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With Wu out of town, Acting Mayor Ed Flynn keeps focus on Mass. and Cass
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu raised the alarm about deteriorating public safety at Mass. and Cass last week.
Last Thursday Boston Mayor Michelle Wu left town for a 10-day family vacation, leaving City Council President Ed Flynn to serve as acting mayor in her stead. In that capacity, Flynn appears to be keeping the public eye turned toward the area of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, also known as Mass. and Cass.
Wu made headlines the day before her vacation when she spoke about a surge in public safety concerns regarding Mass. and Cass. The intersection and surrounding locations like Atkinson Street have long been a gathering point for people struggling with combinations of substance use, homelessness, and mental health issues.
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At 6 a.m. on Monday, Flynn took a 90-minute tour of the area with members of the Boston Police Department, The Boston Herald reported. Flynn reportedly noted the “deteriorating conditions” and said that the situation there was “worse than [he] expected.”
Speaking on the online “Java with Jimmy” program last week, Wu said that her administration was alerted to safety issues at Mass. and Cass by the city’s nonprofit partners.
“All of the non-city teams have said in the last few weeks, ‘The situation has gotten so dangerous that we are pulling our people out, we cannot be in there,’” Wu told host Jimmy Hills.
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A man was stabbed near the area Tuesday night, The Boston Globe reported.
Wu said that the workers who head to Mass. and Cass every day are extremely capable of helping people in one-on-one or small group settings, but large crowds hamper their efforts. Much of the criminal activity that takes place there, including drug and human trafficking, takes place inside the many tents that line the streets, Wu added.
The mayor said the city was planning to take a “major step” toward combating crime and supporting police at Mass. and Cass. Wu did not detail the specifics of what this might entail.
While Wu is out of town, Flynn told GBH News that his “main focus” is increasing safety at Mass. and Cass and connecting people there with drug treatment. As part of the efforts to increase safety, Flynn said he supports “taking down tents.”
But Wu did not authorize Flynn to take any action regarding Mass. and Cass while she was away, according to the Herald. Wu is scheduled to return Saturday and remains in daily contact with staffers in Boston.
In the wake of Wu’s comments, multiple elected officials called for a warrant sweep at Mass. and Cass. Flynn joined U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, state Sen. Nick Collins, state Rep. David Biele, and Boston City Councilors Frank Baker, Erin Murphy, and Michael Flaherty in signing an open letter pushing for the sweep. The letter was sent to Boston police and state police leaders, the Herald reported.
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Flynn reiterated his support for a warrant sweep in an interview this week with GBH, but stressed that it needs to be carefully planned in close coordination with police and that he was not considering pushing for a sweep before Wu returns.
A total of 186 incidents involving Boston police officers occurred at Mass. and Cass during the week of July 16, according to a city dashboard that tracks data about the area. This was the most BPD incidents in a week since January but still paled in comparison to a few weeks last year that produced more than 200 BPD-related incidents. The number of incidents fell down to 113 for the week of July 30. The weekly average is 157.5 incidents.
An EMS team that responds to calls at Mass. and Cass also saw an uptick in incidents during the week of July 16. They had 26 responses, according to the dashboard. Their busiest week came in early May, with 38 responses. The team responds to an average of 17.3 incidents per week at Mass. and Cass.
During her interview last week, Wu pointed out that most of the people who congregate around Mass. and Cass during the day actually have temporary or permanent housing. The open-air drug market there and other activities draw people to the area.
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The average count of people gathering at nearby Southampton Street tends to fluctuate drastically from week to week, according to the dashboard. The average daily count for people gathering in the evenings during the week of July 23 was 224.3. It fell to 150 the following week.
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