Residents in yet another American city are rebelling against “harm reduction” drug use policies favored by progressive mayors and local lawmakers.
In Boston, focus on the city’s raging drug problem intensified after photos surfaced of a man hunched over outside of Copley Place, the city’s poshest mall, the Daily Mail reported.
A group of locals openly opposed to Democrat Mayor Michelle Wu shared the images on social media.
“Wow can’t even shop in Mayor Wu’s Boston without running into drug addicts,” one post said. “This is in Boston’s most luxurious mall too.”
According to the Mail, residents are blaming Wu for her decision to hand out “free crack pipes, syringes and other paraphernalia” as part of a “harm reduction” policy that they say only contributes to the problems.
Proponents argue such measures, as well as providing a “safe” central location for addicts to use, reduces overdoses and other medical problems associated with drug use.
However, the harm reduction movement could be in serious trouble, not only in Boston but also in other American cities, as the result of an executive order from President Donald Trump last month aimed at ending homelessness fueled by addiction and mental illness.
As Breitbart News is reporting, residents in the city of New York are also looking to the Trump administration to end the practice of providing “safe” injection sites in the city where drug use and open sex acts in the streets are being witnessed by locals.
Breitbart News also reported that part of Trump’s order ensures discretionary grants for substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery [but] does not fund drug injection sites or illicit drug use. Many harm reduction operations are funded by federal grants.
The Mail reported that the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, known as “Mass and Cass,” has long been known for open drug use. It reported the mayor tried to clear out the area by taking down tent encampments, but that only spread the practice to other areas.
Beacon Hill, where the median housing price is $2.8 million, is one of the areas now plagued with the problem, local residents say, with streets often littered with used needles.
“Mayor Michelle Wu is doing a great job turning Boston into San Francisco,” one observer posted on X.
A clean-up crew supported by a local business improvement group has estimated it picks up about 1,000 needles a day across Boston.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. He also is the cofounder of a nonprofit production company that makes films that motivate addicts and alcoholics to seek recovery. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
