THE PRINT EDITION
THURSDAY JULY 22, 2021
VOLUME XIX- ISSUE 74
Homelessness Here? by Rick Winterson
A
ll of us are aware that there is a serious homelessness situation in the City of Boston. It has expanded from the area around the Boston Medical Center (the BMC), down Southampton Street, and into Andrew Square. And there is now a thread of evidence that homelessness has even spread into Columbus Park, the site of the pumping station headworks and South Boston Bark Park. Last week, residents noticed that a couple of tents had been pitched at the corner of Columbus Park across from Carson Beach, where Babe Ruth Park Drive joins Day Boulevard. And the next day, although the tents were gone, we found an abandoned BMC wheelchair in the underbrush along the pumping station’s fence. On the wheelchair sat a plastic sack holding wet, sad-looking old clothes and a tattered American
f lag that looked even sadder. The homeless situation in Boston (and now in South Boston) is truly unfortunate. Many homeless people are veterans, who sacrificed years to protect the U.S. and its citizens. Others lost their jobs and have nowhere to turn. And it’s no secret that many of the homeless are addicts, who have become dependent upon hard drugs, and are caught in the clutches of the dealers who sell these drugs. Addiction is a devastating disease. Just as for surgery or for treating a serious illness, an addict requires profe ssiona l med ic a l help. Taking refuge in a local green space like Columbus Park is not an answer. All of us know about the difficulties experienced at the junction of Massachusetts Avenue a nd Melnea Ca ss Boulevard, commonly nicknamed “Mass/Cass” or “Mass-and-Cass”. And we know how that scene Continued on Page 3
Community Leader
Allison Baker Wears Many Hats to Help Southie Kids
By Ginger DeShaney
“Be the person you needed when you were younger.”
T
h a t ’s A llison Ba ker’s f avorite saying. “I try to live that quote,” she said. And she is succeeding … big time. Allison is a lifelong Southie fixture who works tirelessly for the neighborhood’s children through the Edgerley Family South Boston Boys & Girls Club, local community centers, the CYO basketball program, and her nonprofit organization Kickoff for Kids. When she was younger, Allison had the people she needed: Katie O’Connell, Barbara Kelly, Joe Kelly, Kathy Davis, Kevin Lally, John Lydon, Sean Monahan, Ronald “Cheech” Maciejewski, and so many
Allison and her mom, Caroline. others. “All these people still do youth work,” Allison said. “Those people have been role models to me.” Allison spent much of her youth at all the South Boston community centers. “Growing up in the community centers, I’ve just always felt connected to them,” she said. “Any job I’ve ever had I worked with kids,” added Allison, who noted she has worked at almost every Continued on Page 4
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