Boston Mayor Shutting Down the “Methadone Mile”

A longtime tent city in a busy industrial district of South Boston has been targeted by the mayor for removal.  Brianna Herlihy of Fox News reports that the encampment, which starts at the corner of Melnea Cass Boulevard and Massachusetts Avenue has for years been dubbed the “Methadone Mile”  where addicts, criminals and the mentally ill have taken over the neighborhood.  The levels of crime, drug use and drug overdoses in the area have at times forced the city to prohibit caregivers from even visiting to protect their safety.  There have been several sweeps to remove tents and addicts from the area since 2019, but after each one the homeless have returned in greater numbers.  The city’s Democrat Mayor Michelle Wu recently announced that as of November 1, the police will begin to remove tents and take occupants to housing, rehab and mental services.

The new city ordinance prohibits homeless people from returning to the area and pitching tents and tarps and will maintain a heavy police presence to enforce it.  The police commissioner told reporters last Friday, “We have rules in place, and people need to follow the rules.” If they break criminal laws, they need to be arrested and prosecuted.”  It’s not clear whether illegally pitching a tent will be a punishable crime under the ordinance.

This crackdown comes as both the city and the state are straining under a “right to shelter” law that required taxpayer funding to shelter an estimated 24,000 illegal migrants in October.  Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey correctly pointed to federal immigration policies as a contributing factor to the state’s homeless crisis.

But other factors including laws and policies removing or reducing sentences for drug trafficking, theft and public order offenses along with totally inadequate facilities for long-term mental health treatment are the root causes that will have to be changed before any real effort to reduce homelessness can succeed.