South Boston Safety (shop, residential, road)

[bostonguy1960]

Oh, as far as safety, I did see two officers walking together around 7 am near Goodwill on W. Broadway. I then saw them consult with an official or officer in an unmarked sedan. We'll see how long this presence lasts.

I had often walked alone at 5:30 am from 2008-2012 around West 2nd and A/B/C streets while walking to Broadway station. Sometimes it was in darkness. The only problem was a white young Male who asked if he could borrow my smartphone to call his mon. Didn't allow it, so kept walking.

There were many car breakins around that area, though. Not sure if it's improved in the past year.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by sobo16

Where should an Irish gay person live? That's quite a dilemma!

Quincy

[sharencare]

I know one of your options is to walk down to Andrew Square to catch the train or get to the mall. But don't walk around Andrew Square at night alone (though I don't think it's at the whistle-wearing level). I grew up in that area and still live there, and it's sketchy-looking at night. I lived around there for 30 years, and I would even say the streets have gotten dirtier and the people a tad more unsavory. The residents who live in the north, with their cupcake and cheese shops, are living in a bubble area that is not expanding south any time soon. If they are not locking their doors at night, they are being naive. My quiet street near Andrew is full of yuppies and old timers, but a neighbor got his hallway window broken into and another time we got a package stolen from inside the building front hallway.

I grew up in a South Boston public project feeling relatively safe, but I am troubled by the level of violence spilling out into the residential peripheries just outside the projects. The projects themselves are filled with young families, children, and retirees, so that kind of violence inside and nearby is NOT normal. Whether or not you are even walking near or in the projects, you have to be alert and not oblivious to your surroundings everywhere. For me personally, as a long time South Boston resident, with a retired mother still in the projects, I am paying attention to the news reports and I don't like what I see. I'm also tired of the grittiness and the lack of good neighborhood businesses in my neck of the woods. South Boston has long lost it's appeal to me, but the news reports, have just made me feel more of an urgency to move my family (even reluctant Mom--who still likes living here) to another part of the city.

Anyway, I'm just offering my perspective as a longtime resident about a dozen blocks south of you. I don't mean to scare you. I've walked all over South Boston fine even as a child and certainly as a young woman. But I think you should be aware that not all parts of South Boston are equally nice, and you should always be more alert about your surroundings late at night and very early in the morning when there are less people walking around. You and your husband probably should walk around the entire area during broad daylight to get a feel for the area and gain some confidence. There's a stretch around the Old Colony public project on Dorchester Ave that is under heavy construction. The buildings seem empty and the sidewalk has been broken up. Personally, if I have to walk to Broadway from Andrew, I avoid Dorchester Street because of the construction around 9th and opt for going up D Street instead.

[sharencare]

There's a stretch around the Old Colony public project on Dorchester Ave that is under heavy construction

Just a correction--the construction is on Dorchester STREET

So I was overseas for much of July until yesterday without access to US newspapers, so I have not read about last week's horrible assaults in South Boston until just now. I especially don't mean to imply that what happened last week was connected to anyone in the public projects. Again, public projects are full of young families, children, and retirees and NO ONE with a criminal record can live in a public project. So please, I would redact "spilling out" and call it a poor choice of phrasing.

Because you mentioned drugs, I thought you were talking about the other incident, which was a shootout with the police and a fleeing cocaine dealer that happened outside one of the South Boston public projects. So my perception of South Boston around Andrew is yes, it's gritty. But it's more because of the illegal activities (not violent until the drug dealer shooting incident) happening over a longer stretch of time, and even that to me is not normal. As for last week, what happened was unheard of and I feel terrible for the victims and their families. They caught the perpetrator, so I sincerely think you should not feel your overall safety is in any jeopardy in South Boston.

[Hoshiko]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

So which is it? Is Southie nothing but professionals, or is Southie still populated by "Whitey Bulger" types? Can Black people walk in your neighborhood without incident?

What kind of question is that... This post didn't even go in that direction. Just curious?

[professeurpablo]

I agree with Sharencare's post. I lived in South Boston for many years until last year. While I was never delusional about the safety of the neighborhood - it is the city, after all - I always felt relatively safe there, a few rough spots nearer to Andrew Square and the far Lower End aside.

I did notice some changes in the past few years. Most notably, the sense of community diminished markedly. Years ago, more people used to be out and about sitting on stoops chatting with one another. There were also more shift workers coming and going at odd times. This contributed to a less dead feeling in the evenings and at night and made the community at least feel safer - to me anyway. Now, the predominant population in South Boston works more 9-5 type hours, so things get very quiet and somewhat deserted late at night. The income gap between non-public housing dwellers and people living in the three projects has also increased, bringing some new, elevated tensions. And I think in general the internet focus of the generation that predominately lives in the more "gentrified" portions of South Boston makes for less face-to-face connectivity in general.

While I'd still say that South Boston is one of the safer parts of the city, I felt markedly less safe there in recent years, and this as a pretty big guy who most people would think twice about bothering if they saw me. Things really changed for me about two years ago when a couple of guys were badly beaten by some young punks from the neighborhood while quietly walking home late at night. This happened at one of the more prominent intersections in the neighborhood and frightened and awakened a lot of people living nearby who could hear what was going on.

So is Southie dangerous? On the whole, no, but you need to have some street smarts to live there safely. The same could be said about many areas, so don't shy away from South Boston because of a few incidents. It has many positive attributes and is very convenient to Downtown Boston, and there are some beautiful homes there. Just be aware. The city is not a playground!

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by professeurpablo

I agree with Sharencare's post. I lived in South Boston for many years until last year. While I was never delusional about the safety of the neighborhood - it is the city, after all - I always felt relatively safe there, a few rough spots nearer to Andrew Square and the far Lower End aside.

I did notice some changes in the past few years. Most notably, the sense of community diminished markedly. Years ago, more people used to be out and about sitting on stoops chatting with one another. There were also more shift workers coming and going at odd times. This contributed to a less dead feeling in the evenings and at night and made the community at least feel safer - to me anyway. Now, the predominant population in South Boston works more 9-5 type hours, so things get very quiet and somewhat deserted late at night. The income gap between non-public housing dwellers and people living in the three projects has also increased, bringing some new, elevated tensions. And I think in general the internet focus of the generation that predominately lives in the more "gentrified" portions of South Boston makes for less face-to-face connectivity in general.

While I'd still say that South Boston is one of the safer parts of the city, I felt markedly less safe there in recent years, and this as a pretty big guy who most people would think twice about bothering if they saw me. Things really changed for me about two years ago when a couple of guys were badly beaten by some young punks from the neighborhood while quietly walking home late at night. This happened at one of the more prominent intersections in the neighborhood and frightened and awakened a lot of people living nearby who could hear what was going on.

So is Southie dangerous? On the whole, no, but you need to have some street smarts to live there safely. The same could be said about many areas, so don't shy away from South Boston because of a few incidents. It has many positive attributes and is very convenient to Downtown Boston, and there are some beautiful homes there. Just be aware. The city is not a playground!

This is very insightful.

[sharencare]

Originally Posted by flyingpertyhigh

I'd like to add to this. I live in South Boston by Andrew Square on Middle St. I have not lived there my whole life by any means - just three years. I can tell you in three years I've seen changes. On my street there is a general sense of neighborhood and community. We all know each other, and I frequently see people from houses on opposite ends of the street coming together for parties and get togethers. People walk each other's dogs when they can't, help shovel out cars, and in the few vacant lots people will come out and pick the weeds just so our street looks nice.
There was an incident where someone was in my back yard trying to steal something (3 years ago) and my neighbor noticed it, notified the police, waited around and then told me. Mind you my street is a mix of 3 generations of Southie residents and 20 something yuppies, all co-existing. From what I read this is odd and rare, but I just wanted to throw it out there that there still are 'neighborhoodly' areas.

Honestly, in broad daylight, especially in the summer, I still feel fairly safe walking alone. The street you mentioned, I know particularly well, and I do agree with you that that tree-lined block is nice and people seem friendly.

But my husband and I have lived close to Andrew since before the Recession. We've noticed the increase of shuttered businesses and the larger streets like the two Dorchesters having more trash on the sidewalks. When I was a kid, growing up in the area, the "unsavory" characters were the kids smoking on the stoop and the drunk adults. Nowadays the "unsavory" people are the teenage prostitutes and the drug dealers around Andrew Square. During the day, Andrew looks like a normal bustling city interaction and at night it gets fairly quiet. So these problems never seemed quite "real" until I heard about the drug dealer opening fire at the police with a gun within a block of where my mother lives. I still wouldn't say I'm scared to walk around at night, but lately, we've tried to be extra vigilant. I know the community is asking the police to step up and the prostitute problem is gone. But I'm just telling you neighbor to neighbor, with sincere concern, please watch out for yourself.

Read Boston Globe article - "Police crackdown leads to cut in crime in South Boston"
Police crackdown leads to cut in crime in South Boston - Boston.com

[pennyone]

It always saddens me to read how dangerous criminal elements can hold hostage a whole neighborhood in utter fear....To me, this is no different than foreign terrorists who threaten the safety and security of our very way of life. I think we need to re-label these drug gangs as real terrorists, and enact harsh anti terror laws and tacticss against them. They have no right to hold the good people of various neighborhoods, be they housing projects or residential area, under such fear.

[bostonguy1960]

So another attack in Southie mentioned on this morning's news. Someone was assaulted in an elevator in the afternoon.

Cops haven't found the assailant.

I don't know if it's residential or business...