jsnvlzqz – The Greylock Guardian

R.I.P., Renee Nicole Good

jsnvlzqz2 weeks ago2 weeks ago05 mins

It’s 1:00 a.m., and I can’t sleep.

My chest is hitching now and again. There’s a knot in my throat.

Sorrow, then rage. Then fear. Then rage again. And more sorrow.

Happy New Year from Your Favorite Cassandra

jsnvlzqz3 weeks ago2 weeks ago09 mins

To many of you, this will all sound like a paranoid fever dream. I get it. You grew up on the same “School House Rock” version of America that I did. Your history classes painted this Land of the Free in the best possible light, excusing centuries of atrocities with an optimistic, “Well, we wouldn’t do Manifest Destiny the same way today!”

The Christmas Wolves

jsnvlzqz4 weeks ago1 week ago010 mins

Now, the yipping and screeching was twenty feet from my door. I imagined the horror of listening to the scratching and pawing of ten or more wild dogs attempting to work the door open in the middle of the night. I have a hatchet and a hunting knife as protection.

You’re Probably on the List

jsnvlzqz1 month ago2 weeks ago05 mins

Are you against masked thugs disappearing people who might be undocumented immigrants (with more and more U.S. citizens being swept up in ICE terror campaigns), traumatizing children, and pepper-spraying members of Congress who merely ask a question? Whoops! You’re an entity that goes on the list.

Bird's eye view of the interior of a classic noir detectives office

The Case Files of Billy Brogan

jsnvlzqz3 months ago3 weeks ago07 mins

A few things were definitely wrong with the morning already. First, the blinds on the east-facing windows of my flat were all the way up. I never leave them up. Way, way too bright this time of day. Second, the Village People song, “Macho Man,” was blaring from the speakers with a volume that seemed to increase a few decibels every 60 seconds or so.

A young male barista wearing a grey apron operates an espresso machine in a modern café with industrial décor, preparing coffee drinks for customers.

What, to the Minimum Wage Slave, is the Fourth of July?

jsnvlzqz7 months ago2 weeks ago03 mins

This essay asks: What does Independence Day mean to minimum wage workers? While America celebrates freedom, millions remain trapped in poverty wages, unable to taste the liberty this holiday claims to honor.

A delicate pen and ink drawing with watercolor accents depicting a small group of ethnically diverse blue-collar workers seated at tables in a cafeteria. The workers, including nurses, waitresses, housekeepers, factory workers, construction workers, cooks, and retail sales clerks, are seen in their work attire, casually interacting with each other during a break.

Wage Law Fails Over Half-Million Workers

jsnvlzqz1 year ago2 weeks ago15 mins

While the newly enacted wage transparency legislation in Massachusetts aims to promote fairness, it falls short for the majority of blue-collar workers employed by small businesses. Many of these workers, particularly women and people of color, remain outside the reach of these protections, leaving wage disparities largely unaddressed.