Boston Common

Boston Common ‘should be the nicest place in the city,' but many raise safety concerns

City Councilor Ed Flynn said he hopes to hold a public safety hearing to discuss recent violence on Boston Common in the next two or three weeks

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People who live near Boston Common and work around the park are fed up with recent violence.

Tired of having his customers chased away by the violence, Tommy of Father and Sons Sausage in Boston Common says a new recipe is needed to turn things around.

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"They fight each other, they bother the customers every once in a while, but it is what it is, you know what I mean?" Tommy said.

NBC10 Boston reported last month about ongoing concerns in the park.

"It is crazy," said Bill Peruse, who has been working on Boston Common near the Park Street MBTA station for 14 years. "After the last person that got stabbed out here, in the leg, there was an increase in police presence, and that went down."

Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn says he has seen enough, adding that the latest stabbing on the Common occurred as parents were walking their kids to school. A 4-year-old was also nearly assaulted, he said.

"Thankfully, the 4-year-old wasn't hurt, but it is concerning for parents that that kind of incident is taking place," Flynn said. "It is bad, there has been a lot of drug trafficking, human trafficking in the Common. I am working with police to get more police in the Common."

Recent incidents of violence at Boston Common have some tour operators considering changing their routes.

Flynn is calling for a public safety hearing to discuss the ongoing issues in the popular tourist destination. He says he wants to bring everyone to the table to discuss possible solutions.

"It should be the nicest place in the city of Boston. People love coming here," he said. "It's very difficult to do that when there's ongoing violence taking place in Boston Common."

Flynn says he hopes to hold that public hearing in the next two or three weeks.

"There's too many dangers going on, too many bad vibes," said Cindy Bergeron. "It's just not a safe place for you or your children or any family members."

Bergeron says she won't visit Boston Common after dark.

"There have been a lot of stabbings, shooting, everybody doesn't really respect other people's boundaries," she said. "It is very, very, very sad."

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