Boston’s response to ongoing public safety issues around Mass. and Cass will likely be a major factor in the upcoming municipal election.
Residents of the South End formed a new “Mass. and Cass PAC” earlier this week, saying the move is an effort to both raise awareness about what’s happening in the area and inform voters about the positions held by elected officials and candidates for office.
The political action committee registered with the state on Monday. It comes as residents, officials, business owners, and others continue to voice concerns about public safety in and around the South End.
Drug use and crime have long been problems around Mass and Cass, the area near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard. The Wu administration has taken major steps to clear tent encampments there, but many say that safety concerns are getting worse and spreading to new areas. At an emotional City Council hearing in the South End last month, residents spoke about needles being strewn on sidewalks and in parks, about break-ins and other crime, and about public defecation and urination.
The issue will likely play a major role in the municipal election coming up in early November. Those behind the PAC say they hope to educate residents. The group recently sent questionnaires to City Council candidates and plans to send out “scorecards” for each candidate to voters. The deadline for candidates to submit their answers is the end of the day Friday.
The questions concern topics like needle distribution, increasing police patrols, and whether or not candidates support involuntary treatment options for people struggling with addiction. Multiple questions appear to be based on recent topics of discussion in the City Council chambers, such as support for safe injection sites and whether or not to declare the situation around Mass. and Cass a public health emergency.
Those behind the PAC told Boston.com that their efforts are a direct response to recent developments around Mass. and Cass.
“Honestly, as pressing an issue as this is and despite how many people are impacted and suffering, some residents are not clear on the approach and commitment of many elected officials. The PAC’s hope is to provide clear, concise information in an easy-to-access format,” a person affiliated with the group said via email.
The people that created the PAC are not identifying themselves in public, only telling Boston.com that they are “long time residents of the South End.” On social media and other places, they are identifying themselves as “Residents for a Safe & Healthy South End and Lower Roxbury.”
The group is being funded “entirely through grassroots donations from community members,” they said.
Based on paperwork the PAC filed with the state, it appears to have hired The Chick Montana Group to oversee its campaign finance reporting practices.