BOSTON — Boston Police are reporting that crime is down in the city’s troubled Mass and Cass corridor, but neighbors and business leaders say they’re not seeing it.
New data released by BPD at a community meeting on Tuesday shows violent crime is down by 31 percent and property crime is down by 13 percent compared to last year.
Those who spoke out at the meeting described regular instances of costly vandalism, dozens of new tents appearing and a crowd that’s growing by the day ahead of the summer months.
Boston’s Coordinated Response Team Director said a brand new summer plan to address the on-going crisis is being finalized.
Tania Del Rio said the city has been more lenient with the tents during the colder months out of concern for people’s health.
She said they’ll soon be cracking down encampments and will be telling people to take tents down on Atkinson Street without 48 hours-notice, since signs are already posted there.
“It’s a disaster,” said South End neighbor George Stergios. “It’s as bad as I’ve ever seen it.”
Neighbors and business leaders did not mince words about the situation they don’t feel is getting better for people who live and work in the area.
“The question on the table is whether there’s any willingness on the part of parties to do the right thing and move the operation from Mass and Cass,” said South End Community Forum leader Steve Fox.
Fox shared outage over the lack of a commitment to end what was supposed to be a temporary housing arrangement at the Roundhouse Hotel.
“The issue is we’ve located it right in the heart of the drug crisis center for the entire new England region,” he said.
Sue Sullivan, with the Newmarket Business Improvement District, painted a picture of a routine tough predicament for businesses.
One of the latest examples of criminal activity with no recourse happened inside Newmarket Pizza.
“In front of the security guard, literally took the register and threw it on the floor,” she said. “Here is a business that has thousands of dollars in a register that got smashed on the floor.”
Sullivan said not much action could be taken against the perpetrator because she suffered from mental health issues.
According to Sullivan, a similar situation recently happened at McDonald’s when the drive-through menu was smashed.
“My heart breaks for the business owners,” said BPD Lt. Peter Messina. “We’re doing everything in our power to help them out.”
Community leaders said the neighborhood is still dealing with the same problem that they’ve been complaining about for years - new people from all over the state arriving at Mass and Cass every day.
Fox requested that a dedicated bike patrol be assigned to the area before things get even worse in the coming months.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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