The Dark Legacy of Ray Jordan

 

Been going to downtown Springfield lately for dentist appointments.  

 

 

 Whenever I pass this little police substation on the corner of Main and Taylor streets, it is never occupied. 

 

Then again, I only pass it in the afternoon. Perhaps it is manned at night. Anyway, there is this nice little cul-de-sac located behind it.

 

 I like the trippy wall painting across the street. 

At UMass the other day I came upon this newspaper honoring the recently deceased former Springfield politico Ray Jordan. It was an appropriate place to find it, as Jordan was a UMass graduate. 

 

Jordan's nickname was "The Baracuda" which was sometimes used as a term of endearment - but also as an insult. For some Jordan was a civil rights hero, to others he was a political hack who exploited the black community for his own self-serving goals. To explore accounts of the darker side of the Jordan legacy click here and here. 

 

 

 

Turtles in Springfield's Forest Park. 

photo by tim fenton

These ducks at UMass have lost all fear of people and sit openly on the sidewalk. 

Storm clouds over the Forbes Library in Northampton. 

Spring rain in Pulaski Park.