Boston is a world-class city, with a rich history, thriving food scene, top-tier museums, great attractions, shopping and entertainment in an eminently accessible 48 square miles.
It’s no wonder we play host to some 22.7 million visitors a year (that’s how many visited in 2019, according to the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau).
We’ve got something else going for us: a new Gallup poll finds Americans consider Boston a safe place to live in or visit (a whopping 72%).
We need to keep it that way, or else we could wind up like Chicago, which a mere 27% consider safe.
The Boston that visitors see, in general, are the parts that make the postcards: the North End, Back Bay, Public Garden, the well-kept streets from Beacon Hill and the bustle of the Seaport.
Neighborhoods plagued by gun violence and drug addiction aren’t on the walking tours.
If they polled residents that live in fear of street shootings, or businesses along Mass and Cass, we’re sure the poll numbers would be different.
Tourists who clamber on to sightseeing coaches or wind along the Freedom Trail bring much-needed revenue to Boston, and it’s important to keep up the image that we’re a safe place to spend their money. Which is why the increase in youth violence in the city’s shopping areas and on public transportation need to be addressed ASAP.
As the Herald reported, juveniles were arrested last week for what prosecutors are calling an “unprovoked” attack on a stranger in Downtown Crossing. The incident harkens to a series of similar attacks in the area last spring.
Two Boston male teens, 14 and 15, face charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, shod foot, following an incident on Washington Street where the male victim said he was randomly set upon by a group of teens.
The 14-year-old boy also faces charges of assault and battery and assault and battery on a police officer.
“We’ve seen several unprovoked attacks from juveniles in Downtown Crossing over the last few weeks. These violent attacks are instilling fear in business owners and residents,” DA Kevin Hayden said in a statement following the juveniles’ arraignments.
In May, it was reported that two teens, 16 and 18, were arrested and charged with attacking a woman at an MBTA station, dumping her bag of groceries and throwing food in her face in a random assault, Hayden said.
In February, a group of juveniles were arrested after allegedly throwing bottles at and assaulting at least five adults downtown, the Boston Police Department reported.
Juvenile violence around the Downtown Crossing area has swelled in recent years, with reports of kids assaulting pedestrians just to “mess with people” and a number of racially motivated attacks.
This is the sort of thing that gives would-be visitors pause when considering a vacation destination. It’s also what makes businesses look elsewhere when they want to set up shop.
These random, violent acts not only hurt the victims, but Boston as a whole.
Calls to address the “root causes” of teens behaving as criminals are not going to cut it. Youthful offenders are still offenders – and should be treated and punished as such.
