Ben Ewen-Campen

💯 So much energy in our state goes to shutting down proposed fixes for serious problems vs working to find better solutions.

I don’t support the exact language, but will vote Yes bc the proposal I do support (& filed) went no where, like tax relief, transfer fee & more. Past time to do something.

‘Something’s got to give’: Boston’s Mayor Michelle Wu says she supports rent control ballot measure - The Boston Globe Wu on Tuesday for the first time publicly backed a proposal that is moving toward the November ballot.

😎“‘Something’s got to give’: Boston’s Mayor Michelle Wu says she supports rent control ballot measure.” @mayorwu.boston.gov

Somerville Fire Department 1d • The Somerville Fire Department responded to a reported house fire at 26 Summer St. on Saturday, February 7 at about 1:20 a.m. Upon arrival, firefighters encountered heavy fire conditions in the basement, which had spread up through the floor and into a front room on the first floor. A second alarm was sounded. Two occupants were able to exit safely from the 2 1/2-story, single-family house. The basement sustained major fire, smoke, and water damage, and the first floor sustained moderate damage. The remainder of the house sustained smoke damage. All occupants have been displaced. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

This fire started in the middle of the night, in a basement furnace - an utter nightmare. The residents told me two things: (1) their smoke alarms saved their lives - check yours right now! And (2) the Somerville Fire Department was absolutely extraordinary. Beyond grateful for their heroic work.

Thanks to the HUNDREDS of workers who came out to support job security and a fair contract!

Harvard is rich, but they won’t protect us. Now is the time to get involved in the union! Attend a bargaining session, OC meeting, or organizer training! Reach out to a leader or DM for more info.

Inside ICE’s Only Contract with a Blue State - Bolts Luis Perez waited 53 and a half years to be freed from prison. When his day finally came, on Jan. 16, 2025, he could practically feel the warmth and quiet... Read More

I spoke with non-citizen Massachusetts residents who have been put through absolute ICE hell, including malnutrition, solitary confinement, denial of medical care, and deportation—all of which might have been avoided if not for Massachusetts working so closely with ICE.

boltsmag.org/massachusett...

👇👇👇

Inside ICE’s Only Contract with a Blue State - Bolts Luis Perez waited 53 and a half years to be freed from prison. When his day finally came, on Jan. 16, 2025, he could practically feel the warmth and quiet... Read More

Massachusetts is the only state run by Democrats that still partners with ICE. I dug into this and found that it’s had profound and very troubling consequences: at least 164 people funneled straight from state prisons to ICE since 2023 alone.

New in @boltsmag.org: boltsmag.org/massachusett...

MA is considering legislation that would prohibit companies from collecting sensitive data like location and citizenship status unless it is necessary to provide their product or service, and would bar them from selling these data.

Act now to support the bill: action.aclu.org/send-message...

1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.

Hundreds of kids are still detained.

We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵

I hope Dems begin to see that moderate or progressive, AIPAC is not our friend.

They endorse January 6th insurrectionists. Yet if you so much as suggest the US uphold its own Leahy laws, no matter your record, they will work against you.

BREAKING: Trump says he 'didn't make a mistake' with his racist video post.

Q:  "A number of Republicans are calling on you to apologize for that post. Is that something you're going to do?"

Trump: "No, I didn't make a mistake."

He adds later: "I guess it was a take off on the Lion King."

A small army of mayors gathers to anticipate a possible ‘invasion’ of federal immigration agents Plus: Lt. Gov. Driscoll's summit with mayors, Rep. Flanagan flees and more in Political Intel

Thank you Mayor Wilson for signing Somerville onto these important efforts to uphold basic constitutional rights @mayorjakewilson.bsky.social

massterlist.beehiiv.com/p/a-small-ar...

Flyer for SCLT event on 2/24

🏡Join us! Somerville Community Land Trust is partnering with Just-A-Start to build a permanently affordable apartment building at the corner of Medford and Walnut (behind the Central Library, kitty-corner).

Learn more on 2/24 at 6p, High School Cafeteria.

Speaking to the HAW Union rally at Harvard Medical School

HAW Union rally at Harvard Medical School

✊Freezing temperatures won’t stop us! Proud to stand with my union @haw-uaw.bsky.social calling on Harvard leadership to negotiate a fair contract.

The Carlson Group next examined the impact of increasing call volume on response times. This analysis focused on the 90" percentile (defined above), specifically this question: what is the response time at the point where 90% of calls have been reached by the first-due unit? NFPA 1710 establishes, in part, that fire / rescue agencies should target an initial response time of five minutes for the first arriving unit for critical calls. This is comprised of a combination of the time it takes in the station to dress and begin responding (one minute) and the time it takes to drive to the call (four minutes). The Carlson Group Page | 8 City of Somerville, MA - Fire Department Strategic Plan The City has enjoyed very impressive response times (more than 90% of calls reached in less than five minutes - which includes in-station response time and driving to the call). This is in large measure due to the City's investment in this vital public safety resource and the deployment of units. The City also benefits from its geography and population density - allowing response units to be located close to one another, enhancing the overlap and resulting coverage. This analysis shows a predictable pattern: as the number of emergency (critical) calls has increased, so too has the response time to reach 90% of calls in most of the first-due areas. One particular challenge has been the area protected by E3 (Union Square). This has both been a result of increasing workload (in and around the first-due area but also the removal of the unit from its station in Union Square and its relocation to SFD headquarters - a change which has now been reversed as the Union Square facility is able to house personnel and apparatus again. Exhibit 2 shows the distribution of response times for each of the City's five engine companies.

Another good Q - my understanding is that yes the measurement of “response time” includes both in the station prep and the travel time - it’s unbelievably impressive

(this is from a 2016 document but I believe applies to these numbers too

voice.somervillema.gov/13595/widget...

I've received questions on whether Somerville's recent traffic calming has affected Fire Dept response time - a good question!

I've reviewed data from Somerville Fire Dept 2013-2025, which shows response times have held steady (fluctuates within 5 seconds of 3:37 average time over this period).

They get mad over on twitter about following federal law, in this case 8 U.S.C. § 1158

Under this Administration:

Supporting Palestine -> federal crime

Explicit anti-semitism & white supremacist views -> immediate promotion highest ranks of law enforcement

They pulled 100% of the scientific funding to Harvard over bullshit nonsense accusations of anti-semitism while sending this actual white supremacist to lead a masked paramilitary group to kill and terrorize Americans in the street

Corrected trash of serious and fatal crashes 2013-2025

I made a typo in the first graph - corrected one is here (thanks @finitealright.bsky.social!)

thank you - my mistake! will repost

Also down: my blood pressure when entering the Powderhouse Square rotary. It's a freaking miracle.

This data, and much more, in this month's Mobility Newsletter: mailchi.mp/somervillema....

graph of serious & fatal crashes in Somerville

pedestrian crashes

🚘 Somerville's Traffic Calming is working:

"For the third year in a row, no fatal crashes were recorded in Somerville. Serious injury crashes decreased by roughly 50% compared with 2024...We also saw a significant decrease in all reported crashes, from 618 crashes in 2024 to 516 crashes in 2025."

This administration is stark raving mad, and it is controlled by men - Vance, Miller, Bovino - are all-but-publicly taking orders from neo-Nazis bent on violent removal of nonwhite Americans. The admin barely hides many of these links. And it is driving a campaign of ethnic violence in our country.

I know all eyes are on Minneapolis, but there's a fast-approaching nightmare in Springfield, Ohio.

Trump is revoking protected status for tens of thousands of Haitians living there on Feb. 3.

Reportedly, on Feb. 4, 1000 ICE agents are arriving to remove this population. Ethnic cleansing.

What should Somerville spend on this year? We want to hear from all who live in Somerville! Join the virtual Community Budget Meeting to share your ideas Tuesday, February 10 6 p.m. Learn more: somervillema.gov/budget

The City Council Finance Committee is inviting all who live in Somerville to share their ideas and priorities for this year’s budget at a virtual community budget meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held on Zoom and is open to all who call Somerville home. 🧵

Exclusive: ‘Pink coat lady’ who recorded fatal encounter between federal officers and Alex Pretti speaks to Anderson Cooper | CNN Anderson speaks with Stella Carlson, the witness who captured crucial video showing exactly what happened when Alex Pretti was shot and killed by DHS officers.

very much worth watching - absolute normal hero

www.cnn.com/2026/01/27/u...

The reality of the situation is that whatever Trump personally thinks about anything, he is allowing Stephen Miller to run his administration because he is lazy and stupid, and the entire decision-making apparatus on immigration has been infested with Nazis.

screenshot of text from Adam Serwer in The Atlantic: "The secret fear of the morally depraved is that virtue is actually common, and that they're the ones who are alone. In Minnesota, all of the ideological cornerstones of MAGA have been proved false at once. Minnesotans, not the armed thugs of ICE and the Border Patrol, are brave. Minnesotans have shown that their community is socially cohesive - because of its diversity and not in spite of it. Minnesotans have found and loved one another in a world atomized by social media, where empty men have tried to fill their lonely soul with lies about their own inherent superiority. Minnesotans have preserved everything worthwhile about "Western civilization," while armed brutes try to tear it down by force."

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