Residents, city hold contentious conversation about drug use, homelessness in Davis Square
Frustrated over drug use, bad behavior and homelessness in Davis Square, business owners and residents crowded into the Somerville Community Baptist Church on Monday for a meeting with city officials – and more frustration.
Official answers didn’t satisfy, and in some cases didn’t match the experiences of residents and business owners. With no imposed limits set on how long attendees could speak, the meeting ended at 7:30 p.m. with many people still waiting their turn.
At several points, the atmosphere in the room grew tense as residents rebuked the seeming lack of results yielded by the city’s current approach. One resident called the proceedings “tone deaf and congratulatory” and said current policy meant “the rest of us have to be resigned to seeing our square continue to disintegrate into a disgusting mess.”…