Move the St. Patrick's Day Parade out of South Boston? City Councilor wants "major changes"
BOSTON - Would St. Patrick's Day in Boston be the same without a parade in Southie? One city councilor says the time has come to consider taking the party somewhere else.
"We must make major changes and implement a zero tolerance for public drinking, any form of violence, fighting and destruction of property and other quality of life issues," District 3 City Councilor Ed Flynn posted to Facebook on Monday night. "If we are not able to meet basic standards of decency and respect the South Boston neighborhood, the parade should be moved out of South Boston indefinitely."
10 arrested at Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade
A Boston Police Department spokesman told WBZ-TV there were 10 arrests along the 3.8-mile parade route, with charges including disorderly conduct, assault and battery. MBTA Transit police said a drunk man with a gun was arrested at the parade near the Andrew Red Line station.
On Boston's 311 service website, South Boston residents reported "trash everywhere" in the parade's wake.
"This parade is out of control," one person on West 2nd Street wrote. "Our house is up for sale and multiple people hit the sign down and terrorized our neighborhood.
Leading up to St. Patrick's Day, Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox warned that officers would strictly enforce laws against public drinking and disorderly conduct. Package stores in South Boston closed at 4 p.m. on the day of the parade, and bars stopped serving at 7 p.m.
Paradegoers accused of disrespecting South Boston
The parade has been in South Boston since 1901, according to the Allied War Veterans Council, the group that runs the event. But Flynn says something has to change.
"With almost a million visitors to South Boston for the parade, we can't sustain an "anything goes' attitude in the neighborhood," Flynn said. "This is a neighborhood, and many of the spectators that come to the parade do not treat residents of South Boston with respect."
South Boston residents react
Just the chance of changes to Southie's famed parade was enough to stop people in their tracks.
"I don't think it would be appropriate in any other part of the city," said Madora Curtin of South Boston. "I think it belongs here and I hope it's here to stay."
Dianna Fischer has lived in the neighborhood for decades. "I usually try to leave when the parade is here because they bombard our neighborhood and pee all over the place. But they did do better this year I have to say there were porta potties all over the place that was good," Fischer said.
She says the celebrations have crossed a line in the last few years. And leave behind a mess by sunrise the next morning. "I like people to have a good time and everything but it's a little much," she said.
A similar sentiment from Carol Masshardt. "It has seemed recently to be not as much fun. There are a lot of people that get very drunk, and it extends from Thursday to Monday and there's just an enormous amount of trash too," said Masshardt. "So, I would like to see it be moved downtown but many of my neighbors don't feel that way."
Others say Southie and St. Patrick's Day go hand-in-hand in this densely populated Irish American community.
"I don't totally agree with that," said Aiden Conte. "It means a lot to people here I have a lot of friends who come in and stay with me for the parade so it's kind of disheartening."
"That would be unfortunate," said Matthew Ganio. "I don't know I would hate to see it be moved. I feel like it's a big identity of Southie is the parade itself. People come in from all over the country."