Swampscott Racial Justice Action Group
@swampacottrjag.bsky.social
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swampacottrjag.bsky.social
One can try and change hearts and minds through gentle persuasion and civil conversation all they want, but policy is what will actually move the needle. We need politicians and future politicians that want to work towards eliminating racism and not wield it in a personal quest for power.
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
This is why it is especially important to point out when the political party in power has fused racism and antisemitism into every aspect of its purpose.
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
Racism is a political policy choice. This is why those here on the North Shore of MA who descended from Irish and Italian immigrants do not find themselves oppressed despite historic discrimination.

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat
Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.
www.politico.com
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
In the “debate me, bro” culture, there is no engaging with the “marketplace of ideas” in good faith. It is simply to mock it.
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
Always easy to bring out the people who follow your FB page just to be outraged by what you post every once in awhile.
Screenshot of a comment:

Ed Stairman
“That is the stupidest thing I saw today! Kirk encourages violence by debating ?”
Screenshot of a comment:

Jack Buba
“Also, Charlie called out Fake Organizations like youra for keeping minorities as second classs citizens. He was leading minorities out of perpetual poverty and illiteracy. This goes to the heart of your very existence as you traffic in the underclass to self aggrandize your life and lifestyle choices.
WOKE IS DEAD THE COUNTRY VOTED AND TURNED AGAINST IT.”
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
Violent events are always tragic, but maybe our local governments shouldn’t put our flags to half mast for a victim of it who often encouraged violence and had no redeeming qualities.
Cc @massgovernor.bsky.social
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
Save democracy. Legalize multi-family housing in your neighborhood today.
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
If you want more people to have full civil rights including things like access to abortion, you need to allow for more people to move to states like Massachusetts.
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
But let’s not forget that the number of representatives each state has in congress is determined by how many residents each state has. Therefore, if you want your political views to have a bigger representation in Congress than states that vote a different way, you need to grow your population.
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
Unfortunately, many people, including people who generally vote for Democrats tend to set those issues aside when it comes to housing because they would rather keep their neighborhoods or sometimes parts of town they simply just drive through occasionally the same as when they moved in.
#mapoli
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
…into neighborhoods that pride themselves on being comprised of almost universally single-family homes including racial justice, climate change, and affordability.
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
There are many reasons to change zoning laws to make it legal to “change a neighborhood’s character” by allowing such character changing structures as 4-plexes, and 8 unit buildings…
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
We shouldn’t be measuring the value of spaces by how fast we can drive through them, but how safe and enjoyable it is to exist in them. Equity is making sure we are focused on creating safe and enjoyable places throughout our entire municipality and not just making them available to some.
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
So instead of putting effort into complaining about progress, perhaps some effort could be put into making sure we are making our own community as accessible to the widest variety of people as possible.
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
Beyond race and income, think about how someone with mobility issues could potentially get around Swampscott, a town that is merely 3 sq miles big without a car by assessing our multi-modal landscape (or lack there of). Hint: it’s rather difficult.
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
As this article points out, the issue of pedestrian infrastructure and gentrification isn’t that they aren’t helpful for the local population, they certainly are; it’s that cities and towns often neglect other areas that could also use those improvements.
www.melaninbasecamp.com/trip-reports...
What Bike Lanes Taught Me About Racism — Melanin Base Camp
Across the country, bike lanes have become a flashpoint, leading to protests and pushback from local communities which are already feeling the pressure of higher rent and property taxes.
www.melaninbasecamp.com
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
Because they are worried they will be mildly inconvenienced in order to make a space safer for people who don’t have cars or don’t choose to use one exist.
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
But these improvements are always met with resistance from people who drive cars and often who simply drive through the area without ever having a desire to stop. Why?
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
Those larger pedestrian safety improvements; things like more and better crosswalks, road designs to slow cars down, and protected paths to get to public transport are how car dependent areas become more vibrant, safer, and livable for growing populations.

www.mbta.com/projects/lyn...
Lynnway Multimodal Corridor Project | Projects | MBTA
Official website of the MBTA -- schedules, maps, and fare information for Greater Boston's public transportation system, including subway, commuter rail, bus routes, and boat lines.
www.mbta.com
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
The appearance of bike lanes are often part of larger pedestrian safety infrastructure improvement projects. For the uninitiated, pedestrians are the people you see outside your car window trying to get around as you drive by them.
swampacottrjag.bsky.social
However, prior to the recent internet brain-rot, they were often seen as a symbol of gentrification and to some communities, ones that have much different demographics than Swampscott, they still can be.