Discussion is underway among city officials regarding last weekend’s shootings, though consensus remains elusive about the best approach to addressing the incidents.
As chair of the Public Safety Committee, Councillor Giovanni Recupero has advocated for convening an Emergency Meeting. His goal is to focus specifically on the two shooting incidents alongside other street crimes that received less attention but, in his view, contributed to Saturday’s events. “fblikebutton_button”
According to Recupero, the moment demands difficult scrutiny. “I want to call an Emergency Meeting with the Chief of Police and the City Manager in the Public Safety Committee to find out how they’re going to deal with these situations,” he stated. “I don’t want to talk about this within a discussion on the 10-point crime plan. We don’t need to talk about that with this. I want to talk only about this. People shouldn’t have to live this way. It’s time people are able to stick their head out their window and not worry about dying. It’s not the first time stray bullets have gone into people’s houses; it’s just the first time someone died.”
Council President Matt Frank has indicated that the matter will receive consideration. A community meeting for residents remains under consideration, he noted, but he does not believe an Emergency Meeting is necessary given his existing plans to address the broader crime strategy. “The 10-point plan is our plan for crime,” Frank explained. “That is the roadmap we laid out to help us get to a certain point. It is an overarching plan and encompasses what people have mentioned this week. Having another meeting might be redundant. The whole situation is scary and disturbing. The woman at the window, that’s concerning because there were people out on the street and arguing and why did they feel the need to pull a gun? Why did they have a gun? That’s a huge problem. However, as elected officials we need to understand the police can’t be everywhere all the time. That’s why we need to have an overarching plan…It’s not as easy as putting a police officer on every corner. Nobody should feel unsafe in their home or on the street.”
Councillor Leo Robinson has chosen to withhold commentary until the 10-point plan meeting takes place. He did express hope that a potential eleventh point could include his proposed public safety residency ordinance. Such a measure would mandate that newly hired officers establish residency in the city for a minimum of five years, which Robinson believes could strengthen neighborhoods and deter criminal activity.
City Manager Jay Ash outlined plans for coordinated action with community partners to combat the violence. Each incident is being examined to identify intervention opportunities, he stated, and officials are exploring additional resources and partnerships. “fblikebutton_button” He added: “We’re analyzing each of the incidents, and asking ourselves how and when we could have interceded to have stopped them, if possible. We’re asking what other resources or collaborations we can marshal to bring violence down further, with those collaborations including what else we can do to support the organizations in our community that do such great work on building community here in Chelsea. Of course, many of us remain frustrated by the availability of guns here and throughout our own society, so that continues to be a point of emphasis in our discussions as well. We have to do better, no matter the societal challenges we face. I remain committed to this; grateful to those in our community, from community organizations to public safety officials, for all their work, and frustrated that we are losing lives to violence here and everywhere.”
Among ongoing concerns that might reduce street violence, according to Councillor Joe Perlatonda, is implementing foot patrols and potentially reverting to three shifts rather than maintaining numerous specialized units. Perlatonda frequently receives complaints about multiple cruisers stationed in Bellingham Square while officers remain outside them. “I get more and more complaints about the three cruisers being parked in Bellingham Square all the time with the cops standing outside of them and shooting the breeze,” he said. “Ok, maybe have one there, but why three? People ask me that all the time. Right now, we’ll have cops everywhere for awhile and then we won’t see them again. They say crime is down 40 percent, but it seems to me to be up. We need more visibility, walking a beat or regular patrol cars. It’s just not safe. People don’t see the police. The criminals don’t see the police.”