BOSTON — Tensions ran high at a public hearing to address unresolved public safety and quality of life concerns along the city’s troubled Mass & Cass corridor.
The meeting was set up by District 3 Councilor John FitzGerald after a proposal to declare a public health emergency was blocked by District 8 Councilor Sharon Durkan last month.
A conference room at the Hampton Inn & Suites on Mass Ave quickly reached capacity with some attendees standing and overflowing into the lobby.
134 people signed up for public testimony, including a restaurant owner who said she will likely have to close the restaurant her family opened nine years ago.
“I have even depleted my 401(k) to keep the restaurant open. I invested everything here, and nothing happened,” said Nivia Pina, owner of Dona Habana Cuban Cuisine at 811 Mass Ave. “I don’t have any more strength to fight.”
Pina said crowds of drug users congregating and scaring customers on her patio have crushed her bottom line.
She testified that she and her husband are paying $5,000 weekly out of pocket to keep their business afloat.
“They use the barriers to go inside our property, destroy our property. Nobody pays for that,” she said. “People make a reservation and drive by and say, Sorry, I can’t go in.”
Those who spoke expressed skepticism about a new plan to address the open-air drug market announced by Mayor Michelle Wu’s Coordinated Response Team on Wednesday.
“The quality of life has gone downhill faster than a ski slope. It’s disgusting,” said South Boston resident Linda Zablocki.
The immense toll that the crisis has taken on people’s quality of life, feelings of safety, and livelihoods was palpable for the duration of the four-hour meeting.
Two families whose homes were broken into in the South End this summer shared their experiences at the podium.
“What are you doing for us?” questioned South End resident Matthew Hammond. “Are you trying to gaslight me into thinking you are doing a good job? It’s not working.”
The trauma of having strangers enter their homes still lives with both families.
“We’re told it’s getting safer, but what I see is an administration trying to redefine what safety means,” said South End resident Emilie Schleer.
Efforts to crack down on drug activity this summer have included new bicycle patrols and plans to add as many as 100 new Boston Police officers who just graduated from the academy.
Mayor Wu’s administration said it remains focused on ending outdoor drug use.
BPD has conducted 467 drug-related arrests so far this year in the South End, Roxbury, & other impacted neighborhoods.
That’s nearly an 85% increase from 2024.enter
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