BOSTON/Dorchester - Standing before a home on Potosi Street in Dorchester, flanked by State officials and representatives of the electrical and gas utility companies that serve Boston, Mayor Thomas Menino yesterday announced that a city sponsored effort to increase commercial and residential energy efficiency would start accepting applications from homeowners and landlords.

In the early 90s Boston witnessed a period of 18 months where no one under 17 was murdered. This joint effort between police, clergy, youth, and many others gained national recognition as the Boston Miracle. One controversial part of this success was the lengthy incarceration sentences received by many young people.

As many youth who were sentenced during the Boston Miracle have served their time and are now returning to our community and into a collapsing economy with little to no job skills, violence is once again on the rise.

As the City and especially the Boston Foundation look for a way to duplicate the Boston Miracle, Press Pass TV examines the crucial role that Street Workers play in making their efforts a success.

BOSTON/Dorchester - The outer walls of the Suffolk County House of Correction at South Bay rang with chants last Sunday as a group of 60 immigrant advocates marched and rallied in protest of the local prison's policy of accepting federal money to house unauthorized migrants after their arrest in raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The event was organized by the new Resist the Raids network and was endorsed by over 15 immigrant, labor and community organizations across Massachusetts.

BOSTON/Dorchester - When Boston Mayor Thomas Menino presents his proposed 2010 fiscal budget to the City Council on Wednesday, he will have to address a shortfall of approximately $140 million dollars. According to the Boston Finance Commission’s February 2009 report on the municipal budget, “the financial deficit facing the City of Boston is the city’s most serious financial problem since the implementation of Proposition 2 1/2.”

BOSTON/Dorchester - Party goers at a foreclosed home indiscriminately sprayed their neighborhood with bullets last Friday - hitting the bedroom window of some local children and provoking a strong community response in this video by the youth media organization, Press Pass TV. The segment was produced by Richard Prophete and edited by Joanna Marinova.

BOSTON/Dorchester - During the presidential election campaign, supporters of U.S. foreign policy endlessly praised the effectiveness of the U.S. troop “surge” in stemming violence and improving conditions in Iraq.

News video covering the 4th Radical Organizing Conference in Dorchester, MA USA held on March 29, 2008 - featuring interviews with 8 local progressive activists and artists.