Renters Radio

We interviewed longtime progressive state senator Jamie Eldridge, from Lauren's hometown of Acton-Boxboro, talking about his new Housing and Environment Revenue Opportunities (HERO) Coalition Bill, Universal Basic Income, Criminal Justice Reform, with a few hard hitting questions from Evan about WHY the MA state house hasn't done anything lately! 

Lauren and Evan take a call from State Rep Mike Connolly, friend of the show, sponsor of the COVID19 Housing Stability Act here in the MA state house. We discuss the eviction moratorium (soon to expire), the importance of the Housing Stability Act and debunk some myths the landlords have been throwing around to stop this bill! This is a big month for housing, with a whole #WeekOfAction coming up, so stay tuned! #MAPoli #HousingForAll

Evan does a deep dive into the latest Boston City Council Police Budget Hearings

We sit down and have a call with harm reduction specialist Angie Ní Mháille to talk about Operation Clean Sweep, Methadone Mile and how our city is failing when it comes to the opiate crisis in Boston. 

We catch up with hot-take master, super canvasser Jonathan Cohn to bring us up to speed on the state of the state house in Massachusetts. We go through the recent police reform and housing votes, and the failures of Mass Democrats to pass real changes at the state level. Featuring a call from fellow podcaster Scamwell Tarly from “We Need Some Milk”!

Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu was brave enough to dawn her mask and join Lauren and Evan in-studio for a detailed discussion on her latest op-ed, the city council budget, abolishing the BPDA and defunding the police! 

Lauren and Evan, after a long, apocalyptic hiatus, come together again, united by one issue...rage at the Boston City Councils failure to seize the moment and reject Mayor Marty Walsh's budget. We go into each city councilors statement about why they voted the way they did, vent about feeling betrayed, and take around 5 calls! You don't need us to tell you how much the world has changed the past couple months. If you need us, we'll be on the streets with the protestors. Black Lives Matter, Defund the Police and stay strong, Boston. 

Evan George brings us a hearty portion of sexy taxes this week, diving into the transportation bill and the gas tax. Lauren gives us a few more Suffolk Downs updates, and Rod Webber makes it into the studio to give us stories from the campaign trail, court cases and conspiracy theories. We'll be back next week if coronavirus doesn't kill us all!

Evan George takes us to rent-control school, taking down MIT Economist Jon Gruber’s arguments against rent control point by point. Lauren Pespisa chimes in with a deep dive into why no one should be giving Jon Gruber a platform in the first place. Also a call from friend of the show Rod Webber - who almost gets arrested while filling us in on the presidential campaigns in South Carolina. Donate to his legal defense fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/baselvandal

Also a dedication to WAAF, one of the last local rock stations left in Boston that got bought out and went off the air last week. Our hearts go out to all the local DJs and music we grew up on. Corporate buyouts SUCK!

Lauren and Evan are back with a Suffolk Downs Update from our caller Gabriela Cartagena of P.U.E.B.L.O. She fills us in on the fight for affordable housing in East Boston, go to https://www.reclaimboston.org/mayor_walsh_suffolk_downs_petition to demand an emergency meeting with Marty Walsh! We also talk about the ongoing violence against the men incarcerated at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center, and the disturbing stance the guards and warden have taken on it.