Lyndhurst St. residents: media gave bad rap

Yawu Miller

On Monday afternoon, the loudest noise midway down Lyndhurst Street was the chirping of crickets on lawns and under the bushes of the large Victorians that tower over the sidewalks.

It’s a street where neighbors greet each other from the front porches and screen doors are left unlocked. But three weeks after the so-called occupation of the street by a local minister, the media-generated catchphrase “Hell Zone” still elicits bitter responses from the residents.

“I think the Herald and the Globe owe us all an apology,” said resident Kathleen Martin. “They were the major players in this.”

While residents acknowledge the presence of criminal activity near the street’s corner with Washington Street, where residents say three absentee-owned multi-family buildings serve as a magnet for drug traffic, the neighbors say the rest of their one-block street has been unfairly tagged by a media stunt that has had little to no affect on crime.

“The same people who were dealing drugs are still there,” said Anita Harris, chairwoman of the Lyndhurst Street neighborhood association.

Bruce Wall, pastor of Global Ministries Christian Church, began staying in a rented room on Lyndhurst Street several weeks after an illegal July 4 party on the street ended with a fatal shooting. His week-long residency on the street dominated local headlines and made national news during the first week of August.

A series of Boston Globe articles chronicled Wall’s stay on the street and detailed his efforts to fight crime there.

Mayor Thomas Menino and Police Commissioner Kathleen O’Toole walked Lyndhurst Street with Wall, but they stopped halfway down the block, according to one irate neighbor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“I was sitting on the front porch, waiting for Menino,” the resident said. “I said, ‘wait until they come here.’ I was ready for them. But they turned around and didn’t talk to anybody at this end of the street.”

Had Menino and Wall made it further down the street, they may have heard from neighbors about their ten-year-long effort to pressure police to investigate the very public drug trade in the multi-family buildings at the end of the block. While police have repeatedly said the allegations of drug dealing are under investigation, the traffic has not abated, according to Harris.

They may have also heard that the neighborhood association began meeting with police after the July 4 shooting to help come up with a public safety strategy.

What seems to anger the neighbors the most is that Wall undertook his occupation of the street without soliciting input from the residents who live on the street.

“He’s an experienced activist and community organizer,” said Dorothy Manuela, who has lived on the street for 30 years. “It would have been better if people on the street were involved in this.”

Wall has responded to the complaints with a letter of apology delivered to the neighbors, as well as news outlets.

Wall was unavailable for comment. But in correspondence with Lyndhurst Street neighbors, Wall said he remains committed to improving the area. He said he has spoken with a bank about purchasing two of the street’s troubled buildings.

He also said he plans to speak to the owners of a liquor store and bar on Washington Street about reducing the loitering in front of their establishments.

Manuela and other neighbors said Wall’s response did nothing to repair the damage done to the reputation of the street.

One neighbor, according to Harris, was unable to refinance her home after the negative newsmedia coverage. Another resident was unable to rent an apartment in his building.

Not all neighbors on the street are against Wall’s occupation. Harris notes that her husband supported Wall’s move. But she says she still questions the effectiveness of the occupation.

“I know his heart is sincere,” she said. “I know he’s trying to make a change. We were not getting attention before. He’s gotten some attention. But I just don’t want it to stop.”

Manuela says the slight increase in police presence in the area, which has already faded, has lessened volume of drug traffic on the street. But, she says, the impact of the negative press may well persist.

“The articles were written in a way that makes it seem as if it’s a horrible street,” she said. “If you read the stories, there are no redeeming qualities.”