‘People are more fearful than they’ve ever been’: City leaders hoping to stem Boston violence

BOSTON, Ma.---More violence in Boston this weekend.

Four people were shot in Dorchester between Saturday night and Sunday morning. No one died.

“This violence keeps happening over and over again,” says Rev. Kevin Peterson.

Nearly one week after Reverend Kevin Peterson, founder of New Democracy Coalition, wrote a letter asking for Boston Police Commissioner, Michael Cox to do more to keep black people safe, he says he still hasn’t heard from him. This as the shootings keep happening in places like Dorchester, Mattapan, and Roxbury.

“We can’t help but think that the city is in denial, that the police commissioner is in denial about how these communities are in the middle of a crisis,” says Peterson.

Four people were shot in Dorchester this weekend alone. It comes on the heels of three people who were murdered last weekend. Still city officials say Boston’s violent crime rate is below where it was this time last year.

“Violent crime may be down. We may concede that, but the people in the community are more fearful than they’ve ever been,” says Peterson.

Peterson advocates that if police won’t step up to keep people safe then the community must do it themselves even suggesting volunteers patrol the streets in areas where there’s a disproportionate number of shootings.

“It’s sad that a community has to turn to itself and utilize its own resources to protect itself. If two young white boys had been shot to death in the south end or even in south Boston there would be a cry for an emergency, there would be resources directed in those communities,” says Peterson.

Boston 25 News reached out to both Mayor Michelle Wu and Commissioner Michael Cox about this weekend’s gun violence and only heard back from mayor Wu with a statement reading:

“We’re coordinating every resource from law enforcement, street outreach, and community partners to target interventions and get guns off the streets. We’ll continue to focus on violence prevention with the full weight of all city departments and community partnerships.”

There will be a meeting Wednesday, November 2nd at 6:00pm at the Gilbert Community Center on 155 Washington Street in Dorchester to address black gun violence.

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