As Massachusetts' top law enforcement official, Attorney General Andrea Campbell sees it as her responsibility to protect the safety of all communities in Massachusetts -- and that includes her own neighborhood in Mattapan.
It has been "a very stressful couple of days" for Campbell since last Wednesday, when a state police bust "found significant amounts of meth and fentanyl" in the house next door to Campbell's, she said Tuesday on GBH Radio's "Boston Public Radio." The Boston Herald had previously reported on the arrest of a 31-year-old man accused of distributing crystal meth and fentanyl out of the property, though Campbell said the newspaper got some of the facts wrong.
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The attorney general detailed the concerns she and her neighbors have had about the house for years. And she said that State Police and county prosecutors have done what they can, but faulted the city for not doing more to "get that person out of there" and respond to persistent quality-of-life complaints from neighbors.
"It's a house that is directly next to me. I can look out my window and see this house. It is a major public safety hazard for my family, for my husband, my kids, and for the whole neighborhood. And the sad part is, it's been a problem property in the city for probably over four years," Campbell said.
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The attorney general, who previously served on the Boston City Council, said an "elder Irish woman" who lived in the neighborhood for decades started complaining to her about the property years ago when an individual "moved into the house, took it over." She said once that person moved in, the house started getting significant traffic "day and night, middle of the night, you know, women and just all types of characters coming in and out."
"So fast forward, I become attorney general and ... it's an honor, privilege to protect the safety of everyone across the commonwealth and of course I want to do that in my own neighborhood," Campbell said. At one point, she claimed the person was "illegally living there."
The attorney general made clear that it was the state police, not local police, that led the investigation and conducted last week's bust. She said her office works with the Boston Police Department on lots of matters, "but in this particular instance, I think you've got to be a little bit more aggressive and with a sense of urgency, and not give an individual who's proven to be a criminal and trafficking drugs the benefit of the doubt."
"And he's back in the house, by the way, which is even more disturbing," Campbell said.
Campbell said she was working to push the city "to do, sort of, its civil part to get that person out of there."
"We're pushing [the Inspectional Services Department], we're pushing the city of Boston to do their part ... which means to get him out of there, to get him out of our community, to really shut that place down, to not allow it to continue to be a place where they're trafficking drugs, human trafficking, the same thing," she said. Campbell added, "I have a State Police detail that sits outside of my house, and what they see and witness -- the powerlessness that they feel and I think that I feel at moments is just ridiculous. And so we're pushing really hard."
The attorney general also said that the frustration she feels around the situation is one example of a larger issue in communities like Mattapan.
"Folks in Mattapan have frequently said, you know, they often will feel over-policed and under-protected. This is what they're talking about," she said. "You complain about something in your neighborhood, something's not right. You call the police, you engage your elected officials, say for years, and you don't get the response that you need with a sense of urgency."
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was on "Boston Public Radio" right after Campbell on Tuesday and addressed the idea that communities and the police are not on the same page.
"I can't speak for what happened before under previous administrations and under different transitions, but our mission under this administration and this police administration under Commissioner Michael Cox is to ensure that we are as closely partnered with community members as possible. We need to be earning the trust of our residents in order to deliver safety for everyone," Wu said without specifically addressing Campbell's situation. "And that means not only being present at neighborhood associations where hopefully we could learn of and identify these types of issues across everyone, not just those who are in elected office, but to have connection points and to have the relationships broadly where anyone feels comfortable and supported in reaching out to to make those claims."
Co-host Margery Eagan asked Campbell if she ever interacts with the person or people who live in the house in question, like when she takes the garbage out.
Campbell said, "One time one individual did wave to me, and I thought, 'the audacity!'"
