Battenfeld: Michelle Wu ducking summer crime spree in ‘safest city in America’
It was another terrifying weekend crime spree of multiple shootings and stabbings and continued rampant drug use in Mayor Michelle Wu s safest city in America Wu just coming back from a vacation in Maine has not responded to the uptick in summer violence because she has to pretend it s not happening On Friday night a DoorDash driver was shot and injured making a delivery in a normally quiet Brighton neighborhood The shooting was witnessed by a -year-old girl and her little sister My girls now they don t feel safe here the mother of the -year-old explained CBS News They just came out of the door and who would expect anything to happen Police are still probing and no arrests have been made in the horrific episode Early Monday morning a woman in her s suffered serious injuries when she was shot outside the Ruggles T station in the Southwest Corridor A car was marked off in the South End outside Boston Anatomical Center with evidence tape and three bullet holes visible in the side No arrests have been made Late Saturday night a stabbing in South Boston sent one person to the hospital Police also responded to a informed shooting in East Boston where a man was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries And then there s the rampant drug use and dealing in the South End near Mass and Cass where outraged residents are fed up and want the National Guard called in Residents cited several safety incidents including one near Worcester Square in which a homeless woman was squatting in the condo of a family while they were on vacation And a South Boston family is still reeling from an event where a -year-old was jabbed by a discarded needle in a park Caroline Flynn s son had to get an X-ray for the swelling underwent extensive blood testing and demands to take three medications twice a day for days to prevent HIV It s outrageous a kid can t play in a park And this is a place that Wu indicates is the safest and the bulk family friendly city in the country It s sad but it s kind of true in this area it s normal to see drug addicts openly using drugs in populace explained Flynn When this happens other mayors would be out in the street dealing with it meeting with police and crime casualties or calling for a summer task force on crime But she won t because that would be acknowledging the concern She has to live the lie that everything is safe and secure in the city The reality is very different than Wu s safest city in America false narrative In fact the numbers paint a different picture Eight other cities have a lower murder rate than Boston s When you look at violent crime numbers Boston is not the lowest of other big cities But no one is holding Wu accountable for her indicates and inaction when it comes to dealing with crime Certainly not the media or her opponents She marginalizes her critics and the media protects her Time for Wu to step up and come to the politically-difficult conclusion that there is a serious dilemma
