Cityline: Ruthzee Louijeune’s new tenure
Leading a Boston City Council and working for all the residents of Boston
I’M KAREN HOLMES WARD. WELCOME TO CITYLINE. TODAY WE’RE SITTING DOWN WITH BOSTON’S NEWEST CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT, RUTH LOUIS. JEAN WAS BORN AND RAISED IN MATTAPAN AND HYDE PARK. SHE’S THE DAUGHTER OF HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS, A HARVARD GRADUATE AND GRADUATE OF HARVARD LAW SCHOOL. AS A LAWYER, SHE FOUGHT FOR FAMILIES FACING EVICTION AND FORECLOSURE IN BOSTON, HOUSING COURT. SHE DEFENDED VOTING RIGHTS IN CASES BEFORE THE US SUPREME COURT HELPED ELECT PROGRESSIVE PROSECUTORS NATIONWIDE, AND SERVED AS THE SENIOR ATTORNEY ON SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN’S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN. LOUIS JEAN IS NOW THE THIRD BLACK WOMAN TO LEAD THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL, AFTER ATTORNEY GENERAL ANDREA CAMPBELL AND FORMER ACTING MAYOR KIM JANEY, AND SHE IS THE FIRST HAITIAN AMERICAN ELECTED TO BOSTON MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT AND THE FIRST HAITIAN AMERICAN TO LEAD THIS BODY, AND COUNCIL PRESIDENT LOUIS JEAN JOINS US. HOW ARE YOU TODAY? I’M DOING WELL. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. WELCOME TO OUR PROGRAM. SO AS YOU SETTLE IN AS THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL, TELL US WHAT SOME OF YOUR TOP PRIORITIES ARE. WELL, KAREN, THE PRIORITIES THAT I HAVE ARE THE PRIORITIES OF THE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF BOSTON. WE ARE UNFORTUNATELY, IN THE MIDST OF A HOUSING CRISIS WHERE IT IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE UNAFFORDABLE FOR OUR FAMILIES TO LIVE HERE AND TO CALL IT HOME. SO WE HAVE TO DO MORE TO MAKE HOUSING AFFORDABLE. WE’VE DONE THAT IN PART BY INCREASING THE INCLUSIONARY DEVELOPMENT POLICY, THE REQUIREMENT THAT DEVELOPERS NOW HAVE TO SET ASIDE 20% OF THEIR OF THE OF THE NEW DEVELOPMENT FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING. AND WE’VE DEEPENED AFFORDABILITY. THERE’S MORE WORK TO DO THERE. WE HAVE TO LOOK AT AND WE ARE LOOKING AT OUR CITY OWNED LOTS AND PARTNERING WITH NONPROFIT DEVELOPERS TO BUILD MORE AFFORDABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES. AND WE HAVE TO CONTINUE WORKING AND PARTNERING WITH WITH NONPROFITS AND COMMUNITY LAND TRUSTS THAT WANT TO BE COMPETITIVE ON THE MARKET. WHEN THERE’S A BUILDING GOING UP FOR SALE AND THERE ARE TENANTS WHO LIVE IN THAT BUILDING, IF IF ALL YOU DO IS LEAVE IT UP TO THE MARKET, IT’S ONLY GOING TO BE ABOUT PROFIT INCENTIVE. SOMEONE WILL BUY THE BUILDING, THEY’LL KICK EVERYONE OUT, AND THEN THEY’LL HAVE NEW RENTS THAT ARE OFTEN DOUBLE OF WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE PAYING. TO PREVENT THAT, WE NEED TO PARTNER WITH OUR NONPROFITS, COMMUNITY LAND TRUSTS THAT WANT TO BUY THOSE PROPERTIES AND MAKE SURE THAT THE TENANTS WHO ARE IN THOSE PROPERTIES CAN STAY. THAT HELPS US PREVENT DISPLACEMENT, AND THAT HELPS US MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A STRONG, THRIVING COMMUNITIES WHERE OUR WORKING CLASS FAMILIES CAN STAY AND LIVE. SO THERE’S SO MUCH WE GOT TO DO ON THAT FRONT. LOTS OF ISSUES BEFORE THE CITY. COUNCIL. HOW ARE YOU PLANNING TO KEEP THE COUNCIL ACCOUNTABLE AND FOCUSED ON SOME OF THESE CRITICAL ISSUES? I AM I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS COUNCIL BODY THAT WE HAVE ABOUT MY WE HAVE FOUR, UH, NEW COLLEAGUES AND WE HAVE SOME SEASONED ONES COMING TOGETHER WHERE WE CAN JUST REALLY FOCUS ON THE WORK. I THINK VOTERS AND I THINK. RESIDENTS CARE ABOUT A LOCAL GOVERNMENT THAT IS RESPONDING TO ISSUES OF POTHOLES AND LIGHTS BEING OUT AND TRASH ON THE STREETS. MY OFFICE, WE WE WORK DEEPLY ON ISSUES. OF TRASH AND WASTE AND RODENTS BECAUSE THOSE ARE ISSUES THAT PEOPLE CARE ABOUT. RODENTS CAME UP THIS PAST WEEK IN THE CITY COUNCIL. YES THEY DID. THEY CAME UP YESTERDAY. THE IDEA OF OF HAVING MORE DEDICATED SERVICES TO DO THAT WORK. WE ALSO HAVE TO LOOK AT HOW TRASH PICKUP IS HAPPENING IN CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODS AND FOR CERTAIN LARGE BUILDINGS. PERHAPS WE NEED TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PICKUPS THAT WE HAVE, THAT WE REQUIRE IN OUR LARGE BUILDINGS, BECAUSE THE ISSUE OF RODENTS IS REALLY ONE OF TRASH. AND HOW DO WE MITIGATE THAT? AND SO THERE’S A LOT OF WORK TO DO. I THINK THAT WE ARE A BODY OF ACCOUNTABILITY. WE ARE CALLED TO HOLD THE MAYOR ACCOUNTABLE. WE ARE CALLED TO PASS LAWS TO MAKE PEOPLE’S EVERYDAY LIVED EXPERIENCE AND LIVES BETTER SO THAT WE CAN HAVE THOSE. MY FATHER WAS ON THE CITY COUNCIL IN CLEVELAND, OHIO. OH, REALLY? GET CALLS ALL THE TIME ABOUT SOME OF THESE BREAD AND BUTTER EVERYDAY ISSUES. THAT’S WHAT YOUR CONSTITUENTS WANT YOU TO TAKE CARE OF. THERE ARE BIG ISSUES TOO, BUT LIKE, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE THAT I HAVE THE KNOW HOW AND THE ABILITY TO SOLVE THE BIG ISSUES IF I’M NOT RETURNING YOUR PHONE CALL, IF I’M NOT HELPING YOU, MAKE SURE THAT YOUR KID IS ENROLLED IN BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS. IF I’M NOT HELPING YOU WITH A LICENSING ISSUE THAT YOU HAVE AT ISD, THE INSPECTIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, THOSE ARE THE ISSUES THAT MATTER. MAKING SURE THAT OUR RESTAURANTS AND THAT OUR SMALL BUSINESSES HAVE ACCESS TO THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED SO THAT THEY CAN THRIVE. AND THEN WE DEAL WITH THE BIGGER ISSUES. RIGHT? AND WE SOMETIMES WE DO THEM AT THE SAME TIME. WE TALK ABOUT OUR SCHOOLS AND AND ROLLING YOUR KID IN A SCHOOL, WHICH IS A HOPE THAT A CITY COUNCIL DOES. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR KID IS GOING TO A SCHOOL THAT IS MERITORIOUS OF THEIR. DIGNITY, WHERE THE BUILDINGS ARE RESILIENT, WHERE THEY’RE GREEN FRIENDLY, WHERE THEY ARE CENTERING THE ISSUES OF CLIMATE JUSTICE. AND THAT WE HAVE THAT REFLECTIVE IN OUR BUILDINGS. ACCORDING TO THE US CENSUS BUREAU, THE GREATER BOSTON AREA HOSTS. THE THIRD LARGEST HAITIAN DIASPORA IN THE COUNTRY. YES, THE HOUSING OF IMMIGRANTS IS AN OVERWHELMING ISSUE FOR ALL OF THE COMMUNITIES IN THE STATE AND CERTAINLY IN BOSTON. AND MANY OF THE IMMIGRANTS ARE COMING FROM HAITI. HOW IS THE HAITIAN COMMUNITY HELPING AND WHAT IS THE CITY DOING IN YOUR ESTIMATION, TO MITIGATE THE CRISIS? YES. SO THERE ARE A NUMBER OF MIGRANTS COMING TO BOSTON. NEW ARRIVALS, AND SEEK A REFUGE AND SHELTER, ESCAPING POLITICAL PERSECUTION AND, UM, HARM, UH, YOU KNOW, THE TRADITIONAL THINGS THAT IMMIGRANTS AND NEW ARRIVALS SEARCH FOR. ALSO, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY. A.R.T. AND THEY’RE COMING FROM HAITI. THEY’RE COMING FROM VENEZUELA, THEY’RE COMING FROM HONDURAS. THEY’RE COMING FROM CENTRAL LATIN AMERICA. AND, YOU KNOW, THE HAITIAN COMMUNITY. AND THE SAME FOR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES, THE HAITIAN CHURCHES ARE SHOWING UP IN WAYS THAT AREN’T EVEN ON ANYONE’S RADAR BECAUSE IT’S JUST WHAT THEY DO PROVIDING FOOD, PROVIDING SHELTER, PROVIDING RESOURCES. RECENTLY, A NEW ARRIVAL PASSED AWAY. AND TO SEE THE WAY THAT EVERYONE CAME TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, TO TO HELP THE FAMILY BE ABLE TO BURY THEIR LOVED ONE. UH, THAT WAS COMMUNITY WORK, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS MY OFFICE, UH, CONTRIBUTING FUNDS THAT WERE SO MANY PEOPLE SAYING WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN. AND SO IT’S A BEAUTIFUL THING TO SEE. IT’S WHAT TIME SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL, UM, WHETHER IT’S IRISH IMMIGRANT GROUP OR THE ITALIAN OR THE POLISH. LAST NIGHT I WAS AT THE INSTALLATION OF NEW LEADERS AT THE POLISH AMERICAN CLUB IN DORCHESTER. THIS IS WHAT OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES KNOW TO TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER. AND THE CITY, UM, HAS BEEN DOING, UH, GREAT WORK. IMPORTANT WORK IN MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR ASK YOU ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I KNOW, I KNOW, THIS PAST WEEK YOU WERE VERY INVOLVED IN WHAT WAS GOING ON AT THE MELNEA CASS REC CENTER. IT HAD BEEN DESIGNATED BY GOVERNOR HEALEY AS A SHELTER FOR MIGRANTS. WHAT IS THE IMPACT ON THE CONSTITUENTS AND IF YOU COULD JUST KIND OF SHARE HOW YOU’VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THAT? THERE’S A THERE’S A BIG IMPACT ON CONSTITUENTS THAT’S IT’S A REC CENTER THAT IS USED. UH, UH, THERE’S A TRACK CLUB THAT MEETS THERE. THERE’S OF FOR OUR YOUNG KIDS, THERE’S THERE’S AN IMPACT ON THE SERVICES FOR THOSE WHO USE THE CASH CENTER. AND WE’VE HEARD THERE WAS A LISTENING SESSION LED BY COUNCILOR FERNANDES ANDERSON. THE DISTRICT SEVEN CITY COUNCILOR AND SENATOR LIZ MIRANDA AND REP CHINA TYLER, WHO REPRESENT THE AREA. AND I WAS ON THAT CALL AS WELL, HEARING FROM CONSTITUENTS, BOTH SUPPORT FOR THE NEWBURY. RIVALS AND FOR USE OF THAT REC CENTER. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT DOESN’T GET LOST. BUT ALSO PEOPLE SAYING, WHAT WILL BE THE SOLUTION? NOW WHAT? I’LL SAY IS THAT THE CENTER HAS BEEN DISINVESTED IN FOR QUITE SOME TIME. IS IT IN USE CURRENTLY? IT IS IN USE CURRENTLY IT IS IN USE CURRENTLY. NOW, THE GOVERNOR SAID THAT THIS IS ONLY GOING TO HAPPEN TILL MAY, MAY, MAY 31ST IS A DEADLINE THAT PEOPLE WILL BE UP. BUT SOME PEOPLE ARE SAYING, WELL, YOU KNOW, POSSESSION IS 9/10 OF THE LAW. ONCE THEY’RE IN THERE, IS THE GOVERNOR REALLY GOING TO MOVE THEM OUT? THE GOVERNOR HAS COMMITTED THE GOVERNOR HAS SAID, MAY, THIS IS ONLY UNTIL MAY 31ST, COME JUNE 1ST, THAT REC CENTER RETURNS TO COMMUNITY AND SENATOR MIRANDA CONTINUES THE WORK THAT SHE’S BEEN DOING WITH THE COMMISSIONER OF THE PARKS DEPARTMENT. COMMISSIONER REGO, TO FIGHT FOR MORE, ALONG WITH ME AND EVERYONE ELSE, TO FIGHT FOR MORE, MORE RESOURCES BECAUSE THE. STATE OF THE CASS CENTER BEFORE THE NEW ARRIVALS AND THE MIGRANTS ARRIVED, WAS NOT A GOOD ONE. IT HAD BEEN THE SAME. IT’S BEEN THE STORY OF ROXBURY, THE STORY OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, DECADES OF NEGLECT AND DISINVESTMENT IN BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES. UPGRADE THE CASS CENTER ANYWAY. EXACTLY. ANYWAY, NOW THE WALGREENS ARE WARREN EVEN BETTER THIS TIME. THAT’S RIGHT, THE WALGREENS ON WARREN STREET AND ROXBURY CLOSED DOWN THIS. PAST WEEK, CREATING A PHARMACY DESERT, AND YOU TRIED TO KEEP THE STORE OPEN? YES. IT’S REALLY UNFORTUNATE. A LOT OF OUR HEALTH CARE IN OUR COMMUNITIES HAS ACTUALLY MOVED OVER TO PHARMACIES LIKE IN WALGREENS, LIKE IN CVS, WHERE IT’S YES, IT’S IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT’S A PHARMACY AND YOU GET YOUR MEDICINE THERE, BUT IT’S ALSO WHERE YOU MAYBE GO AND YOU GET YOUR DIABETES TESTING OR CONSULTING DONE THERE, OR YOU GO AND YOU GET A VACCINE THERE AND OR A LAST MINUTE GROCERY ITEM. EXACTLY. AND SO IT’S SO IMPORTANT AND VITAL FOR OUR COMMUNITIES. AND THAT’S WHY WHEN WE SEE THE WALGREENS CLOSING, UM, ON WARREN STREET, WHEN YOU SEE IT CLOSING IN NUBIAN SQUARE IN THE HEART OF BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES, AS IT ALWAYS SEEMS LIKE WHEN THAT WHEN THESE CORPORATIONS HAVE TO CUT DEBT, CUT BACK, THEY ALWAYS CUT BACK ON THE BACKS OF OUR BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES THAT NEED THESE FACILITIES. AND SO WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO AS THE URBAN LEAGUE AND THE MAYOR’S OFFICE ARE WORKING ON. WAS THERE A POTENTIAL, UH, STOP GAP, STOP MEASURE OR PARTNERING ALSO WITH, UH, A A RIDE ORGANIZATION TO GIVE PEOPLE RIDES TO ALTERNATIVE PHARMACIES? SO THERE’S WORK BEING DONE. CAN WE GET MORE LOCAL PHARMACIES AS, UH, COMMUNITY OWNED PHARMACIES? WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES? HEALTH CENTERS? YES, UM, WE HAVE WE’RE ALMOST OUT OF TIME, BUT I HAVE A FEW MORE QUESTIONS. KAREN. I HAVE A FEW MORE QUESTIONS FOR YOU. OKAY. SOME TIME HAS PASSED. UH, SINCE CLAUDINE GAY RESIGNED. YOU’RE A HARVARD ALUM. UM, WHAT IS YOUR BOTH DAUGHTERS OF HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS. WHAT’S YOUR REACTION NOW TO HOW IT UNFOLDED? I AM I. AM I AM SADDENED THAT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AND ABOUT, UM, JUST THE DIFFICULTY OF THE MOMENT. I HAVE, UM, THE UTMOST RESPECT FOR. HER AS A AS A HARVARD GRAD, AS A DAUGHTER OF HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS, UM, AS. A BLACK LEADER IN A TIME WHERE LEADERSHIP CAN OFTEN BE DIFFICULT, I, I KNOW THAT CLAUDINE, GAY PRESIDENT, GAY FORMER PRESIDENT GAY IS IS DEEPLY COMMITTED TO A SAFE CAMPUS WHERE EVERYONE FEELS SAFE OR WHERE FIGHTING AND ANTI-SEMITISM OR WHERE FIGHTING ISLAMOPHOBIA TO WHERE WE’RE MAKING SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS AND OUR TEACHERS AND EVERYONE FEELS COMFORTABLE AND WELCOME. THEY ALWAYS HAVE TO WORRY WHEN EDUCATION BECOMES POLITICIZED, WHEN PEOPLE USE OUR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS FOR POLITICAL FOOTBALL, AND WHEN WE START TO TURN OUR BACKS AND WE START TO DECONSTRUCT THESE DEI EFFORTS THAT HAVE SO IMPORTANT ABOUT DIVERSIFYING, ABOUT DOING THAT WORK OF EQUITY. IT DOESN’T END JUST WHEN WE GET TIRED OF IT, RIGHT? WE’VE BARELY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE ON THESE ISSUES OF EQUITY. AND SO I KNOW THAT SHE’S GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE A LEADER. WILL BE SHE’LL BE FINE. YES. YEAH. RIGHT. COUNCIL PRESIDENT LUIS JEN, THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE HOPE YOU’
Cityline: Ruthzee Louijeune’s new tenure
Leading a Boston City Council and working for all the residents of Boston
Updated: 12:33 PM EST Feb 4, 2024
As she settles into her new role as the third black woman to serve as Boston City Council President, Ruthzee Louijeune shares her top priorities for the City Council. Born and raised in Mattapan and Hyde Park and graduate of Harvard Law School, Louijeune is the first Haitian-American elected to Boston municipal government.
As she settles into her new role as the third black woman to serve as Boston City Council President, Ruthzee Louijeune shares her top priorities for the City Council.
Born and raised in Mattapan and Hyde Park and graduate of Harvard Law School, Louijeune is the first Haitian-American elected to Boston municipal government.
