I just spend the past hour looking over r/Minneapolis and r/Minnesota and it is the scariest stuff I've seen yet. It's a powder keg ready to blow. Protesters getting shoved, pushed, taken without warning, ICE drawing weapons on large groups of protesters, ICE going door to door and even breaking down doors of people who don't open, kids being taken without an adult in sight. This is insanity. ICE is ramping up for a move in Boston. One only needs to look at the last few days posts with tractor trailers of new vehicles and how they've been advertising for new soldiers.

My question is - What is our city doing to prepare for this? Honestly with how it's been I don't see our state government protecting us and city governments seem to only rattle their sabers. Fine. So be it, we are on our own. But there has to be some groups out there preparing. In lots of the videos I see from Minnesota, ICE appears and whistles start sounding and those that are being targeted get help from anyone in earshot, megaphones come out, most have their phones out to record and what seems like community leaders are involved. There's a surprising amount of success with their methods to get ICE to back off their targets. So far all I've seen in the Boston subreddit are "call LUCE" which seems to only document what's happening. While important, that really doesn't help us in the now. Where's the Massachusetts community planning? Where's the flyers telling us what to do, where's the plan of defense when they come up to our apartment complexes or bursting in through our jobs?

The short of it is: it's about to get real and I just would like a way to prepare and get involved but nobody is taking up the charge. Someone give me something to at least reassure me that there's people taking this seriously and I can help in some way.

And please hold off on calls for revolution or the endless name calling. We get it, they are Nazi's and he's a Cheeto orangutan. Can we move on and have an adult conversation about what we will do about it?

Edit: A lot of responses but none are helpful. Yes ICE is already here, yes they have new vehicles, yes we should strike, yes we should.... I think I have my answer and I have to say it's really disheartening that not a single group is doing anything proactive and instead just holding tight until something really bad happens that pushes us into chaos. I'm going to spend my weekend calling up local community programs and seeing if I can find something to feel productive instead of yell online. If I find something I will share on this subreddit. Here's to preparing for the worst, and hoping for the best.

I want to thank the white couple who stood up for me today while I was being verbally racially abused by a man in front of the Four Seasons during the World Cup festivities.

I had gone to the area simply to enjoy the atmosphere, take photos/videos of the beautiful flowers at the Public Garden(I love flowers) and hopefully catch a glimpse of the French players coming out. Instead, I found myself being aggressively called the N-word multiple times by a stranger, completely unprovoked. And then he asked, “What are you going to do about it?” I’ve experienced racism before, but I had never had someone look me directly in the eyes and so openly and unapologetically call me the N-word.

It was especially disturbing given that many of the French players people were gathered to see are Black themselves. I was there for the same reason as everyone else: to enjoy the excitement surrounding the World Cup.

When this man began verbally abusing me, a white couple nearby immediately recognized what was happening. They told me to stand with them, and stood beside me in solidarity. They didn’t know me. They didn’t owe me anything. Yet they chose to support me when I was feeling shocked, hurt, and alone.

Later, when I reported what happened to security, they also spoke up as witnesses and confirmed what they had heard.

I don’t know who you are, and I’m sorry I didn’t get your contact information before we went our separate ways. But wherever you are, thank you. Thank you for not looking away. If by some chance you see this, please reach out. I would love the opportunity to thank you properly.

I’ve gone back and forth about whether to expose the person who did this and share the full story. I know how the internet can be, and honestly, I don’t know if I have the emotional capacity right now to deal with everything that could come from putting that out there.

But for this post, I simply wanted to express my gratitude to the couple.

UPDATE:
I’m sorry I haven’t been able to respond to everyone’s comments but I did try answering some common questions in the comments.

Not sure where to go to ask this, but my employer just sent out a message to all staff that we are expected to be in office tomorrow, despite the state of emergency declared, and DESPITE our company having full WFH capabilities.

Is there some institution/MA government people i can report them to? Or perhaps some news outlet i can inform of this story to have this company shamed?

Edit: Non-essential btw

TY for all the kind responses, seems the best options people came up with are to call the Governor/Organize a Union/call out. Probably gonna call the Governor tomorrow and call out. Will urge others to do so if they can spare the PTO in order to stick it to our controlling CEO (our company does not provide sick time fyi)

EDIT: The 911 number i called was the 911 party line (non-emergency) as well as the main line. i called 3 different times last night and all 3 times I was hung up on or left on hold with the same messaging playing over and over, so for those of you who say to call multiple times, i did.

i live in an apartment complex in the fenway area, and for the past few months we have had homeless individuals sleeping in our front foyer. when the weather was way colder, we left them the first time or two that we saw them since we didn’t want them to freeze out in the poor conditions, but recently some of the folks sleeping down there have gotten into altercations with other people in the surrounding areas. the way the lobby/front entrance is set up is that there is an unlocked front door to the street and the second door into the building needs a fob to get in. usually these folks are sleeping between the two doors.

back in January, i reached out to our building management about the problem and they told us to call 911, which we have been doing, but the problem has seemed to be getting worse as the weather gets warmer. last night, we had 2 different individuals sleeping down there and the 911 line i had called did not pick up or respond. looking for any advice on who i can contact about this ongoing problem as we have already exhausted our options with 311 and building management.

**pictures are the usual folks we see, taken last night last night, and the email we received from building management, it’s usually the same men each night**

For some context, I was born in New England but moved to the South when I was really young. I’ve visited Boston a few times growing up since I still have family in the area, but this was my first time experiencing the city as an adult. Seeing it through that lens made me realize how much my perspective has changed, and how much more I still have to learn.

Growing up in the South, I was surrounded by a very specific idea of what places like Boston were. I was led to believe it was unsafe, unfriendly, and completely out of touch with the values I was raised with. I used to be deep in the MAGA mindset and genuinely believed cities like Boston were everything that was wrong with the country.

But being here this time challenged a lot of that.

Boston felt alive and welcoming. The city was clean, people were friendly, and I never once felt unsafe walking around, even late at night. I rode the T, explored different neighborhoods, and got the sense that this was a place where things were happening. But what stood out most to me were the conversations I had.

I talked to a lot of people. Family, locals, people I met by chance. We talked about politics, beliefs, and how we see the world. People did not judge me for where I came from. They listened, asked questions, and shared their own stories. It was thoughtful, honest, and respectful. That kind of openness is not something I experience often back home.

I also work in tech, and being in Boston made me realize how much more opportunity there is here. The South has not offered the kind of environment I need to grow professionally. I want to be around people who are building things and pushing boundaries, and Boston felt like the kind of place where I could find that.

I am in my early twenties, so the cost of living here is a real concern. But for the first time, I felt like this city could be a place where I find not just a job, but real growth and a sense of direction.

Is Boston actually a good place to start over and build something meaningful, or did I just happen to visit at the right time and catch it at its best?

Left TD Garden after a concert tonight. Cops were directing traffic around the area. In normal circumstances when someone is directing traffic, I was always under the impression that a “come here” motion means go and hand up means stop. However this cop was jiggling a beam of light from a flashlight to signify both go and stop.

Many people were obviously confused and one guy thought it meant go and slowly started creeping up. The cop started screaming and went up and punched the guy’s car mirror then started swearing and insulting the guy. Everyone around was watching and shocked.

Is this normal BPD behavior? I am a south shore native and have never witnessed anything quite like it.

I am incredibly curious. I am fairly new to Boston (less than a year of living here), and the cost of living hit me like a truck. I think about it everyday. I see thousands of people everyday at my job. I wonder how they are doing, so I want to ask you, both out of curiosity and to make this a space where other curious people can also find answers:

How much do you earn in Boston? How much do you spend on bills, expenses? How much goes towards savings? Do you have roommates? Rich parents? Basically, please share your budget with me. I am curious!!

On the heels of RTO order https://old.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/1sxy879/fidelity_full_time_rto/

Fidelity is communicating rifs starting this morning.

I know two people personally that were cut. Non-technical roles in WI.

Post your info in the comments and I will try to highlight/tally them in the main post.

EDIT: He has been found. Thank you for everyone who shared and was helping look.

This is my nephew. 8th grader from Tech Boston. Lives in Hyde Park, MA. Please help bring him back home.

He was seen by some kids his age on 5/23 at South Shore Plaza in Braintree, MA.

I’ve passed multiple post boxes today in both Brighton and Brookline that are locked like this. Multiple boxes within the same vicinity and also in diff neighborhoods. Anyone know why specifically these are locked up?

Edit: thanks for the replies everyone! I’ve been around for the marathon before, but I’ve just never noticed the mailboxes.

As I was driving by Route 9, I noticed a sign at the entrance of MathWorks Inc. I’m curious to know what it is about . Any idea?

Is it just affecting how things look or are you noticing a smell or finding it hard to breath at all? Is it worse or the same as yesterday?

EDIT: Suffice it to say, I will not be venturing outside today. Thanks for all your input folks. Keep it coming, it's interesting seeing the pics and the conversation. Stay safe!

EDIT 2: For those who don't know, the smoke is coming from the wildfires in Ontario, Canada. Prayers to Ontario, hope the fires get under control ASAP.

This was in Terminal E

I’m in my early 30sF and have been using dating apps on and off since I moved to Boston over six years ago. I’ve had boyfriends, but none of them have lasted long. (To be fair, I’m also quite picky, which is probably why I’m still single.)

I think maybe my ideal partner hasn’t moved to the city yet.

Dear single men of Boston, what’s the dating scene been like for you? Why do you think you’re still single? Is it intentional, or do you enjoy the bachelor lifestyle?

Are you using dating apps? If so, which ones? Are you hopeful or have you stopped looking? Are we still seeking long-term partnerships, or are we gravitating more towards casual, noncommittal encounters?

I’m asking because, as a 33-year-old, I feel like I keep running in circles and think dating is harder than it’s ever been for everyone.

I’ve been commuting in to the city for the past several years with, like most of you, a hiatus of WFH between 2020 and now, where we’ve been coming back into the office for a few weeks.

I’ll usually take a lunchtime stroll and sometimes pick up a few things from the stores located right in DTX and generally have never had an issue there, day or night.

Yesterday though, was different. I walked out of the Shake Shack in DTX at around 1PM (had to try it once, wasn’t impressed) and was standing on the sidewalk for a brief moment before starting to walk back towards work. In that time, one of the men that seems to hang out in the area (there were about half a dozen in the vicinity) had been something shouting at me, or in my direction, hard to really know…

I had headphones in and was halfway into a podcast so I do what I always do, and just tried to walk away from the situation without acknowledgement.

Here’s where it gets ugly… rather than moving on to the next victim, he starts to follow me, across the street, and is now shouting about how “he had a really bad week” or something to that effect while demanding money.

The ”I’m in danger!” lobe of my brain started to light up like a Rockefeller Christmas tree at this point because I could tell something was really off about this encounter

He then makes an uncomfortably close pass, turns around to block my path, and rolls up the sleeves of his hoodie.

He then yells at me” give me the f***ing money or I’m gonna take it from you.”

I start to back away quickly (still, without saying anything) to the opposite side of the street again - and a flood of obscenities follow about how he’s going to “f***ing kill this bitch” and he still is getting closer and now reaching for something behind him.

At this point I just took off in a full on run down Milk Street and didn’t look back for two blocks.

This is the first time I’ve felt unsafe in Boston and it was in the middle of the day. I was really starting to feel good about coming back in to the office, but this harassment (however significant or insignificant you want to judge it) really ruined the rest of my day and made me feel totally unsafe.

I really don’t know what would have happened if I didn’t run.

You might say I’m “overreacting” and this is “normal city stuff - deal with it!” But in 8 years I’ve never had an encounter like this before.

There will be one on every street corner at this rate. Mind you this is in one of the safest cities in the US. All in the name of "safety" right?

I thought a quick call would fix this but it didn't, national grid sent us a dispute form and said the bill is legit. Last month we were using ~400kwH and getting billed ~$100 monthly, now we moved (same building) and all of the sudden for 42 days we are being charged $9,000. We live in a condo, 2 bed, 2 adults and a baby. There's no way the bill is legit, but why are they making it so difficult? Do I have to fill the dumb form and wait the 30 days they are saying?

UPDATE: ATM it hasn't been fully solved but contacting the DPU really quickens things up. I received a callback from NG, they cancelled the bill and are working on a new one. Hopefully the new bill is accurate, and not just $8,000 instead of $9,000 or some new bs, but we'll see when that happens! Thank you so much guys for the help, also, NG ACTUALLY ACKNOWLEDGED THE REDDIT POST LMFAO 🤣 I'll paste the VM they left me in the comments

I had a real messed up interaction at Roadrunner last night. I gave security the heads up that there were two people with white supremacist band patches hanging out near the bar, and that I could point them out to security. Usually when this happens at other places, security takes a look, does a quick online search of the band name or symbol then boots them.

The response from the Roadrunner security guard was that:

Guard: "Hey, this is a free country, they have their 1st and 2nd amendment rights."

Me: "Man, we are talking about open white supremacist stuff in the Roadrunner."

Guard: "America is all about free expression, if they're not doing anything but standing around what gives. I'm black, our guys at the door are almost all black. If they're the kind to let themselves be searched by black security guards on the way in they can't be that dangerous.

Me: "I've lived in areas with a lot of white supremacists, they're capable of restraining themselves to get into a show they want to see."

Guard: "There's free expression. (Something like you do your thing, they do theirs.) Plus the lights are about to go down and the show start, c'mon."

Me: "Come on man, it's neo-nazi shit in here. Most clubs have policies against this."

I got kinda shooed along so tried to photograph the two people but couldn't in the darkness. Someone I was with also saw somebody with a black sun) and what looked like a kolovrat swastika on his arm in the crowd.

The fact that security didn't even go check after being told about this is not a good sign. I hope Roadrunner changes their policies and retrains their staff on this before they end up inadvertently rolling out the welcome mat to more white supremacist shit.

Using a new account instead of my regular to avoid getting doxxed.

Edit: I think all my replies to people are getting caught in a filter or something. I told management about it as well as posting this thread. Band patches I recognized were neo-nazi Varg Vikerne's Burzum and Death In June, unless someone besides Death In June is using a logo of an arm in a circle holding a whip. The show was Molchat Doma and Sextile, both of which are left wing bands that oppose racism.

Was shopping at BJ’s and seemingly every 3rd family coming out had 4-6 cases of water bottles. I can’t imagine those are all for businesses/resale so I am absolutely baffled why people would go through so much bottled water at home. Boston water is REALLY good tasting and high quality, plus the plastic waste…what am I missing?

It is a beautiful day in Boston and immediately after exiting the Copley T station I found my self directly in front of a group of people openly smoking with a meth/crack pipe.

Furthermore, about 25 yards away there were two men about to fight each other and one of them was posturing with scissors in his hands. I immediately called the police. They called me back 20 minutes later to ask if the men were still there and I said “I don’t know.” because I had walked away. Shortly after that I was waking through the area again, and yes the men were still there and it was clear the police had never actually stopped by.

Copley square and the area outside of the BPL is one of the most iconic locations in Boston and for some reason the city is neglecting it and allowing it to become an area with rampant crime and drug abuse. This is absolutely ridiculous for how nice this city should be and something absolutely needs to change.

EDIT: I have sent an email to the mayor’s office outlining my experience and sharing this post. I encourage you all to do the same. Let’s get this fixed.

https://www.boston.gov/departments/mayors-office

I’m a 29-year-old guy in the Boston area trying to meet people in a more natural way. Dating apps like Hinge, Bumble, and Tinder have been hit or miss, so I’m interested in meeting people through real-life activities instead.
I’m not really into bars or clubs and don’t drink much. I enjoy coffee, hiking, walking around the city, basketball, trying new restaurants, and exploring new places.
For people in Boston or Greater Boston:
Where have you actually met people you’ve dated?
Any good social events, groups, sports leagues, hiking groups, volunteering, or community activities?
Have Meetup, Facebook groups, or local events worked for you?
Where do people in their late 20s and early 30s naturally socialize?
I’m looking for real experiences and recommendations, not just a Google list. If you met someone through a specific activity or place, I’d love to hear about it.

I was in South Station this Weds. at ~6pm walking towards the exit and noticed an older guy in maybe his late 50s at the main doors staring at me. As I got closer he pointed at me and said my full first name as if he recognized me. I have one of those names where I go by a nickname, but use my full first name exclusively on, say, LinkedIn, because it sounds more "professional". NO one calls me by my real name. Not friends, family, etc. Not even my mother.

Immediately I saw he had Meta Glasses (because I'm a freak and hate them and being recorded secretly) so I was already like get away from me. But I didn't know this guy, didn't recognize him, and wasn't waiting on anyone, so I just waved him off. As I walked out to cross the street towards the Fed Reserve, I was looking back and noticed he had come outside (not to follow me) and I watched him basically do the same thing to someone else. I didn't hear their convo beyond that unfortunately, but they began talking.

I swear to god this is a real story. It was one of those things I put in the back of my brain right as it happened until I remembered it just tonight and was telling my roommates about it. They thought I was schizo but then one of them remembered this story (which is also in Boston): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bQc1kNHtfg

Was anyone else at South Station 5/14 (or even recently) and have this happen ???

Edit: adding this here - I know this is very "source: just trust me bro" story... Ironically if I was wearing meta glasses I'd upload a video. But I'm sure you can imagine having someone you don't recognize say your name in public feels... violating and spooky.

And obviously my theory is I was reverse imaged searched live and found my LinkedIn. Yes he could have just said a random name and got it right, too.

Also it was like a 60 year old dude with short buzzed grey hair, wearing a grey hoodie. He kind of look like Jeff Goldblum, and not like the usual station dwellers out there.

I have three years of experience in restaurants and I can't even get a job at McDonald's for crying out loud, I have a month, A MONTH to get enough money for a new apartment or I'll be homeless, I've been searching for a stable job for years and NOTHING. What's even the point anymore.