BOSTON — A 7-year high in crime in the Downtown Crossing and Boston Common area is uniting leaders from across the city and state for a closed-door meeting on Thursday night.
More than 70 elected leaders, public health officials, law enforcement members, civic leaders, and other active stakeholders are expected to attend.
Neighborhood leaders are hopeful that the collective approach will prevent a repeat of the crime pattern the district saw last year.
Data from the Boston Police Department shows total crime reached the highest level in least seven years in Downtown Crossing and the Boston Common area in 2024.
The 995 crimes reported include shoplifting, petty crime, & drug-dealing.
Community members believe the powerful opioid fentanyl and synthetic marijuana, known as K2, is making drug users in the area especially volatile.
“We need people who are pushing fentanyl and K2 off the streets. It’s having a debilitating impact on the most vulnerable people in our city,” said Rishi Shukla, co-founder of the Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association.
Shukla said the neighborhood has “reached a tipping point.”
He said the situation is leaving people who live and work in the area unsettled daily and feels new strategies are necessary.
“While Boston might be one of the safest cities in the country, in terms of violent crime and homicides, we have a lot of work to do in terms of quality-of-life issues,” he said. “You walk through here at 6 in the morning or 6 at night, you’ll see the same things.”
Parents whose children attend schools in the area, including the Park Street School, are worried things could get even worse in the warmer months.
“First 45-degree day, there must’ve been forty plus people doing drug deals out in the open, hanging out, and screaming in front of the school,” said mother Claudia Hankowski. “It’s not a good look for Boston.”
An announcement made this week by Mayor Wu’s administration addressed an expanded approach to crack down on congregate drug use in outdoor settings.
Some believe that approach should’ve been taken years ago.
“It is a complete 180 of how she came into office,” said City Councilor Erin Murphy. “I could only assume that we would change our policies because what we are doing isn’t working.”
Murphy said she’s still waiting for more clarification about the city’s shift in its approach.
“Now they say they’re going to be arresting and putting more people in front of judges,” she said. “[I asked] is there data that made you change your policies? They didn’t have an answer.”
Downtown leaders anticipate Mayor Michelle Wu and Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden will be attending the meeting that’s scheduled from 5-7pm on Thursday.
320 people recently voted in a Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association poll about safety issues.
Approximately 90 percent of participants rated public safety as an urgent issue for the area.
70 percent said they felt less safe in the area in November than they did at the start of 2024.
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