Comments
Pizza_4_Dinner t1_iy8cjry wrote
They have removed them from Southhampton and made them set up down Atkinson where its less visible. All the concerned posts on reddit stopped so Mission Accomplished I guess.
Peeeculiar t1_iy8h7m3 wrote
"Operation Lift and Shift" is timed perfectly given the president and some Brits arriving shortly.
nerdponx t1_iy8l1gy wrote
I don't know these areas too well. If the area in question actually results in fewer issues with surrounding residents and businesses, then maybe it's actually a good short term measure?
Yak_Rodeo t1_iy8tvzn wrote
its literally a side street adjacent to the main road lol, it changes nothing other than moves people out of the public eye
metrowestern t1_iy8yxsb wrote
It’s also in the 20’s at night now too. I’d imagine some of these folks migrate like birds and come back in the spring.
maximus_the_turtle t1_iy8vtwu wrote
Haha. Yup.
[deleted] t1_iy8depu wrote
I drove by there every day in 2016-2019, it’s much much better now. There’s still work to do, and anybody seeing it for the first time today would still gawk at the amount of human suffering, but putting the actual progress in context, there’s like 1/10 the number of people out there at any given moment compared to a few years ago.
jojenns t1_iy9kvsb wrote
Its just an illusion they have moved them out of sight so they can say this. A month ago Wu herself was saying how people are pouring into there because of the low threshold housing where you can get high carrot they are dangling
[deleted] t1_iy9ligv wrote
The issue with mass and Cass was always that the people were out in the open with their behavior though. It’s not like the people in the suburbs who are complaining about the mass and Cass mess were ever suggesting they’d do anything at all, like parking surcharges or tax increases, to help these people in a meaningful way.
It’s not an illusion, it’s a solution to the problem as it was presented.
waffles2go2 t1_iye49i5 wrote
No, the "open air drug markets" heyday has passed.
This problem does not have a simple solution and Wu is doing better than most (although it has been forced on her).
But if you think this was a "victory lap" AKA "mission accomplished" then you seem to be more of a hater than a pragmatic thinker and last time I checked "hating on someone trying to make things better" is a boomer position...
jojenns t1_iyadxae wrote
The are still there in the same numbers They are just less visible. The thieving, dealing, assaults OD’s and other quality of life issues for that neighborhood are the same. You just have to take right turn to see it now.
[deleted] t1_iyaf1l3 wrote
Yeah, but the job was never to solve homelessness, crime and addiction, it was to remove the public spectacle of it.
The neighborhood they’re in now has fewer residents and more commercial sites, which makes a big difference to quality of life for residents/tax payers.
charons-voyage t1_iyckdud wrote
Honestly we can never “solve” these issues. We can only manage them. Even if we build 10K free housing units where people could do drugs and be degenerates, there are STILL gonna be people on the streets doing whatever the F they want.
As far as I’m concerned, as long as I don’t need to see needles or shit on the sidewalks on my way to work or where my kids play, idgaf what’s happening in other areas
waffles2go2 t1_iye9wb2 wrote
>idgaf what’s happening in other areas
Should have started your screed with this...
jojenns t1_iyag9ut wrote
The public spectacle and neighborhood impact remains its literally just an additionally turn off of mass ave. Actually just a look to your right and you see its all the same no turn required
[deleted] t1_iyah06e wrote
The neighborhood impact is reduced by moving people away from the streets where people live permanently
You can’t see anywhere near the same volume of activity from the main roads, that’s just a dishonest description. I was through there an hour ago and there was no visible crowd.
jojenns t1_iyatp9f wrote
Nobody lives where they stand in their usual spot. I drive by there every morning the volume is the same. The only real difference now is the snow birds magically can deal with shelters when it gets into the 40’s. Its not a dishonest description. You drove by at night and took Atkinson St?
[deleted] t1_iyawz8c wrote
I take Melnea Cass across mass Ave and onto the expressway, the crowd simply isn’t there in the same volume as years past. It wasn’t even crowded mid summer.
NBsAm3323 t1_iy91dd4 wrote
and I drive by there every day now.....it has not gotten better in the slightest.....i can PM you the picture of the lady shooting up her jugular in 4K i have or the man releaving himself (#2)........you pick. Shameful what shes allowing to happen.
[deleted] t1_iy92hq6 wrote
I’m not sure those examples mean things haven’t gotten better (i still drive through daily, and still see the people out there), it just means it’s still pretty rough. I think I communicated that clearly enough initially.
Wickedweed t1_iya6j89 wrote
You took a picture of an addict taking a dump? Why? I’m not disagreeing with your point, I just never have had the urge to document things like that
NBsAm3323 t1_iya6w9k wrote
For hypocritical people like the one running our city :)
Wickedweed t1_iya757n wrote
Did you send it to her?
fakemedicines t1_iy91vuy wrote
I've been in the area since 2014 it's much worse now
willzyx01 t1_iy8ok2o wrote
Politician pats herself on the back, job well done.
smokesmokesmokes t1_iy91pjf wrote
This will never end. From every side it's always just talk. The best solution seems to be the Long Island one, and who's fault is it that's not an option?
HighGuard1212 t1_iya646o wrote
The mayor of Quincy
charons-voyage t1_iycjt59 wrote
As a Quincy resident, I can’t blame him. Nobody in Quincy wants the bridge. Boston isn’t offering Quincy anything. I would personally support a bridge if Boston gave us year-round ferry access from Squantum to Boston or offered to help us connect our Riverwalk to the Harbor walk or something cool like that. Right now Boston is just like “build a bridge” and Koch is like “nah”. And that’s how it’s gonna keep going apparently lol
waffles2go2 t1_iye3b5d wrote
As someone who lived in Quincy - it is a shame and the state will step in.
So dream about ferries - but expect the state to put the hammer down...
Want edu funding? Open the island.
Potholes filled? Open the island.
But blocking access to an island that was providing services for a at-risk community that you seemly have had no exposure to (lucky you!) and with minimal impact to the city - is a total "Quincy MA" move....
Ok_Magician7814 t1_iya0lj4 wrote
What’s the Long Island solution
charons-voyage t1_iycjida wrote
It’s really not the best option. It’s gonna require YEARS of construction and tons of upkeep. Build a facility on the mainland near the problem area (Mass/Cass).
SilentR0b t1_iycu9zr wrote
I think the secret sauce here was that they were far enough removed from the mainland.
charons-voyage t1_iycusu2 wrote
Yeah I mean people want it “out of sight, out of mind”. They don’t actually care what’s best for the patients.
waffles2go2 t1_iye3lbq wrote
Yeah, since you have no clue - not having access to the mainland (drugs) is a big part of detoxing and a major reason people had success on the island...
But you didn't think about that did you....
pass_ball t1_iy8h0d1 wrote
In defense of Mayor Wu, yes, she overhyped the administration’s success at Mass and Cass, but that is what Mayors do.
The problem lies with a bug-eyed, hysterical media who is so needy, self congratulatory, and limited by groupthink they can only, based on reflex, applaud the first woman, POC Mayor of Boston. They need a Xanax.
Mayor Wu will eventually, through trial and error (or fixing a bridge), figure out Mass and Cass.
Drew_P_Nuts t1_iyaarzd wrote
I feel like you have 1/2 this right. The media did overhyped Mayor Wu because she’s Asian and because she’s a woman.
I don’t know if anything else here is right. And I don’t know if that’s gonna benefit her or hurt her in the long run but it’s also what helped get her elected. Boston is one of most liberal cities in America with a racist history and local media and politicians were yearning for a progressive person to take office. She just might’ve gotten in over her head
lunisce t1_iy89boa wrote
grabs popcorn
this gon be good
Sayoria t1_iya5o8p wrote
If there's a will, there's a way.
If the people there aren't willing, it won't happen.
Solar_Piglet t1_iyd6x6c wrote
I feel like they've mostly just distributed the problem. I never saw homeless encampments on the Esplanade before this year.
dirtshell t1_iy96m6l wrote
> "I think the big challenge at this point is it's not just a housing, it's not just an addiction challenge," he said. "At some point, the city's got to deal with those drug dealers who just hang around down there and just prey on people."
Ughh wow Baker with the 1000iq take here, can't wait to get rid of this clown and replace him with someone who does the same thing just not loudly zzzz. There are plenty of cops, they just spend their time watching people get assaulted in tents because they are too afraid to try and apprehend dealers. And even if they did apprehend the dealers, thats not going to stop the flow of narcotics.
What a lame pat on the back. The low threshold housing with strings attached will not fix these issues. Moving these people somewhere else with fewer resources available will not fix homelessness, it just moves it out of sight for the president and some inbred brit.
Sheol t1_iy9tkvt wrote
>"If we just focused on arresting people... we'd be right back in the same situation that got us here."
Real "we've tried nothing and we're all out of ideas" vibes here
dirtshell t1_iyajk7a wrote
yeah, thats what I'm complaining about?
Zantarus00 t1_iy9rf2n wrote
R/Boston is an anti-Wu, pro-Baker sub. You're not gonna get far with this comment.
Drew_P_Nuts t1_iyabbeu wrote
I think there’s reasons though. Mayor Wu hasn’t really accomplished anything except pissing off a lot of businesses during her Covid response. Baker was a republican who managed to reach across the aisle with Dems on lots of issues. You might disagree on any particular issue but the fact that he was able to work with Democrats is better than 80% of governors either republican or democrat. Personally I give huge props to any politician who is willing to vote against their party if they believe in an issue and he did that plenty of times.
dirtshell t1_iyajxpf wrote
"Working across the aisle to accomplish the bare minimum" (which should really be read as "not obstructing the bare minimum") is not good, and does not earn my respect.
Drew_P_Nuts t1_iyalegs wrote
Voting along parties lines in my opinion is the worst t thing a politician can do besides murder and rape.
100% serious. There is 0% chance you agree with your party or 100million Americans on every issue. So it it literally proof you either do not do research your job or you are only looking out for yourself.
I think your an idiot if you are a voter and can’t find 3 things to agree with the other party on but I think you should be in prison if your in congress
alanboston t1_iy957mb wrote
Mayor Wu would like to announce the opening of a new dog park in Allston. Because that is top priority rather than caring for the junkies at Mass and Cass.
man2010 t1_iya0okn wrote
It's too bad politicians can't work on more than one thing at a time
kiwi-cucumber t1_iy8aseq wrote
This gives “George bush on a battleship with a Mission Accomplished banner” vibes