Category Archives: Community Issues

Put a Cape on that Artist

Read Paul Marion’s tale at RichardHowe.com

LDNA meeting Monday January 24, 7PM, at ALL Gallery 22 Shattuck St.

Agenda
-Discuss inviting downtown businesses for bi-annual presentations.

-Discuss city elections and charter change proposals
-Public Safety and the cost to increase number of police officers

-Nominations for officer elections in February

City Council Public Safety Subcommittee

Message from Taya Dixon Mullane, President, Lower Highlands Neighborhood Group Urging you to attend – City Council Public Safety Subcommittee – Tuesday 1/11/11 – 5.00 – 6.30PM in the City Council Chamber at City Hall.

Lower Highlands Friends,

We continue to mourn the loss of Corinna Ouer, a young woman who called the Lower Highlands home, after the heinous act of violence early on New Year’s Day. Our thoughts and prayers remain with her family and friends, for the speedy recovery of the other seven victims from that night, and for the safety of all the residents of our neighborhood and the City of Lowell.

I am unable to make sense of what happened last weekend, and I know from hearing from so many of you, that you feel the same way. In an effort to get some perspective on the violence that has affected our neighborhood and what can be done to address it, the City Council Public Safety Subcommittee will be meeting on Tuesday, January 11 from 5.00 – 6.30PM in the City Council Chamber at City Hall. The Lowell Police Superintendent and the Middlesex District Attorney have been requested to attend.

Although the Police are on the front lines of responding to crime, we as residents of the City of Lowell are all its victims. We must send a message to our City leaders that we want our neighborhoods to be safer, that we do not want to loose another young person like this, that any efforts taken by the City must include the community – and most importantly, that those efforts not wane until another senseless act of violence claims an innocent life or leaves our community in fear.

I am urging you to attend the City Council Public Safety Subcommittee Meeting on Tuesday, January 11 and to encourage your members to do that same. The meeting is scheduled for 5.00PM and will likely continue until 6.30PM. If you can attend all or even some portion of this meeting, please consider attending. By filling the City Council Chamber, we will demonstrate our unity as a community to urge our leaders to take extraordinary measures to help our City’s neighborhoods be safer by engaging all members of our community in that goal. You are welcome to address the Council, but you are not required to do so – your presence means just as much.

Thank you, and as always, if you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please get in touch.

Taya Dixon Mullane
President, Lower Highlands Neighborhood Group
lowerhighlands01851@gmail.com

UTEC to attend services to honor Corinna Ouer’s memory


From our Friends at UTEC

Please join us at the United Teen Equality Center to attend services to honor Corinna Ouer’s memory



Friday, January 7, 2011. Meet at UTEC at 2.00 PM. UTEC will provide rides to the Wake and Services from 2-4.30 pm (Dolan Funeral Home 106 Middlesex Street. North Chelmsford 01863). Following the wake, there we be a service at the Triratanaram Temple (21 Quigley Ave, N. Chelmsford) from 5-8pm. We will be back by 9 P.M and will drop off at your home.

Saturday, January 8, 2011. Arrive at UTEC at 8.00 AM. We will leave at 8.30 to join a funeral procession at 9am, starting at the Triratanaram Temple and ending at the Linwood Cemetery-Crematory (41 John Ward Avenue, Haverhill). Services will then continue back at the Temple and run from around 12-1. UTEC will provide rides to all services. Service will end by 1pm. Directly following the services, a remembrance ceremony for Corinna Oeur will be held in the UTEC gym.

Sign-up sheet for rides will be at UTEC. Please sign up and please don’t be late for rides. Message us on Facebook or call us at 978-856-3990.

Letter from Executive Director

The staff and youth members of the United Teen Equality Center are deeply saddened by the January 1st shootings on Grand Street. As you may have already heard from the various news reports, 8 young people were shot (all under the age of 21) and one young woman lost her life. We send our condolences to all of the young people who were affected that night, and especially to the family and loved ones of the late Corinna Ouer, only 20 years old.

It’s very troubling to start off 2011 with an incident of youth violence, and especially on this scale. It’s a great loss whenever young people in our city resort to violence. We take heart knowing that so many of Lowell’s young people get involved with UTEC and other positive options, to change their own lives and our community. We have to continue to prioritize the need to reach out to those young people who are the highest-risk in our community through a balanced approach and an increased investment in critically essential services such as employment, alternative education, outreach and wrap-around services.

In addition to combating gang and gun violence, we are also fighting against a variety of forces such as poverty and a lack of opportunities that create the space for such violence to occur.

UTEC thanks the Lower Highlands Neighborhood Association for their immediate action to bring together the community on Sunday afternoon. UTEC staff, teen members, and board members joined the gathering to show support and reach out to the young people in mourning. UTEC Streetworkers stayed at the homemade memorial that friends and neighbors established on Grand Street. “Every time I go to work, I give everything I have to youths like them,” Johnny, a member of the Streetworker team, told the Lowell Sun, speaking of the accused shooters.



Young people who seek a safe place and support can visit UTEC during our hours of operation (Mon-Fri from 9am-6 pm) or call UTEC any time at 978.856.3990.

Learn more about UTEC’s Streetworkers and their efforts to prevent youth violence at

http.//www.utec-lowell.org/press/pdf/jhsph_final.pdf



Gregg Croteau, MSW

Executive Director


LHNG TO REMEMBER NEW YEAR’S EVE VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE

Please join the Lower Highlands Neighborhood Group (LHNG) on Sunday January 2nd at 2 PM in Armory Park to place purple ribbons along Grand Street in rememberance of the victims of ciolence that ocurred at 04 Grand Street on New Year’s Eve (ribbons will be provided by LHNG).

The event will begin at Armory Park at the corner of Westford and Grand Streets. The purpose of the event is to send a clear message throughout the Lower Highlands and the City of Lowell that violence will not be tolerated in our community.

For more information about LHNG go to http://sites.google.com/site/lowerhighlands/

New Year

January 1, 2011, 2:24 AM

I have been out wandering the neighborhood tonight. There were lots of wonderful first night celebrations going on…I stopped in at Centro where all was lovely and warm and celebratory. At Garcia Brogans there was a great crowd of peole listening to covers of tunes that I was amazed these kids knew; many of the members of the band live here in the ‘hood”.

STOP! There was a shooting at (or near) the 7 Eleven at the Lord Overpass. Not the way you want a neighborhood to start a new year. I happen upon a SUN reporter and Rob Mills is on this so I’m sure we will hear more in the morning. In the meantime say a prayer and hope that no one is hurt and it is jut some rambunctious new year craziness.

Taking a spin around the block…there are about 80 people standing in front of Brian’s Ivy Hall on Merrimack St. (and not the happy friendly ones I’ve seen elsewhere) usual mayhem for this place. This one is beyond me; I have no idea why this place is not taken-to-task by someone about what goes on outside at night.

The Old Court and Hookslides are looking very peaceful. There was a wedding tonight at The Smokehouse; people rented the whole place and everyone is lovely and it is a really cool event.

Round the bend; tonight is “Fetish Night” upstairs at the Blue Shamrock. Costumes abound…I had to stop in wonder of where one finds all that gear. 6-inch heels on cobblestones was worth watching for awhile…they have carried the party into the garage now. Good luck to anyone tryin got sleep at Canal Place.

All-in-all as I wander around I am always astounded by what happens here in our neighborhood at night. It may seem even more astounding to those who don’t live here how much I love this place and I’m never worried about walking around at 2:30 AM. As busy as they are with more serious issues our LPD are here walking the streets keeping an eye on the revelers and I have a great sense of peace knowing I’ll see my friends and neighbors tomorrow at the Market.

Happy New Year to All!
KMM

From our friends at UTEC

Recently, the Lowell City Council has voted to draft a home-rule petition to lower the voting age in Lowell from 18 to 17 in municipal elections. This was in response to a Youth-Led City Council Candidates Forum organized by UTEC youth in 2009. At this forum, youth expressed concern about ensuring that their voices are fully heard, and also stated their interest in the need to increase civic engagement among young people.

On Tuesday, November 9, 2010, a motion was introduced to draft a home-rule petition to lower the voting age to 17 in Lowell municipal elections. It passed 8-1. Last Tuesday, December 7th, the Rules Subcommittee also approved the motion for the City Solicitor to draft the official language. Teens from UTEC, Teens Leading the Way (our statewide youth-led advocacy coalition), and the Lowell Youth Council spoke to the council subcommittee members about what lowering the voting age would mean for them and the youth of Lowell.

Tonight, at 6:30pm in Lowell City Hall, the full Council will vote on passing this motion and moving it forward to the state legislature.
Coupled with our statewide efforts to have a civics course as a required high school graduation requirement, we see this motion as a unique opportunity to launch a movement to increase civic action among young people in Lowell and beyond.
How Can You Help?
We are asking that as many supporters attend the meeting which will be held tonight in the Council Chambers of Lowell City Hall, 375 Merrimack Street, at 6:30 pm. You will join youth and adult supporters as we thank the Lowell City Council for approving this historic vote, and kicking off our campaign to let Lowell lead the way to increase voter and civic engagement in our communities.

EVENT UPDATE

TODAY IS WORLD AIDS DAY. If you are planning to attend the event at city hall tonight; the Vigil has been moved to Middlesex Community College, 32 Kearney Sq., due to potential rain.

LPD Resident Survey Results

The Lowell Police Department web site has a link to the entire report.
Downtown residents had one of the highest response rates.
There is also a story in the SUN (which we don’t read) at
lowellsun.com

LPD Downtown Subcommittee Meeting

Rob Mills has a SUN article at


Some thoughts by one of our neighbors on last nights meeting.
http://mindtivo.blogspot.com/2010/11/dub-two.html

Thank you to Chief Lavallee for continuing to hold these meetings and to everyone who attended.