protesters)

Under a picture perfect blue sky with weather warmer than we've seen for many months, about 100 UMass students and a gaggle of media showed up for the rally to protest "police brutality" at Saturday's Blarney Blowout.

 Marching past ye old Chapel

Even though 332 signed up on the Facebook event page saying they were going to attend.

 

Closing in on Whitmore

The protest march kicked off around the advertised 12:30 PM start time, and snaked towards Whitmore at a relatively brisk pace, all the while the crowd chanted "Hey-hey, ho-ho, police brutality has got to go."  Or something like that.

Chancellor Subbaswamy and John Kennedy, VC for University Relations, had wisely opted to be out of town today, so Associate Chancellor Susan Pearson was drafted to hear the demands of the group.  

Their first demand was a public apology from the Amherst Police Department for use of pepper ball guns that delivered OC ("oleoresin capsicum") gas into the unruly crowds when they failed to heed the order to disperse and started throwing objects at police and each other.  

The second demand was to meet with the Chancellor.  One of the statements that received a big round of applause was,  "The University should be defending students in the media not criticizing them."

Ms. Pearson accepted their demands, sort of, and said she would relay them to Chancellor Subbaswamy when he returns to campus.  Satisfied, the group then disbanded.  

All done by 1:15 PM, or around 45 minutes total.   Unlike the Blarney Blowout -- that started in the early morning and went late into the night on Saturday.

Kumbaya

Students on the march

Outraged students will march on Chancellor Subbaswamy's office from the Student Union this after at 12:30 p.m. to protest "police brutality" during the Blarney Blowout.

Egged on by the cherry picked snippets of video posted to that bastion of civic responsibility website Barstool Sports (who thought last year's event was "fun"), the march will most likely get far less participation from students than did the Blarney Blowout.

Unless of course they serve free beer.

 Another bastion of civic responsibility website:

RT if you think #UMASS Amherst #police used excessive force during the #blarney blowout.
— Smack College (@SMACKCOLLEGE) March 10, 2014

Comments posted to  Ch 22 TV story about upcoming protest:

Yes, Your Honor

Full parking lot in Court this morning

This morning it was standing room only in Eastern Hampshire District Court #1 (criminal courtroom) with all the Blarney Blowout perps, their parents, and media -- print, television, and digital.

Judge Payne, who usually handles the Monday morning arraignments, was on vacation so Judge Robert Gordon was presiding. 

Like the Amherst Police Department at the peak of the Blarney Blowout storm, the court system was a tad overwhelmed processing the perps. Most of the college aged youth were dressed up business casual, but had a rather subdued look on their faces.

Or as my Irish mother used to say, "looked like a spanked ass."

The charges ranged from "open container/underaged drinking" to the more serious "assault and battery on a police officer" usually in conjunction with "failure to disperse, rioting" and "resisting arrest."

Since the latter charges carried the potential of one year in the House of Correction the Judge always asked if they were going to hire an attorney or did they wish the court to appoint them one.

Most of the more seriously charged individuals responded they would be hiring an attorney and the court set a pre-trial date for later next month.

The youths charged with minor offenses for the most part opted to settle the matter today by chatting with the District Attorney out in the hallway and will probably end up with a $100 fine and 4 months probation.

This process will continue tomorrow and a bailiff thought maybe even into Wednesday.  And of course many of those arrested will continue to clog up the court system into the next few months, with some of them facing the prospect of a permanent criminal record.

A day of debauchery, a lifetime of regret.

#####

Amherst Police issue another statement 

Note to media:  total APD arrests 55 and UMPD 3, for a total of 58

Boston Globe editorial:  End the Blarney Blowout  (wish it was that easy)

AFD also stressed by Blarney:  20 patients seen, 12 transported to hospital

   AFD Blarney Blowout

BS Blarney Blowout 2014: Postmortem

Uprooted stop sign from town center now at DPW building

 Chancellor Subbaswamy speaks out loud and clear

The numbers really do tell the embarrassingly sad story of the Blarney Blowout 2014:  58 total arrests (55 APD, 3 UMPD) with another 24 summons issued for alcohol related incidents.

AFD transported between 18 and 20 overzealous Blarney participants to the Cooley Dickinson Hospital thus tying up a vital ambulance (one per person) for at least an hour per incident.

Four officers received minor injuries during the turbulence even though many of them were wearing riot gear.

But the real damage is just now picking up steam:  National news (including Time Magazine) blaring headlines that reflect ever so poorly on our little college town and the "flagship of higher education" in the entire state of Massachusetts, where education was pretty much founded.

Did the police overreact?  Hell no.  Obviously they were outnumbered 100 to 1, so when those kind of lopsided odds start to turn bad -- throwing bottles and cans, setting off fireworks, uprooting stop sign's and gravestone's etc -- there's really no choice but to step in.

 Chief Livingstone (white cap) on scene N. Pleasant/Fearing streets moments before use of OC pepper guns

I asked Chief Livingstone to respond to the concern APD "overreacted" with their use of OC pepper ball guns, and received this response:

"Like all our less than lethal force options, we have protocol and policy on how they are dispersed.   Yesterday's events, after numerous dispersal order were given at a number of locations, justified their use.  As you know I was on scene at Puffton, Townhouse and Fearing and North Pleasant Streets.  Officers acted accordingly and per policy."

North Pleasant Street had to be shut down for 15-20 minutes

So where do we go from here?

Last year, prior to the Blarney Blowout riot of 2013 (where only 6 were arrested), Amherst Attorney Peter Vickery sent a letter to the Amherst Select Board reminding them as the town's liquor commissioners they could, as an public safety measure, shut down all alcohol sales within town borders on the day of the Blarney Blowout.

They ignored him.

It's time to take that sobering suggestion seriously.  The Select Board should put the measure on their next meeting agenda, where they will no doubt be discussing the public safety disaster that unfolded in our little town yesterday.

Voting to suspend all alcohol sales in town for next year's Blarney Blowout at their next meeting, would be ironic justice ... since that meeting occurs on March 17 -- St. Patrick's Day.

In their own words:  Amherst police report 

Blarney Blowout 2014

 

AFD Central Station 9:30 a.m.

Scroll down for updates

Scene along North Pleasant/Fearing  about an hour before the riot

Original Post:  10:00 a.m.

The Dunkin Donuts drive thrus all over the area are swamped with college aged youth, probably pregaming with caffeine, and throngs of them are moving on foot from UMass central campus north towards Townhouse Apartments, scene of last years Blarney Blowout riot.

 Security already gathered at Townhouse Apartments 9:45 a.m.

 Crowd already line up downtown bar 10:15 a.m.

Security was already on scene at Townhouse and APD is out in force.  Already between Amherst and UMass police a half-dozen students have been arrested for alchol violations.  

Ch 22 shooting kids hanging on a balcony (and getting them fired up) 10:00 a.m.

APD arresting one for liquor law violation North Pleasant Street 10:20 a.m.

It's gonna be a l-o-n-g day.

#####

UPDATE 5:00 p.m.

 

APD Chief Livingstone (white hat) leading the troops (note tear gas plume in road)

 Yes I stayed close behind the folks with the (tear gas) guns

Around 2:30 p.m. riot clad police moved into a crowd of over 2,000 that had gathered behind a Frat House on the corner of Fearing Street and North Pleasant.  Police had to shut down N. Pleasant Street, the main road through the heart of UMass/Amherst for almost 15 minutes while trying to clear the huge gathering. 

Large crowd on the site of the infamous former Frat Row

Normally busy with cars N. Pleasant looking toward UMass

Yes, tear gas was fired (carefully) into the crowd to facilitate their cooperation. 

2 under arrest Fearing Street/North Pleasant

Arrest in front of Frat House on North Pleasant Street 

 

Half dozen Mass State Police vehicles are parked at APD headquarters

Blarney Blowout: Eve Of Destruction?

Townhouse quad this morning:  Calm before the storm?

Unfortunately the "Blarney Blowout" is a state of mind.  And unlike the Hobart Hoedown, which was always pretty much grounded in a certain narrow location, you really can't lock down the entire town.

 Hobart Ln:  Note sign height to avoid souvenir hunters

Perhaps the Select Board should have nipped things in the bud by pulling the liquor license of McMurphy's and Stackers three years ago when they first dreamed up this abomination.  Town officials (and the mainstream media) have been behind the curve on this issue since inception.

 Gazette trying to make up for last year

So here we are now, the day before the biggest party event of the year.  Yes, this time town and UMass officials have done an avalanche of advance messaging, dutifully carried by the mainstream media.

But nobody hired a shaman (or the CIA) to bring us a blizzard tomorrow.  The predicted weather is for the best day we've seen in a l-o-n-g while. And in this case, good weather is a cop's worst enemy.

 McMurphy's this morning:  note absence of Blarney Blowout advertising

Police and private security will try to be proactive and keep crowds from growing to the massive throng was saw at the Townhouse quad area last year.  But that may not be all that easy or even legal since the constitution does guarantee the  "freedom to assemble in public places."

Or as the hard core rowdies might put it, "Fight for your right to p-a-r-t-y."   Probably not what our Founding Fathers had in mind, however.

Daily Collegian with helpful Blarney Blowout advice  (They forgot "Don't drink and drive!")

 

Even the damn lawyers are into it

Downtown bars loading up Noon Friday

Can You See Me Now?

Lights, cameras, action

Amherst Public School buses and vans will become more secure next year if the Joint Capital Planning Committee approves the $54,000 request made this morning by Ron Bohonowicz, Direct or Facilities, for a digital camera system to outfit 9 buses and 14 vans owned by the School Department.

Each vehicle would be outfitted with three cameras: one on the driver, one on the stair entry/exit to the vehicle and one showing the entire back passenger section.  A 4th camera could also be added in the future to show outside the bus to record cars that don't stop when the school bus stops.

The units are equipped to record both audio and video, but would only be reviewed if there was a reported problem.  Even the police would need permission of Superintendent Maria Geryk to review a recording.   

The cameras would help reduce instances of bullying.  South Hadley, made notorious over bullying, installed them a while back, and according to Bohonowicz it "substantially improved the situation."

Bohonowicz also told the committee the contract for the company that provides the other 31 buses used to transport school children is up next year, and he may write into a new contract the provision that all buses be camera equipped. 

If the JCPC approves the $54,000 request it still must pass muster with the Town Manager and then Town Meeting before the money could be spent in the new Fiscal Year starting July 1st.

Interestingly the two School Committee members in the JCPC said their Committee had not yet discussed the "policy question" of having cameras recording the actions of minor children. 

Decisions, Decisions

Could Amherst voters decide fate of $15/hour Minimum Wage hike?

UPDATE (Friday morning):

The Town Clerk just confirmed that even if the Select Board set the referendum election for September 9, the date of the State Primary, it would only result in "minimal savings."  The cost for the Special Town Election would still be around $10,000 vs a normal stand alone election cost of $12,000.  

Separate ballots would still have to be printed and the number of check in and check out workers at every precinct would need to double.

#####

After reading this morning's article Matthew Cunningham-Cook, the optimistic architect of the $15/hr minimum wage hike for all Amherst laborers, wished to add an interesting point:

If Town Meeting should reject his article at the March 19 Special Town Meeting he will "referendum" that decision by collecting 880 signatures within five business days and bring it directly to the voters of Amherst in a Special Election that will cost taxpayers $12,000.

Since he's already collected 200 signatures to force the $15/hour minimum wage warrant article on a Special Town Meeting, his threat is not to be ignored.

And when I mentioned how difficult it can be he responded, "That's true.  We're a big group and five business days afterwards would be the 26th.  Collecting signatures on election day(3/25)  is pretty easy."

The Town Clerk confirms his deadline analysis and agrees she can't stop folks from collecting signatures near a voting precinct unless they are interfering with voters.

The rule stating no electioneering within 100 feet of a voting precinct on election day would not apply since this issue has nothing to do with what's on the election ballot.

Since 1998 only twice has a Town Meeting action been referendumed by collecting the signatures of 5% of active voters:  The Parking Garage in town center and the Soccer Fields on Potwine Lane.

Both capital items had Town Meeting approval, and the referendum was an attempt to overturn that approval.

Both referendums failed.  In fact, in order to pass at least 18% of registered voters have to vote "yes," otherwise it automatically fails.  And Amherst only turns out over 18% at a local election if there's a (much needed) change in government question on the ballot or a Proposition 2.5 Override Question. 

The really interesting thing happens if Town Meeting fails to muster a quorum on March 19.  Obviously the lone article is then pocket vetoed, but there would be nothing to referendum.

And unlike the scene in "House of Cards," you can't send out police to drag Town Meeting members to the Amherst Regional Middle School to attain a quorum.

The Town Clerk has asked the Town Manager to ask the Town Attorney for guidance, since there's nothing in state law at the moment to address this quirk.  In other words, how long does the Moderator wait before he announces there's no quorum, and hence no meeting?

Perhaps the safest route would be for Town Meeting to approve the article (only requires a simple majority), thereby avoiding a $12,000 Special Town Election, thus sending it on to the State Legislature where it will be Dead On Arrival. 

Fight The Power

UMass is -- by far -- the town's largest employer

I received the following press release last night from UMass Grad Student Matthew Cunningham-Cook regarding the Only In Amherst minimum wage hike to $15/hour warrant article Town Meeting will vote on March 19 (if they get a quorum).

According to Mr. Cunningham-Cook the bylaw, unlike most town ordinances, is a "home rule petition" that further requires State Legislature approval so it would then apply to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, the #1 employer in town.

Mr Cunningham-Cook is a contestant for Town Meeting but since the local town election is a week after the Special Town Meeting, he will not be able to support it on the floor of Town Meeting. 

It will be interesting to see if he can find a single business owner in town who would agree that student workers with "more money in their pockets" would translate into more business.  As it would take a tremendous boost in business to offset the steep increase in overhead brought on by the new increase in the cost of labor.

For most small businesses, the #1 overhead cost is labor.

#####

AMHERST, MA-- The Student Labor Action Project at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst is launching a multifaceted campaign to end poverty through higher wages.

Amherst's poverty rate is 20.2%: overwhelmingly composed of students, as only 7.2% of families in Amherst are below the poverty line. At the same time, UMass is a huge employer, with nearly all of the university's 21,000 undergraduate students working on campus in one capacity or another.

Almost all work for less than $10/hour-- nowhere near enough to afford the cost of living in Amherst, where rents for a room frequently exceed $800/month.

Nationwide, fast food workers have gone on strike for a minimum wage of $15/hour. Sea-Tac, Washington just passed a ballot initiative mandating a minimum wage of $15/hour, and activists in Seattle are organizing to put an initiative on the 2014 ballot there as well.

SLAP is planning to replicate these successes here in Amherst, where the poverty rate has reached crisis levels, all while bloated administrative salaries extract funds out of the pockets of student workers and contribute significantly to the gentrification of the Pioneer Valley. (Men's basketball coach Derek Kellogg tops the list at $719,664. All told, 224 UMass employees make more than $200,000 per year.)

Our campaign has begun by collecting the requisite signatures to call a Special Town Meeting for a home rule petition to the legislature which would grant the Town of Amherst the power to implement a minimum wage of $15 per hour.

We are also launching an aggressive pressure campaign to make UMass may pay the $15 an hour minimum wage in the event that that the home rule petition fails to pass the legislature.

We are calling for inclusive language including the entire Town of Amherst because 1) small businesses in the Town will gain a massive source of new revenue were UMass' undergraduate student workers to have 50% more money in their pocket, and 2) we believe all employers should be held to the same standard of providing a living wage, which only $15/hour can achieve.

Given that UMass has 21,000 undergraduates with Amherst's population at 37,000, the overwhelming majority of low-wage employees are employed by UMass.

The Special Town Meeting has been called by the Select Board for March 19 at 7 PM for the Middle School Auditorium. We encourage all supporters to attend.

Amherst is a microcosm of the global trend of increasing wealth inequality, which the United Nations Development Program recently said "can undermine the very foundations of development and social and domestic peace."

UMass SLAP is a joint project of Jobs with Justice and the United States Student Association. Most of us work low-wage jobs on the UMass campus. This campaign is also supported by the Amherst Area Workers Rights Committee.

Death and Taxes

The Zombie tax increase that refuses to die returns to Town Meeting this spring courtesy of a citizens petition signed by ten registered voters. 

Amherst first passed the Community Preservation Act, a sort of sneaky way around Prop 2 1/2, in 2001 at  the 1% level, then increased it to 1.5% in 2006, but failed to double that to 3% in 2008.

Now it's back for another go at 3% -- the highest allowed by state law.

CPA money, plus a 28% match with state money, can only be used for affordable housing, open space and historical preservation.  Each of the three categories must be allotted at least 10% annually and the other 70% can then go back to any one of the three categories, or for recreation.

This year about $500,000 will be raised between local taxpayers and the 28% state matching funds.

The tax is unfair to business because homeowners get an exemption of the first $100,000 in valuation but commercial property owners do not.  And Amherst also recently passed a Business Improvement District in the downtown that also increased the property taxes paid by commercial property owners.

Can you imagine if the $15/hour minimum wage bylaw and the extra 1.5% CPA property tax surcharge are both enacted by Town Meeting?  Amherst town center will become a ghost town.

Rental Registration Sabotage

The new Rental Registration Bylaw, overwhelmingly passed by Amherst Town Meeting last spring with a start date of January 1st, would come to a screeching halt if this "citizens petition" article is passed by Town Meeting this coming spring.

"Death by delay" is a tactic commonly used by NIMBYs and other parties with vested interests -- and there's no interest like self interest. 

Of course this article, even though it only took ten signatures to make the Annual Warrant, would still require a majority of Town Meeting support to pass.

And since the original article passed resoundingly on a voice vote (so no standing count was needed), what sounded to me like two-thirds, it's hard to imagine so many would now backtrack to support this obstructionism.

Tintin On The Move

So yes, as one of my sagacious Anons pointed out in comments last week the Jones Library has indeed moved the suddenly (in Amherst anyway) controversial Tintin series of comic books.  But no, it has nothing to do with political pressure -- including hints of racism -- brought to bear by parents and others concerned about dated, racially insensitive material.

 

Jones Library:  Amherst's living room

According to Library Director Sharon Sharry:  "Librarians are constantly re-thinking space needs, so as part of this ongoing dialogue, we reviewed the placement of our comic books and decided to give them a new home within the Children's Room.  It's a very nice, cozy, bright spot that we think the kids will love."

 

New cozy home for comics section

A very small number of parents asked the Jones to relocate the comics out of the children's section entirely making them less accessible to their target audience, children.  They pointed out the books are located in the main entry to the Children's Room and therefor have a higher profile.

Comics section former home

I'm told the Tintin comic series has been popular at the Jones Library for the last 30 years or so. And the recent tempest seems not to have unduly tarnished their popularity: On Friday when I asked for a sample copy to photograph, I was informed all 24 comics are currently out.