Mayor Walsh announces call to artists for permanent public art at new East Boston police station

BOSTON - Monday, March 25, 2019 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture, in collaboration with the Boston Art Commission and Boston Police Department, today announced a call to artists to create a permanent piece of public art that complements a new police station in East Boston that was funded through Mayor Walsh's Imagine Boston 2030 Capital Plan.

"Incorporating public art into the construction of this new police station is exciting because it gives us the opportunity to make the building more welcoming, approachable, and reflective of the rich culture in East Boston," said Mayor Walsh. "Through the Percent for Art program, we will continue to make more public art available for people to enjoy all across the City of Boston."

This call to artists is part of the City of Boston's Percent for Art program, announced by Mayor Walsh in 2016, which sets aside one percent of the City's annual capital borrowing as a budget for the commission of public art. The City also has Percent for Art projects underway in Jamaica Plain and Roxbury.

The public art will be placed on the future new Area A-7 Police Station in East Boston, which recently received an investment of $29 million through the Mayor's capital plan for design and construction of a new 27,505 square foot station that will be situated at the intersection of East Eagle and Condor Streets. The new building will be welcoming to the community, while having a civic presence through public art.

"Any opportunity, be it through police work or art work, that allows the men and women of the BPD to expand their capacity to protect and serve our community members while drawing attention to and highlighting the accessibility of our neighborhood police stations, as well as the approach-ability of our hard-working police officers is most certainly a project that we want to participate in and fully support," said Police Commissioner William Gross.

Artists are encouraged to consider three key qualities of the East Boston neighborhood in their applications: its deep history within a wide variety of immigrant communities, its geographic location and how that has put it on the front lines of climate change, and its strong neighborhood identity and close-knit community.

"In a changing, diverse, and growing neighborhood like Eastie, public art can bring people together by communicating at several levels to several folks," said Kannan Thiruvengadam, director of Eastie Farm and an East Boston resident. "It can beautify space, make people stop, see, and wonder, and provoke thought and conversation."

The City has identified several potential sites for the artwork, including the entrance lobby, the community room, and three locations outside of the station. The project is expected to take approximately two years to complete.


A rendering indicating the locations identified as potential sites for the artwork.

This call to artists is open to all artists, artisans, architects, landscape architects, or teams with experience in public art, site responsive design, project management, and construction administration.

"This project is the perfect opportunity to showcase the power public art can have on uniting communities and fostering cross-cultural exchange," said Kara Elliott-Ortega, Chief of Arts and Culture for the City of Boston. "I look forward to seeing how this project helps us reach a new level of creative problem solving and bridge the gap between law enforcement and local residents."

An Artist Selection Committee comprised of representatives from the Boston Art Commission and local arts professionals representing East Boston will review applications using criteria including experience, past work, knowledge of materials and their durability, experience working with multiple stakeholders, and how well the artist/team responds to the goals and community values outlined in the call.

The deadline to apply for the project is Thursday, April 25 at noon EST. To apply for the project, visit here.

About the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture
The Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture's mission is to support artists, the cultural sector, and to promote access to the arts for all. The office houses the Boston Cultural Council, the Boston Art Commission, and the Poet Laureate program. Responsibilities include implementing the City's cultural plan, Boston Creates; commissioning public art, managing the Boston Artist-in-Residence program; curating exhibitions in City Hall; and operating the historic Strand Theater in Dorchester. For more information go to: www.boston.gov/departments/arts-and-culture

About the Boston Art Commission
The Boston Art Commission (BAC), an independent board of arts leaders charged with the care and custody of all artworks on City of Boston property, advocates for the creation of innovative and transformative art and promotes its accessibility to enrich the lives of Boston's diverse citizens and visitors. The Art Commission advises, supports, and consults with artists and communities, City departments, and others. It commissions, approves, and conserves the City of Boston's collection of art and historical artifacts. For more information, go to: www.publicartboston.com 

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Source: Mayor's Press Office  March 25, 2019; For more information please contact the Press Office at 617-635-4461

Mayor Walsh and Commissioner Gross to host a one-day gun buyback program

BOSTON - Thursday, December 13, 2018 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Boston Police Commissioner William Gross, in collaboration with physicians and medical professionals, today announced a coordinated gun buyback day will take place in six locations across Boston on Saturday, December 15 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. The day marks a remembrance of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which happened six years ago on December 14. The "Piece for Peace" program aims to bring attention to the devastating toll that unneeded and unsecured guns can have on individuals and the public at large, and provides the opportunity for people to turn in unwanted guns and ammunition, no questions asked.

"Here in Boston, we know that even one life lost to gun violence is one too many," said Mayor Walsh. "The Boston Police Department is committed to getting guns off our streets: whether it's through the creation of the gun buyback program, recovering firearms, engaging with responsible gun owners, or tracing the path of illegal guns, we are working with the community everyday to make Boston a safer place for everyone."

Boston Police Department's gun buyback program, "Piece for Peace," is a proactive campaign to take guns off Boston's streets organized in collaboration with Mass General Hospital for Children and the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization. The buyback program asks city residents to turn-in guns at designated drop-off locations citywide in return for a $100 Target gift card. The "no questions asked" program allows individuals to anonymously dispose of firearms without fear of charges for illegal possession when turning in the weapon. For locations and information on the Boston Police Department's gun buyback efforts this weekend, please visit bpdnews.com.

"This One Day Buy Back is a unique event in that it strengthens the bridge between the city, public safety, and the health community around gun violence. Street violence and gun suicides are issues that touch all facets of the community and are a shared responsibility," said Commissioner Gross. "By participating in this regional buy back, we provide an opportunity for family members to get guns out of their houses, and off the streets, with no questions asked. We are all playing an important role in this fight against gun violence.  I've said it before, but one gun off the street is one gun out of the hands of a kid in our community and possibly one life saved."

Medical professionals have joined this initiative in an effort to decrease youth violence and take guns off the streets by raising funds within their local healthcare organizations, and hosting buyback days throughout Massachusetts.

"As I pediatric trauma surgeon, I often see the deadly effects of gun access and and the toll it takes on victims, their families and those who treat them," says Peter Masiakos, director of pediatric trauma services at MassGeneral Hospital for Children and co-founder of the MGH Gun Violence Prevention Coalition. "Working together, physicians and political leaders have a responsibility to address the public health crisis that is gun violence. This gun buyback that is made possible by the the forward thinking actions of the Boston Police Department and Mayor Walsh is an opportunity to safely rid homes and streets on unwanted weapons. If just one life is spared; whether it is by preventing a suicide or or an unintentional shooting that happens when a child finds an unsecured gun in a closet, this event will have been successful."

Since the beginning of the program in 2014, the Boston Police Department has collected 601 guns that have been turned in through gun buybacks facilitated through the Piece for Peace program. So far in 2018, the BPD has confiscated over 645 illegal firearms and hopes that Boston city residents will take advantage of this one-day program to increase that total, and in turn, increase the safety of our city.

The following procedure must be followed in order to receive amnesty for possession of a gun and to receive a gift certificate. 

If the protocol is followed, the person dropping off the firearm will not be prosecuted for unlawful possession of that specific firearm. 

Amnesty - however - will not be promised or given for any other crime committed with that firearm or for any other crime committed while in possession of that firearm.

Procedure:

•     Gun must be delivered unloaded.
•     Gun must be put in a clear plastic bag, and put into another container (gym bag, backpack etc.).
•     If depositing ammunition in addition to a gun, ammunition must be delivered in a separate bag.
•     If transporting the gun by car, gun must be transported in the trunk of the vehicle.
•     After the gun is screened by officers, and determined to be a working firearm, a gift card will be given.
•     Rifles and shotguns will be accepted, however, no incentive will be issued or provided.

Source: Contact: Press Office, 617-635-4461

JPNA Meeting: May 14

Jeffries Point Neighborhood Association 

May 14th 7pm 

Jeffries Point Yacht Club 

565 Sumner st 

Agenda- 

Police updates  A7-  Sgt. Martin , Off. Simons 

Liaison Jesus Garcia Mayors Office -  Community updates 

Senator Boncore , State Rep Madaro , City Councilor Edwards -Updates to the community . 

154 Maverick Market Place-  Update occupancy  VOTE

238 Webster st -  VOTE  .  Demolish existing structure and add 9 units with 8 parking spaces .   4th appearance  Atty Drago/Grossman 

154 Maverick Market Place-  Melissa Tyler  

Rep. Madaro files bill to force Massport to house its own ambulance

BOSTON, MA – Representative Adrian C. Madaro to file legislation requiring Massport to house its own ambulance at Logan Airport.

"Those of us who live in East Boston are well aware of the need for additional EMS services for our neighborhood," he said.

A recent Boston Globe article noted that while the average wait time for an ambulance in the City of Boston is six minutes for a Priority 1 call, East Boston residents wait an average of eight minutes for assistance. There is only one ambulance that serves both East Boston’s 40,000 plus residents and Logan Airport’s employees and patrons. 

Logan Airport accounts for approximately 30% of the calls that East Boston’s ambulance receives. In addition, it is important to note that in recent years there has been a greater need for ambulances throughout the city, with calls increasing 26% between 2005 and 2014.       

“East Boston is woefully underserved,” said Rep. Madaro. “We are geographically isolated from the rest of the City, which alone is a problem for ambulance response times. 

While a second ambulance dedicated to East Boston is the ultimate solution, requiring Massport to have its own EMS services will allow the one existing ambulance to focus solely on East Boston residents and their needs.”

Rep. Madaro’s legislation, An Act Relative to Ambulance Service at General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport, would require Massport to maintain its own ambulance for Logan Airport. This would increase access to ambulance services and help reduce wait times for East Boston, while also ensuring that the safety of East Boston residents remains a top priority.

Suffolk County DA: Alleged Assailant Indicted, Apprehended in 2016 Belle Isle Marsh Homicide

BOSTON, Jan. 16, 2018—A man previously convicted of attacking a man in the Belle Isle Marsh Reservation has been charged with an earlier assault in the same location that claimed the life of 83-year-old East Boston resident Daniel Pepe, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

The Suffolk County Grand Jury on Dec. 20 returned indictments charging MICHAEL BRUZZESE (D.O.B. 5/26/65) with manslaughter and unarmed robbery of a person over 60 in the May 29, 2016, assault that caused Pepe’s death three days later.  The State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section apprehended Bruzzese this morning in Cambridge and he is expected to be arraigned later today in Suffolk Superior Court.

Bruzzese, who had a temporary residence in Cambridge and formerly lived in Hingham, was previously charged in connection with a separate assault on a 67-year-old Lynn man on June 1, 2016.  The evidence showed that Bruzzese approached this man, struck him, and demanded his car keys. Bruzzese later pleaded guilty in that case and was sentenced to 18 months in a house of correction.  He was released from that sentence approximately two weeks before the recent indictments were returned.

Bruzzese allegedly assaulted Pepe on May 29, 2016, in the same area of the marsh where the assault on the Lynn man later took place.  Pepe was found on a bench suffering trauma to the left side of his face and the back of his head but unable to tell emergency medical technicians what had happened.  While his car was located in the reservation’s parking lot, his keys were missing.  Pepe was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he died on June 1 of blunt force injuries to the head.

Because the assault that resulted in Pepe’s death occurred on Department of Conservation and Recreation property within the City of Boston, it was investigated by the Suffolk County State Police Detective Unit with the assistance of Troop A of the Massachusetts State Police.

Assistant District Attorney Lynn Feigenbaum led the grand jury investigation resulting in Bruzzese’s indictment.  Elise McConnell is the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate. 

Source: DA's office

October 28: Massachusetts Italian American Police Officers Association to hold 49th Annual Awards

The Massachusetts Italian American Police Officers Association will be holding our 49th Annual Awards Banquet at the Hillview Country Club, 149 North St., North Reading, MA, on Saturday, October 28, starting at 6pm.  Tickets are $60 per person or $550 for a table of 10.

DIGNATARIES in ATTENDANCE; RECOGNITION AWARDS:

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito
Boston Police Commissioner Bill Evans
A7 Captain Kelley McCormick, East Boston District 7
Director of Customs & Border Patrol, Mr. William Ferrara
Middlesex Sheriff Koutoujian

This year we will be honoring Boston Police District 7 Sergeant Norberto Perez, and Officers Eric Schmidt, Richard Cintolo, and Matthew Morris, as well Boston Police Officers Lenin Ortiz and Clifton Singletary, with the ITAPO Medal of Valor, for their outstanding service in the heroic efforts against an armed suspect on October 12, 2016, in Orient Heights, East Boston.

In past years we have honored Boston Police Officer John Moynihan, who was shot in the face by a gang member in Roxbury, as well as Boston Police Commissioner William Evans and Boston Firefighters Lt. Edward Walsh and Firefighter Michael Kennedy who were both killed while battling a fire on Beacon St. in 2014, along with Boston Fire Commissioner Joseph Finn.

Last year we honored Boston Police Officers Eric MacPherson, Ellys Lee, and Michael Taylor of the Youth Violence Strike Force, and Detective James Coyne with the ITAPO Medal of Valor, for their outstanding service in the heroic shooting of an armed suspect firing at responding officers on Stanwood St., Roxbury, in February of 2016. 

Also receiving awards at the 2016 Awards Banquet were former President of the Red Sox, Larry Lucchino, and the family of former Navy Seal Glen Doherty who was killed in Benghazi defending the American embassy from terrorists. 

Also expected to attend this year is Lt. Governor Karyn Polito and A7 Captain Kelley McCormick.

Thanks and hope to see you and members of your organizations for a good cause supporting Italian-Americans and police officers.

Self-defense class at Station A-7 in East Boston

Sign up here. 

The class is taught by Boston Police District A-7 Community Service Officers who have been certified to teach the program. The R.A.D. System of Self-Defense is the official self-defense training program of the National Academy of Defense Education. The (RAD) Rape Aggression Defense System is a program of realistic self-defense tactics and techniques specifically designed for women. The R.A.D. System is a comprehensive, women-only course that focuses on risk awareness, reduction, recognition and avoidance. While the program exposes participants to the basics of hands-on defense training, R.A.D. is not a Martial Arts program. The program is open to both women and men. For more information on R.A.D., check out: http://www.rad-systems.com/index.html

East Boston Fire at 132 Bennington Street; 9 displaced

Globe coverage: BFD Tweet: Fire began in second floor ceiling.

 

  Boston Fire on Twitter

 photo credit BFD

BFD battles blaze on Sumner Street.

Eastie Neighbors, Zumix EastieNow: Fund established for fire victims

Fire on 180 Chelsea Street, East Boston

The Boston Fire Department's Twitter reports that the Red Cross has been called in to help victims of a fire at 180 Chelsea Street. Thus far, no injuries have been reported.