The stabbing death of a man on Chase Street on March 24 and a fatal shooting on Bowler Street last Monday represent a level of violence rarely seen in Lynn. Two violent deaths in one week is, thankfully, the exception to the rule and the murders traumatized neighborhoods and shocked residents.
Police officers can’t simultaneously patrol every street in the city or check every vehicle entering or leaving for a potential criminal. What they can do is work with other forces for good in society to plow over and reseed local breeding grounds for violence.
The Police Department’s gang unit has focused enforcement work leading to the imprisonment of violent individuals. After school programs and diversion efforts in schools help youth who are at risk of gang involvement. These programs mesh well with police efforts.
Lynn police have also worked with police in other communities, including Revere, to eliminate violence. Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo spoke to state legislators last week during “community safety day” about initiatives his city has undertaken to reduce crime.
Revere has used tax dollars to support the Police Activities League connecting at-risk youth through sports with positive role models.
Arrigo, during his State House visit, stressed the importance of programs reaching out to men ages 17 to 24 who are at risk of becoming gang involved. He endorsed the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative providing assistance to young men through job opportunity development and school and mental health support.
Youth outreach group Roca has come to Lynn with caseworkers committed to reaching out to young men who have troubled pasts and who have tried and failed through other programs to build crime-free lives.
Arrigo urged legislators to provide more tax dollars to pay for programs aiding police to prevent violence from taking hold in neighborhoods.
Any funding commitment at the state level must be matched at the community level as mayors in cities, including Lynn and Revere, craft budgets for the next year and prepare to submit them to councilors for review and action.
Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy has supported police initiatives aimed at gangs. She has seen the benefits of police officers working closely with residents and workers in programs such as Roca and Lynn Youth Street Outreach Advocacy to make progressive approaches to ending violence.
We urge her to weigh the continued importance of public safety funding as she grapples with cuts in city spending and crafts a municipal budget for the next year.