City leaders aim to reduce violence in Boston

(NECN: Josh Brogadir, Boston, Mass.) – As residents and officers gather to focus on solutions to combating crime in Boston, a gathering of young people was held a few miles away. It highlighted the need for an intervention on the streets. Combatting crime in Boston. As residents and officers gathered tonight to focus on solutions, a gathering of young people a few miles away highlighted the need for an intervention on the streets. Violent crime is down in the city for the year, but not at a level where police officers or city leaders are satisfied. An anti-gang worker was shot in the head Friday night – he is expected to make it, but clearly there’s still work to be done to reduce levels of violence. “I look at his picture, I’m like, he can’t, he can’t be gone. He can’t,” said Karina Midence, of Boston, speaking about her friend Henry Mateo, known to his friends as Antonito. He was just 19. The Madison Park High School graduate was stabbed to death early Saturday morning on the side of Horadan Way in Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood. Boston Police’s homicide unit is looking for his killer. Community leaders are looking for answers. “When you hear about these young people losing their lives, it just makes you want to work even harder. It makes you want to figure out what could we be doing that we’re not doing now,” said Rufus Faulk, program director for the Gang Mediation Initiative at the Boston TenPoint Coalition Mateo is the city’s 34th homicide victim this year – down from 39 at this time last year. “The numbers, as far as homicides, have been down, but we still have the same amount of shootings, so we still have a lot of work to do. We’re getting a lot of good work done, we still have a lot of work to do,” Faulk said. The plan was to take to the streets with the Suffolk District Attorney and Boston police officers Monday afternoon, part of the Season of Peace anti-violence initiative, but a downpour came through, changing plans. Still, in spite of the rain, a small committed group came to Upham’s Corner in Dorchester and had a conversation about peace. “I have a family that I’m raising in Dorchester, and I care about Dorchester, and I care about my family and making sure that they feel safe and secure. I also know that it’s a wonderful community and that there’s a small number of people who are responsible for the violence and that we can work together with our partners to make sure that it’s safe for everybody,” said Bob Gittens. Gittens came out for the walk in the neighborhood where he grew up. He now lives with his family in the Codman Square section of Dorchester. Back in Mission Hill, two flags of Antonito’s heritage, Puerto Rican and Dominican, hang side by side above candles, flowers, and photos of this latest victim of violence. “I’m so sad, depressed, everything. And my son’s birthday is coming up and (Antonito) can’t be there. He was a good friend, he was a really good friend,” Midence said. Anyone with information about Saturday’s fatal stabbing is asked to call the BPD Homicide Unit at 617-343-4470. Anonymous calls can be made through Crimestoppers at 1-800-494-TIPS. Organizers are hoping today’s walk will be rescheduled next Monday.