Construction site for senior LGBT-friendly housing in Boston vandalized
BOSTON -- A Hyde Park building being transformed into housing for older LGBTQ residents was vandalized. Violent threats were spray-painted around the construction site overnight.
"The words are so hateful and just so unnecessary. And what harm is any of us doing by wanting to live in a school that's being converted to affordable housing?" said Chris Roberts, who lives in the Hyde Park neighborhood.
On Sunday night, the community came together to denounce the hateful act.
Mayor Michelle Wu was among the crowd. "We are here because the community refused to give up on this project," Wu said.
The housing project has been years in the making, according to the mayor. The old William Burton Rogers Schoool will become 74 units of housing for LGBT seniors. The groundbreaking was last month.
"To see cowards come out in the dark of night and try to intimidate or put their hate on this larger community -- it doesn't represent what we have seen throughout this multiyear process," said Wu.
Those who gathered Sunday covered the vandalism with words of their own.
"It just fills my heart and it makes me realize that the power of love, the power of this community is so much stronger than the cowards who did this overnight," said Gretchen Van Ness of LGTQ Senior Housing.
Boston Police are looking at surveillance videos from nearby for clues.
Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said his team is looking into the vandalism. His office released a statement saying:
"It breaks my heart to see these ugly threats targeting a project—and a community—of such importance to our city. This is the second straight weekend of Boston being marred by hatred and intolerance. This cannot stand. My office will prosecute threats to the LGBTQ+ community wherever and whenever they occur."