East Boston Turns Out to Stop The Pike Hike

BOSTON/East Boston - The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority is responsible for debts incurred by the Big Dig, at over 14 billion dollars, the largest public works project in American history, The Authority borrowed money during the flush times of the early 2000s, partly using credit default swaps, one contributing component to the enormous financial bubble that burst and which now smothers the American and global economies.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has proposed tunnel toll and Masspike
increases of as much as 100 percent and residents of East Boston, the community that may be most affected by these increases, have responded
aggressively.

The most visible sign of this response is a group calling itself Stop The Pike Hike which, through it’s website, http://www.StopThePikeHike.org, has been gathering petition signatures, lobbying local politicians, holding rallies. And urging people to attend the 4 upcoming toll increase public hearings.

These scenes were shot at a rally the group, held on Wednesday, December 5, in East Boston. Speakers included group founded Mike Kelleher and a number of politicians who all said they would fight the increases.

These seems to be some support for an increase in the state gasoline tax as an alternative to the hikes, but it is far from a popular notion to Massachusetts drivers, especially those who don’t utilize the tunnels or roads of the Big Dig.

VIDEO INTRO: Scenes from the rally organized by “Stop The Pike Hike,” held on Wednesday, December 5, in East Boston. Video produced by Steve Provizer with Hector Granados of the Zumix Journalism Group.

Zumix is a non-profit that provides media training for young people in East Boston. For more info, check out their website at http://www.zumix.org.