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SE Forum spring meeting addresses drugs, safety, urban renewal

by Michele D.  Maniscalco
Thursday Mar 17, 2016

The South End Forum's May 8 meeting overflowed from a small meeting room at 346 Shawmut Avenue as neighborhood association officers, city officials and concerned residents met to discuss ongoing issues challenging the South End. District 3 city councilor Frank Baker, the chief of staff to councilor at large Annissa Essaibi George, Boston Police Department District 4 Captain Paul Ivens and Sgt. Lucas Taxter and Office of Neighborhood Services liaison Sam Chambers were on hand to answer questions and listen to neighbors' views.

Forum chairman Steve Fox raised the topic of rebates for security camera purchase by private individuals, citing a program initiated in January in Washington, DC with a rebate of up to $200 per camera and a maximum of $500 per residential address and $750 per business or other address. One forum member noted that security cameras are used in parts of London and Manhattan and that both cities have seen a much lower crime rate in those areas. He said that the cameras act as a deterrent to crime and as a useful tool in identifying suspects and tracking their movements. The man noted that in Chicago, less than one per cent of crimes take place where cameras are in use. Acknowledging concerns for privacy, he pointed out that the courts have ruled that individuals do not have a right to privacy on public streets.

Fox said that in the Rutland Square area residents are preparing for a springtime rise in burglaries, vehicle thefts, break-ins and other crimes in alleyways, and that drop-cams, or small security cameras, in that area have revealed individuals trying door handles on cars along the alleys, reminding residents to secure their cars. A resident asked Taxter about the idea and he responded, "I love cameras. They have to be good quality cameras. They have to have storage on a hard drive or cloud server and the police need the ability and willingness of you all to share footage with us." Taxter added, "We need all the help we can get. We are limited in the number of patrol officers, so cameras help us out a lot. They are appreciated."

Carol Blair of the Chester Square Area Neighborhood Association (CSANA) said that she would be willing to pay for a security camera without a rebate, noting that many of her neighbors on Northampton Street live in lower-income housing with security cameras that did not benefit from any rebate or financial assistance. Blair pointed out that the cost of the camera rebate program would compete in the budget with existing demands such as educational programs. Another neighbor suggested setting up crowd-funding for the cameras. The challenge of installing cameras on the front of homes under historic district restrictions was raised, and one Mass. Ave. neighbor said she plans to install a camera on the front of her house and take the position with the South End Landmark District Commission (SELDC) that it is necessary for security. Fox proposed forming a working group to set standards for eligible camera styles, to explore civil liberties issues and other concerns. Three Forum members volunteered to create a proposal for a security camera rebate program to present to the city for approval.

Notable topics in public works presentation were the announcement of the start of street sweeping on March 1 and the beginning of registration for the April 30 Boston Shines South End clean-up day. Fox brought up a recent conversation with Joe Lombardi, the CEO of Sunrise Scavenger, current trash pick-up contractor for the South End and North End, who said that if he could redesign the trash removal scheme, he would call for night pick-up.

Fox recalled the "hue and cry" of past discussions regarding the noise level of nighttime pick-up, asking residents to consider the positive impact that could ensue from putting trash out at 5:00 PM, having it picked up by 10:00 PM and decreasing the amount of debris scattered in the road and the rodent infestation problem. According to Fox, Lombardi said that the sanitation industry has made great strides in creating noise-reducing technology for trash removal.

Medical and recreational marijuana were again a topic of discussion at the March 8 forum meeting. Fox noted that the City Council passed legislation requiring a ½ mile buffer zone between outlets selling medical and recreational marijuana in anticipation of a statewide referendum on legalization of recreational marijuana in November. Proponents of the buffer zone had originally proposed a one-mile distance. Fox said that in Colorado, there are clusters of marijuana outlets in certain areas that in effect create a sort of "Combat Zone" for recreational marijuana, and Colorado lawmakers would create buffer zones between outlets if they had it to do over again. Bob Minnocci, who chaired a 2013 task force on medical marijuana dispensaries for the Worcester Square Area Neighborhood Association (WSANA) talked about the South End Forum's draft proposal for a one-mile buffer zone between medical or recreational marijuana sales and any addiction recovery services and the idea of keeping marijuana outlets out of the South End due to the high concentration of recovery services, addicts and on-street drug sales in the South End and Newmarket areas.

"That's a way of protecting people who are in recovery who every day are encroached upon by drug dealers, harming their recovery process. We want to have a solidified position here in the South End that we can take to the city council and work on getting legislation passed to provide for that." Fox added, "One of the things we know about the South End is that it is Ground Zero for the opioid epidemic and we are the most densely populated neighborhood for social service programs in the entire city. Blackstone/Franklin Square Neighborhood Association (B/FSNA) president Eric Huang suggested creating a map of addiction recovery services to demonstrate their concentration as opposed to the absence of such facilities elsewhere, an idea that was well-received by others in the group.

Fox urged members to review and submit comments on the draft proposal and said that he and Minnocci would formulate a final proposal to come to an on-line vote before the next South End Forum meeting. An encouraging development on the addiction recovery front came in Scott Strode's proposal to bring Phoenix Multisport, an outdoor sports, athletics and networking program that helps build self-esteem and ongoing support for addicts in recovery to the South End. Strode outlined the program's mission and format, but the details of bringing Phoenix Multisport to Boston are to be determined.

At the top of the meeting, city councilor Frank Baker reported on the status of urban renewal (UR) reauthorization. Fox commented, "We are a little disappointed that we don't have the votes to get a two-year extension of urban renewal with a sunset clause, but we seem to making progress." Fox reported that as of Monday, March 7, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) continued to call for a 10-year reauthorization with no reduction in the size of UR zones until after reauthorization. Fox said that the forum has been working with representatives of the North End, Back Bay and Bay Village to coordinate opposition to a UR extension of more than two years, but added, "The BRA has done a full court press during the past two weeks with every lawyer, every architect and every project manager sitting in the city council chambers. We understand that there are political dimensions [such as] elections that influence policy decisions, so we are willing to talk about three years."

Fox stated that a majority of councilors would not approve urban renewal authorization beyond five years, and the BRA has hinted it might be willing to go down to seven years. The BRA reportedly stated that it won't be able to have an inventory of all of its property in less than two years. A member wondered why there is support for reauthorization in the city council when the downtown neighborhoods are united in their opposition to the UR extension. Fox said that organized labor is supporting the UR reauthorization, arguing that it creates jobs. Alana Olsen, chief of staff to councilor Essaibi-George, said that Essaibi-George attended a hearing on the topic in early March and is waiting for further details on the reauthorization plan from the BRA before taking a position. Fox said that the at-large councilors have been "incredibly responsive" and that District 2 councilor Bill Linehan is still formulating his stance, whereas Tito Jackson favors ending the entire UR program. Fox urged residents to contact councilors to make their views known.

The next South End Forum meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 10 at 6:00 PM.