George Floyd's family is "able to breathe again" after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of his murder on Tuesday, but loved ones, activists and politicians across the country say the fight for justice and policing reform is far from over.
"Today is a pivotal moment for America. It's something this country's needed for a long time now," Floyd's nephew, Brandon Williams, told reporters after the verdict was read. "We need change in this broken system that was built to oppress us, that was built against us. … We need police reform, bad."
“Today we are able to breathe again,” Philonise Floyd, one of George Floyd’s brothers, said.
Chauvin, 45, had his bail immediately revoked and was led away in handcuffs. He’s set to be sentenced in two months and could face decades behind bars, with the most serious charge carrying up to 40 years in prison.
“We don’t celebrate a man going to jail — we would have rather George be alive,” civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton said. But Chauvin’s conviction serves as “assurance” to the hundreds of thousands of people across the country who marched in the wake of Floyd’s death that “if we don’t give up, then we can win some rounds.”
Floyd’s killing last Memorial Day set off waves of protest across the nation and forced a reckoning on racism and policing from Minneapolis to Massachusetts.
“The road to equity is long and uneven, but there was justice today,” Rachael Rollins, the first Black woman to serve as Suffolk District Attorney, said in a press conference. “We are a noble profession, and this man does not represent us and the good work we do every single day.'”
Rollins stood alongside Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey, the city’s first Black and first female chief executive, and members of Janey’s Cabinet, including police Superintendent-in-Chief Greg Long, in a show of unity.
“While I am truly grateful for a guilty verdict, I know that our work in our city and every other city across America to advance racial justice continues,” Janey said.
Gov. Charlie Baker, House Speaker Ronald Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka vowed that work will continue to deliver on the law enforcement reforms lawmakers passed here last year.
“We owe it to all those whose lives have been lost to do all we can to successfully implement that law, and sustain its aspirations far into the future,” Baker said in a statement.
President Biden noted the “extraordinary convergence of factors” that wrought a conviction he called “much too rare” on Tuesday, and said “we can stop here” as he and Vice President Kamala Harris called to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
“Nothing can ever bring their brother, their father, back,” Biden said. “But this would be a giant step forward in the march toward justice in America.”
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, the first Black woman elected to the Boston City Council and then to Congress from Massachusetts, renewed her calls to end qualified immunity and to “dismantle the systems that create the conditions for police brutality” in favor of “trauma-informed, community-based solutions.”
Amid calls to double down on the work ahead, some of the Bay State’s Black leaders also expressed hope.
The NAACP Boston Branch said the Chauvin verdict signals “hope that our nation can live up to its ideals and realize justice for Black lives in America.”
Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said: "Does the life of a Black man in America matter? A Minnesota jury today said 'yes.' ”
Herald staff writers Erin Tiernan and Sean Philip Cotter and Herald wire services contributed to this report.
Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito traded in their workwear for white-and-maroon team jerseys to honor the UMass men’s hockey team’s national championship win.
“It was an enormous joy to watch this team play its way through the playoffs and especially to avenge its defeat from two years ago,” Baker said, speaking alongside coaches and team members outside the State House Tuesday.
The UMass Minutemen beat the Huskies of St. Cloud State University 5-0 in a shutout game on April 10 in Pittsburgh, vindicating their 2019 title loss against the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in the national semifinals.
It’s the UMass men’s hockey team’s first NCAA Division 1 title and the first championship for the UMass Amherst athletic department in more than a decade.
Baker spoke to the "class and character" of head coach Greg Carvel who called a timeout in the final moments of the championship game to make sure his players took a moment to appreciate the significance of their accomplishment.
“We just wanted to build a program that we can be proud of. And I think it’s really important for our university system, but particularly Amherst, to have a championship program — a big state school has something that they can cheer loud about,” Carvel said. “I’m just really proud that we’re able to provide that.”
UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy said, “it’s never lost on me that we in fact are a moral grant institution of Massachusetts and our success, whether in the classroom or in the lab or on ice — it belongs to the people of the commonwealth.”
UMass President Marty Meehan praised the win, calling athletics “the front porch of any university.”
“You need to show excellence in everything that you do — in your research, in your graduation rates, in your retention rates, but athletics is important to demonstrate that you are committed to excellence," Meehan said.
Baker called Massachusetts a “hockey state” but the Minutemen win is the first time a Massachusetts college men’s team has captured the Division 1 college hockey championship since 2012.
“We take enormous pride in the fact that it’s not that unusual for a college hockey team from Massachusetts — sometimes more than one — to end up in the final four in college hockey, men’s and women’s,” Baker said. “Let’s remember that the Northeastern women’s team made it all the way to the final four as well.”
By Rick Sobey, Erin Tiernan on Apr 20, 2021 07:26 pm
The push is on to relax the outdoor mask mandate.
But Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday wouldn’t commit to any time frame as more and more people get the coronavirus vaccine.
When people are not crowded outside, there is “barely any risk at all” to contracting COVID-19, epidemiologists say. But under the Bay State mask mandate, people are supposed to wear a mask at all times in public.
“I really question whether people have to wear them outside while they’re walking, while they’re running and biking,” said Dr. Paul Sax, clinical director of the division of infectious disease at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “That’s a different risk. There’s barely any risk at all.”
When a family of five goes to the park, they’re supposed to wear masks while gathering together at the park after being maskless inside all day.
“That doesn’t make any sense, and there are a lot of situations like that,” Sax said.
It’s still important to wear masks outside in crowded settings, when there are face-to-face encounters with people in close range, he said. Sax also still strongly supports a mask mandate for indoor activities.
The governor on Tuesday said he’s not ready to make any commitments either way even as public health experts signal it could soon be time to ditch masks outdoors.
“This is obviously something we’re not just talking to local folks about we’ve also been talking to the feds, as well,” Baker said during a press conference.
Some Republican governors have already decided to rescind mask mandates in their state, including in New Hampshire, but Baker said he’d “rather just wait and work through the conversations folks” before committing to any timeframe.
Paul Diego Craney, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, said it’s time for Baker to lift the outdoor mask order.
“Those in our most vulnerable populations who want a vaccine now have that protection and with vaccines available to everyone as of Monday, it’s time to start taking steps back to normal,” Craney added.
But epidemiologists say the outdoor mask order shouldn’t be completely lifted because there are close encounters in which masks are still necessary.
“There could be a loosening of mask use outdoors where social distance can be maintained,” said Boston University infectious diseases specialist Davidson Hamer. “But full removal of the order should not happen until we’re in a better place with the number of new cases.”
State officials Tuesday announced nearly $3.6 million in grants that will go toward building, renovating and marketing Massachusetts tourist attractions to help revitalize the economy after a year in which tourism and hospitality were among the industries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
Lt. Governor Karyn Polito and Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism Executive Director Keiko Matsudo Orrall announced $1.58 million in awards to 59 tourism organizations, chambers of commerce and municipalities as part of the newly created Travel and Tourism Recovery Grant Pilot Program.
“I really believe that the hardest part is behind us and the greatest days are ahead. … We want to make sure that this year it is showcased more than ever,” Polito said. “These grants certainly will allow us to do that.”
In Boston, the recipients include $20,000 to market the Freedom Trail and its 16 historic sites.
"We are greatly appreciative of the grant as we have suffered more than a 90% decrease in revenue due to the pandemic," said Suzanne Taylor, a member of the Freedom Trail Foundation's Board of Directors.
In Worcester County, Old Sturbridge Village will receive $33,750 for a "Come and Stay" advertising and outreach campaign that will coincide with the museum's upcoming 75th anniversary.
The living museum, which recreates life in rural New England during the 1790s through 1830s, lost nearly 150,000 visitors last year because of the pandemic, said Jim Donahue, its president and CEO.
Polito also announced the opening of the Destination Development Capital Grant Program created in the economic development bill signed by Gov. Charlie Baker in January.
The $2 million competitive grant program will award funds to strengthen the economy through development projects that will construct, expand, restore or renovate tourism destinations and attractions.
"Massachusetts continues to make critical investments that support our small businesses, visitor destinations, downtown districts and rural areas," said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy. "These investments are critical to helping our tourism and hospitality industry rebound from the impacts caused by this public health crisis and will allow our communities to recover as we approach the summer tourism season."
Boston residents have worn face masks in public for nearly a year to stop the spread of coronavirus, and despite some medical opinions that outdoor transmission is rare, they say they don’t plan on going out uncovered anytime soon.
“I personally feel that it’s really important to continue wearing masks, at least until we know that everyone has been vaccinated,” said 19-year-old Aja Webber.
Dr. Ashish Jha, Dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, said he expects outdoor mask mandates like the one in Massachusetts to lift in the coming weeks. But even on Tuesday’s 70-degree, sunny day in the Public Garden, locals told the Herald they’re not ready to be barefaced again.
“I’m in a somewhat unique situation in the fact that I have a preexisting condition,” said Alan Rothman, 77. “Of course, I’ve gotten my two shots, but still — there’s always a concern.”
For some Bay Staters, their comfort with the mask mandate is situational.
“I still think it’s a good idea if you’re around a lot of people — if you’re going to an event and there’s a concert, or something. But if you’re by yourself, walking with your family, you can put your mask down,” said Chicopee resident Lisa Martial.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu ended the state’s mask mandate last week, but a move that widespread sounded jarring people in the more populated Boston area.
“I don’t think we’re ready for that. I don’t think anyone should be doing that,” Martial said.
“I can see the younger generation wanting to get rid of their masks, but most of my peers would frown on that,” said Rothman.
But even younger people said at this point, the masks don’t feel like that big of a deal.
“I’ve gotten more accustomed to it at this point, I suppose,” said 25-year-old Daniel Schwartz, who lives in densely packed Beacon Hill. “I have no problem with it.”
So when will Bostonians be ready to pack away their masks? A handful of joggers and walkers around Boston Common went completely mask-free Tuesday afternoon, which is in step with recent recommendations from doctors like Jha. Others told the Herald they want widespread vaccination, and they’ll wait until the experts agree it’s safe for everyone.
Do you think Gov. Charlie Baker should lift the mask mandate? Take our poll online at bostonherald.com today.
Up to 1,000 members of the Massachusetts National Guard have been activated as a precaution in case of "large-scale" protests after Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict.
Public safety officials said there is “no indication of any public safety risk in Massachusetts," but Gov. Charlie Baker has alerted the Guard to be ready.
"The (administration) has been working with our local, state, and federal partners to ensure public safety personnel can be on hand if the need arises," Executive Office of Public Safety and Security Secretary Thomas Turco said.
The Baker administration has enacted similar orders calling up the National Guard in the year since George Floyd’s death and as unrest has swept the nation in the wake of continued police killings, particularly of Black men.
None have required any Guard operations since June 1 following an eruption of violence in Boston over Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis Police.
EOPSS spokesman Jake Wark underscored that point saying the number of guardsmen put on standby “reflects the maximum number of personnel who would be available and not necessarily the number deployed.”
State Police Col. Christopher Mason said his force would operate with increased staffing levels in case troopers are called up to assist local police departments.
"We are coordinating with our partner agencies on a multi-layered, scalable plan to protect people's safety, property, and rights of assembly and free speech," Mason said.
State Police and Homeland Security are monitoring the situation.
Massachusetts health officials reported that nearly 2.1 million people in the state are now fully vaccinated as more than 79,000 coronavirus vaccine doses were given during the most recent day of vax data on Tuesday.
It comes as the state also reported 968 new virus cases and three deaths from the virus.
Overall, 2,095,808 people in Massachusetts have now been fully vaccinated.
The state Department of Public Health’s daily vaccination report showed 5,209,620 total doses have been administered — 3,113,812 people who have received at least one dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, 1,892,492 people who have received both doses of Pfizer or Moderna, and 203,316 people who have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
That’s a daily increase of 79,162 doses. The previous daily vaccinations were 50,856 shots, 69,990 shots, 88,032 shots, 86,934 shots and 95,048 shots.
More than 5.9 million doses have been shipped to the state after a recent shipment of 37,820 doses. More than 87% of doses shipped here have been administered.
Tuesday’s 968 new cases follow a recent spike in cases as the more contagious variants spread across the state. The Bay State’s count of estimated active cases is now 33,060 cases, up from 25,397 a few weeks ago.
Tuesday’s three new virus deaths bring the state’s total recorded death toll to 17,484. The seven-day average of daily deaths is now seven, down from 77 daily deaths in late January. Daily deaths are now at the lowest point of the pandemic amid the vax rollout.
Statewide hospitalizations have dropped during the vax rollout but started fluctuating in recent weeks. Hospitalizations on Tuesday ticked up by three patients, bringing the total to 708 patients.
The seven-day average of the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 has declined from 2,347 patients at the start of January to an average of 705 patients now.
U.S. Sen. Edward Markey and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez re-energized their push for a Green New Deal on Tuesday, calling on President Biden to go “bigger and bolder” on combating climate change as Republicans decried the progressive wish list as socialism.
“We believe that this is the moment that requires us to act big, think big, have a program that matches the magnitude of the problem that we’re confronted with,” the Malden Democrat said in a press conference.
The lawmakers’ nonbinding resolution calls for a 10-year national mobilization to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and steer more federal resources toward low-income and minority communities disproportionately affected by climate change.
Markey and Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., built on that Tuesday by unveiling their bill for a Civilian Climate Corps that would put 1.5 million people to work over five years on climate-related projects.
More than 100 House members have now signed on as co-sponsors of the Green New Deal.
But key Republicans, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and U.S. Sen. John Barasso, the ranking member of the Senate energy committee, swatted the proposal away as “socialism.”
"The green new disaster is back," Barasso said in a statement. “The Green New Deal isn't about protecting the environment. It's about massively increasing the size of government and dictating how Americans live their lives.”
First introduced in 2019, the Green New Deal quickly emerged as a litmus test for Democrats and a weapon for Republicans throughout the 2020 election cycle.
Markey — who last year harnessed the Green New Deal movement he helped create to crush then-U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III and Republican Kevin O’Connor en route to re-election — called it a “winning political issue.”
“The amount that we have negotiated that has already been incorporated in the Biden administration’s approach so far is commendable — and we have to go bigger and bolder than that,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Markey said lawmakers are in “constant communication with the White House in terms of the boldness that we want to see in this plan.”
But University of Massachusetts Lowell political science professor John Cluverius said, “I don’t think the Biden administration is looking to move any further to the left than they’ve already staked out on climate, because they have to run for re-election in states with lots of oil and gas and coal.”
Biden is set to unveil his 2030 greenhouse gas emissions target later this week as he hosts dozens of world leaders for a virtual climate summit.
Did you ever dream you would be living in a police state where the local Stasi would set up multiple snitch lines where you turn in your neighbors for such terrible crimes as a soccer game in East Boston, a youth-hockey tournament in Hyde Park, a St. Patrick's Day party in Billerica or a karaoke night in Danvers?
Welcome to Maskachusetts 2021.
The Panic is long over, but Gov. Charlie Baker, like an angry ex-boyfriend, just can't let go.
He's gone from following the science to following the science fiction, and he just keeps pushing his own toxic brand of what Gov. Ron DeSantis calls Faucism.
After weeks of FOIA requests, the Department of Public Health ("Over 65,000 Criminal Drug Lab Tests Falsified!") has finally turned over to the Herald a handful of the recent reports from its publicly funded COVID-19 rat line.
To read the entire reports on the DPH snitch line, go to howiecarrshow.com.
I have a feeling these reports are the G-rated ones, which don't fully show just how deranged these Karens have become.
The Karens calling the DPH snitch line truly seem to believe that she/he will die if exposed to … something. So why are they out and about, dealing with us infidels, deniers and Deplorables who just want to go back to living a normal life?
Consider the incident report of the karaoke bust in Danvers March 7:
"Walked in and place was packed. Karaoke going on and even waitstaff was participating. Walked out. Clear violations to the guidelines. They have other entertainment planned as well."
At that point, Karen links to the restaurant's Facebook page. Karen always links to the restaurant's social media. It's called evidence.
But why did Karaoke Karen risk her life by going to the Danvers death house in the first place? She never heard of Uber Eats? Home delivery was made for Karen.
But this is a recurring theme on the snitch line. Karen can't resist the takeout, perhaps because she knows it will give her something to report to her dear leader, Gov. Charlie Bacon.
In Leominster, Karen walks into a restaurant and notices "about 30 individuals at the door, close together, without masks. When I asked the owner what was going on, he shrugged his shoulders."
Shrugged his shoulders! In other words — indifference. Down through the ages, that's always driven the religious fanatics into a frenzy of outrage, and it still does.
And remember, Maskachusetts has a long history of, among other things, hanging witches in Salem and burning Catholic convents in Charlestown.
Every once in a while, a religious cult goes out of control in Maskachusetts. It's happened again.
On March 4, Karen reported a restaurant in Millers Falls where she is a regular and "not only is the owner walking around without a mask, he is approaching tables and talking to people … This is very concerning and dangerous."
Memo to Karen: If you don't like a place, stop going there.
Here's one from a large factory in Lynn where Karen reports the response to the Panic has been "subpar":
"People are not wearing a masks (sic) and not adhering to social distancing. Inside the manufacturing areas employees are constantly removing masks to speak if they are wearing them."
Karen is describing a factory that produces heavy machinery. How are they supposed to communicate?
The snitch line excerpts the DPH sent us were heavy on car dealerships. There was a pattern here too: Karen arrives early to get some work done on her car (Prius? Subaru?). She is shocked to observe multiple offenses against the state's Faucist policies.
From a Leominster car dealership on March 3: "As soon as I walked in, a few employees quickly rushed to put their masks on."
Same day, at a dealership in Brockton:
"As I was having my car serviced, I noticed at least 5 associates of the dealership not wearing a mask at all or on the chin. Watched a service-team member approach a customer and start talking to them with no mask at all or visible. Team member going in and out of New vehicles with no face coverings. Totally inappropriate."
In Raynham: "No sales rep is wearing a mask when they first open up. I came here early to drop my vehicle off for service and had to wait. They are openly walking around without a mask as I sit in the waiting area."
Openly! They're not even trying to hide their … heresy.
Here's a restaurant in Dennis: "No one except the bartender had a mask on and the place was packed."
Could there possibly be a connection between those two facts? Likewise, a golfing establishment in Pembroke seemed to be doing well on March 14. Was it because management, as Karen tut-tutted, "allowed customers to walk about maskless"?
The Ward 18 rat who dimed out the youth-hockey tournament last month in Hyde Park even did his own Faucistic analysis of the alleged peril: "(It) creates an unnecessary risk, even with masks, for a super spreader event."
Youth hockey tournament — super spreader. Looting, arson, rioting, shooting at cops — peaceful protest.
A Salem coffee shop is dimed out for allowing too many customers: "No regulation, no posted max capacity. No one telling anyone to wait."
That's the real problem of course. No one is ordering Karen around and telling her what to do and generally acting like the Gestapo. Karens of both sexes like to be bossed around.
In the year since Maskachusetts was taken over by Faucists, Karen has once again proven the truth of the old axiom: If you believe in nothing, you will fall for anything.
Karen has fallen, and a year later she still can't get up.
Moments before the jury announced it had reached a verdict in the trial against former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd, Gov. Charlie Baker said the state was ready to support cities and towns in case of demonstrations.
“We’ve had lots of conversations over the course of the past several days with our colleagues about this,” Baker said, speaking in Ashburton Park outside the State House on Tuesday. “We’ll continue to monitor of channels that we historically monitor around this stuff.”
Baker did not say specifically if he expected unrest.
“Massachusetts had one bad day all the way through all the activity of last summer — literally tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of people peacefully demonstrating here in Massachusetts,” he said.
A day of peaceful protests last May 31 where protesters demanded justice for Floyd’s death and that of others at the hands of police, turned into a night of violence with riots, looting and vandalism. The National Guard was called in during the early morning hours of June 1 to shut down protesters.
Boston’s new mayor — the city’s first woman and first Black person to lead the majority-minority city — on Tuesday said she was working with law enforcement in preparation for possible demonstrations in the wake of the Chauvin verdict.
“It’s important that we recognize that this is traumatizing for many of us that have seen this over and over and over again,” Janey said, noting she was also working to deploy the city’s trauma team.
Janey encouraged activists to “stay engaged… regardless of the verdict.”
“Even if justice is served in this case it does not mean that the work is over. It is important that we continue to move forward with the racial justice agenda,” Janey said, ticking off the names of Duante Wright and Adam Toledo — two young men of color killed in recent days by police.
As the past year of protests unfolded, it became common practice in Massachusetts for Baker to put the National Guard on standby around times of planned protests. He did not address questions of whether he would do so again or if demonstrations were expected with the Chauvin verdict.
“We’re obviously going to keep talking to our colleagues in local government and if we need to do some things at their request to make sure everybody stays calm and peaceful, we’ll do that,” Baker said. “But I’m incredibly proud of the way the state has dealt with these issues.”
Baker touted his collaboration with the Legislature last session to pass bipartisan police reform legislation, noting Massachusetts is “one of the few states to have actually” done so.
This year’s high school juniors won’t be required to take and pass MCAS to graduate, department of education officials decided Tuesday in the latest set of testing modifications made due to the pandemic.
“I think this is exactly the type of thing that shows students that we’re caring about them,” Jasper Coughlin, the student member on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, said of the new modification that passed with a unanimous vote.
The science MCAS requirement for the class of 2022 had previously been dropped, but English language arts and math testing had remained.
The new measure now completely exempts the class from having to pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System to graduate. Instead, students will now be able to demonstrate competency in a particular subject by completing a relevant course.
Robert Curtin, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education associate commissioner, said in a presentation that students have not had any opportunities to take the MCAS, making it difficult to keep the requirement in place.
“Without this modification, you know, they would never have enough of the required opportunities to take the test, as required, by the time that they were up for graduation,” Curtin said, adding that kids can still take the test this year for scholarship purposes if they choose.
Many Board of Elementary and Secondary Education members commented that it was the right solution given the circumstances, with others, such as Matt Hills, adding that the chances for future modifications are now running thin.
“I would just say I’m running out of room to see where any further modifications or changes to any part of MCAS will make sense to me,” Hills said, but agreed with the latest measure.
However, Darlene Lombos, the board’s labor representative, responding to Hills said she was “on the other end” in wanting to have further discussions about the MCAS and its impact on equity.
When the pandemic hit last year, MCAS testing was waived entirely and DESE Commissioner Jeffrey Riley and other officials have said a blanket waiver won’t happen again.
But some lawmakers and community groups, along with the Massachusetts Teachers Association, are pushing to cancel the MCAS, saying it is causing undue stress to teachers and students when time and money can be better spent on pandemic recovery.
Citizens for Public Schools, a Boston nonprofit, thanks the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for the move in a statement and added, “Going forward, we should make the change permanent and join the rest of the nation (all but 11 states) that have abandoned this failed and destructive policy.”
Another ride-hail service driver has been arrested in Boston, about a month after a different driver was accused of kidnapping a passenger in the city.
Boston Police on Tuesday said that 25-year-old ride-hailing service driver Sonpreet Singh turned himself in and was arrested on a warrant for indecent assault and battery on a person over 14.
Last Wednesday, an alleged victim entered BPD’s District 14 in Brighton to report that she was indecently assaulted by a ride-hail driver.
Detectives from the Sexual Assault Unit conducted an investigation and were able to identify the driver as Singh and obtain a warrant for the Somerville man.
That incident sparked renewed calls for fingerprint background checks for drivers. A ride-hail bill at the State House would require the Bay State to conduct fingerprint background checks of the state and national criminal history databases.
In recent years, there has been a series of alleged sexual assaults committed by drivers for ride-hailing services in Boston.
In 2016, a driver using a false name was accused of sexually assaulting a female passenger. In 2018, an Uber driver was arrested after he allegedly raped a passenger who had been out celebrating her birthday.
Then in 2019, a ride-hailing service driver allegedly raped a woman in his vehicle on the Esplanade — along Storrow Drive near the Hatch Memorial Shell.
The proposed millionaires tax in Massachusetts would “adversely impact” a significant number of small business owners, ultimately hampering the state’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute.
A proposed state constitutional amendment would add a 4% surtax to all annual income above $1 million.
If the surtax passes, it would apply to as many as 13,430 of the state’s pass-through entities — which are often small businesses structured as S corporations, sole proprietorships and partnerships.
“Promoters of the surtax always point to its impact on some nebulous ‘millionaire,’ ” said Pioneer Institute Executive Director Jim Stergios. “The tax will impact many more people and small businesses, and through them, tens of thousands of employees.”
From 2010 to 2018, the number of pass-through employers in the state grew by 11.3%. By 2018, they accounted for 57.1% of Massachusetts’ private sector workforce.
“The past year has been a historically difficult time for a lot of ‘Main Street’ business owners in Massachusetts,” said Nina Weiss, who wrote the Pioneer report with Greg Sullivan. “This is a time when we should be prioritizing the resilience of the state’s economy and getting people back to work, not raising taxes on small businesses.”
The millionaires tax could also deter future entrepreneurs from starting businesses here, they write in the report.
Lawmakers this session are likely to advance a ballot initiative that would propose a constitutional amendment to impose the surtax.
Proponents of the tax — who call it the “Fair Share Amendment” — say the measure could bolster education and transportation funding by $2 billion.
“The Pioneer Institute’s latest missive rehashes an old argument for why multi-millionaires shouldn’t pay their fair share of state taxes,” Raise Up Massachusetts, the coalition behind the amendment, said in a statement. “It’s either intentionally designed to mislead or the Pioneer Institute is confused. The Fair Share Amendment wouldn’t increase the taxes of any businesses, only a few multi-millionaire business owners.
“The Fair Share Amendment is simple: taxpayers with total income of more than a million dollars in a single year would pay an extra 4 percentage points on their second million, and every million after that,” the coalition added. “Whether their income is from salaries, stocks, bonds or a ‘pass-through entity’ is irrelevant to the current or proposed tax rate. Owners of S-corporations and other pass-through entities would continue to pay income taxes only on their business’s profits, after subtracting all its costs.”
Residents could vote on the ballot question in November 2022.
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