Police share plans to prevent summer violence in Revere, Boston
REVERE - Revere city leaders are braced for thousands of visitors to hit the sand, and this year they say they're working to prevent the same kind of violence that hit the beach several times last summer.
Violence in Revere last Memorial Day weekend
Last Memorial Day weekend, the beach erupted in chaos as gunshots rang out twice, leaving three people shot and wounded. At Wicked Eats pizza and fried dough shop, employees were glad to hear Revere plans to bring in more police presence. "There was a stabbing unfortunately right across the street from us, but the Revere and State Police have stepped up," said Trish Vann, who works behind the counter.
"If you're here to turn it up, we're going to have make sure we just keep an eye and know that we might have to turn it down every once in a while," Revere Mayor Patrick Keefe told WBZ-TV.
Police Chief David Callahan said social media is sometimes the key to heading-off situations like the one at the beach last year.
"When we have groups of young people, they'll put out things like 'we want to have a gathering at the beach.' We'll focus on that," Callahan said.
Boston summer activities
Boston city leaders also talked about summer violence in a news conference Tuesday. "The daylight hours are a lot longer. There are a lot of students that are not in school," said Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox. He ticked off activities aimed at keeping kids on the right path. "We have the Youth Police Academy, we have the annual fishing derbies, we have coffee with the cops all summer, flashlight walks, Walk the Beat, National Night Out," Cox said.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said there will be special focus in areas that have historically experienced a higher rate of violence. She said Boston Police plan to keep a positive presence and build trust among residents, especially in those neighborhoods.