Thursday, October 7, 2010
There is one burning question for Boston’s leaders, activists and residents in the wake of the cold-blooded murders of Eyanna Flonory and her toddler son Amani Smith, who were buried yesterday. Herald reporter Marie Szaniszlo put it to them: What needs to happen right now to prevent outrages like the Mattapan massacre?
FAMILY FRIEND
A lot of people are afraid. You want to get involved, but you’re scared of retaliation.
The police need to show their presence more. You can’t see a crime on a side street if you just drove by it. We need more foot patrols.
The city should consider using auxiliary police or some other way of increasing their presence on the street. – Erica Johnson
DISTICT ATTORNEY
I want to address the mothers and fathers out there. I want to speak to the uncles, aunts and older siblings.
If there was ever a moment to consider the tragic toll of gun violence in Boston – and the part that every role model has in ending it – that time is now.
We have to strip guns of their glamour. We have to change the idea that a young person must carry a gun to earn respect. Our response can’t end with outrage.
If you know that someone on your street or in your neighborhood is carrying a gun illegally, tell someone. If you think a crime is going to be committed or someone is going to be hurt, tell someone. If you have information that can help solve a case, especially this one, tell someone. Silence is not a moral option. – Daniel F. Conley
REVEREND
This case is an extreme case, but there are things we can do.
Parents can help develop an atmosphere of intolerance to violence by actively teaching how to resolve disputes in their lives.
Schools ought to develop peer mediation programs, from middle schools on up, so that when there are disagreements, there is an alternative to violence.
This kind of work should not be relegated to a few community activists and law enforcement. It’s the kind of work that produced the Boston Miracle.
This is another watershed moment. I stood in front of that casket and saw a young woman holding her child. It had an effect on me that’s indelible. When you actively target a child, it ought to spark a community-wide outcry. – Jeffrey Brown, executive director of the Boston Ten-Point Coalition
MAYOR
As a city we must continue to attack the triggers that lead to youth violence – school truancy, homelessness, economic instability and the health of families.
We must continue to invest in early childhood care to get our children on the right path to educational success and surround mothers and fathers with the supports necessary to build strong families.
And it is crucial that we engage our residents in crime watches, community events and social activities that will help foster positive relationships with area organizations and their neighbors.
We all must play a part in believing that we can build the peaceful communities we all deserve. The stakes are too high to sit on the sidelines. – Thomas M. Menino
ADVOCATE
There’s no magic bullet, but we’re so inconsistent about how we invest in kids. In so many cases, if you haven’t gotten help by middle school, you end up dropping out in high school. Early intervention is key.
Opportunity, work, counseling – we don’t have enough, and kids fall through the cracks. You cannot help people who are poor with a lottery. It’s got to be done for all of them.
The Legislature needs to vote on $400 million that the federal government has provided. That would restore a lot of social-service programs. The fact that we haven’t done that is an indication we’re not prioritizing. – John Drew, president and CEO of Action for Boston Community Development
