Boston City Council slams BPD, Wu administration for blowing off public safety hearing ahead of Southie parade

The Boston City Council slammed the Wu administration and Boston Police Department for blowing off a hearing on public safety and BPD staffing shortages ahead of a St. Patrick’s Day parade that led to violence last year in Southie.

Councilors Ed Flynn and Erin Murphy, who sponsored the hearing order, were among a number of councilors who appeared to be caught off-guard by the lack of police and administration presence at Thursday’s committee hearing, given that one of the city’s largest, and rowdiest, annual events is set to be held this weekend.

“We knew for a long time that police staffing has been an issue, but I didn’t know it was this bad,” Councilor John FitzGerald quipped. “It’s an important hearing to have, especially coming up on St. Patrick’s Day weekend. We have a very large-scale event, perhaps one of the biggest the city sees annually.”

FitzGerald said he was attending the hearing, in part, to help get information about the parade out to constituents, such as how the city and police operate during those types of large-scale events.

“I’m admittedly disappointed in both the administration and police for not even sending anybody,” FitzGerald said. “I just think it would have been a good, timely conversation to have.”

Murphy said the hearing was purposely scheduled ahead of Sunday’s St. Patrick’s Day parade to incorporate public safety plans for the event into the discussion.

Violence and public drunkenness at last year’s event prompted parade organizers and police to plan for an earlier start time and additional security for this weekend’s festivities and led to Flynn floating the possibility of moving the parade out of South Boston, should the past “out-of-control behavior continue.”

Eight of 13 councilors showed up for the hearing, and without any panelists from BPD or the Wu administration present, opted to submit their questions in writing through the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee Chair Henry Santana.

“What’s the point of being an elected official if your only avenue is to submit questions?” Murphy said. “That’s what residents are able to do through 311, or calling us directly.”

Flynn said he spent hours preparing questions for the hearing, and repeated his past advocacy for having the city hire hundreds of additional police officers to address staffing shortages and forced overtime that he said is impacting public safety.

While not mentioned at the day’s hearing, Flynn and Murphy’s initial filing of the hearing order to address police staffing shortages last summer ticked off BPD leadership and did not sit well with the mayor who accused the two councilors she often tussles with of “playing politics.”

Councilor Sharon Durkan, a staunch ally of the mayor, spoke in support of her colleagues, saying she didn’t realize there wouldn’t be a panel to address questions she had about public safety plans for this weekend’s holiday festivities.

“It’s always very helpful to have a panel and someone responding,” Durkan said. “If we’re taking our time to be here, there should be someone here on the other side. So I support my colleagues in asking for that.”

Mayor Michelle Wu’s office said the police commissioner had prior commitments and his department had offered to reschedule the hearing.

“The Boston Police Department and Mayor Wu are working with our city councilors and our neighborhoods to ensure Boston remains the safest major city in the country,” a city spokesperson said in a statement.

“The commissioner had prior commitments today, including joining Mayor Wu at a community briefing hosted by the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute’s Mother’s Day Walk, to support violence prevention efforts and those impacted by violence, as well as taking part in the final Saint Patrick’s Day Parade briefing with our public safety partners.

“The Boston Police Department offered to find another date for this hearing, but the request to find a time that worked for both parties was not granted,” the city spokesperson said.

Murphy said the administration’s explanation that the police commissioner had prior commitments on Thursday “does not sufficiently justify the complete absence of representation at our hearing.”

“Furthermore, the BPD’s suggestion to reschedule the hearing, without accommodating the Council’s timeline, undermines the urgency of the matter,” Murphy said in a statement. “Holding the hearing after the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade would negate the proactive measures we aim to implement to ensure public safety during such events.”

Murphy added, “The absence of representatives from the Mayor’s Office and the Boston Police Department at today’s City Council hearing on public safety and police staffing is deeply disappointing and raises significant concerns about the administration’s commitment to addressing critical issues affecting our city.”