POV: Militarization of Policing Risks Turning US Cities into Battlespaces

During President Trump’s now-infamous walk to St. John’s Church for a photo op earlier this month, he was escorted by the Secretary of Defense and a four-star general in battle fatigues. National Guard troops and unmarked federal agents used tear gas, flash grenades, and rubber bullets to clear the president’s path of otherwise peaceful protestors. Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s recent calls for government actors to “dominate the battlespace” played out right in Lafayette Square, a grassy plaza adjacent to the White House in front of an Episcopal church. The message seemed clear: the full force of the US military stood in support of President Trump’s authoritarian pageantry.

Survey: Housing crisis widespread

Bay Area cities grappling with the soaring cost of housing are not alone. In a new survey of 117 American mayors, “housing costs” – not public safety or schools or jobs – was the top reason they gave for why residents move away, with just over half of the cities’ leaders citing it as the reason.

Menino Lands at BU

Boston University will bring the 20 years of expertise of one of the most accomplished mayors in the country to the Charles River Campus next semester. Outgoing Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, whose leadership transformed Boston from a city that seemed to be running in place to a magnet for entrepreneurs, artists, and young professionals, will join the BU faculty in February to help lead an initiative that will define the politics and services, such as education, health care, transportation, and technology, needed for cities to thrive as economic hubs in the 21st century.