Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn has called for a pause on permitted events around the Boston Common after a stabbing in the area left one man injured Wednesday.
In an interview Thursday, Flynn, who has publicly indicated interest in running for mayor, said Boston needs to acknowledge “significant public safety challenges in Downtown Crossing and Boston Common and along Tremont Street.”
“Before we have permits signed in the Boston Common, I think it’s a critical step to ensure that there is a public safety plan ensuring that goes to an event in the Boston Common is safe,” Flynn said. “That’s the responsibility of those organizing the event, but it’s also the responsibility of city officials.”
Flynn has represented District 2, which includes Downtown Crossing and part of the Boston Common, since 2018.
His initial call for an event moratorium in that area came through a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The post received several dozen responses. While some agreed, many said they frequented the area and that Flynn’s call to stop economy-spurring events there was wrongheaded.
Residents,workers & tourists continue to tell me they no longer feel safe in Downtown Crossing & Boston Common. With several permitted events already scheduled in Boston Common, I’m recommending these events not take place. Many parts of Boston Common are no longer safe! #bospoli https://t.co/tVx6Z1jaj4
— Ed Flynn 愛德華費連 (@EdforBoston) August 15, 2024
“No, we’re not taking this as a serious request,” a spokesperson for Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s office said in a statement to GBH News. “Boston is the safest major city in the country, with historic record low crime citywide thanks to the hard work of officers and residents through community policing and our dedicated approach to ending violence through coordinated, data-driven, year-round efforts.”
Wu said she welcomes Flynn “to get into the community” and enjoy the events, which she said strengthen the city’s economy by attracting both residents and visitors downtown.
“Just recently, I was with my kids on Boston Common for hours after dark enjoying Shakespeare on the Common alongside hundreds of other attendees on the grass. On Tuesday evening, we held the annual Mayor’s Garden Contest awards night right in the area too,” the mayor said in a statement. “We’ve had parades and festivals, a climate tech showcase on City Hall Plaza, and many other community gatherings.”
Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, one of Flynn’s colleagues, characterized the call as “counterproductive” in an interview Thursday.
“I myself am looking forward to going to events in downtown Boston as we round out the summer,” she said. “I just think it’s important that we support the economy of our downtown neighborhoods that we work with our public safety partners to make sure that it’s safe, and to make sure that everyone feels comfortable downtown. And the way that we do that is by making sure that we support the events that are happening in the downtown area.”
At-Large Councilor Henry Santana agreed.
“We know from police stats that Downtown is a safe neighborhood — but there’s no doubt that Downtown is experiencing public safety concerns that are more pronounced than we’ve seen in recent years, and it’s important that we take them seriously,” Santana said in a statement to GBH News.
“I believe public events on Boston Common and in Downtown Crossing are a part of the solution, not the problem. ... We shouldn’t let a handful of bad actors force us to sacrifice the events that bring us together and build the community spirit that makes Boston unique.”
According to recent Part One Crime data from the Boston Police Department, as of Aug. 11, overall there are 26 less crimes on record than there were at this point last year. In the city’s A1 district, which includes the downtown area, there are five more robberies and attempted robberies than last year and 22 more non-domestic aggravated assaults than last year. Commercial burglaries and motor vehicle larcenies are also slightly up from last year.
Michael Nichols, president of the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District, described downtown Boston as the safest major-city downtown in America. However, he also said he supports the conversation about safety that Flynn is attempting to prompt, though he stopped short of endorsing Flynn’s call for a events moratorium on the Common.
“I think it is fair to say that we agree with the councilor and believe, to the degree that we can dedicate more resources to the police to address the types of issues that occur downtown, that we’d like to see that is certainly accurate,” said Nichols. “I think more resources being dedicated, you know, to our police and other social service providers could make the area feel even safer, look even safer, function even better than what we see today.”
Flynn said he stands by the comments he made. He said he has not spoken to the mayor about his concerns.
“I want to ensure that when we do have events, that there is a public safety plan with it and that we have the necessary police available for a specific event,” he said.
Flynn has called for more police around the Common, the downtown area, and along Tremont Street, a major thoroughfare that links the city’s Roxbury neighborhood to the Boston Common and forms a boundary between the Common and Downtown Crossing.
He and At-Large Councilor Erin Murphy have recently called for a hearing to review Boston Police staffing levels and work hours.
