South End neighbors berate city officials over crime, drug use in 'Mass. and Cass' area

Frustrated Boston residents and business owners packed a South End hotel conference room Thursday night to demand city leaders address conditions at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard. Residents said things in the area, long the site of open-air drug deals, violence and tent encampments, have only gotten worse in the past few years.

The hearing was an opportunity for residents to vent, as the council disagrees over whether it can declare a public safety, public health, and humanitarian crisis. Councilor Ed Flynn, who represents the South End, sponsored the resolution last month. Councilor Sharon Durkan blocked a vote on it.

Critics of the resolution within the mayor’s administration — and on the council — say that kind of declaration wouldn’t come with more resources.

Residents shared dozens of stories about break-ins at their homes and cars, needles on sidewalks, shootings in their backyards, businesses damaged and failing, and a general sense of fear and despondency.

The stuffy hotel conference room reserved by the council to accommodate South End locals barely fit 120 people. At least another 100 people were left in the hotel lobby, clamoring to follow what was happening. Early on, a chant began: “Come outside,” they urged.

Nivia Pina, owner of Doña Habana Cuban Cuisine on Mass. Ave., spoke in the room about her experience of running a restaurant in the neighborhood. She implored the city to "think out of the box."

“ I'm going to lose my restaurant,” Pina said. “The situation has gotten so bad that not only the safety, the morale, everything — I have even depleted my 401(k) to keep the restaurant open.”

“I'm just frustrated, I'm sad," she added. 

Another resident, Averil Carmine, spoke in favor of declaring a public health emergency.

"How, why has it gotten this bad? Why is she having to shut down her restaurant?" she said. “It comes down to our Mayor [Michelle] Wu. You can't just put all your frustrations onto our councilors.”

Several times, residents directed their outrage toward Wu, who was not in attendance.

But Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Boston's commissioner of public health, defended the city’s progress, citing efforts to increase needle pickup, decentralize services away from Mass. and Cass, expand treatment access, and boost family reunification to get people out of the area — all while “moving towards the goal of a recovery campus.”

The mayor's office recently notified the city council about an increase in police staffing in the neighborhood after 100 new officers graduated the Boston Police Academy, an added bike patrol, more cameras in the area, and enhanced street cleaning.

“ But I recognize that progress has not been felt by many and that many residents are still experiencing serious quality of life and safety issues,” Ojikutu said. “We’re clear that more changes need to occur.”

Ojikutu is against declaring a public health emergency in the area.

“ We do not get any additional resources. It also does not create sustainable evidence-based programs or services, which is what we need in this case," she said. "What it does do is it suspends important public processes similar to this one.”

Ojikutu added: “ We understand that this is a humanitarian crisis and we feel the urgency, but a public health emergency is not the way to go. It's not going to do anything in this case.”

Much of the night was dominated by city councilors affirming the problems in the neighborhood; 10 of the 11 spoke at the hearing. Only Councilor Liz Breadon did not attend.

Other elected officials, public health experts and law enforcement officers spoke as well. When state Rep. Chynah Tyler spoke, several residents demanded she wrap it up, to allow more time for citizen comment.

“What about the people?” one resident said in an outburst. Later, a constituent yelled at Councilor Julia Mejia, urging her to take more responsibility. At least three people were issued warnings for speaking out of turn.

Still, residents who said they’re desperate for a solution urged reconsideration.

Matthew Hammond and Ryan Rogers-Hammond, parents of two young children in the South End, wanted to know what city officials were doing to protect residents from crime in the neighborhood.

Ryan Rogers Hammond recounted how, a few weeks ago, her family was having breakfast when they heard footsteps.

"Moments later, an unhoused man calmly exited our home," she said. " He'd been using a stolen key to come and go late at night and early in the mornings, sleeping among the construction debris and defecating in our living room.”

She addressed Councilor Sharon Durkan directly for blocking a vote on the public health emergency declaration at a council meeting last month: “ Shame on you for that,” she said.

Emilie Schleen, who lives in the neighborhood's Worcester Square, shared a similar story, alleging that a woman broke into her home, slept there and stole valuable belongings.

WBUR could not immediately corroborate the veracity of these residents’ stories.

“ We need laws that are followed and consequences that actually mean something,” Schleen said.

Bethann Codrington said she had formerly used heroin and crack for 30 years. She said authorities need to take a hard-line approach.

“ What I see — and what I know — is that they're not going to resolve this situation unless they arrest people, put them in jail, and give them a choice to either do time in jail or 18 months,” she said.

Many residents called for more arrests, more involuntary commitments under a state law known as Section 35 — anything to get people in active addiction off the street and into treatment, or at least some relief from drug usage, violence and break-ins for the neighborhood.

But not everyone agreed: Kevin Connolly, of Dorchester, said he was “disgusted and appalled by the lack of empathy coming out of this room.” He said he supports a housing-first approach.

The night ended with no specific solutions, and no clear path forward, only agreement on one thing.

“Enough,” longtime South End resident Randi Lathrop said, “is enough.”