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Downtown Crossing at a tipping point
By david_yamada on Wed, 12/31/2008 - 8:44am
Anyone who has spent a lot of time in Downtown Crossing over the past three or four years can see that it is now a deteriorating business district, with increasing levels of violence and loud, menacing behavior, especially up and down Washington Street. Last week's shooting during a busy Friday afternoon was only the tip of the iceberg.
This area is more perilously close to a bad tipping point than the Powers That Be either recognize or are willing to admit publicly. Here's why:
1. B&N, Not Filene's -- While a lot of people understandably point to the Filene's site as prime evidence of problems downtown, the early indicator was the closing of the Barnes & Noble bookstore. This area has been going downhill for some time.
2. Economic Downturn -- This mess is occurring in the midst of an economy that shows no signs of turning around soon. Retailers are hanging on for dear life, and a likely credit card crisis will make things worse. Who wants to open a store there now?
3. Racial Issues -- Because some of the violence is gang-related and a lot of the kids who hang there are black and Latino, issues of race are front and center. Unfortunately, even in the so-called "majority minority" Boston, anything to do with race remains a third rail topic that few are willing to tackle with any honesty and transparency.
4. Hub Public Sector in Crisis -- In the meantime, prospects for the public sector stepping up are growing dim. Our elected officials are still reeling from the Wilkerson and Turner implosions, and tax revenues are falling through the floor.
The situation isn't hopeless, but something good needs to start happening, and fast.
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Comments
Suffolk?
While the topic is depressing, this is a great post.
I wonder if Suffolk University might show additional interest in the area? Further, I hope if Suffolk does show interest in the area, the neighbors would understand that Suffolk is better than empty storefronts?
Empty retail is bad. I thik that's one takeaway from your post that I agree with.
Ross
we'll see
Ross, I teach at Suffolk Law, and I'm just hoping that both Suffolk and Emerson are putting pressure on public officials and business leaders to address the situation aggressively. Both schools have invested their futures in the downtown area, especially around Washington and Tremont. The head of one of the downtown civic organizations is Rosemarie Sansone, a former city councillor and recently a Suffolk VP, so obviously the connections are there!
Residents can be a problem, too
David--
Fair points. I also hope that the residents understand that certain businesses bring their own problems, and that Suffolk students bring problems, but the benefits greatly outweigh them. We need to get the space filled with something productive.
Ross
They sure can
I laughed sadly last week when I saw that the space originally planned for Exotic Sushi, across from the Ritz, is now used for...
absolutely nothing besides holding the "coming soon" sign for Exotic Sushi.
Nicely done, condo owners. Those empty storefronts really keep the neighborhood classy.
Why is Exotic Sushi taking so long to open?
I've walked by those signs, too. Why is this business having so much trouble getting started and opening?
Turned down, I think
The condo associations at the Ritz opposed their permit - you know, unwanted traffic, residential neighborhood, all the usual - and I think it's dead in the water now (insert sushi joke).
I work down here, and I have
I work down here, and I have definately seen bad changes, which seem to be accelerating. Some day, I'm not going to want to walk the three blocks to the T station in the afternoon...
DC
sadly, there's just not much in DC that makes it worth going to. chacarero? silvertone's? the orpheum/opera house? aside from those few places everything else can be found elsewhere in town (unless you need a fancy pen, I guess). the giant hole in the ground isn't helping matters much either.
agreed...
...it's not a very appealing shopping district in terms of choices. Before the economy went haywire, developers had sugar plum visions of going way upscale (which would've been terrible in its own way).
Something has gone very wrong with planning that district. Here's one of the very best central locations in the city -- at the convergence of all subway lines, smack dab in the heart of Boston -- and it's falling apart.
On the other hand ...
There is a strong base of workerbees around from 9 to 5 or so. I find it very convenient to buy clothes on my lunch break and pull them out of my drawer at work every time I bike in. I did a fair amount of Christmas Shopping in town too.
I think the big mistake was the assumption that people who work - and shop - in town were interested in Luxury upscale or could even afford it! Wrong wrong wrong. One of the largest employers in the Washington St. area around DTX is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (DEP, DPH, DMR ...). Not exactly luxury salaries there.
The biggest racial issue I see in DTX: the assumption that urban teens are just there to make trouble. The reality is that they are spending a fair amount of money as a group, loud and rowdy and teenage though they be. As a group, they are no better or worse behaved than teen packs at any other shopping area - they simply are not isolated from the rest of society.
Urban youth? You mean the
Urban youth? You mean the black kids that would cut your lilly white ass for $5? Those urban youths? Wake up and smell the coco butter and come out of your bubble.
Put your name on that?
Or are you too scared to own up to your own racism in a public forum?
I don't live in a bubble honey, and I've worked in some of the most difficult areas in this city in far more difficult times. I also have a teen at home.
Let's face facts: a couple of black kids walking around an area are not a gang. Most of those kids are there to hang around, drink slurpees, etc. just like any other teen/mall combination. I've seen just as many drug deals go down at the suburban mall parking lots as I have at DTX.
Furthermore,they wouldn't come close to me to cut anything for any amount of money because my "lily white ass" means they would do hard time if they did. That's white privilege at work honey - and even if you don't know or examine your own, these youth are very much aware of it.
Go check your crime stats about who gets hurt in urban crime, scardy pants racist. You might be surprised to find that it isn't white suburban women who work in downtown offices. Then again, that would rob you of your "righteous racism card", now wouldn't it.
What?
"Furthermore,they wouldn't come close to me to cut anything for any amount of money because my "lily white ass" means they would do hard time if they did."
Lady, don't think whites don't get robbed downtown. People of all color get robbed all over town by all kinds of crooks.
Fill the vacancies, and everything else will fix itself
The primary cause of Downtown Crossing's decline is the large number of storefront vacancies, painfully visible on Bromfield, Washington, and Winter streets.
Are they vacant because the landlords are asking for too much rent? If so, the city and the remaining businesses need to put pressure on the landlords to reduce rents, so that new locally-owned startup businesses can move in.
Such businesses can't and shouldn't try to appeal to the high end -- we already have Newbury Street and Copley Place for that. Instead, make DTX the place to go for businesses that have been priced out of other districts by gentrification. Wouldn't this be the ideal place for someone to reopen Curious Liquids, for instance?
This area can regenerate itself, if short-sighted and greedy commercial landlords don't stand in the way.
It's not the rent
I don't remember numbers, but I checked into prices on the retail spaces in DTX about two years ago, and they were mostly pretty reasonable, with the exception of the newer strip just north of and across from the Paramount (Eddie Bauer, Quizno's, etc - Landmark Realty, I think?), which was asking significantly more.
The BPD
One major problem right now with Boston is the BPD. Its become a laughing stock, People need to go back and relearn the lessons of the crime wave of the 80's. Police departments nationwide and here in Boston repsonded with police tactics that emphasized building connections to the population and getting the police out of their cars and onto the sidewalks. Does the BPD have any plan or vision as to how to deal with the increasing crime rates that are about to come? Is the mayor sitting down with his public officials and talking about these issues? Is the City going to prepare for the worst, or just react to it?
We need a overhaul of the BPD and we probably could use a new Mayor. Both are tired, lacking vision and the rowdiness and menacing behavior at DC will continue to get worse until someone at the top wakes up and realizes that the Mayors job is about to change from managing growth to managing scarcity.
Aggressive Tactics Needed
As others have pointed out, most of these kids are just hanging out in the area because its somewhere for them to hang out. Packs of loud teens of any race are intimidating, especially with Downtown Crossing quickly gaining a bad repuation.
I agree with your point about the BPD, but I'm not sure how aggressively they can tackle the issue. Clearly they need to step up their presence in the area, especially when it comes to their gang/truancy units. However, I don't see a lot of 'quality of life' crimes that they can crack down on that has led to the clean-up of other areas in Boston and around the country.
The neighborhood better get organized quickly, and that means store owners, condo owners and Suffolk working together. The open construction pit isn't going to go away anytime soon unless the developers see some promise in DTX.
The hard truth
You basically need to do three things:
-Increase security, either by Boston Police, or hire a private, armed security company
-Have said security company kick any homeless people, panhandlers and the like out consistantly, the third time they come back, taser them.
-Break up any groups of black teenage males, and ban them from just 'hanging out'
This will offend your bleeding hearts, but it is the sad truth. You don't seem Joe the IT guy shooting at people do you? But you constantly see loud black kids, either shoplifting (my wife used to work down there at CVS and at least 4-5 times a week the black kids would come in and shoplift) - increase security, and ban the loudmouth youngsters. if they want to start shooting, let them do it in Dudley Square.
To anon (not verified) |
To anon (not verified) | Wed, 12/31/2008 - 10:43am
Uncle Paddy? Is that you? I thought we agreed if you couldn't keep your bigoted comments to yourself, you wouldn't post on the internet.
I'm not sure I should congratulate or offer condolences to Adam for allowing this racist drivel to remain.
Must run in the family
Uncle Paddy?
I find that offensive - assuming a racist is of a certain nationality.
Uncle Paddu
Oh, and the Uncle Paddy comment isn't racist? Hypocrite.
I love when racists express
I love when racists express sadness that black people have forced them to be racist.
The fact of the matter is that 99% of the black teenagers you describe hanging out are doing exactly what teenagers everywhere do after school.
To arbitrarily break up a group of black males is discrimination in its purest form. To assume that all the "loudmouth youngsters" in Downtown are from Roxbury is ignorance. To support letting shootings happen in Dudley is straight up awful.
FAIL.
Banning homeless people and black kids from public streets is a great idea. Riiiiight.
N.B.: keeping Dudley Square safe is the city's responsibility too. I know it's not quite as important, seeing as you don't live there and all. (Just guessing!) But still.
I hate DTX, and I worry every day about my girlfriend who works on Milk Street. But let's not make the goddamn cure worse than the disease.
Panhandling
The rest of the comment you responded to is garbage, but assertive panhandling is a real problem in this area. There's enough of it that I sometimes go out of my way to avoid the blocks where it is most prevalent. If enough other people feel the same way, that's bad for business and bad for the neighborhood. Customers should be able to go in and out of 7-Eleven, for example, without being constantly hit up by drunks for money.
i hear you, but...
Panhandlers don't seem to have hurt Harvard Square any. I think DTX's problems go way beyond a few homeless folks scrounging for change.
Harvard Square has a heavy police presence
and lots and lots of people... an aggressive panhandler isn't a problem there. But in downtown crossing, i understand how it could be intimidating for some people, and don't think that automatically means there's anything wrong with the people who feel intimidated. They don't bug me, but i can see how it could feel threatening to some, particularly when there are not a lot of other people around.
Even ordinary non-"intimidating" begging
can be annoying enough that people just don't want to deal with it anymore, and will choose to walk or shop somewhere else where it isn't as prevalent.
The more vacant storefronts there are, the worse this problem becomes, because there's no business or property owner watching over that part of the street.
Way to go, Ron.
Your post really cuts to the quick when it comes to assertive panhandling, which really is a huge problem.
Did you know that this is the USA?
Sorry, "anon" but "hanging out" is not against the law here. This is a "free" society. Would you want the cops telling you you couldn't hang out with some of your friends in a public place?
Right, this is the USA!
Does that mean Downtown crossing will only get help if they discover oil beneath Macy's? Then we can invade and annex it! Or how about toppling the Borders dictatorship to install our democratic peoples republic?
You asked how to fix the problem, I told you. How about not letting anyone under the age of 18 down there without a parent?
As a high school kid, I never went to downtown crossing. Too bad loud, violent urban youths offering to sell me drugs, and this was circa 1989. Nothing has changed, now it is just the kids, not the baby daddy who are trying to sell the rock.
Yes often times I would scream across the street and piss infront of CVS at 2 pm, whilst wearing a north face jacket and telling people I gotta gets my drunk on. Every teenager does that, right? How about homeless going into CVS and drinking listerine to get drunk and lying on the floor? Do any of you people actually live here?
I worked in Downtown crossing for 3.5 years, and civilzation ends from state street to winter street. Try walking to Felt at 8 pm on a winter night, see how many times you get asked for change.
You people really need to take the blinders off. You want to help urban crime, homelessness...stop stepping over people lying in their own piss to scream 'fur is murder' infront of Macy's. Try to help your fellow man, the fellow man that doesn't know any better. Crack some heads!
You don't seem Joe the IT
Funny you should mention that. I was working in Wakefield at the time, and that guy put me in more fear and danger than the chance of a random assault downtown ever has.
Oh right, Mucko! Well, he
Oh right, Mucko! Well, he was a QA tester, and those people are usually mentally unbalanced anyway. Quality Assurance is where you stuck defective engineers. In this case, some nutjob who thought he was killing Nazis. Time to speak out against first person shooters! Yes everyone should be sitting in a Starbucks sipping lattes working on their novels.
Westgate
The Westgate Mall in Brockton has similar stores, demographics, and economic conditions as Downtown Crossings and yet I've never heard of someone being gunned down in broad daylight in front of their Macy's. The difference is that Westgate at least acknowledges that they need increased security measures while Mayor Menino refuses to admit that there's even a problem.
The Westgate Mall has a dress and behavior code (eg: no hoodies, no backpacks, and absolutely no fighting) that is enforced by dozens of security guards. Should you choose to ignore the guidelines set out for living in a civilized society you are promptly escorted out. The 99.9% of us who just want to do hassle-free shopping appreciate the measures.
If Menino would deploy cops to Downtown Crossings then a lot of the gang problems would be solved (or at least moved to other neighborhoods) and retailers might actually want to do business in the area. Until the Mayor can admit that there's a problem and take measures to solve it the blight will continue.
No backpacks?
That would keep me out of any mall, since I routinely wear one everywhere. How is a backpack a threat to anyone's security? If a merchant thinks I am using it to shoplift, they are welcome to inspect it when I leave a store. (This has never happened.)
I bet at least one store in the mall sells backpacks. And hooded sweatshirts, too, which are another thing I tend to wear when the outdoor temperature is between 40 and 60.
Hoodie Clarification
You can wear hoodies, you just can't put the hood over your head. Since it's an indoor mall there's really no reason to do so anyhow. As far as backpacks, I assume that they're banned because they make it easy to conceal weapons. Obviously not everyone who totes a backpack is packing heat but they're still not allowed at Westgate. A lot of schools have banned backpacks for this same reason.
Public Versus Private Property, Indoor versus Outdoor
Downtown crossing is a public street area, and Westgate Mall is private property. You agree to drop your hood and backpack when you enter the private area. These expectations are ridiculous on a public thoroughfare.
I walk around this area with my hood up if it is cold, and I usually NEED my backpack or courier bag or panniers when I do as I work in the area, need to change clothing if I bike, etc. Any expectation of such "security" at DTX is utterly insane, and would have to be a "matter of discretion" as to who was and wasn't "legitimately" hauling a bag/wearing a hood. I'm not leaving it up to the Boston cops to decide if I look like I "deserve" to be able to have warm ears and haul my work and workout gear around or bike on public city streets like the law says that I can.
I do agree that more visible police presence would be helpful in the few areas where there have been problems. The main issue I hear around these parts is that people get freaked out by teens in urban threat drag using their outdoor voices outside. That's not a security issue.
No Westgate Mall, please
Downtown Crossing obviously needs a stronger police presence, but we don't need a police state. And I join those who would be kicked out in a minute for wearing a hoodie and backpack -- that's my standard gear too.
Here's where the issues get subtle and uncomfortable: Yup, kids need some room to be kids. But what happens when everyday behavior becomes so loud and obnoxious that people just don't want to be around it, and they fear, rightly or wrongly, that one "wrong" look or exchange could escalate very quickly? When people stop shopping there because it's so damn unpleasant an experience, the downward spiral continues.
So...I do suggest that this is more than just white suburbanites being freaked out by loud and creative use of 4 and 12 letter words (though that's part of it). I fear that it will require some really tragic event to get City Hall, the business community, and the civic groups to address this situation with the close attention it deserves.
Standing around is never really just "Standing around"
i draw the line at real OR implied threats toward people who have nothing to do with the stand-arounders. I can't find any reason to distinguish threatening behaviour in public places from the well-known-to-be-illegal "yelling fire in a crowded theater"
Both issues involve trespass on private people in public places so it is certainly possible to commit an offense while "standing around" just by actions or even by words alone.
As others have said, DTC is simply not an appealing place to shop. But crowds "standing around" surely don't make it /more/ appealing.
A long time...
Sorry, but this has been happening in DC far longer than this. Try at least a decade.
I worked at MA DEP right above the food court back in '97. Even then, gangs and drug dealers controlled and were visible on the corners during the week days.
And that little police shack they have there right in front of Macy's? Useless. It's more of a break room for cops to sit and read the paper. Absolutely no police presence there (unless it's a weekend shopping day between Thanksgiving and Christmas), and the kids/gangs/dealers have gotten used to it.
Add to it the economic downturn, higher end businesses closing up shop/moving and being replaced by lower cost retail shops, and the fact that the DC pretty much is empty starting at 5:01pm on a weekday and you have an area ripe for increasing trouble and crime.
Nobody wants to live, shop, eat, go out in the DC. They need to go back to the planning drawing board or DC will soon become the next Boston combat zone.
The Boston Police Department
The Boston Police Department is not in independent organization. If they are not enforcing laws, then they are doing what they have been told to do. Look to City Hall and you'll find the problem.
Police presence
Maybe I'm just jaded because I've lived in Boston for awhile, but the BPD isn't going to do something they don't want to. The mayor's office is the last place that would compel them to start. Remember... Mumbles' kid is a cop.
Unfortunetly, police presence is part of the issue. Most of the time that I see police down here at DC they are clustered around the Macy's/old Filene's corner talking to their police buddies. Go a block or two and pretty much any crime could be committed and the police wouldn't know any different.
important post
Thanks David. This is an important post and interesting commentary.
Downtown Crossing has been through this cycle before. Washington Street was dilapidated and dangerous. What was effective and ineffective turning it around last time?
Say 'hi' to Gerry and Steve for me.
They need to clean the
They need to clean the streets, maybe repave them.
They need to get more lighting in there.
They need to get the storefronts of the crappy stores cleaned up, and empty storefronts need to have some sort of "fronting" put in their place, something like art , at least until its filled.
Someone needs to fix that smell.
I believe in the broken windows theory, and Downtown Crossing has its fair share of "broken windows." It could be the safest place in the world, but I wouldnt feel comfortable there, especially at night, and Im a decent sized guy I can just imagine what it must feel like for out of towners who are smaller or older. I will not go shopping there unless I have to.
Upscale is not needed, what they need is stores that suck people in. I was a big supporter for the urban Target in Downtown Crossing because I felt like it would create a positive flow of people who will come into the area on a ragular basis because it would be the best place to go shopping on the cheap.
Target
Nooooo ... I'd have to shop there and ... and ... I'd go broke!
Actually, I have found that urban Target stores are extremely useful when I've traveled to other cities and needed some random office supply or a 20" tube for my traveling bike tire.
Never mind just finding basic groceries or house ware items.
It would be VERY busy and
It would be VERY busy and the college kids would love it. I think it would single handedly make the whole area feel 10 percent safer (random number out of my ass) but I do think it would create a safer feel just by its being there.
No target at old Filene's
I don't know if there's another area in DTX that Target could go into, but they mentioned Target nor any other big box retailer would be able to go into the new Filene's development because they wouldn't be able to put in the appropriate loading docks on the building.
Why can't they use Filene's old loading docks
which I think are on Hawley Street?
Woolworths!
When I moved to Boston in the mid 90s, Woolworths was still around, and it was handy place to shop -- and I confess that I enjoyed the cheap cafeteria meals such as the country fried steak platter. Now they're gone completely...
Barnes and Noble leaving
Barnes and Noble leaving meant nothing. Borders is still there and doing fine. The Filene's property is a huge problem with the city completely ignoring it. At leat cover it up for God's sake! Why have a little fence that you can see right into the big eyesore? There isn't a race problem. There isn't a gang problem. There is hardly any violent crime down there at all. I work there every day. The problem is that no one outside the city has any reason at all to come there to spend money. No interesting stores that you can't find in the suburbs, no good outdoor entertainment, the have let the once beautiful marketplace and outside vending fall apart, there is virtually no parking at all and with all the empty stores it just looks seedy. The BRA and DCP just don't get it. The are more concerned with the "perception" in the media than the reality of changing things. They care about the deep pockets (the guys who own the buildings), the media and the Mayor. That's it. If this was a crowded place like Tiimes Square you wouldn't even notice the kids, the homeless and the bad element. Right now it's all that's there. Pictures on the wall and a temporary petting zoo won't change it. Major change will start with low low rent to attract new and eclectic retailers and much more free entertainment outside year round.Not to mention arresting the criminals and not just asking them to leave.
DTX is easily fixable.
Barnes and Noble leaving meant nothing. Borders is still there and doing fine. The Filene's property is a huge problem with the city completely ignoring it. At least cover it up for God's sake! Why have a little fence that you can see right into the big eyesore? There isn't a race problem. There isn't a gang problem. There is hardly any violent crime down there at all. I work there every day. The problem is that no one outside the city has any reason at all to come there to spend money. No interesting stores that you can't find in the suburbs, no good outdoor entertainment, they have let the once beautiful pushcart marketplace and outside vending fall apart, there is virtually no parking at all and with all the empty stores it just looks seedy. The BRA and DCP just don't get it. They are more concerned with the "perception" in the media than the reality of changing things. They care about the deep pockets (the guys who own the buildings), the media and the Mayor. That's it. If this was a crowded place like Times Square you wouldn't even notice the kids, the homeless and the bad element. Right now it's all that's there. Pictures on the wall and a temporary petting zoo won't change it. Major change will start with low low rent to attract new and eclectic retailers and much more free entertainment outside year round.The area has the foot traffic. They won't stop and spend though until there is something to buy. Not to mention arresting the criminals and not just asking them to leave.
Downtown Crossing
Good post. I've worked in the area for over fifteen years. I've witnessed it slide into what it has become today. Sad. I think it will get worse before we see any improvement.
I see that the topic of race is being discussed. It's the key to this whole subject. The people who are the problem are black and Latino males. People (white, that is) are reluctant to talk about this, fearing the racist label. Well, until this is addressed, there will be no solution. I don't have an answer to this, but focusing on what is known is a good start. It's time for the city leadership to 'grow a set' and take charge.
This area can be returned to what it once was, a destination, not a place to be avoided.
Types of people are NOT the problem
Standards of behavior are the problem. These kids act no better or worse or even much different than suburban white teens. That doesn't mean they are not annoying, but it is their behavior and not their ethnicity that is the issue. Get that clear.
yes, absolutely
SwirlyGrrl, excellent point. Bad behavior isn't limited to certain ethnic or racial groups, and Boston has a long and sad history of demonstrating so.
I do think that the African American community in this town is in crisis mode right now. Two of its key political leaders are facing criminal charges, there's something of a leadership void, and the economy is wreaking havoc disproportionately on communities of color such as Roxbury (as the subprime mortgage default figures aptly show).
All of this bears some relation to the situation in Downtown Crossing, in the sense that these problems are interconnected parts of a whole. As the economy sinks deeper into recession, shoplifting and violent crime go up, more kids are hanging out on the street because school programs are cut or unavailable, parents are working multiple jobs at odd hours and thus aren't around to watch their kids, and so forth.
And with that sad assessment, I'll keep quiet until the New Year...
I heart SwirlyGrrl
Standards of behaviour. Bingo.
I love the way you think SwirlyGrrl. You have an inclusive not exclusive mind set, and not categorical but pragmatic and to the core of the issue... it's the behavior.
If foot policing, engaging loitering teenagers in conversation and introduction them to other more constructive endeavor worked, I'd be all for it. Back in the day, policemen ran boxing gyms, and worked at the Y. Kids of all ages that teetered between delinquency and more constructive behaviour were introduced to constructive hobbies like boxing and other forms of competition that engaged them, gave them a means of expression and perhaps most importantly, a purpose and sense of identity. Cassius Clay aka Mohammad Ali comes to mind. The point being that teens and pre-teens need to be engaged in constructive endeavor. I wonder if community policing takes this kind of interest anymore.
Suburban white teens, btw,
don't necessarily act any better or any worse than black, latino or asian teens. Growing up in an all-white suburb, there were plenty of white, suburban teens who behaved rather badly, causing trouble for others, and getting into lots of trouble.
honestly... I've worked
honestly...
I've worked downtown, around State St., for the last 12 years. The black kids hanging around the Corner Mall are not the same as the white kids hanging out at the Natick Collection or Watertown or wherever some posters imagine "the same things" take place. As a rule white suburban mall rats do not pack guns and shoot each other, the DTC kids are a different story.
Yes white people do walk around being afraid of young black men I'll give you that but dont write off what we all read in the news about black kids in Boston. There is a lost generation of black kids and we're all trying hard to wish it away but dammit they keep making the news here. Next time Adam posts the Google map of Murders in Boston look where the red pegs cluster and tell us they're just like teens everywhere.
"As a rule white suburban
"As a rule white suburban mall rats do not pack guns and shoot each other, the DTC kids are a different story."
As a rule, neither do the DTC kids. You're wrong.
If you look at the violent
If you look at the violent crime and homicide rates you'll see there is a world of difference between suburban whites and inner city blacks. Next time this blog posts a map of murders in Boston come back and tell me there is no difference between West Roxbury and Roxbury. Stop making excuses for something you havent taken a long, cold look at. The kids who hang around DTX know each other by school and by neighborhood and fight along those lines. The current generation has little regard for place or bystanders when it comes to settling disputes. I'm not a knee jerk Boston Herald type of person but give me a break, the kids in DTX are not limited to slurpees and flirting, wake up.
Amen!
Well said my friend. Well said.
Yes, but we're not talking
Yes, but we're not talking about Lowell, Brockton or Lynn.
So what you're saying is that poor people cause trouble because they have nothing better to do, no matter what race they are? Good job!
How about helping keep the kids in the neighborhoods?
I think a lot of you are focusing too narrowly on the DC geographical area as the solution, and turning it into an interdiction/policing problem. You're looking at it the wrong way around - what's the demand side issue? Why is hanging out in DC popular for urban teens?
I think there just isn't a hell of a lot for kids to do in the neighborhoods, so they go where they can hang out cheaply. Heck, my kid goes to BLS, and she and her friends constantly hang out in DC. It isn't cool though, she wouldn't really go there voluntarily, but it is cheap and available and better than what we have in Dorchester.
Look at what the city has been concentrating on: Making the area development-friendly for high-end real estate concerns. The end result? Places like the Good Time Emporium get closed and replaced with Ikeas. Those kids are going to go somewhere.
My solution for DC wouldn't be to make it cheaper necessarily; it would be to make the neighborhoods more vital. More jobs, more after-school programs, and just plain more stuff to do would help take the pressure off of DC and help keep money and kids in the local neighborhoods.
Kids are not going to
Kids are not going to Downtown Crossing because they want jobs or after-school programs. Kids are going to Downtown Crossing because they want to get away from an adult's idea of good things to do.
Look at what the city has
Goodtimes is a Somerville thing, but I get the point. All the cities and towns around here want to play host to the high end and trendy stores, and nobody wants to allow the lower common denominators in their neighberhoods. Problem is those kids will still go somewhere. So kids wont go to Goodtimes to hang out and play arcade games anymore, they are still going to go somewhere to hang out. Its the same fiasco you get when you replace local dive bars with trendy bars, all those guys who used to hang out at the bars are not going to just stop drinking, they have to go somewhere. The less structured those somewheres get the schetchier it will get everywhere. Right now Downtown Crossing is just the place of the moment for those elements, but even if the city manages to clean the whole place up those displaced elements will just move on to somewhere else. Maybe its time to fix the base problem instead of playing whack a mole.
Make DTC like Times Square
NYC revitalized Times Square after it reached a point similar to what is going on at DTC. I don't know all the facts though, anyone out there know how they did it?
Glitter and lights
They turned Times Square into a Disneyland for adults.
It's quite a spectacle, but there's something kinda fake about it too.
I lived in NYC from 1982 to 1994. I actually liked the grimy version of Times Square -- it was fascinating to observe all the goings on there.