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New Mass. and Cass recommendations could mark major shift in strategy
Leaders want to expand units of police and case managers, as well as create a "specialty court" to taker a tougher approach on public drug use.
Elected officials, community leaders, and business representatives gathered this week to announce a series of recommendations that, if implemented, would mark a tougher approach to addressing the crises of addiction and homelessness that overlap at Mass. and Cass.
Open drug use and related crime have plagued the area surrounding Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard for the better part of a decade. The Wu administration has cleared multiple tent encampments, increased outreach, and expanded the police presence in the area. But groups of people gathering to use drugs spread into other parts of the city, prompting outcry from business owners and residents. In numerous public meetings officials heard testimony about children being pricked by needles, human feces and other waste being strewn on sidewalks, and an increase in home break-ins. All the while, scores of people battling addiction continued to suffer without the necessary treatment.
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“It became clear that we failed everyone, and that had to change,” Rishi Shukla, co-founder of the Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association, told Boston.com.
Shukla helped convene a major public safety summit about a year ago, which he credits as helping to start a new phase of coordination between the various groups and officials working to address the problem.
For Boston City Councilor John FitzGerald, last summer marked a particularly notable inflection point when “calls of compassion” from residents and those struggling with addiction reached a crescendo.
FitzGerald and Shukla are two members of the working group responsible for the Mass. and Cass recommendations announced this week. It also includes members of the Newmarket Business Improvement District, the South End Forum, representatives from shelter providers, and other elected officials like State Rep. John Moran.
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While not every member of the group agreed on the best path forward, FitzGerald said he was struck by the shared goals of those involved.
“Everyone wants these people to find help, everyone wants a safer neighborhood, everyone wants a better business environment in this area,” he said.
The recommendations
The working group recommended that the city expand the Boston Police Department’s Neighborhood Engagement Safety Team (NEST), which is made up of officers specially trained in moving people who are living on the street into treatment facilities. It also recommended that officials expand what is known as the Co-Response Outreach, Recovery Engagement (CORE) Team, which consists of people who have experienced addiction who engage with current users and bring them into the wider system.
When outreach workers or BPD officers encounter a person for the first time, they would be given two options under the new recommendations: be referred to a recovery program or face charges in the criminal justice system. Those that return to the streets and continue to use illegal drugs would then face a second choice when engaged by a police officer or outreach worker: head to criminal court or to a newly-created specialty court.
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The creation of such a speciality court is one of the other major recommendations put forth by the working group. These specialty courts already exist around the state. They are not actually separate courts but rather specialized sessions within the existing court infrastructure. They “aim to reduce contact with the legal system by addressing the underlying issues that bring people into contact with the court system,” according to the state. These underlying issues often involve addiction and mental health troubles.
The proposed new specialty court would have a focus on diverting people into treatment before they are arraigned, while centralizing cases involving repeat drug offenders. Extra consideration would be given to a person’s history with trauma, sex trafficking, addiction, and mental illness, according to materials prepared by the working group. Members of the working group pointed to the Homeless Court Program at the Pine Street Inn, which has existed since 2011, as an example of what this could look like.
Officials say that their proposed system is “intentionally non-linear” and that these pathways would restart quickly and without “unnecessary barriers.” The goal, FitzGerald said, was to examine the “fragmented processes” of public safety, judicial initiatives, and the recovery system in order to fill in the gaps and make them work more cohesively.
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“I think the end result will solve a majority of the problems. This is not a perfect system, by any means. None are. But I think this our best hope at addressing this with empathy, compassion, and public safety,” FitzGerald said.
A major shift
The proposals would mark a shift away from the strategy known as harm reduction, which seeks to reduce overdoses and decrease the spread of disease without demanding total abstinence from drug use. Needle distribution programs and the creation of safe injection sites are common programs associated with harm reduction.
The Material Aid and Advocacy Program, a Cambridge nonprofit, is one of many in the Greater Boston area that promote harm reduction strategies. Cassie Hurd, the group’s director, told The Boston Globe this week that the new proposals would do more harm than good.
“This is all counterproductive and potentially deadly,” Hurd told the paper. “Criminalization of drug use and harassment of outreach workers does nothing to move people toward recovery, and creates additional barriers to housing that just increases the chances of a fatal overdose.”
Many officials, at least in Boston, still advocate for harm reduction practices. Last September, City Councilor Ed Flynn introduced a measure expressing opposition to pending legislation that would allow for the establishment of safe injection sites around the state. FitzGerald was one of only two other councilors who supported Flynn’s effort.
“Harm reduction is a tool, but 100% harm reduction? Show me a place where that works. I don’t believe it is the only tool we can have,” FitzGerald said.
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Flynn expressed his strong support for the new recommendations.
“For years – whether it be at Mass & Cass, the Boston Common, or Downtown – I’ve repeatedly advocated that while we show compassion and offer treatment programs for our most vulnerable, there must be a zero tolerance approach from Boston Police when it comes to criminal activity impacting the public safety and quality of life of our residents,” he said in a statement.
Shukla also sees harm reduction programs as doing more harm than good and envisions a gradual de-emphasis of these policies with the goal of finding some form of middle ground. He points to shifts away from harm reduction in cities like Philadelphia and San Francisco as examples.
This will require collaboration with shelter workers and other providers, and he acknowledged that there could be “friction” if changes are made too abruptly. Still these providers have been involved in the working group and must remain essential partners in the process moving forward, he said.
The implications of any policy shift, Shukla said, are much wider than just one area of Boston.
“This isn’t just about Mass. and Cass,” he said. “If it’s good for Mass. and Cass, it’s good for the city, it’s good for the state. This is really meant to expand beyond just that one area.”
A move away from harm reduction policies within the Wu administration would likely lead other organizations to follow suit, Shukla said. A member of the administration’s coordinated response team spoke in support of the recommendations at a press conference this week.
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When contacted for a follow up response, Mayor Michelle Wu offered a largely noncommittal statement.
“Alongside partners in community, public health, and across government, Boston is working to ensure strong pathways into recovery and quality of life in every neighborhood, including an end to outdoor substance use,” Wu said. “I thank the Working Group for carefully reflecting the shared progress of the many city departments engaged in our Coordinated Response Team, for their strong endorsement of the Boston Police Department’s NEST initiative, and for highlighting more opportunities to meet our shared goals. The City is focused on active preparations for warmer weather and continuing to engage with all stakeholders on our coordinated approach.”
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