Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has finally given authorities the order to clean up “Methadone Mile” —a sprawling tent city that has gone un-policed and unchecked for years.
The tent city will be dissolved starting November 1st.
From Fox News:
A report in the Boston Herald said that residents of the tent city have been notified of the new rule in several languages. Any newcomers to the camp will be met by a coordinated team of social workers and law enforcement who will inform them that no new tents will be allowed.
“There is no magic wand in a very complex, long-standing challenge that cities around the country are facing with the opiate crisis, homelessness, mental health, but we know that in Boston we have a very good sense of, not only who it is that needs services, but also how to most effectively connect people with those services,” Wu told local outlet WCVB.
According to the Herald, the problem – which Wu inherited from former Mayor Marty Walsh before he was called up to serve in the Biden administration — persisted despite her efforts to connect between 80–90 people on any given day to social services. That number was decreased from roughly 200 per day, according to reports.
Wu’s plan to solve the problem is three-pronged, starting with allowing police to remove tents and tarps is the first step, followed by connecting them with housing and other services.
“We want to make it clear to the people who come to the city with a different intent, whether it’s to sell drugs or criminality, or to victimize the people that are in these areas, we’re not going to allow that,” Police Commissioner Michael Cox said.
More over at Fox News:
Blue city's 'Methadone Mile' to be dismantled after progressive mayor makes order https://t.co/wYKCU5xB6l #FoxNews
— Bo Snerdley (@BoSnerdley) October 31, 2023
