Copyright Boston.com
After South End residents called on public officials to crack down on drug use and dealing at a public safety meeting, a group of volunteers picked up nearly 180 needles in less than a week along a neighborhood park, the group shared on social media. Just days after a public safety meeting at Cathedral High School Oct. 23, Steve Fox, a South End advocate, said a group of volunteers picked up 180 needles in six days along the Southwest Corridor Park. The linear park is home to playgrounds and a walking path. “Open drug dealing and drug use can’t be tolerated, and we have to have zero tolerance or open drug dealing and drug use, illegal drug use and any criminal activity,” Councilor Ed Flynn told Boston.com. The South End and Roxbury are both neighborhoods affected by encampments of homeless people near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard. The City of Boston distributes an average of more than 81,000 needles a month, Boston Public Health Commissioner Dr. Bisola Ojikutu said in September, which is a 22 percent decrease per month from 2024. The provided needles are a form of “harm reduction,” Ojikutu said, to lower the risk of HIV transmission and communicable diseases among drug users. Flynn said the 80,000 needles a month is “excessive, and it needs to be reduced significantly.” The volunteers used the needles to spell “SOS” in front of the children’s playground, noting in the post that no children were present and the needles were quickly picked up. “This display serves as a plea for help and a stark reminder of the serious health and safety risks associated with ubiquitous outdoor drug use near spaces intended for children and families,” Fox wrote on Facebook. “We need better solutions.” @SouthEndSOS, an Instagram account that documents scenes from the neighborhood, also shared the result of the needle pick-up, saying the group picked up 175 needles in just three days. “This is what parents, residents and volunteers are finding where children should be playing, dogs should be walking, and we should be enjoying these beautiful green spaces without worrying about dangerous needles,” SouthEndSOS wrote on Instagram. Flynn attends public safety meeting: ‘Residents are constantly picking needles up in parks’ Flynn, who attended the public safety meeting a few days before the “SOS” message, said residents are “pleading with city officials to help them during this critical time.” “Residents have clearly expressed to city officials that the ongoing drug crisis, including open drug dealing and drug use is a significant public safety problem facing neighbors and residents,” Flynn told Boston.com. “I know residents are constantly picking needles up in parks.” Earlier this year, a 4-year-old boy stepped on a needle near the corner of Columbia Road and Mercer Street in South Boston. Flynn said the boy is doing well but had to get various vaccinations and testing for more than a month after the incident. The city should invest more resources in needle pick-up, Flynn said, adding that there should be a recovery campus in Greater Boston to support “recovery services.” Flynn also advocated for people arrested near the area of Mass. and Cass to be ordered to stay away from the area and higher bail. “It’s important for Boston to coordinate efforts with the District Attorney’s office and with the court system itself,” Flynn said. “It’s a combination of everybody working together.” The South End residents did not respond to requests for comments about the needle pick-up. Flynn said residents should call 311 to report discarded needles.
