GBH: Wu announces summer violence prevention initiatives

Saraya Wintersmith, GBH

A day after a gunman opened fire at a Texas elementary school, claiming the lives of 19 children and two adults, and less than two weeks after a pair of separate mass shootings that targeted Black and Asian-American communities, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced a series of violence prevention initiatives aimed at the city’s disproportionately impacted communities.

“While these [shootings] didn’t take place in Boston, too many in our communities live with the fear and threat of violence in neighborhoods,” the mayor said. “As a mom to two boys, as a neighbor, someone who cherishes the friends, family and community that we have here in Boston, we will move with urgency to make sure that our communities are safe.”

Outgoing Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius made a forceful call for gun law reform in light of the incidents, saying “nothing is more important than the safety of our children and ensuring they get to be children, free of worry and adult problems.”

“They should not have to be scared to walk to school, to be bullied, or to witness gun violence. … We must pass commonsense gun laws and pass special programs to get guns off our streets and out of the hands of those who would do harm,” she said.

Cassellius said BPS has asked principals to review safety drill procedures with faculty and staff in light of the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school massacre.

Throughout Wu's nearly 200 days in office, she has emphasized an interconnectedness of city problems like violence, economic opportunity, housing and school quality. On Wednesday, she said the community support supplied through the violence prevention plan would provide tools for avoiding more carnage.

Among the city’s initiatives: a new Community Ambassadors program designed to help those who are in gangs or are gang-adjacent transition out; a 1,000-position expansion of the Summer Youth Jobs program for 14- to 18-year-olds for a total of 6,000 jobs; a Green Jobs initiative to help younger people gain work experience in emerging industries; and a revamped “Adopt a Block” program to forge partnerships between the city, selected faith communities and their congregations.

“We’ve been connecting our public safety and economic opportunity and community building through the lens of health, equity and community trust,” Wu said announcing the initiatives with a roster of department heads at her sides.

The public strategies come as temperatures increase and more people spend time outdoors. Historically, the summer season is a “challenging time” for addressing violence in the city, according to Superintendent-In-Chief and acting Boston Police Commissioner Gregory Long.

Over the last several months, the Wu administration has pointed to the low crime levels in the city.

According to BPD statistics released this week, Boston has had a total of 55 shootings, fatal and non-fatal, throughout the year. That is four less than this time last year.

On Wednesday, the Boston Police Department reported a total of 10 homicides this year, so far, with last one occurring May 10.

Rufus Faulk, director of the Mayor’s Office of Public Safety, said the new Community Ambassadors program will feature 10 two-person teams dedicated to supporting the youth and families identified as most at-risk for proximity to such violence through outreach and referrals to city services.

“We are looking for individuals who are committed to our communities,” he said. “Our ambassadors are those individuals who already have those ties. We are leveraging their community buy-in, [and] their social networks to help us bring resources from City Hall directly to the neighborhoods and individuals who need it the most.”

The ambassadors will earn $25,000 over the program’s six-month period from the summer into the first quarter into the school year.

Wu’s Wednesday announcement is part of a larger effort to address some of the safety problems Boston faces. The day before, the city rolled out an 11-point warm weather plan for the area where homeless tent encampments formerly sat.

Though planned in advance, and unrelated to the recent mass shootings, the announcement also reflected the grim news from other parts of the country.

“The reality is that we are working and focused to, of course, respond to incidents that come up in every part of the city,” said Mayor Wu, “but the best way that we can deliver the safe, joyful, connected communities that our families deserve is to build a welcoming community where everyone is supported, everyone can reach their fullest potential and have what they need to thrive.”

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