BOSTON — Police officers will have more tools to clear tents in the area of Mass and Cass after the Boston City Council passed a new ordinance Wednesday.
The Boston City Council has approved an amended anti-encampment ordinance that will potentially take effect sometime next week in the city’s troubled Mass and Cass corridor.
The proposal was approved 9-3 early Wednesday afternoon with one councilor voting “present”.
It eliminates a $25 fine for those who refuse to comply with the ordinance and states that people in tents must be offered available shelter space and a place to store their belongings.
The ordinance will go into effect seven days after it’s signed by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
It also requires city officials to track available shelter space daily.
“Step one, they’ve got to get rid of the tents. Step two, there’s nothing there. What’s step two?,” questioned Gerry DiPierro, owner of DiPierro Construction.
Business owners and neighbors who live not far from the crowded row of tents and tarps on Atkinson Street are worried that people will disperse into surrounding areas.
Some people staying in the encampments told Boston 25 News that they feel a sense of community there and don’t want to go.
“Without getting to the root of the problem, you’re not really helping,” said Al Martin, who frequents the area. “It’s just going to disperse the crowd.”
The exact logistics of how police are going to carry out the crackdown and enforce it in the coming weeks have not yet been publicly shared.
“We’ve been assured by the city, and we’ll have to take them at their word that there are specific plans in place to make sure that the tents are taken down and that’s enforced on a regular basis,” said Rep. John Moran, a Democrat who represents Boston’s 9th Suffolk District.
Representative Moran, who resides in the South End, said it’s crucial that the state collaborates with the city of Boston on this complicated issue.
“The city of Boston can’t do this alone,” he said. “We need the state to collaborate with the shelters that are available across the state.”
30 people living in the encampments will soon be offered a temporary place to stay overnight at 727 Massachusetts Ave, across the street from Boston Medical Center.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu filed the ordinance in August, citing the growing public safety challenges.
Larry Calderone, Union President of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, told Boston 25 at the time of the filing they are looking at the ordinance closely.
“I can tell you the men and women I represent, they will work tirelessly as they have double tours, every day of the week to do what we need to do for the citizens of Boston but I am very curious to how we are going to be everywhere in the city when we just don’t have the bodies,” said Calderone.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and other officials are expected to share more details about the upcoming enforcement at a Thursday morning news conference.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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