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.”
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