Thursday, March 29, 2012
The City of Boston is paying Simon Glik $170,000 to settle a civil lawsuit resulting from his arrest on Boston Common in 2007 for filming police officers. What's your take?
Recent law school graduate Simon Glik was walking across Boston Common in 2007 when he saw Boston police officers forcefully arresting a man. He pulled out his cell phone to videotape the incident, (part of which is viewable in the Youtube video connected to this article) and shortly afterwards found himself in handcuffs, arrested for felony illegal wiretapping and disturbing the peace. He fought the criminal charges and they were dismissed four months later, according to the ACLU, but he then filed a civil rights suit with the city. Per the ACLU, the suit argued that the City of Boston "is responsible for not adequately training, supervising, and disciplining officers who arrest people under the wiretap statute for openly recording the …
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Travel And Leisure Magazine rated Boston the 5th rudest city in the nation, but where is the rudest part of our city?
The results are in, and while they could be worse, they aren't great. According to a survey and article by Travel and Leisure magazine, Boston makes the list of America's Rudest Cities at the No. 5 mark. Bostonians can take heart that New York City was voted America's rudest, but that doesn't mean there's zero time for navel-gazing. Which brings Patch to our question: Where is the rudest part of this rude city? Could it be Beacon Hill, with its historical connection to the famously snooty Boston Brahmins? Is it the famously insular Charlestown, where plenty of dog owners aren't cleaning up after their pets? What about Back Bay, full of tony Newbury Street shoppers and cars that kick up puddled water as they fly around tight corners? …
Friday, January 13, 2012
What a difference a year makes.
*The blizzard photos above were taken on Jan. 12, 2011. The 2012 shots were taken on Wednesday, Jan. 11. On this day last year, South End residents were digging out from a blizzard that dumped more than a foot of snow in the city and more than two feet in some areas of the Bay State. Today, the daytime high in the city is a balmy 48 degrees. After a Halloween weekend storm, which has proven to be just a scare so far, Boston received no snow in the month of December for the first time since 1973 and only a few scattered flakes overall. Although there is still certainly plenty of time left, it seems highly unlikely that the Hub will even come close to its 80-some-inch total a year ago, and scientists have said a change in the jet stream, or …
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
A recent report says there's been a 16 percent uptick in T crime. Are you riding without worry or clinging to your belongings?
Our subways may be the oldest in the nation, but are they and the rest of the MBTA's services as safe as they could be? The Boston Herald published a recent report showing that 136 additional crimes above last year's total of 868 were committed this year, to make a total of 1,004 crimes in the survey year. This breaks down to between 2 and 3 reported crimes per day, every day of the year on the MBTA system. Given that "the average weekday ridership for the entire system is approximately 1.1 million passenger trips," according to the MBTA, do you feel like the odds of a safe trip are in your favor? Vote in our poll, and weigh in on the routes you ride in the comments section. Are your trips trouble-free, or do you seem to run into the …
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Everyone has a holiday Achilles' heel, something that brings out a little bit of the Grinch or Scrooge within us all. What's yours?
Maybe it's a cheesy Christmas song that seems to follow you everywhere, or the fried smell that won't go away after your latke-and-jelly-donut party. A winter solstice with too much sunshine, a Kinara that keeps lighting your ears of corn on fire--there are many ways in which the season can go south, quickly. We've given you a couple voting options covering what we're guessing are the major hassles, but comment and let us know where you fit in. Is this year you embrace all the Charlie Brown Christmas trees in your life, or the season your heart becomes three sizes too small? Editorial note: this article, poll votes, and comments section is shared between the Back Bay, Beacon Hill, and South End Patch.com sites.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Almanac predicts biggest storms at end of January, and mid-February.
The Farmer’s Almanac has weighed in on what’s in store for us this winter. With temperatures near or above normal, it is predicting many snow and rain mixes. But what do they know? Your guess may be as good as theirs. So tell us: Do you think this winter will bring as much snow as last year?
SM_bos
9:16 pm on Thursday, March 29, 2012
95% of the time I think suits against the city are frivolous, or for too much money (that taxpayers shell out). This settlement is not an outrageous amount, and the city, and the officers, really are just plain wrong (IMHO) as long as the person filming does not physically interfere with the police action. more ›