Mayor Wu kicks off city's plan to mitigate community violence this summer

The city of Boston is starting weekend programming for youth, among other initiatives, in the hopes of mitigating community violence this summer.

Mayor Michelle Wu announced the summer safety plan on Tuesday, an annual initiative to get ahead of violent crime that tends to increase in the warmer months. Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said the increase is driven by warmer weather, bigger outdoor gatherings, more visitors to the city and students being out of school.

Violent crime during the summers is trending down in Boston, city administrators said. Between June and August 2023, 52 people were shot in 42 incidents, Cox said. That number was down 24% from the same period in 2022. Cox also noted that the majority of the incidents happen between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m., and on weekends.

Isaac Yablo, Boston's senior advisor for community safety who helped develop the plan, said last summer the city had "an amazing plan," but that there "were some gaps" — particularly with large gatherings of youth in the evenings. As a result, the city has created "Boston After Dark" programing specifically for youth every Friday from June 21 to Aug. 30, between 6 and 9 p.m.

The plan to engage young Bostonians includes additional mental health resources, more youth-focused activities and workforce programs.

Officials said they held 27 community meetings across nine neighborhoods to hear from residents about their safety concerns in order to formulate the plan. According to Yablo, community members asked at multiple meetings how the city would work to address the root causes of violence.

"One of the main things that I have been pushing the administration to think about is, having a plan to end violence, but also reinvest into the communities that are disproportionately impacted by this violence," said Yablo.

Part of the reinvestment plan comes in the form of 15 mini grants, which will go toward "activating social spaces" in some of Bostons historically marginalized communities. Applications for grant funding were accepted in April and Yablo said the recipients of the grant will be announced in the next coming days.

While this plan is seasonal, the mayors office said that they are working to address violence year round.

"Safety isn't something that we all of a sudden turn on and start talking about and thinking about as the weather gets hotter," said Wu. "For us and for our administration, community safety is a year-round, collaborative effort and opportunity."