‘Where are they going?’ Some worry Boston tent crackdown will cause migration into neighborhoods

BOSTON — Hundreds of people have been told they have to clear from encampments in Boston, but where will they go? That’s a question that business owners, neighbors and community leaders are still asking on the heels of an upcoming crackdown.

A new executive order, announced by Mayor Kim Janey on Tuesday, bans tents and temporary shelters on public property. Some are worried it could lead to a migration of people into neighborhoods and other areas that are out of plain view.

“Where are they going? You take the tents away, and they end up down the street…or they go back to hiding in the back of my building?,” questioned Gerry DiPierro, owner of DiPierro Construction on Mass Ave.

The Boston Public Health Commission said there are about 170 beds currently open in the city. Community leaders in the South End and Roxbury estimate there are far more than double that number of people living in the area sometimes referred to as Methadone Mile.

“If they say 400, there’s actually 1,200,” DiPierro said. “They’re coming from everywhere. We’ve got people from New Bedford, Worcester, Lawrence. I ask them.”

DiPierro said he’s never contemplated moving his business from its Mass Ave location in the more than 15 years he’s been there until recently. He told Boston 25 News that knives have been pulled on his employees and his secretary quit after being attacked outside.

DiPierro said he spends an hour and a half each morning clearing people from his property and also cleaning urine, feces and drug paraphernalia. He’s experienced seven break-ins in recent months and has spent more than $40,000 to repair damages from vandalism.

“For me, it’s exhausting. I’m that close. I’m done. I’ve had enough,” DiPierro said. “Am I hearing something that will make a change? I’m not hearing it, no.”

The new executive order establishes a partnership with the state to create a central command structure to track more shelter and treatment options. It states that there will be consequences for those who choose to stay in the encampments. Janey said those who do not vacate their tents in the coming weeks could be charged with disorderly conduct.

“You have to resolve the issue from the bottom up. You can’t just take out what’s on the surface,” said Gunner, a store clerk at the Alltown gas station on Southampton Street.

Gunner, who didn’t want to use his last name, said he’s watched the number of tents grow with each month and has seen crime explode as well. He witnesses people being robbed at the pumps and drug deals happen around the clock. The gas station he works at can’t refrigerate food and drinks at the moment because someone stole the condenser from the roof.

“He banged out the generator with the all the electrical that is linked to our ice cooler. I’m assuming they stole the parts to get drugs,” he explained. “It’s very dangerous here. This needs to be cleaned up.”

The executive order announced on Tuesday declares a protocol to give people in the tents appropriate notice to move. It also provides individuals with a place to store their belongings on a temporary basis. Janey said the city is working to “bring additional beds online” in Boston and around the region.

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