Joseph Curtatone

Guest Contributor

Stories by Joseph Curtatone

White supremacy fuels ‘public charge’ proposal

Politics/ Opinion

White supremacy fuels ‘public charge’ proposal

Caucasian anxiety is spurring anti-immigrant policies

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I THINK IT’S SOME SORT of dystopian rule that the things with the most innocuous names often have the most pernicious effects. The newest entrant into that category is the US Department of Homeland Security’s proposed “public charge” rule, which seeks to deny anyone a green card if they have used some form of public(...)

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Curtatone: Charter question goes way too far

Education/ Politics

Curtatone: Charter question goes way too far

Somerville mayor says Q2 threatens schools’ recent success

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$412 MILLION. That figure represents the amount of taxpayer money that was diverted from 243 local school districts across the Commonwealth and given to charter schools last year. If Ballot Question 2 passes this election, that annual number will grow much higher, and the consequences for students in our public schools will be long-lasting. We(...)

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States must do right thing, accept Syrian refugees

Politics/ Opinion

States must do right thing, accept Syrian refugees

We should not be walling ourselves off from world

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FRIDAY’S ATTACK ON PARIS felt like an attack that happened in our backyard despite it having taken place an ocean away. The reason for that is the attackers didn’t target governmental or economic symbols, instead they went after concert venues, sports events, and cafes. They declared war on civilians. They declared war on public gatherings.(...)

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“Black Lives Matter” more than a slogan

Opinion

“Black Lives Matter” more than a slogan

We must understand roots of discrimination against African Americans

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A BLACK LIVES MATTER banner hangs on the front of Somerville City Hall. We put it up this week. We shouldn’t have to. We shouldn’t have to put a banner up that says we are against police violence based on discrimination involving black people. It shouldn’t be newsworthy when a government body says that it(...)

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Healey is right about Wynn casino

Rolling the Dice/ Gambling/ Opinion

Healey is right about Wynn casino

She's not playing politics or changing the rules of the game

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THE VOTERS HAVE SPOKEN and, agree or disagree—and everyone knows I disagree—casinos are a reality in the Commonwealth. But that doesn’t mean casino operators, and those who regulate them, get to skirt the law or continuously adapt regulations to fit their needs and own timelines, as we have seen time and time again in the(...)

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Lessons from Ferguson

Criminal Justice/ Opinion/ Spring 2015

Lessons from Ferguson

Community engagement is key; disruptive protests are OK

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FOR MONTHS WE’VE all watched the travesty in Ferguson, Missouri, unfold from the death of Michael Brown, to the militarized police response to public protest, to the Department of Justice report detailing the Ferguson Police Department’s racist attitudes and policies. The temptation is to treat it like someone else’s problem, as if a similar situation(...)

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Five takes on the T

The Back Story/ Transportation/ Opinion

Five takes on the T

Crisis at the state's transit agency

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EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT the collapse of the T and wondering whether, to borrow a phrase from departing GM Beverly Scott, even God Jr. could get the trains running on time again. The stakes are incredibly high for Greater Boston and the state as a whole, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of people who(...)

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Everything is riding on the T

Transportation/ Opinion

Everything is riding on the T

Our prosperity is on the line

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THE SYSTEM-WIDE MBTA failures during the recent snowstorms should serve as a call to arms for everyone in Massachusetts. Quite literally, our prosperity is on the line. I’m not talking about just the prosperity of metro Boston or the eastern portion of the state. I’m talking about the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The reliable operation(...)

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Olympics a regional effort

Economy/ Opinion

Olympics a regional effort

A whole new level of shared regional stakes

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AS ORGANIZERS AND community leaders work to put together an Olympics bid for metro Boston we need to cast our thoughts to 2124, not 2024. I support bringing the Olympics to Boston. If done right I believe it could create an opportunity to deliver civic benefits to our region. We should not be planning to(...)

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