Councilors Flynn, Anderson and Santana held a Hearing to Discuss Public Safety and Quality of Life Issues at Mass & Cass

Special to the Sun

Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn, Councilor Tania Fernandes-Anderson, and At-Large Councilor Henry Santana held a hearing to discuss ways to provide public safety support and address quality of life issues at Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard (Mass & Cass) last week. At the hearing, the Boston Public Health Commission and Coordinated Response Team spoke about their outreach efforts and the current strategies to provide support and resources for those who are seeking detox and other programs. They also discussed the City’s needle pick up program, as well as working in partnership with the Boston Police Department in the areas that the drug activities have migrated to and causing public health concerns, such as areas in the South End, Roxbury, South End and Dorchester.

Many concerned civic leaders and panelists testified at the hearing, including those from Andrew Square, the South End, non-profit organizations such as the Gavin Foundation, St. Francis House, Pine Street Inn, Greater Boston Food Bank. Moreover, business stakeholders such as the Newmarket BID and senior management at the South Bay Mall offered public testimony as well. In their remarks, residents expressed a decrease in quality of life and overall sense of public safety due to the presence of needles in parks and streets, the rise in property crimes, and an increase in aggressive behavior. The Greater Boston Food Bank and management at the South Bay Mall also spoke of having to spend upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars to upgrade security and facilities to protect their operations.

Many residents expressed the need for mandatory drug rehabilitation for those with substance abuse disorders, and belief that the city’s policy is no longer a tenable strategy.

Since the closure of the city’s Long Island recovery campus in the Fall of 2014, the opioid crisis has continued to drive those battling substance use disorder to Mass & Cass, where they can seek nearby methadone treatment, or a bed at city-run shelters. While the encampments are removed, crowds continue to gather daily in the area, and violence and illegal activities, such as open-air drug dealing and drug use, have persisted. These activities have also spread to Roxbury, South End, Dorchester, South Boston and Downtown, which has negatively impacted residents and businesses.

“Mass & Cass continues to pose public safety and quality of life challenges for our neighbors, residents and businesses on a daily basis,” said Councilor Flynn. “We need to continue to provide treatment and recovery services for people with substance use issues; however, we must arrest individuals who are breaking the law, including those who continue to deal drugs and prey on vulnerable people, as well as others committing acts of violence.”

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