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Kraft: Job fair brawl shows Wu is preoccupied by national spotlight
While Mayor Michelle Wu frequently touts Boston's safety, a large fight at a job fair indicates deeper issues, mayoral candidate Josh Kraft said.
Two days after a city-run job fair for Boston youth was shut down due to a large fight, mayoral candidate Josh Kraft is calling on Mayor Michelle Wu to better prioritize safety and host another job fair.
Kraft, who is so far Wu’s highest-profile challenger as she seeks a second term, went to the site of the brawl Monday. In brief remarks he criticized Wu, saying she’s out of touch with what’s going on in Boston and should have ensured the event was staffed properly.
The job fair took place at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury on Saturday. Police responded to the center just before 1 p.m. Officers requested back-up to help with a “large disturbance,” according to a police report.
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The fight was apparently caused by an incident on social media, but police did not release any additional information about the specific altercations that took place. It occurred near the entrance to the center on Malcolm X Boulevard. There were no arrests, injuries, or property damage reported, according to the police report.
Police estimated that there were around 1,500 young people at the event at the time of the incident. The fair was scheduled to last until 3 p.m. It was shut down early and those involved in the fight were cleared from the scene by a little after 1:30 p.m., according to the report.
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The job fair was advertised as a free way for young people to connect with more than 200 employers. Wu’s office said that there was record turnout at the event.
“Why was the event so poorly staffed and why was there no plan to manage the crowds? If they knew the attendance was going to be so large, why were they so underprepared?” Kraft asked. “Having a record turnout at this year’s fair means nothing if crowds cannot be properly managed, and kids don’t leave with the hope of a summer job.”
When touting her administration’s accomplishments, one of Wu’s favorite talking points is the city’s recent success in connecting young people with summer jobs. Last year, she guaranteed a summer job to every eligible Boston Public Schools student who wanted one. Over the summer the city set a record for having the most students ever working paid summer jobs, Wu said during her recent State of the City address.
Wu also speaks frequently about Boston being the “safest major city” in the country.
“Four years ago, gun violence in Boston had just hit a 10-year high. Every year since taking office, we’ve set new record lows,” she said during the recent address.
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But youth violence, especially during the summer months, has been an ongoing concern. Several incidents during the summer of 2023 prompted action from city officials and community leaders.
“This is the pattern with Mayor Wu. There are always lots of lofty words and big promises, but when it comes to making something work for people, she fails,” Kraft said. “The mayor’s favorite talking point these days is her ‘safest city in America’ claim. But if your teenager can’t show up at a job fair without fear of being hurt, how safe a city do we really have?”
Wu told reporters that the city has “dramatically expanded” its efforts to connect young people with jobs in recent years. Last year, only one major job fair was scheduled and it drew around 1800 young people.
More than 5,000 students registered for Saturday’s fair, Wu said. About 2,200 of them were able to connect with employers before the event was shut down. The city is going to follow up with those who did not get to make use of the fair’s resources, she added.
All safety procedures were followed at the event, and Wu thanked BPD officers and city staff who helped manage the situation. City officials are brainstorming ways to better mange such a large event next year, as demand is expected to continue to grow. One idea Wu floated was to have students sign up for timed slots to interact with employers in order to avoid overcrowding.
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“We are doing everything we can to make sure our young people have access to opportunities. Sometimes things happen and we are working to make sure that all the protections and everything is in place so that, whenever there’s an event in the future, we can control for things like many, many young people wanting to sign up for summer jobs,” Wu said.
Wu did not attend Saturday’s job fair. Her public schedule listed an appearance at the Dorchester Elite Eagles Appreciation Banquet for Parents and Grandparents instead. Kraft said that Wu should schedule another fair and attend herself.
City Councilor Erin Murphy attended the fair and noticed “an absence of Boston Police details,” which allowed security personnel to be overwhelmed when the fight started.
“This incident underscores the critical need for proactive planning and coordination with our police and first responders for large-scale events,” Murphy said in a statement. “Ensuring a safe environment should not be an afterthought but a foundational aspect of event planning.”
Councilor Ed Flynn also weighed in.
“At any major city sponsored event, it’s critical for Boston Police to provide public safety support for attendees and organizers. When we send our youth to city-run events, we should not have to consider the possibility of violence or kids returning home to their parents with injuries. The police are part of the solution to public safety in Boston, not the problem,” Flynn said in a statement.
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The fight and its aftermath could slow the wave of goodwill and momentum Wu has been riding recently. She earned local and national praise after appearing before Congress to defend Boston’s immigration enforcement policies against pointed attacks from GOP lawmakers. Wu followed that up with a State of the City address where she took more of a defiant tone against the Trump administration, and an appearance on “The Daily Show” last week.
But Kraft claims Wu’s recent moves show that she is disconnected from the city she leads.
“Mayor Wu has been basking in the warm media glow of her national media appearances over the past several weeks while things here on the ground for the people aren’t working. It is time for the mayor to turn her gaze away from the national spotlight and focus on running the city so that it serves the people of this great city,” he said.
This story has been updated to reflect updated information from the city regarding the number of people who attended last year’s job fair.
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