On July 9, the PSL Boston branch held a public meeting tackling two major attacks against working-class communities in our city: the proposed fare hikes and service cuts on the transit system, and the fight for equal education. Many of those in attendance were local activists involved in various struggles in Boston; others were local residents with a strong desire to fight back.
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The meeting featured guest speaker Sandra McIntosh, an organizer with Work 4 Quality, Fight 4 Equity and a member of the Coalition for Equal Quality Education, who spoke about her long fight for equal education in Boston. Recently, the CEQE led a successful struggle against the racist “Five-Zone Plan,” which would have re-segregated Boston schools. Numerous voices in the community spoke out, pushing the School Committee to delay the vote on the plan. The CEQE and the PSL are committed to the struggle against the reinstatement of segregation in public schools.
C. Gonçalves, member of the PSL and volunteer organizer with the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), spoke on the PSL’s “Fight Back!” campaign against the proposed fare hikes and service cuts on the Boston transit system. Gonçalves, a resident of the Codman Square area of Dorchester, spoke as one of the thousands of T riders who will be greatly affected should the fare hikes and service cuts go through.
During the discussion session, many attendees expressed their outrage towards the MBTA and spoke of the hardships that will result if the fare hikes and service cuts are implemented. According to the MBTA’s proposal, the Green “E” line could have its last five stops eliminated on weekdays—including the stop for the VA hospital—and be completely eliminated on weekends. The Mattapan Trolley, which serves a working-class urban community, would be completely eliminated on the weekends and be shut down after 8 p.m. on weekdays.
These changes would leave many people confined to their own communities, unable to enter or leave. For those who rely on public transportation to get to work or carry out their day-to-day activities, the consequences would be grave.
The speakers urged those in attendance to get involved in the campaign, which has collected hundreds of signatures and handed out thousands of leaflets. After hearing what the MBTA has proposed, impacting particularly low-income, working-class communities, many people have since signed up to help get the word out and organize a fight-back effort.
The PSL, along with many other community organizations and individuals, has issued a call to action urging all Boston area residents to stand up and fight back through the public hearing process. All are encouraged to attend and provide testimony at the neighborhood workshops, and come together in protest at the final public hearing on Aug. 27. Through an organized struggle, we can succeed in defeating the anti-working-class attacks of the MBTA.
