positive, negative, anything! your honest thoughts!

is this anyone’s cat? i have seen this cat several times around the brookline high school area and want to make sure it is not a stray cat!

I want to share something about a family I know.

Cintia Silva is the woman who cleans my house. She is one of the hardest working people I know. She is the kind of person you are happy to see when she arrives, because you know she truly cares about your home. She is someone I trust in my home.

Her husband is also someone I trust. He has helped with home services for me and has always been a hardworking provider for their family.

They have been living in the United States for about 10 years. Recently he went to a scheduled court appointment related to a traffic citation that required him to appear. When he arrived at the courthouse, he was detained before he could even appear before the judge.

This has been very difficult for their family. They have a young daughter who is a U.S. citizen and needs special care, and now they are facing legal expenses while also losing his income.

I am sharing this because I know this family. They are good people who work hard and care deeply for their child. If you are able to help, or even share their fundraiser, it could make a real difference for them.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/ajude-um-pai-trabalhador-detido-pelo-ice-voltar-pra-casa

Happy summer, all!

“Perhaps the intent was to criticize Israeli foreign policy, and if that's your intent, you take it to representatives of Israel," State Rep. Tommy Vitolo said. "Where you don't take it is to synagogues and Jewish businesses. That's also antisemitic, it's totally out of bounds."

To whomever freely gave me an American flag at the protest,

Thank you.

I have never felt more American.

Sincerely, An immigrant

Saw this cat on a walk on Thayer street, posting here in case it's anyone's lost cat. No collar. Looks like a boy. Skinny but friendly.

This afternoon around 3:45 PM, my daughter and her friend were hit by a car at the intersection of Dean Road and Chestnut Hill Avenue.
They were walking in the crosswalk and had the right of way. A driver hit them and knocked them both down. By absolute grace, neither of them was seriously injured. The driver claimed he was "unable to stop."

To the two women who stopped: Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Both of you checked on the girls, and one of you stayed until the other parents arrived to drive them home. We are forever grateful for your kindness and for looking out for our kids when we weren't right there.

To other pedestrians: Please, BE CAREFUL. Assume drivers do not see you, even when you are legally in the crosswalk and have the right-of-way. The women who saw it happen confirmed our girls did everything right, just so we are clear.

To the driver who hit them: It sounds like you were devastated, but you are incredibly lucky you didn’t kill our children today. WE are lucky you didn’t kill them.

To every single driver: Get your fucking heads out of your asses.
The absolute bullshit driving I see around town every single day (as if you are the only person on the road who has somewhere to be) is astonishing. I see street signs that have been completely obliterated. I see people staring directly at their phones while behind the wheel. People speeding like they’re auditioning for NASCAR. You are not special or important enough to justify a single one of your poor choices behind the wheel.

Our children deserve to be able to walk together IN A CROSSWALK and make it home safely. Pay attention before you destroy a family's life.

🤣

Across the gamut, a distinction was drawn between what many described as “ice cream truck pricing” and what they encounter at J.P. Licks.

“$11.75 is a passing-through-town number,” one wrote in, describing it as “the kind of price set by a mysterious merchant with a limited inventory.”

Continue reading on The Brookline Turkey →

Sorry for the multiple posts, but we wanted to keep you posted on the important updates. Our story will be updated throughout the day.

Good news everyone: the local Republican Party Chair and her Venture Capitalist friends have started a "No" campaign called "Keep Brookline Affordable" against the operating override to trick you into destroying our public school system. They'll personally be fine if it fails, so don't you worry about it.

From Brookline.news:

The paperwork for Keep Brookline Affordable lists Stephen Reeders as chair and Alok Somani as treasurer. ... Both work in venture capital. 

When Brookline.News reached out to the campaign, Elizabeth Childs responded. Childs is a Town Meeting member and former state commissioner of mental health, as well as chair of the Brookline Republican Town Committee.

Ok super. Why are the Town's Top Republican and these venture capitalists worried?

“The issue is that an override of this size really threatens the very diversity and affordability that we value in Brookline" [stated Childs].

Oh, Ok, our Town's Top Republican is worried about affordability and diversity. Uh-huh.

Obviously this is a good-faith effort and all of these people are in favor of increasing economic development--including subsidized affordable housing--to actually address the underlying problems? Let's find out.

Elizabeth Childs, Chair of the Brookline Town Committee (and frequent speaker in support of Donald Trump on the floor of Town Meeting), has a public Town Meeting voting record: Did she...

• Support senior housing on the Kent Street parking lot? Nope.

• Allow apartments within existing 2-family structures? Nope.

• Make it easier to turn single-family homes into duplexes? Nope.

• Support rent stabilization via a Home Rule petition? Nope.

• Slow down homebuilding efforts via additional "design review" delays? Yep!

She also attempted to under-fund the Pierce School once it was underway. Speaking of opposing the Pierce school, who's this Stephen Reeders guy, who opposed that school project as well?

He's a 72-year-old man who lives with his wife Jing in South Brookline in precinct 14, in a 5-bedroom, 4-bathroom colonial valued at $6.8 million dollars according to the town's Tax Assessor rolls. Wow, he's personally looking at a really big tax bill if the override passes! Looks like he bought it for a mere $3.2 million in 2003 so his investment has already paid off. But hey, why settle for doubling your home value when you could also fire 210 teachers?!

Seems like he could cover the tax increase though. Back in 2016 his VC firm, MVM Life Science Ventures, was valued at $233 million. (Happy to update if someone wants to post more current filings in the comments!)

Ok what about Alok Somani?

He's a multiple-time failed Town Meeting candidate in Precinct 5 and is the CFO of Orbit Ventures, a firm dedicated to "ventures that foster economic independence by increasing individual wealth and income." I can't quite track down the valuation but they're pretty busy buying companies.

He lives just down the street from Rich-Guy Reeders (what's in the water on Cottage Street? Maybe someone should use our Town's remaining $5 to test it for lead?!). Looks like his 4-bed, 4.5-bath "contemporary" home is assessed at a mere $4.6 million dollars (cheapest house on the street!), so he's also personally looking at a big tax bill if it passes.

Somani was endorsed by the NIMBY group when he ran in 2024. Some folks "in the know" will appreciate the contradiction in his League of Women Voters questionnaire.

He has two 18-year-olds according to the voter records, so I guess he doesn't need to "treasure the schools" anymore (and actually, his two kids go to private school). He's not getting any personal returns from the "distressed asset" that is Public Education in America and wants to unload before he keeps paying for other kids to get a free education. (He also didn't even bother voting in last year's Town Election.)

Ok, ok, but what would happen to my kid's school if the Republican and her Rich Guy Friends kill the override?

Pretty simple. According to the new superintendent, Bella Wong, Brookline Public Schools will lose 210 positions over the next three years. In the March 24, 2026 Select Board meeting (it's all here) she presented the situation if the override fails. (It also outlines the 22 positions PSB has already cut to bring the budget down.)

In Year 1 (Fiscal Year 2027):

• Remove 50% of 1st grade classroom aides (aka para-professionals)

• Remove foreign language education for grades 6-8 (no foreign language in Brookline prior to high school)

• End most music education for grades 4-8

• Reduced athletics programming, high fees to participate

• Remove 15 classroom / guidance staff at BHS, increasing class sizes to 30+ kids:

In Years 2 and 3 (FY28, FY29):

• Additional loss of 46 staff at BHS and 84 staff in grades PreK-8

• K-8 class sizes average 30 kids

• Closure of 36% of classrooms due to no teachers

• No South Brookline bus service

Total staff loss: 210 positions.

If you don't have kids, why care? If the override fails, Brookline will need to:

• Terminate 20 firefighters and possibly close a fire station (ok, but can the "Yes" voters pick which one?)

• Eliminate 6 police officer positions, leading to more expensive overtime

• End the Senior Center shuttle

They will also likely need to make deep, drastic cuts to the Department of Public Works because it's such a huge part of the budget, which is great news if you love potholes, cracked sidewalks, and rats.

I don't want these people ruining my kid's public school. What can I do?

1. Request your ballot. Sign up to get a ballot to vote by mail securely through the Secretary of the Commonweath's website here. It will be mailed to your home. (You can also vote in person but this is easier, especially for busy parents.) Do it now!

2. Receive your ballot. Vote YES on ballot question 1, the operating override. While you're at it, vote for Select Board and Town Meeting candidates endorsed by Brookline for Everyone and Progressive Mass Brookline. These candidates support BOTH funding our schools AND building more commercial and housing that will reduce the need for future overrides.

3. Share this post with 3 parent friends who need to understand what's at stake for our kids' schools.

We don't have to stand by and let these people destroy one of the pillars of our town: strong public schools.

Took this photo on Sunday that thought people might like it.

Looks like the sky is on fire. Very interesting.

Had a pretty insane experience this morning around 7:45am at the crosswalk on Harvard St & Green St in front of Otto’s Pizza in Coolidge Corner.

A car stopped for me, I started crossing, and as soon as I got in front of the car the driver slammed on the gas and tried to hit me on purpose. I literally had to jump out of the way. Then the guy flipped me off and drove away.
Driver was a guy probably in his 30s–40s wearing a gray hoodie, driving a black Honda minivan. There was a witness who stopped and talked to me after, wish I got their phone number.

I called the police and gave a statement. They tried looking for him but since I only got a photo of the car and not the license plate, there’s not much they can do right now.

I am mostly posting this in case anyone recognizes or saw anything but also as a reminder to be safe out there! Just sad that some psycho is out there doing stuff like this.

I am definitely no supporter of Trump, but whilst I was in Coolidge Corner just 30 minutes ago, I spotted this, which seems to be Trump 2024 and Pro-israel sentiment.