Massachusetts

Recent Violence in Boston Has Parents on Alert This Halloween

Boston police said they will have a heavy police presence in the neighborhoods for Halloween

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A string of violence in the city of Boston has a lot of families taking precautions when it comes to trick-or-treating this Halloween. Some are setting early curfews while others said they are driving their children out of town in order to feel safe. 

Ashley Panopoulas made sure to put rules in place before going trick-or-treating with her 6-year-old daughter and friends in Boston. 

“We are giving them a time limit to trick-or-treat. We are also making sure they are staying close to us. It’s the little things you have to do as a parent to make sure they’re safe,” Panopoulas said. 

Ashely Mendez of Boston said after the recent shootings, she is driving her kids to the suburbs instead. 

“As a parent who has been the victim of gun violence, I would do anything to keep them safe,” Mendez said. 

Youth mentor Domingos DaRosa said he understands. He lost a friend to gun violence on Halloween a few years ago. 

“Year after year we lose lives on Halloween night in the city,” DaRosa said.

He is also driving some of the football team he coaches to trick-or-treat away from the violence. 

“That’s the part that’s sad. You have to leave your front door to go somewhere else to enjoy a child’s holiday,” DaRosa said. 

As he and others calls on the city to do more to address the violence, Boston police said they will have a heavy police presence in the neighborhoods for Halloween. They are also putting out safety tips for families that include taking a route you are familiar with and setting a curfew. 

Many of them come to Melville Avenue in Dorchester. The street is known to go all out for Halloween, and while the homeowners said they spend a lot of money on decorations and candy, it is worth it to provide kids a needed distraction. 

“You can tell the families and the folks that come here, it just means so much to them to have somewhere to go,” homeowner Amine Nasr said. 

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