Boston’s raging drug problem has deepened after images surfaced of a man hunched over outside of the city’s poshest mall.
An unidentified man was seen bent over and using a phone outside Copley Place in the city governed by Democrats, as captured in a video by a passerby.
This video was uploaded to social media by a group of local residents who oppose Democrat Mayor Michelle Wu, highlighting another issue confronting the city of Massachusetts.
‘Wow can’t even shop in Mayor Wu’s Boston without running into drug addicts,’ the post said. ‘This is in Boston’s most luxurious mall too.’
The city has attracted attention after its residents criticized Wu, holding her responsible for policies they believe encourage the kind of behavior displayed outside the shopping center.
Residents have specifically pointed fingers at Wu for distributing free crack pipes, syringes, and related items to addicts in 2022, claiming this has exacerbated the city’s challenges.
Although Wu’s team introduced this contentious initiative as ‘harm reduction,’ opponents argue that it has only made public drug use more acceptable in Boston.
The intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, known as ‘Mass and Cass,’ is notorious for open-air drug usage.
In the widely circulated images, an unknown man could be seen lurched over and using a phone outside of Copley Place in the Democratic-led city
Locals have blamed Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s decision to hand out free crack pipes, syringes, and other paraphernalia to addicts
The mayor has tried to clear out the crime-ridden area, dubbed ‘Methadone Mile,’ by trying to take down tent encampments.
But instead of isolating the drug crisis, it has amplified and spread – further plaguing the historic city.
Residents from across Boston have complained that the Mass and Cass crackdown has led to ‘out of control’ spillover into their neighborhoods.
The streets of once-pristine communities, including tony Beacon Hill, have been left littered with dangerous needles.
A clean-up crew supported by the Newmarket Business Improvement District has estimated they pick up about 1,000 needles a day across Boston.
Beacon Hill, where the median housing price is $2.8million, is just one of the areas feeling the burn.
On social media, people have expressed disbelief with the jaw-dropping images outside Copley Place and pointed to Wu’s lackluster efforts.
‘It’s truly shocking how anyone, irrespective of political views, permits this kind of situation to persist,’ one individual commented on X. ‘It’s really sad to watch Boston start to resemble San Francisco or Portland, OR. Hopefully, the affluent in Beacon Hill will protest and bring about Wu’s removal.’
A Beacon Hill resident shared a photo of a man slumped over in a wheelchair with an umbrella over his shoulders on a street corner (pictured)
The streets of once-pristine communities, including tony Beacon Hill, seen here, have been left littered with dangerous needles
Another added: ‘Her free needle plan is working well; they dump them everywhere, as a free supply Wu’s progressive ways are slowly bringing the city down.’
While the images sparked the recent uproar, Beacon Hill residents have been noticing drug-related litter and people shooting up on the streets for years.
Katherine Kennedy, a Beacon Hill mother-of-two, described to the Boston Herald last September how the area had changed for the worse.
‘I pass discarded needles as I walk my five-year-old to her public school every day,’ she said.
‘Having to keep needles away from my kids as I walk them to preschool is unacceptable.’
