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City councilor wants crackdown on jammed South Boston house parties
By adamg on Mon, 10/12/2020 - 1:52pm
City Councilor Ed Flynn says he's had enough with South Boston residents ignoring state and city regulations that ban large parties - next week, he will ask the City Council to call in BPD and ISD to figure out how to enforce the Covid-19 regulations that too many people are flouting, even if that means increasing the current $300 fine for violators.
In the meantime, Flynn is telling constituents concerned about large parties as they're happening to bypass 311, which has built up a large collection of Southie party complaints and call 911, so police can respond immediately. Also:
If you believe that a property is a repeated offender for violations, please contact the Inspectional Services Department (ISD), so that ISD can investigate the property and potentially put it on the city's problem properties list. If a property is on this list, the city's Problem Properties Task Force sends notice to the proper owner about the designation, and the owner would need to address the violations.
Flynn says he and other South Boston elected officials have met frequently with C-6 police and ISD about the situation and that both departments have tried to enforce the regulations, but that it's time to step up the city's game in the middle of the pandemic and end the potential super spreaders.
At the council's meeting next week, Flynn will formally ask for a hearing at which BPD and ISD will be asked how to ensure nobody has indoor parties of more than 25 people - and possibly less, depending on the size of the party space - as well doing something about the way many people are refusing to wear masks or physically distance themselves from other party goers.
As we continue to hear these reports of house parties, we need to talk about stricter enforcement of the governor's order and further mechanisms to disincentivize people from having large parties, including increasing the fines on repeat offenders.
Flynn says that even aside from the Covid-19 risks, the people throwing these parties are often slobs, leaving nearby streets littered with vermin-attracting trash.
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Comments
Guess who's running against Flynn next year ..
I wish. Lol, not me, but pleeeeeese someone from the new South Boston run.
Bring it on.
Who wants a lesson in politics?
Young Old Man Yells At Cloud
The Everything Was Better In The Old Days Crowd won't go away will they?
The people who still have tendinitis 45 years on from throwing rocks at school buses full of black kids are still blaming the "yuppies" for all that is wrong in South Boston.
Did you know that 20 years ago, Jimmy Kelly tried to get roof decks banned in South Boston, only for the reason it was different and people didn't like change?
Too many people at M Street, Too many house parties. Blah, blah, blah.
Somebody should call their sister in Weymouth and give them a hard time for selling the 3 decker. What do you think was going to happen when you sold the fire trap on West Fourth St. for $1.5M? A family of 6 with a longshoreman breadwinner was going to move in?
Anyone who gets dimed out on this, keep a record of when Nutso and Jimma have 30 people over to their family's basement bar to watch the Pats in a few weeks and call the cops. Make the same rules apply to all.
Nutso and Jimma...
...are living in Weymouth after their sister sold the fire trap on West Fourth Street. Besides where are 30 people going to find a parking spot when all these roof deck parties are in full swing?
We are constantly reminded by Governor Baker and Mayor Walsh about wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and limiting our exposure to COVID 19. These parties pretty much go against all of this. The situation this past summer on M Street Beach was troublesome at times, but for whatever reason it went undisturbed by the authorities.
I applaud Councillor Flynn on his looking into these parties and large gatherings.
Talk to Governor Baker About The Const. Officer Just Below Him
https://www.bostonherald.com/2020/05/26/chabot-karyn-polito-sets-bad-exa...
Hate to source the Braintree Herald but a fish rots from the head, or in this case almost the head down.
Do those parties include
The drug and booze parties held daily at Andrew and Broadway station in Southie where no one wears masks?
To answer your question, anon:
If not, these drug and booze parties held daily at Andrew and Broadway station in Southie where no one wears masks, definitely should be included, because they're contributing a great deal to the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic is so out of control here in the Bay State, and the United States, generally.
should be included.
This is a step up from ...
... when he objected to the MILF posters in bus stops. Maybe he can get ISD and Boston police to enforce No Smoking areas and fine a few smokers. They are the worst.
For a population and city
For a population and city council that desperately wants to defund their police force, you sure do ask a lot of them.
I’d rather they focus on the shootings and violent crime.
Councillor Flynn
Thank you for looking into this.
311 is useless
311 is also a waste of tax payer dollars. Lots of problems go unresolved, and are reported at closed. People need to start calling the mayor directly about issues. He's our mayor, was elected by our city, and should start listening to us instead of outside campaign donors.
Is it a waste of tax dollars
Is it a waste of tax dollars when the city ignores most of the reports?
Yes
Just having the site means people have to be paid to staff this department:
https://www.boston.gov/departments/bos311
311 is fantastic when used
311 is fantastic when used for its purpose of reporting public works issues like street lamps out, trash violations, potholes etc. It's not intended to be a place to complain about your annoying neighbors, fireworks or parties. That's what 911 is for. I understand many people are frustrated with the lack of police response to these issues and are jumping on 311 to escalate. The fireworks this year drove me nuts as well. However it's not a failing of 311 when the police fail to break up a party or solve your dispute with your neighbors. The question is why didn't the police send a single cruiser to respond to multiple noise complaints of a large gathering when there are pandemic restrictions on exactly this sort of thing?
I agree with the notion that 311 is for reporting public works
I agree that 311 is good for reporting public works issues such as trash violations, potholes, and street lamps out, for example. However, it seems that 911 is only for emergencies, such as serious illness/injury, and crimes such as robbery and assault, and other emergencies, such as a fire.
Having said all of the above, however, I believe that annoying neighbors, overly rowdy parties and other such things should be called about on the routine police number, rather than 911, unless, of course, assault or other crimes are involved.
Split The Difference
That is what we need, 611. A number to call for very urgent issues, but ones that probably don't require driving over here at 90 miles an hour with the light bar on.
Also, giving the 311 system a big thank you for NOT dealing with the rats eating my car, and leaving the ticket open apparently for all eternity.
Action needed
Big THANK YOU to Councilor Ed Flynn for looking after quality of life issues in Southie. I am raising little kids here and the loud booming music at 2am is not acceptable. Have a few people over, sure, but please be respectful of neighbors and go inside by 11pm with the music down.
I am also tired of the roaming groups of 5-8 people drinking in the street while walking from party to party. They leave empty beer cans and nips in front of my house and near every tree or flower planter in their wake. It’s tough to explain to my toddler what is wrong with these people who have no respect for the neighborhood.
It is not too much to ask that we enforce the laws as written. Keep the music and annoyance down, and no one is going to rat on your party. Pour your road soda into a mug, and no one will care. But when you come to our neighborhood just to trash it every Thurs/Fri/Sat, the citizens, families, politicians and police are going to take notice.
Just what goes ON in Southie?
There are enough parties going on at any given time within walking distance that bands of people can roam from one to the other in the dead of night? And do all these people know each other or is it just one big open house where anybody can go to any party?
Seriously. Doesn't sound very
Seriously. Doesn't sound very complicated. Call 911. Increase fine to $300. Then just do it. Easy.
Great.
Let’s make the fine one million billion dollars. That way, when the cops still refuse to get off their asses and enforce it, we can pretend like we did something.
Real Bostonians
drinking too much Sam Adams Jack-O Pumpkin Ale?
(interesting story juxtaposition there, Adam)