Boston city leaders are set to discuss the ongoing situation in the Mass. and Cass — the intersection at the crossroads of the South End, Southie and Roxbury that has long been the epicenter of the region’s addiction and homelessness crises.
Boston City Council will hold a hearing on the area on Tuesday afternoon, following a Public Health Commission meeting two weeks ago, when the board did not vote for an emergency declaration.
Four Boston City Councilors are calling on the Public Health Commission to declare a state of emergency at Massachusetts Avenue and Melaena Cass Boulevard, warning that the level of sex trafficking, drug abuse and violence in the neighborhood has reached the point of needing a “dramatic intervention.”
The commission told the Boston Herald that the issue “requires lasting intervention” and that they don’t want the legal tools to get tied up in a “temporary public health emergency.”
Instead, the health commission is hoping that city councilors can approve Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s proposed ordinance back in August, that would give police the authority to remove the tens and offer 30 new shelter beds to people currently living at Mass. and Cass.
Councilors Erin Murphy, Frank Baker, Ed Flynn and Michael Flaherty signed the letter, asking that the Boston Public Health Commission take a vote to declare a state of emergency at their Sept. 13 meeting. The councilors believe that would provide more flexibility to the ongoing situation in that area.
That proposed was moved to a Government of Operations Committee, which will hold its own hearing on Thurday.
Councilor Erin Murphy, who has been calling for an emergency declaration, has invited a group of officials — including members of the health commission and first responders — to participate in Tuesday’s hearing. She said she also plans to call for a vote and declare a state of emergency.
2023-09-26 10:24:20
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