BOSTON/Dorchester - When activists with City Life / Vida Urbana trim their Christmas themed “Justice Tree” this afternoon in a Dorchester neighborhood, they’ll be celebrating more than just the giving and receiving of gifts. A family that was evicted from a foreclosed property earlier this year actually will have a place to enjoy the tree for the holiday season.

BOSTON/Dorchester - Over 50 members of Occupy UMass Boston - one of the many informal campus chapters of the Occupy movement that have sprung up around the United States - held a protest outside the inauguration of UMass president Robert Caret at the JFK Library on Tuesday. The students, staff and faculty present demanded a rollback of skyrocketing tuition and fees, a democratic process to replace the current UMass Boston strategic plan, and an end to the "corporatization and privatization" of public higher education in the Commonwealth.

BOSTON/Dorchester - Normandy Street resident Drusilla Frances can remain in her home - at least for another day.

On Monday, Housing advocates from City Life Vida Urbana and members of the four month old Massuniting Coalition, rallied in front of the Frances' two family brick home in Grove Hall and prevented a Boston Housing Court constable from executing an eviction notice.

BOSTON/Dorchester - Temperatures over 100 degrees had Bostonians scrambling to find relief last week. Perhaps an even harder challenge to face: what to do about the debt and deficit and taxes, budget cuts, and proposed austerity measures which have inflamed citizens from D.C. to Dorchester.

Massuniting, a new coalition of local non-profit groups and residents affected by street crime and economic hardship, believes it can channel that anger into progressive activism.

BOSTON/Dorchester - Massuniting, a grassroots coalition of community groups and concerned neighbors, and a recent addition to a growing list of Boston area social justice organizations collaborating across various political, economic, and environmental issues, is facilitating a public speak-out in Dorchester on Wednesday July 20.

The community gathering, sponsored by the four month old organization, comes as Congress and the Obama administration debate massive budget cuts - possibly never before seen in American history - that will have repercussions throughout the city and state.

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.