Editorial: Time to act on opioid crisis

Boston s opioid dilemma is a statewide plague The drug dealing human trafficking crime and now squatting in empty houses have gone on long enough It gets worse The Herald has learned that a -year-old child in the city was pricked by a discarded hypodermic needle and is now undergoing a battery of injections to guard against diseases The child s distraught mother is trying desperately to protect her child s wellness and identity The Mass and Cass emergency has seeped into surrounding neighborhoods making life in Boston treacherous The opioid scourge is a societal pestilence Moving encampments has not worked Just this past week we announced that a homeless woman broke into a Worcester Square condo drew herself a bath slept in a bed and bled all over the bed Band-Aids were everywhere She had obviously rifled through all of our stuff stole all my jewelry all of our cosmetics toiletries etc the condo owner mentioned The alleged intruder Katie Mearn was arrested last Friday for trespassing malicious destruction of property and latest and entering attempted in connection with a separate break-in that occurred nearby on East Springfield Street according to Boston Police She was distributed on personal recognizance The troubling affair is another example of how the issue is escalating in and around the South End and surrounding neighborhoods according to Boston City Councilor John FitzGerald who represents the area He joined two of his Council colleagues Ed Flynn and Erin Murphy in swiftly calling for the city to take immediate action to address the Mass and Cass spillover that critics say has worsened since the Atkinson Street tent encampment was removed by Michelle Wu s administration in late Nobody should have to deal with this level of lawlessness FitzGerald stated in a comment We need to have immediate impactful solutions A show of tough love now is better than dealing with a preventable tragedy later Let s not wait and continue to be reactive We have the opportunity and momentum now to really make an impact and avoid something even worse from occurring the councilor stated Boston should follow his advice now Arrest any and all suspected of buying selling drugs Arrest anyone and everyone involved in prostitution Stop appeasing the addicts This comes after we broadcasted earlier that the city s rat infestation is being exacerbated by the Mass and Cass drug and homelessness situation that has spread like wildfire into surrounding neighborhoods Homemade grills come in handy for homeless people living and sleeping on the streets but are like candy to the rats who soon become their cohabitants as well as becoming the unwelcome neighbors of nearby residents The cooking and discarded food led to considerable rats in the area along with the trash thrown on the sidewalks Flynn stated Boston has hit a tipping point City taxpayers deserve a coordinated response by the State Police Boston Police DEA FBI city and state fitness agencies social workers the Suffolk Sheriff s office the Suffolk DA s office and any and all the hospitals in the region Opioids have ruined and poisoned an entire generation and the addicts need help but so do the property owners of this great city It is time to act Editorial cartoon by Chip Bok Creators Syndicate