In an Aug. 10 letter to his fellow councilors, District 2 City Councilor Ed Flynn called for an emergency council session to develop a plan for addressing significant public safety concerns in Downtown Boston.
Councilor Flynn underscored how the Boston Police, whose ranks have been reduced by some 600 officers for a variety of reasons, is currently overwhelmed and understaffed as the department now grapples with a rise in violent crime, along with a sense of disrespect for officers and their families.
In his letter, Councilor Flynn also recounted how together with Mayor Michelle Wu; Rep. Aaron Michlewitz; Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden; and Rishi Shukla, co-founder of the Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association (DBNA), he helped establish the One Downtown Task Force in March to proactively address that neighborhood’s mounting quality-of-life issues and public safety concerns…