Community activists want 'comprehensive plan' to address Boston violence
By Courtney Cole, WBZ-TV
BOSTON - Over the weekend there was another deadly act of violence in Boston. A story that has become all too common recently. Community activists are calling for a plan on how to respond to the violence. As WBZ's Courtney Cole reports, that includes getting members of the community on board.
"Our children are dying. It's painful and disconcerting to see blood on the streets on a consistent basis," said Reverend Kevin Peterson, the Founder of The New Democracy Coalition.
On Tuesday, October 4th, a 17-year-old boy was shot near Jeremiah Burke High School in Dorchester.
Less than a week later, a 14-year-old lost his life to gun violence-- in broad daylight--in Roxbury.
The following day, 91-year-old activist Jean McGuire was stabbed multiple times in Franklin Park.
And now the latest deadly shooting, happened Sunday night in Dorchester.
Peterson told WBZ it's time to get to work, "We need to look at these instances, these episodes of violence, as individual [instances]--but also a part of a larger picture in terms of reducing the violence in a comprehensive way."
"How do we stop this from happening?" Cole asked.
"Now is the time for us to look at how we can better address this problem by more collaborative action." Peterson said. "By dialogue and then putting into place a plan-- a comprehensive plan."
A comprehensive plan Rev. Peterson said requires working on collective resources from the community, law enforcement, the non-profit sector, and the civil rights community-and "leaving agendas and egos at the door."
Cole asked, "Is there anything that the city could be doing to help the community? Is there something they're not doing now?"
"I'll be brutally honest, the city does not have a comprehensive violence response plan," Peterson said. "There is no plan and the community is needing a plan that reflects the communities' interest and really addressing the violence. We don't see that. The victims of violence that I engage with do not see it."
Peterson told Cole, in terms of a plan, he believes deploying more police in areas where the violence is most prevalent, would be a good place to start.
"Because if we have a fire burning over here: we want to address the fire, we want to put water directly on that fire-- to whatever degree we can-- and most rigorously and we don't see that happening," said Peterson.
Cole reached out to the City of Boston for a response to Reverend Peterson's concerns. A City spokesperson responded via e-mail, saying:
"Any incident of violence in Boston is unacceptable and the trauma ripples through our communities. The City of Boston is working relentlessly alongside our public safety officials and community partners to support youth development, safe streets and violence intervention. This requires a whole community approach, and we know that our residents and partners share the urgency for public health and safety."
The City's spokesperson also provided Cole a link to the city's comprehensive safety plan.
New Democracy Coalition's Founder said he does want to see a stronger response to crime from the Boston Police Department, the City and Clergy. But he also told Cole there's another important stakeholder: the communities being impacted.
"I would be irresponsible if I didn't say the community needs to step up its game, in terms of its own policing. We must rid ourselves from this culture of 'not snitching.' So that when we see a crime happening, we need to be vigilant, and we need to be courageous enough to say that-- 'I'm going to report this crime' or 'I'm going to testify against this crime.' There are too many unsolved murders in our community based on the fact that we don't step up," Reverend Peterson said.