Boston to Remove Homeless Tent City

Facts

• Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has enacted a new rule that will allow police to remove tents and other makeshift shelters at a homeless tent city known as 'Mass and Cass' or 'Methadone Mile' — an area stretching from the corner of Melnea Cass Boulevard and Massachusetts Avenue known for its crime and substance abuse.¹
• Effective Wednesday, police will be able to start removing tents and stopping future encampments in the area, which, between May and July of 2023, had an average of 700 to 900 emergency calls per week, according to City of Boston statistics.²
• According to Wu, the measure — passed last week — is intended to 'permanently shift the dynamic on the street, and in the surrounding neighborhood, and citywide, to be safer and healthier for everyone.'³
• Under the order, however, police must ensure those being cleared out are offered an alternative place to shelter and temporary storage for their belongings. Officers reportedly began a three-day operation to clear 75 tents on Monday, moving about 90 people into shelters.⁴
• Enforcement of the measures will be rolled out over the next month, and the city will deploy additional outreach workers to connect people with shelter and store their belongings. Notice of the ordinance was disseminated to local residents in multiple languages.⁵
• Wu says her plan has three steps: removing tents, connecting homeless people with housing, and “heavy” police presence to crack down on crime.¹

Sources: ¹FOX News, ²CBS, ³WBUR News, ⁴Washington Examiner and ⁵Daily Caller.

Narratives

• Right narrative, as provided by Blaze Media. After years of being plagued with crime-riddled tent cities, it seems some Democratic mayors are finally doing something about the homelessness crisis. It's absolutely tragic how much American cities have degenerated over the last several decades under Democratic leadership, and it's about time there be common sense solutions to the issues of open drug abuse and violent crime.
• Left narrative, as provided by GBH. While Mayor Wu and the City of Boston think they are doing a service to the community by clearing tents and offering services to homeless people, they're also throwing many out of their dwellings and putting marginalized people at risk. There's isn't enough housing to shelter these displaced people, with the trans community likely to be disproportionately impacted. As always, the most marginalized are paying the highest price.