We are writing as concerned North Beacon Hill neighbors. We appreciate the recent investment in the Northern District 2 community fund, that is focused on human services.

Recently, there have been very vocal calls by many of our neighbors for an increase in policing in North Beacon Hill. We share our neighbors’ concerns for safety. We love our neighborhood and want it to remain cared-for, safe, and welcoming. That said, we want to ensure that the safety, legal rights, human rights and dignity of all humans, including the most vulnerable, are preserved and protected.

There are many, many examples where the rights and even lives of people experiencing homelessness with behavioral health conditions have been taken by members of the police force who are trained to see civilians as potential threats.

In particular, we would like to know:

• What is the cost of the proposed police surge in and around North Beacon Hill? How does this cost compare to alternate solutions, such as housing and hotel vouchers?
• Historically, what are the outcomes of arrests for open-air drug use? What is the recidivism rate?
• To what extent are people experiencing homelessness arrested for activities that are criminalized only when done in public, such as using drugs or going to the bathroom?
• How can we, as neighbors, help provide political or other support for long-lasting, supportive change?
• What does the data show about the causes of homelessness that still need to be addressed, such as the lack of shelter/housing and particularly supportive shelter/housing (i.e. ‘housing first’)?

We have also observed how the rise in visible homelessness in North Beacon Hill has been timed with the increase in policing and sweeping in the CID. What will be done to prevent people from simply shifting to another neighborhood should the same tactics be leveraged in North Beacon Hill? ‘Sweeping’ the homeless–causing them to move from encampment to encampment–is destabilizing and disruptive for people who are already vulnerable and struggling.