To Whom It May Concern:

The South End, Roxbury, South Boston and beyond is seeking your help in making our communities comfortable and safe for all. Specifically, we are once again stating our concerns surrounding the public health crisis on “Mass and Cass -aka- Methadone Mile.” As a collective, we understand there are many components to resolving homelessness and addiction-related difficulties created by "Mass and Cass -aka- Methadone Mile." Although we appreciate some of the attempts -both past and present - to address these issues, these efforts have failed to fully address our concerns as a community. Most importantly failing to serve our most vulnerable unhoused community members.

As this public health crisis becomes increasingly uncomfortable, unmanageable, and unsafe, we ask you to utilize the power you hold as a governing entity to keep our communities safe and sanitary for all. A safety plan is long overdue and at this time we demand the creation of a comprehensive safety plan along with significant action steps towards its implementation before the start of Spring 2021, now Summer 2021. As residents, business owners, employees, parents, students and citizens of this city, we demand your attention on this dire issue to bring a sense of urgency to this matter as soon as possible.

The substantial increase of addiction-related crime, including homicides, highlight the importance of immediate change. The South End - Roxbury Partnership hereby demands the following:

1. The creation of a 24-hour engagement center, with heightened security for the surrounding areas;

2. A reevaluation on the positioning of the current comfort station located on Atkinson Street;

3. The city make available any and all data collected by the Boston Police 24 Hour Outreach Team (“BPD Outreach Team”) in regard to the efforts taken to ensure people are being served; and

4. An immediate expansion of the BPD Outreach Team to ensure the continued outreach to individuals in need.

As our elected officials, your responsibility is to the communities you serve. We have reached out countless times through emails, petitions, town halls, community meetings and numerous protests. Please uphold the oath you made to the citizens of the city when you first took office.

#comfortableforALL #decentralizeservices #damianhughes #publichealthcrisis #publicsafety #unhousedlivesmatters #noplannovote