The Shoestring

It’s a huge step forward, but still could be better LES MACK The proposed Safe Communities Act, or “An Act to Protect the Civil Rights and Safety of All Massachusetts Residents,” consolidates local anti-deportation efforts by enacting on the state level what many municipalities have pioneered in the post-Trump era. In other words, creating a […]

WILL MEYER Tuesday afternoon Eduardo Samaniego was scrambling. Eduardo, who is undocumented, needed a coat, a hat, comfortable shoes, a sleeping bag and a haircut. A computer too. By Wednesday evening he would be enroute to New York City, where he would join ten more young people—eight DACA recipients, one who was undocumented, and one […]

The petit bourgeoisie begs for spare change BLAIR GIMMA On Monday, Feb 5, local small business owners met at Union Station to talk with a statewide Retail Task Force, whose focus is to “to review and report on efforts to strengthen the local retail sector in the commonwealth.” Shoestring co-editor Will Meyer and I felt […]

A new local film designed to recruit future police officers isn’t very good. WILL MEYER & LES MACK The Northampton Police Department released a short documentary film last week. I am not sure if it will be submitted to major film festivals, as it was first published on YouTube, skipping a theatrical release all together. […]

Northampton City Council owns a van BLAIR GIMMA [Editor’s note: We are thrilled to announce that Blair Gimma will be reporting regularly on Northampton City Council meetings. This is the second installment of a regular column that will push beyond the banality of journalistic convention; it will try out creative ways to hold elected representatives […]