Today's Globe reports that three women were assaulted by a screwdriver-wielding man early yesterday morning between the Airport T station and Porter Street. All three victims fought off the attacker, who is still at large. Two weeks ago a woman was raped in a late-night attack on her way home from Logan Airport.
City Councilor Michael Flaherty posted comments on this blog entry to notify the community that there will be a meeting to discuss these crimes at the East Boston YMCA on Bremen Street tomorrow night at 7 p.m. The Boston Police will be on hand to discuss the assaults and to provide some safety tips as well.
29 comments:
Jimbo, two weeks ago you said that rapes aren't a big problem! Guess you were wrong again.
What happened to a safe East Boston, jimbo?
An emergency meeting has been scheduled for tomorrow night (Wednesday, Sept.
5th) at the East Boston YMCA on Bremen Street from 7-9pm to address the recent assaults in the area.
Representatives from the Boston Police will be available to talk about the crimes that took place, what steps they are taking to address them, and provide some safety/self-defense tips. We have also invited MASSPORT and MBTA Police to join us as well.
If you have any questions, please e-mail or call Andrew Kenneally in my office at andrew.kenneally@cityofboston.gov or 617-635-4205.
Best Always,
Michael Flaherty
Boston City Councillor, At-Large
I never said that "rapes aren't a problem." Every single instance of rape or any type of sexual assault is absolutely a problem. I also didn't say that East Boston is completely safe at all times.
Please don't misrepresent my words, which only pointed out that Eastie is one of the safest neighborhoods in Boston and that sexual assaults are down this year in this community. Is it wrong for me to state the facts?
Is is still down now? Eastie is getting worse! instead of throwing money to foolish liberal ideas, we should be putting more police on the streets!
There will be plenty of tissues available for all you Drago supporters.
Where are the mbta police, should they patrol the area at night, or should the boston police set up a satellite police station in that area, come on 3 rapes in 3 weeks, all over the news, how embarressing.
EastBostonrules says
Hey Mike where were you for five years( I never missed a meeting,and know you never attended.), as dozens of community activists yelled ,begged for 24 hour a day c.c.t.v.cameras to record all day,as well as Panic buttons every 300 feet similar to those on T platforms?
We met for 5 years on the design of the Memorial Stadium,The Greenway,The Bremen street park,as well as the Greenway,and esp.Airport t .stop the long walk from Porter to the t .stop.You never attended a single one.
Mass highway,Central Artery,and the T.all vetoed every request even said we have no money.So I guess these womens lives were not worth the estimated cost of 150,000.00 dollars,out of a 17 million dollar budget.Mike you never came to a single meeting,and I am calling you out at the meeting.
You are a grand stander who by the way folks ,backed the Mayor,and Sal against the 184 abutters who did not want the liquor license.
You should stay home,as you have done forever.You never attend these kinds of meetings,and you should be ashamed for trying to seize this as an opportunity to begin your campaign .Be afraid people he is part of the Machine,and has been chosen to be the next anointed Mayor.Yikes!!!!
Be afraid Eastie residents,be very afraid.
Joe Mason
I was unable to attend the meeting last night. I hope someone can post a summary of what was discussed.
Don't look to the Herald to give you the whole story. Michelle McPhee called Memorial Stadium a dilapidated park owned by Mass Turnpike. So much for researching for her story and learning how much money was spent to renovate the park. Yesterday she managed to mention that Jeff Drago wrote a letter about the situation. So was she the reporter who had a fundraiser for Jeff and then just happened to mention him in her article. Does she live in one of the new condos at 156 Porter? Can't she see that the park has been fixed? The only mention in the Herald of our upcoming election was yesterdays comment. Pathetic.
... maybe they can hired the Ice-cream Truck to patrol de area...
The New Bremen st park is a waste of money and it will continue to be a waste of money in the future, it needs to be maintained year after year, for many years to come. It is a magnet for rapes, junkies,whino's, It will be like the esplanade a breeding spot for bums, The bremen st park does not generate money for the community, a good solution is to Reconstruct the area where park and fly use to be, and build commercial buildings, upscale resturaunts, or a clothing outlet, one similar to wrentham outlets, this will create jobs in the community, by doing this, people would not have to drive elsewhere to dine and shop.
The assertion that the Bremen Street Park is a "waste of money" is completely unfounded. The poster is obviously unaware of the mountain of economic analysis and case study research that has found that public parks have a strong and positive economic impact on the local community. Public parks increase property values, which in turn increases tax revenue. Depending on the type of park, they attract certain types of uses that can easily be leveraged for to boost revenue for the neighborhood and the city as a whole.
The author cites the Esplanade as an example of a "problem park". On the contrary, the Esplanade is not only a revenue generator for the city and the state (think of all of the festivals that occur there on a regular basis - the organizers of which all pay a fee to do be there), but also for small businesses who sell food, trinkets, etc. during events. In addition, the hotels and landlords charge a premium for the view of the Esplanade. I just recently toured the newly opened Liberty Hotel. On the third day of operation, the majority of available rooms facing the Esplanade were already filled. Those rooms cost anywhere from 50-100% more than the rooms that face MGH.
And this is in addition to the health benefits that public parks bring and the community benefits that are derived from access to public parks. All of this has been well documented in research on the public benefits of public parks.
Spaces like the Bremen Street Park make East Boston a livable neighborhood. That is what the people in this neighborhood have fought for since the 1960s after the loss of Wood Island Park. The commenter obviously has a different idea what what kind of neighborhood East Boston should be. I don't know where this person lives, but I walk outside my house and within 10 minutes I pass by more than a dozen restaurants, several markets (including a supermarket), and more than a few shops where I can buy clothing or get my keys copied.
I do believe there exists space for such developments at Suffolk Downs. Perhaps this is a more appropriate location for the commenter's suggestion than taking away the little bit of green space that this community has.
Starluna. I agrre with the first post rather than yours. You do have some good points but the reality is The Breman street Park will never amount to the Esplanade. I take my kids there and it's always dirty. Although Massport tries hard to keep up with the grafittiit's a losing battle. I rather see an outlet with restaurants. this would generate alot more money. If you want to do something good for east Boston stop charging a 100 intiation fee and high monthly fees at the YMCA.
N.Starluna you said people were planning to build a park in East Boston since the 60's, in part because massport took away the old wood island park, those same people you are reffering to are probably dead now , New generation means new idea's for East Boston's future, East Boston has too much park space now, residents are probably scratching their heads, thinking what if? I walk through bremen street park daily to get to the T and I see acres of useful land that can benefit the future of East Boston's commerce, this I mean outlets, resturaunts, an off ramp connecting to the greenway via route 1A south this will boost the local economy,airport station smack in the middle,nothing to lose, everything to gain, and most of all it will light up the area at night and stop the ongoing rapes, I spoke to a resident of 156 porter st last week about the lack of "normal" convinience stores in the area from where he resides, he tells me that he has to drive to a day sq gas station to buy a quart of milk, he says that is the only downfall.
n.starluna you said the ideal place for an outlet retail/ resturaunt would be suffolk downs, not bremen st park, first of all suffolk downs area is a less congested residential area than the bremen st area, plus the rest of the East Boston residents with out automobiles would have a hard time getting there,suffolk downs
would be a perfect setting for a casino, if not the casino, If I was the mayor or a local elected official, I would have harvard set up a campus there, if that would be the case, donations from harvard would start pouring in to East Boston, example medford public school system is mostly funded by tufts.
I'm stunned by the comments that suggest we should bulldoze the newly-opened Bremen Street Park to "build commercial buildings, upscale restaurants, or a clothing outlet." Are you serious?
N.starluna is right on when she extols the merits of green space in urban communities. Since the park opened I've driven down Bremen Street many times and seen dozens and dozens of children playing throughout the park with parents and relatives nearby enjoying the grass, trees and open space in the middle of a jungle of asphalt, concrete and steel.
Why would we want another CVS, Dunkin' Donuts or fast-food chain when those are all around us? Eastie is the least green part of the city, so places like Bremen Street Park are needed and welcome.
I think many of the people who have been involved in getting creating more green space in the neighborhood since 1966 would be stunned to hear that they are "probably dead now." I wonder what Mary Ellen Welch's students at the O'Donnell Elementary School would think about their teacher being a zombie.
I would also point out that there are many teenagers here in Eastie who have been involved in the creation of the Greenway, the Bremen Street Park, and the Urban Wild. I would count these as part of the new generation.
What is a "normal" convenience store?
And why would you go all the way to Day Square for a quart of milk when it is by far closer to go to the Shaw's in Central Square?
What is a "normal" convenience store?
From 156 Porter Street, the person who lives there have more convenience stores around him than going to Day Sq. - Cottage Street has some, also white henn in front of Zumix, and a series of convenience stores in all Chelsea Street, from Maverick Sq. to Day Sq.
chelsea st has many convinience stores, Right- that's if your into buying goya products, get real
So, 8:10 pm, you are saying that milk in a market that carries Latin American products is different than milk bought in markets that do not carry Latin American products? I wasn't aware of that.
Isn't it funny that Jimbo posts only what he wants? what a traversty. Mota will win by a lanslide
... I did not know that there is a GOYA brand milk???????
It's not just milk, it's a wide variety of all foods and house hold items, some of these independent markerts carry tooth paste made in china, yikes! My point here is the area needs a natural food store, something like trader jo's, it will do well on porter and orleans st.
... some people walk in clauds, they don't really know what is going on in the daily lives of East Boston community...
"...trader jo's"
You are free to move to Brookline, or drive there for a gallon of milk! East Boston is what it is, take it or leave..."tooth paste made in china"... you have no idea what a real life is...
EastBostonRules
Says to Anon,and starluna
Buldoze the Bremen Street park ??
Build outlet stores,and commercial buildings???
Wow,so much for making Eastie a nice place ,as you both say all over this blog!Yikes.
You just managed to insult the entire community,and yet you have no clue as to how much many of us sacrificed to 1- get the 19.5 acres of land,2-the 11 million to build it,and 3-not being home ,as you were with our families for years of public meetings.
Meetings by the way where you could of voiced opposition to the Best thing Eastie has.
I now know for sure that you are either a very new transplant,or do not live here at all.
What a shame to think that anyone could see anything negative about that park!
I guess the new Y.M.C.A.is a bad thing also since its in the park.
Its going to be interesting to see who posts here after the election.
P.S.
The Bremen street park is Pay Back for us getting shafted when we lost Wood Island Park.Its also designed to be a buffer zone so Logan couldn't come any closer to the neighbors.To me its much better than an outlet factory.They look like Airport hangers.
Proud to have Donated my time to help get us what we deserve.An awesome park that has gotten numerous awards for its concept,and design !
Joe Mason
I want to start off by saying I do not live in East Boston, nor am I going to pretend I know what the community is like in East Boston.
However I am a Landscape Architecture student who recently visited the Bremen Street Park for school. So I got a snap shot. My opinion is not influenced by the fight it took to get the park, or the politicians who are [supposedly] "representing the community".
I have to say I did not find it to be dirty. I also noticed that the park gets alot of use by people that I would assume are part of the neighboring community. Children were playing in the playground. Teenagers were playing on the lawns. Commuters were walking through the park from the T Station, and people were gardening in the community garden.
The space seems to get an awfully high amount of use for being a waste of money. It gets use that does not cost people directly (such as shopping or eating out) East Boston is not exactly known for it's residence having an over abundance of extra cash. So it makes me curious why people want to use turn the almost 20 acres of land into commercial use, where it only thrives when people have to spend money indirectly (just like Bremen Street Park) AND directly in order for it to be beneficial? At least residence of all economic levels can gain something from the park.
Just take this for what it is. A random observation.
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