by A small youngster in South Boston was reportedly stabbed with a discarded needle while playing outside this week, according to sources. The alarming incidence comes after multiple reports of an increase in drug use and associated criminal behavior in that area of the city.
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This seems to be going to be a big issue in the mayoral contest as Josh Kraft tries to get traction in his bid to unseat Mayor Michelle Wu, who is the incumbent and the most popular.
Earlier this month, a mother in South Boston told The Boston Herald that her 4-year-old son had trodden on a needle close to the intersection of Columbia Road and Mercer Street. She explained how the youngster has been having trouble taking HIV prevention drugs and how he had to undergo blood testing and X-rays during a lengthy journey to the emergency hospital.
A request for details regarding the event was not answered by Boston police officials.
For months, locals have been raising concerns about what they describe as a sharp rise in the number of open drug users in South Boston and the South End. A local started posting pictures of local happenings on Instagram in June, and since then, they have amassed a sizable following. The photos frequently feature people trading and using drugs outside. In addition to recording used needles and other drug paraphernalia, the account urges Wu and other officials to take further action. Hundreds or possibly thousands of people like some posts.
This dysfunction has been exploited by Kraft, who has made it a key component of his campaign. Kraft accuses Wu of failing to adequately handle safety and public health issues arising from the vicinity of the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard.
No mother or four-year-old child should ever have to go through this. Many individuals, including an innocent child, have suffered as a result of Mayor Wu’s inability to make progress at Mass and Cass. In a statement in response to the Herald investigation, Kraft claimed that although she had vowed to improve Mass and Cass, the issues had instead expanded to other areas of the city.
Wu’s opponents claim that her 2023 decision to enforce an anti-tent rule near Mass. and Cass had repercussions in other areas of the city, including downtown and Beacon Hill. At the time, Wu was compelled to take action because a sizable tent encampment was supporting various criminal activities, and public safety issues were so severe that outreach workers were forced to cease entering the area. According to the Wu administration, the campsite was evacuated and the residents were provided with shelter and therapy.
However, locals claim that drug usage in public is just as bad as it has ever been at Mass, Cass, and the surrounding communities. Two Boston Globe journalists were forced to seek refuge in a building there while covering a recent piece on the subject after being attacked by individuals brandishing what seemed to be hammer-like instruments.
Congregate drug usage in other parts of the city has increased as a result of actions taken in relation to Mass and Cass, Wu and others in her administration admit. However, the mayor is certain that she has supervised important advances there that previous city leaders were unable to achieve, and the situation predates the Wu administration. Wu described the incident as unacceptable when questioned about the 4-year-old stepping on a needle on Monday.
It’s simply unacceptable as a mother. A recording of her comments released by Boston.com shows that she told reporters at a separate event on Monday, “It’s not OK to even have that as a possibility in the back of your mind as something that you have to worry about.”
A city representative cited the efforts of the Mobile Sharps Team, which handles needle collection and complaint response, in a follow-up statement. According to the city, the team’s median collection time is forty-five minutes. Every day, the team and partner groups comb public areas to collect needles and respond to specific complaints.
Wu informed reporters that she is discussing needle sweep areas with other officials. The management needs to be more mindful of areas outside of the locations where routine sweeps take place, she added, because the patch of grass where the 4-year-old stepped on a needle was not exactly within Moakley Park.
Wu commended the response times of the employees who pick up needles. However, she admitted that more work must be done to reduce the quantity of needles that are thrown away in the first place.
Wu stated, “We do not accept that those who are dealing and trafficking drugs will use the city of Boston as a place to prey on people.”
The government claims that it is committed to preventing drug usage among outdoor congregants and is stepping up enforcement by adding more Boston police officers to strategic locations. Additionally, officials highlight the city’s collaboration with the Gavin Foundation, a group that assists in offering recovery and treatment choices in Boston and nationwide. Wu said earlier this month that the city has obtained a $200,000 grant to deepen this collaboration.
A Mass. and Cass dashboard featuring a range of local statistics is maintained by the city. There was an increase in BPD events there last summer, followed by a decline in the winter months. Although incidences have usually increased since early spring, they have not yet surpassed last year’s levels. However, this summer saw an increase in EMS incidents that hasn’t been seen before 2023.
Many of the folks that congregate around Mass and Cass, according to officials, are not Boston residents. In order to improve the situation at Mass and Cass, the City Council members recently voted in support of establishing a new intermunicipal fund that would require financial contributions from neighboring cities.
The mayor’s claim that Boston is the safest large city in the nation was disputed by Councilor Ed Flynn, a regular opponent of the Wu administration. In interviews and official pronouncements, Wu frequently uses that line to highlight the startling drops in gun violence that have taken place under her direction. Flynn is not having any of it, stating in a post on X that the current worries should prompt the administration to declare a public safety emergency.
Let’s not use the story anymore. The safest city in the nation is Boston. It is false and deceptive. I spoke with worried South End locals at Worcester Square on Sunday. It is necessary to declare a public safety emergency due to the criminal activities occurring there and in the nearby areas!
Additionally, Kraft advised Wu to take urgent action in order to retrieve additional needles.
The high quantity of discarded needles is part of the public health emergency that is Mass and Cass. He stated in a statement that the city is pleased to promote the hundreds of thousands of needles that are distributed annually. In order to keep Bostonians safe, especially our kids, they must also quickly pick up abandoned needles.
Since 2022, Ross Cristantiello has been a general assignment news correspondent for Boston.com, covering a variety of topics including as local politics, crime, and the environment.
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