Latest news with #UniversityofMassachusettsBoston
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Italian flag colors were removed from a Newton street. Residents rebelled.
To some Nonantum residents, it was an assault on their heritage -- especially given the timing, three weeks before the start of their beloved festival. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'These lines are not just paint, they are sacred symbols of Italian American pride, religious tradition and community identity,' the St. Mary of Carmen Society, the local group that holds the festival, wrote in a statement. The city's action, it added, was 'a slap in the face.' Advertisement Newton, a suburb of Boston known for liberal politics, pricey real estate and highly regarded schools, is made up of 13 'villages,' each with its own identity. Nonantum has long been a neighborhood where immigrants settle. Irish and French Canadians came in the first half of the 19th century, followed by Italian and Jewish immigrants in the 1880s, said Jordan Lee Wagner, a longtime resident who has studied local history. Advertisement A tight-knit neighborhood where people worked blue-collar jobs and where modest homes were passed down through generations, Nonantum has increasingly become a place apart, Wagner said. Some residents feel looked down upon by the rest of the city, he said, for their more conservative politics and old-world traditions. Some took it personally when the city replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day, bristling at a perceived insult to Italian Americans. For them, the removal of the red, white and green from Adams Street felt like a particularly pointed insult, said Fran Yerardi, who previously ran an Italian restaurant and now has a real estate business in Nonantum. He said many residents were already frustrated by changes that they see as eroding the character of their neighborhood, including proposals for new housing and other development. 'It used to be a working-class neighborhood, where people were gardeners and housekeepers,' Yerardi said. 'Now they're building $4 million condos, and the original people are being pushed out.' The encroachment goes beyond real estate, he added: 'As the community gentrifies, we get more pushback on our traditions and blue-collar mentality. We're praying to a saint in the street -- it doesn't fit, in one of the richest towns in Massachusetts.' Similar grievances have bubbled up in Boston's North End neighborhood, another traditionally Italian enclave. There, some business owners have complained that Mayor Michelle Wu, the first woman and nonwhite mayor elected in the city, and whose politics are more progressive than her predecessors', has treated them poorly because they are Italian. Erin O'Brien, a professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Boston who has studied shifting political dynamics in Boston and the surrounding region, said the strong sentiments in both Nonantum and the North End reflect the complicated history of Italian Americans. Advertisement 'Italian Americans in the Boston area still understand themselves as immigrants who came over and were treated incredibly poorly, and that is historically accurate,' she said. 'But Italians and Irish have ascended for a long time, and now, with demographic changes, they have to share their power.' She acknowledged the loss on Adams Street as something meaningful, a joyful element of local landscape and identity for 90 years. But, she added, 'This isn't just about paint -- it's a symbol that resonates around who has power.' The angst is not unique to Boston. In New York City last week, Italian Americans protested outside the office of Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor, after an old photo resurfaced of him giving the middle finger to a Columbus statue. Outraged by the line's erasure, some in Nonantum chose to escalate the conflict. Dozens showed up for a protest outside City Hall. On the eve of the Italian American festival, some residents of the neighborhood took to the street in the middle of the night and repainted the tricolor stripe over segments of the new yellow line. One of the paintbrush-wielding scofflaws was detained by police, who said they would charge him with defacing or damaging city property. Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, who, like Wu, is the first woman to lead her city, has stood by her decision to paint the line yellow. The change, she has said, was required under federal regulations and was urgently needed to address a high rate of accidents on the street. Advertisement A spokesperson for Fuller, a Democrat who is not seeking reelection, said she was not available for an interview last week. In written answers to questions from The New York Times, Fuller said the city had communicated with festival leaders 'over many months' about the need for a yellow line on Adams Street and had agreed to let volunteers repaint the red, white and green stripes on the street somewhere to the side of the yellow line. The city made its decision 'thoughtfully,' Fuller wrote, 'understanding that we could simultaneously improve public safety while maintaining the neighborhood's long traditions.' Residents, who said they were given no warning about the line's removal, were not appeased by the offer to move their colors to the side. Wagner was convinced that the proliferating lines in the street would confuse and endanger drivers. Yerardi feared the Italian flag colors would end up 'in the gutter.' Wagner, who is Jewish, said a long history of friendship between Jews and Italians in Nonantum made him deeply protective of his neighbors. Irked by the city's action, and eager to repay past kindnesses, he issued a mild-mannered call to action on his Facebook page. 'It seems that we should just go out and paint,' he wrote the day before the festival began. 'What can they do? Arrest us?' After others took him up on his suggestion that night, Wagner felt compelled to join the next day, pushing a long-handled roller dipped in green paint down the middle of Adams Street. Police did not try to stop him. 'Some people thought it was an Italian thing,' he said of the old red, white and green line. 'They didn't understand it was a neighborhood thing.' Advertisement Other critics of Fuller's action include a former Massachusetts transportation secretary, Gina Fiandaca, who is Italian American. She wrote in a letter to The Boston Herald that the city's claim that the yellow line was needed for safety 'lacks merit.' Residents, too, have challenged the accuracy of the traffic analysis cited by the mayor. Fuller said another study will be done later this year. There was no shortage of ethnic spirit in Nonantum's streets July 20, the final night of the festival, as residents of diverse backgrounds partied in driveways and backyards under strings of twinkling red, white and green lights. Crosswalks, fire hydrants and numerous side streets bore stripes in the three colors. 'Stop Italian Hate in America,' read a yard sign on one lawn. The start of the five-day festival had felt overshadowed by unrest. By the end, after the renegade painters had covered most of the new centerline on Adams Street with their own handiwork, elation took over, Yerardi said. 'It became a rebellion, the people against the government,' he said. 'So what does the mayor do now?' Pressed on his question, Fuller said the yellow line would be restored. This article originally appeared in
USA Today
19-07-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Of course Trump lied about Project 2025. Now he's enacting it.
The similarities between what Project 2025 proposed and what Trump's second administration has unleashed on Americans is striking, but now is not the time to be complacent and simply hope for change. A year ago, as delegates to the Republican National Convention gathered in Milwaukee to nominate Donald Trump for president, I sent an urgent warning to voters about an innocent enough sounding proposal – "Project 2025" –punctuated by this admission: "Honestly, it scares me." The 922-page report from a conservative think tank outlined the first 180 days of a second Trump presidency. At the time, then GOP-nominee Trump claimed to know nothing about it, despite his name being mentioned 312 times in the document. While Trump tried to distance himself from its politically unpopular ideas, I recognized that if he won, Trump would support many of its radical plans that could disrupt nearly every aspect of our lives, including healthcare, education, taxes and civil rights. The question looms: Was I right? I was right, and it's so much worse than I thought The short answer is yes, and in ways even more frightening than I first feared, but you don't need to take my word for it. Just ask Maurice Cunningham, a retired professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Boston, who studied politics for decades and is well-versed in Project 2025. When I asked Cunningham if the policies outlined in the document implemented by Trump are hurting the average American as much as I suspected, he responded: "It's not just bad; it's possibly worse than you could have imagined.' Although the situation may seem dire, Cunningham warned that now is not the time to be complacent and simply hope for change. Instead, it is crucial for people to organize, protest and hold their elected officials accountable. Opinion: I'm exhausted by attempts to pretend discrimination doesn't exist in America Trump appointed Project 2025 authors to administration posts The similarities between what Project 2025 proposed and what Trump's second administration has unleashed on Americans is striking, and it would be unwise to dismiss them as mere coincidence. And keep in mind, we still have another 3.5 years to go. In the first 100 days since he took office alone, nearly 45% of his executive orders closely resemble the policy recommendations advocated by Project 2025, according to an analysis conducted by the Hearst Television Data Team. And that was just the beginning. A number of Trump administration appointees were contributors to the project, including Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing Peter Navarro, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and border czar Tom Homan. Cunningham said Trump's policies, put into place by the people behind Project 2025, are beginning to take a toll on the most vulnerable sectors of society. This alignment appears to be a key component of his overall strategy. We saw this at work with the passage of Trump's "big beautiful" budget bill where cuts to Medicaid alone could cause as many as 20 million people to lose their health coverage over the next decade. This will happen despite Trump's repeated promises not to cut Medicaid benefits as recently as March. That fits a familiar pattern. Lie. Deny. Enact. Repeat. Opinion: How much of Project 2025 has been implemented? Enough to break us beyond repair. It's worth noting that Project 2025 proposed significant changes to Medicaid, including work requirements, limiting eligibility and possibly imposing lifetime caps or time limits on coverage, while also weakening reforms from the Affordable Care Act. As we look back on the past five months under the Trump administration, the key question is whether we're better off now or if we've fallen further into hardship. "I think that's easy to answer and it will only get worse,' Cunningham said. This will be a slow burn. Tax cuts under the bill happen immediately while Medicaid changes are phased in. In other places, the pain is already being felt from mass layoffs of federal employees and DOGE budget cuts. Education and social safety net endure DOGE chainsaw Education is place where changes outlined in Project 2025 will begin making a major impact this fall. It called for allowing discrimination against LGBTQ+ students, redirecting taxpayer money to private schools, eliminating Title 1 funding and making cuts to Head Start, which would affect 800,000 preschoolers. U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has promised to dismantle the department and has pushed to cut the Education Department's budget by $12 billion. This reduction would seriously impact minority and low-income children and their families in public schools and rural communities. The administration already cut and delayed funding for Head Start programs for preschoolers from low income families, which assists 16,000 children in Wisconsin alone. Project 2025 proposed to make it even more difficult for low-income individuals to afford food. The proposal aims to reverse the Biden administration's initiative to increase SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits over the next decade, a measure designed to keep pace with rising food costs. Under Trump's budget bill, SNAP will face its largest cut in history, resulting in an estimated 3.2 million adults losing food benefits each month, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Opinion: Senate just passed Trump's Big Beautiful Bill – and made it even uglier Picture this: young students stepping into their classrooms, their bellies empty and growling, struggling to concentrate and absorb knowledge as the shadow of budget cuts hovers ominously over their futures. And it doesn't stop there. Then came Alligator Alcatraz Trump's mass deportations align directly with Project 2025's plan to increase executive power and undermine the U.S. immigration system. It proposed implementing asylum procedures at the border, reducing access to legal immigration options, utilizing local resources for mass deportations and detention, and separating immigrant children from their families. Trump's budget bill allocates $170 billion to deport 1 million people each year. ICE officials have gotten more aggressive, arresting undocumented immigrants at their homes, workplaces, protests, churches, near schools, and even at the Milwaukee courthouse. On April 18, Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan was taken into custody by FBI officials after she allegedly assisted Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented Mexican immigrant, in escaping federal agents following his appearance in her courtroom. Flores-Ruiz, 31, was arrested after a brief foot chase outside the courthouse. A week later, Dugan, 65, was also arrested at the courthouse. She was charged on April 25 with two federal counts: obstructing a U.S. agency and concealing an individual to prevent an arrest. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee political science professor Kathleen Dolan called the arrest of Dugan an 'intimidation tactic.' 'If a judge can be handcuffed on their job, what do you think will happen to you?' she said. The ongoing mass deportations continue to rip families apart, leaving a trail of profound emotional devastation in their wake. It's disheartening to witness the stark absence of compassion among Republicans regarding this crisis. Just this month, a migrant detention facility opened in the Florida Everglades. Some Republicans have dubbed the facility 'Alligator Alcatraz,' due to its isolated location and the fact that it's surrounded by lurking alligators and slithering pythons. The term "Alligator Alcatraz" not only evokes a sense of danger but also highlights the callousness that the Trump administration is willing to exhibit to drive home its message. Disturbingly, they are even merchandising T-shirts that mock what I would call a modern-day concentration camp. This tumultuous situation sends shockwaves through immigrant communities, escalating fear and uncertainty at every turn. But when you have a president who has continuously labeled immigrants as sex offenders, murderers, and gang members or suggested that many came to America from insane asylums, one can only imagine the atmosphere of dread that permeates these communities. This is not the time to become complacent or tune out news While Trump may seem to have the upper hand, it doesn't mean that everything is bleak. Both Cunningham and Dolan emphasized that now is not the time for people to become complacent. Dolan urged individuals to stay engaged in politics, even when it feels confusing and tedious. Cunningham stressed the importance of making one's voice heard through protests and by challenging both Republican and Democratic leaders to address the public's needs. Opinion: White House wants us to see Trump as Superman. We all know he's the villain. These are remarkable times with head spinning twists. One time ally and now enemy of Trump, Elon Musk, poised the idea of an third political party on Tuesday. Musk said the "America Party," would be the place for those not happy with the Republican or Democratic parties. While I agree something needs to change, Musk, who was Trump's largest donor for his campaign is not the right person to lead such a party, especially given Musk's brutal and haphazard spending cuts in his time at the poorly named Department of Government Efficiency and considering Trump said he would look at having Musk deported to his native South Africa. Besides, Americans don't have time for a new political party. I think a better idea would be for people to unite for a new nationwide "Poor People's Campaign," similar to the one led by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1968. This campaign would tackle issues like wealth inequality, poverty and racism, which continue to divide our society. A group in North Carolina has taken up this mantle. It's astonishing that issues from 57 years ago persist today, including the lack of access to health care and education, as well as inadequate wages. I know there are people who don't believe that marching has an impact, but when you consider that Project 2025 was designed for a specific type of individual – one who doesn't look like me – and that Trump aligns with that inherently racist, sexist and classist document, it is clear that something drastic needs to change. This moment presents an opportunity to unite everyone – from diverse backgrounds, races, religions and socioeconomic statuses – around a shared mission. Too many people are still on the sidelines, watching as individuals are deported, others lose their healthcare and civil rights continue to be eroded. We can either sit back and hope we aren't the next ones affected by the issues on Trump's long list, or we can fight to not only protect what we have but also to help those who have already lost so much. James E. Causey is an Ideas Lab reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where this column originally appeared. Reach him at jcausey@ follow him on X @jecausey.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
A chemical in acne medicine can help regenerate limbs
If an axolotl loses a leg, it gets a new one–complete with a functional foot and all four toes. Over just a few weeks or months, bone, muscle, skin, and nerves grow back in exactly the same formation as the lost limb. The endangered, aquatic, Mexican salamander are masters of regeneration, showcasing the best of an ability shared by many other amphibians, reptiles, and fish species. But how do these cold-blooded creatures do it? That some species can regrow limbs while others can't is one of the oldest mysteries in biology, says James Monaghan, a developmental biologist at Northeastern University. Aristotle noted that lizards can regenerate their tails more than 2,400 years ago, in one of the earliest known written observations of the phenomenon. And since the 18th century, a subset of biologists studying regeneration have been working to find a solution to the puzzle, in the hopes it will enable medical treatments that help human bodies behave more like axolotls. It may sound sci-fi, but Monaghan and others in his field firmly believe people might one day be able to grow back full arms and legs post-amputation. After all that time, the scientists are getting closer. Monaghan and a team of regeneration researchers have identified a critical molecular pathway that aids in limb mapping during regrowth, ensuring that axolotls' cells know how to piece themselves together in the same arrangement as before. Using gene-edited, glow-in-the-dark salamanders, the scientists parsed out the important role of a chemical called retinoic acid, a form of vitamin A and also the active ingredient in the acne medicine isotretinoin (commonly known as Accutane). The concentration of retinoic acid along the gradient of a developing replacement limb dictates where an axolotl's foot, joint, and leg segments go, according to the study published June 10 in the journal Nature Communications. Those concentrations are tightly controlled by just one protein also identified in the new work and, in turn, have a domino effect on a suite of other genes. 'This is really a question that has been fascinating developmental and regenerative biologists forever: How does the regenerating tissue know and make the blueprint of exactly what's missing?,' Catherine McCusker, a developmental biologist at the University of Massachusetts Boston who was uninvolved in the new research, tells Popular Science. The findings are 'exciting,' she says, because they show how even the low levels of retinoic acid naturally present in salamander tissues can have a major impact on limb formation. Previous work has examined the role of the vitamin A-adjacent molecule, but generally at artificially high dosages. The new study proves retinoic acid's relevance at normal concentrations. And, by identifying how retinoic acid is regulated as well as the subsequent effects of the compound in the molecular cascade, Monaghan and his colleagues have 'figured out something that's pretty far upstream' in the process of limb regeneration, says McCusker. Understanding these initial steps is a big part of decoding the rest of the process, she says. Once we know the complete chemical and genetic sequence that triggers regeneration, biomedical applications become more feasible. 'I really think that we'll be able to figure out how to regenerate human limbs,' McCusker says. 'I think it's a matter of time.' On the way there, she notes that findings could boost our ability to treat cancer, which can behave in similar ways to regenerating tissues, or enhance wound and burn healing. Monaghan and his colleagues started on their path to discovery by first assessing patterns of protein expression and retinoic acid concentration in salamander limbs. They used genetically modified axolotls that express proteins which fluoresce in the presence of the target compounds, so they could easily visualize where those molecules were present in the tissue under microscopes. Then, they used a drug to tamp down naturally occurring retinoic acid levels, and observed the effects on regenerating limbs. Finally, they produced a line of mutant salamanders lacking one of the genes in the chain, to pinpoint what alterations lead to which limb deformities. They found that higher concentrations of retinoic acid tell an Axolotl's body to keep growing leg length, while lower concentrations signal it's time to sprout a foot, according to the new research. Too much retinoic acid, and a limb can grow back deformed and extra-long, with segments and joints not present in a well-formed leg, hampering an axolotl's ability to easily move. One protein, in particular, is most important for setting the proper retinoic acid concentration. 'We discovered it's essentially a single enzyme called CYP26b1, that regulates the amount of tissue that regenerates,' Monaghan says. CYP26b1 breaks down retinoic acid, so when the gene that makes the protein is activated, retinoic acid concentrations drop, allowing the conditions for foot and digit formations. At least three additional genes vital to limb mapping and bone formation seem to be directly controlled by concentrations of retinoic acid. So, when retinoic acid concentrations are off, expression of these genes is also abnormal. Resulting limbs have shortened segments, repeat sections, limited bone development, and other deformations. Based on their observations, Monaghan posits that retinoic acid could be a tool for 'inducing regeneration.' There's 'probably not a silver bullet for regeneration,' he says, but adds that many pieces of the puzzle do seem to be wrapped up in the presence or absence of retinoic acid. 'It's shown promise before in the central nervous system and the spinal cord to induce regeneration. It's not out of the question to also [use it] to induce regeneration of a limb tissue.' Retinoic acid isn't just produced inside axolotls. It's a common biological compound made across animal species that plays many roles in the body. In human embryo development, retinoic acid pathways are what help map our bodily orientation, prompting a head to grow atop our shoulders instead of a tail. That's a big part of why isotretinoin can cause major birth defects if taken during pregnancy–because all that extra retinoic acid disrupts the normal developmental blueprint. Yet retinoic acid isn't the only notable factor shared by humans and amphibians alike. In fact, most of the genes identified as part of the axolotl limb regrowth process are also present in our own DNA. What's different seems to be how easily accessed those genetic mechanisms are after maturity. Axolotls, says Monaghan, have an uncanny ability to activate these developmental genes as needed. Much more research is needed to understand exactly how and why that is, and to get to the very root of regeneration ability, but the implication is that inducing human limbs to regrow could be easier than it sounds. 'We might not need to turn on thousands of genes or turn off thousands of genes or knock out genes. It might just be triggering the reprogramming of a cell into the proper state where it thinks it's an embryo,' he says. And lots of research is already underway. Other scientists, McCusker included, have also made big recent strides in attempting to unlock limb regeneration. Her lab published a study in April finding key mechanisms in the lateral mapping of limbs–how the top and bottom of a leg differentiate and grow. Another major study from scientists in Austria came out last month pinpointed genetic feedback loops involved in positional memory, which help axolotl tissues keep tabs on where lost limbs once were and how they should be structured. Still, it's likely to be decades more before human amputees can regain their limbs. Right now, the major findings fall in the realm of foundational science, says McCusker. Getting to the eventual goal of boosting human regenerative abilities will continue to take 'a huge investment and bit of trust.' But every medical treatment we have today was similarly built off of those fundamental building blocks, she says. 'We need to remember to continue to invest in these basic biology studies.' Otherwise, the vision of a more resilient future, where peoples' extremities can come back from severe injury, will remain out of reach.
CBS News
14-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
A cup of coffee with room for opportunity; Frisco coffee shop gives everyone a chance to work
Living with an intellectual disability like autism or Down syndrome can be a significant challenge for many, especially when it comes to finding a job as an adult. But there's a chain of coffee shops trying to change that, and they just opened up their first shop in North Texas. According to a study from the University of Massachusetts Boston and the Special Olympics, only 34% of adults with intellectual disabilities are employed. Meet Matthew Philips. He's 23 and just started working at a coffee shop in Frisco. "I wanted to work here so I could make more friends and greet a lot of people, because I'm a big social guy and I like to talk to a lot of people," said Philips In a lot of ways, Philips is like most 23-year-olds. He loves sports and spends his days working. But in other ways, he's a lot different. "I have autism and I got diagnosed when I was 9 years old, and I was non-verbal when I was younger," he said. "It was hard for me, because when I was in school, people used to make fun of me because I had a disability." While his disability might make him different outside these doors, at Bitty and Beau's, he's just another employee. "I make hot coffee, iced tea, lemonade water and serve customers," barista Christian Heath said. "I've always been different. I've always known I've been different and I thought there was something wrong with me," said Kennedy Hodge, another barista. All the employees at Bitty and Beau's have an intellectual disability, and many of them have struggled to find work until now. CBS News Texas "Took me a year to find my job but I feel so blessed that god found a job for me," said Hodge. The North Carolina-based coffee shop is more than just java – it's a movement to celebrate and value diversity. The chain wants people with intellectual disabilities to know that they're not broken. Just like their hat says. "I thought there was something wrong with me. But I know that there's no mistakes. God makes no mistakes," said Hodge.
Boston Globe
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
‘The fear comes back to me': Those who fled despots have thoughts on authoritarianism, here and abroad.
Valiente is among some local emigrés from countries that have suffered under autocracies who say Rümeysa Öztürk's arrest — apparently for co-writing a pro-Palestinian opinion piece in a student newspaper — alongside President Trump's broader immigration crackdown represents a source of profound unease. Advertisement For some who fled authoritarian regimes, the echoes of the old country in the United States are jarring. They have seen this movie before, and it doesn't end well. 'I unequivocally condemn terrorism in all its forms, but I believe no one should be targeted, detained, or deported without due process — especially not for their political views' explained Valiente, a journalist who said he was abducted near his home, similar to how Öztürk was taken, after covering antigovernment protests in Caracas. Trump has used the notion of a connection to terrorism to justify the cancelling visas of foreign students, some of Advertisement 'It's very dangerous, because many innocent people are going to be suffering,' said Valiente. 'Many are suffering, and even if you have not been arrested yet, we know in our community thousands of people who can't even go to sleep because of the fear and uncertainty.' In a statement, the White House batted away the idea that Trump's actions could be construed as moving toward authoritarianism. 'There is no greater defender of freedom than President Trump, who signed an Executive Order to protect free speech on his first day back in office, ended the weaponization of justice, restored over 400 press passes to the White House complex, and takes media questions daily,' said spokesperson Anna Kelly. But Valiente, a spokesman for the Panagiota Gounari, a University of Massachusetts Boston linguistics professor who studies authoritarianism, knows how strongmen can influence pillars of the state and erode civil liberties. She grew up in Greece, where a military junta seized the government and ruled for seven years from the late 1960s to 1970s. Gounari was a small child when that dictatorship ended, and so doesn't remember much firsthand. But her parents, both educators, 'lived it in their skin.' 'Curricula were affected, specific ideologies were promoted through schooling, there was surveillance,' she said. 'It was a very, very difficult time for anybody.' Members of her family were imprisoned, tortured, or exiled, she said. She sees parallels between Trump and that time: 'It's the fear, it's the censorship, it's the retaliation against political opponents.' Advertisement 'It's the same feeling of fight or flight,' she said. The Boston Globe contacted more than 60 individuals and expat organizations who have members who lived through authoritarianism for this story. Many declined to talk, with some saying they did not feel comfortable given the current political moment in the United Startes, despite their legal immigration status. For Gounari, authoritarianism is 'essentially a form of government that concentrates and exercises power arbitrarily with no regard to the constitution or the rule of law.' Trump, she said, ticks several authoritarian boxes: he refused to accept his defeat in 2020, deals in fear-mongering, creates She thought he drew from the political playbooks of right-wing leaders like In Venezuela, he was a congressman and a vice president of parliament. He led a peaceful political resistance against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in 2017, and was politically persecuted, spending three years essentially under house arrest at the Chilean embassy in Caracas before he was thrown in jail by the Maduro regime, he said. He can't return to his home in Venezuela. Advertisement For Guevara, a hallmark of autocracy is 'the absence of dialogue with the other.' In other words, framing the political opposition as the enemy. Polarization, where people live in a political bubble and demonize those who have different viewpoints, can foster the conditions where authoritarianism is possible and creates a reinforcing effect, said Guevara. Such dynamics can be dangerous, he said. 'It becomes a vicious cycle in which societies get more and more divided, serving mainly the purpose of autocrats, who need to demonize the other side as a precondition to take 'extra institutional' measures to protect 'the people' from 'the enemy,'' he said. 'All sides claim they are defending democracy,' he said. The encroachment of authoritarianism occurs, 'when you have leaders who have some kind of charisma that elicits blind following from members of the administration either because of fear or because of the sharing of certain type of ideology,' said Charlot Lucien, a 60-year-old Massachusetts poet and history instructor who grew up in Haiti under dictatorships known for their oppression and brutality. François Duvalier and his son Jean-Claude Duvalier, known as 'Papa Doc' and 'Baby Doc' respectively, used violence as a tool to squash dissent. In Haiti, the Duvaliers controlled the political institutions, including the elections, and held sway over systems including higher education, according to Lucien. 'Demagoguery was a tool used to [present] a more palatable understanding of what was still an authoritarian regime,' said Lucien of Baby Doc. Newton resident Simona Coborzan was 11 years old when Romania's communist despot Nicolae Ceaușescu was executed by firing squad on Christmas Day 1989. 'As a schoolgirl, I noticed right away that things changed — his portrait and other symbols of his regime were removed from every classroom," she said. 'We no longer had to start each school day listing all the roles Ceaușescu held — he controlled the legislature, executive, and judiciary." Advertisement Under Ceaușescu, Coborzan's grandfather was put under house arrest simply for owning 'too much land,' she said. Trump's administration, she said, reminds her of that era in her native Romania. 'The cult of personality is strikingly similar — so many flags, symbols, and slogans centered on one man," she said. Trump's insistence that the nation would enter 'Ceaușescu used the exact same phrase to describe life in Romania—saying we were Trump's 'His contempt for democratic institutions and norms mirrors what I saw in my childhood: a single man trying to rewrite the rules of democracy to serve his personal power,' she said. Alberto Calvo, a 73-year-old retired engineer from Newton, grew up in Cuba. His father, fearful Calvo would be indoctrinated into 'He killed a lot of people, that's for sure,' he said. Trump, he said, certainly has an authoritarian bent, but without total control and loyalty of the military, Calvo did not think the United States could become an authoritarian state. Advertisement 'I don't think he can establish it here,' he said. Still, he said Trump is haphazard in his decision-making, adding that he's never seen a president quite like the current one: 'It's interesting times we live in.' Danny McDonald can be reached at
