Affordable housing has always been an issue on Boston. Our collections have any number of stories related to the topic, including protests, press conferences, political campaign promises, and personal stories. It was exactly 45 years ago today that one of the most unique and memorable protest occurred, led by Mel King, in the South End. In 1968 housing on the corner of Dartmouth and Columbus in the South End was leveled. On April 25th of that year, Mel King and other community activists held a sit-in at the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) office to protest disregard of the displacement of the residents during urban renewal. There they learned that the Dartmouth and Columbus lot was being turned into a parking lot. So on April 26th, another group, still led by Mel King, arrived at the South End lot to protest the plan, arguing that the community would be better served by the building of affordable housing than by a parking lot. The police came, and, even though the officer in charge was sympathetic to the cause, King and 28 other people were arrested for refusing to clear the area. They were all released pretty much right away. more
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