Kraft criticizes Wu for reported needle injury to 4-year-old at South Boston park

Boston Globe

2 days ago

Mass and Cass is shorthand for the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard and surrounding homeless encampments where open-air drug use is an around-the-clock occurrence.
The Boston Herald reported the story on Monday. Kraft's statement was issued in response to the article and was distributed widely to media.
The boy was pricked by the needle while playing barefoot near Columbia Road and Mercer Street on July 11. He required emergency medical care and was prescribed a prolonged HIV prevention regimen, Kraft said in a the statement.
Kraft urged Wu to take emergency measures to rid the city streets, parks, and thoroughfares of discarded needles.
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'This is something that no mother, or any 4 year old child, should ever have to endure,' Kraft's statement said. 'As a result of Mayor Wu's failures to make progress at Mass and Cass, many people have been harmed including an innocent child. She promised to fix Mass and Cass, but instead the problems have spread to other parts of the city.'
Boston police did not respond to a Globe inquiry as to whether they received a report of the incident.
In comments made at an unrelated event on Monday morning, Wu also decried the boy's experience in the park.
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'It's just not OK,' Wu said according to a recording provided by her office. 'It's not OK to even have that as a possibility in the back of your mind ... If you have a young child, there's enough that's on your mind.'
The city is committed to continuing its effort 'to end outdoor congregate substance use,' Wu said, and is 'looking at every possible way to ramp up the treatment and resources, while also making sure that enforcement is at the right level and right places.'
Wu said the city coordinates daily sweeps for discarded needles in public parks and key areas of the city.
'We're picking these needles up almost immediately,' Wu said. 'And yet, the fact that they were there to begin with, that is what we need to tackle.'
Kraft tied Boston's needle exchange program to the deluge of discarded needles around the city.
'Mass and Cass is a public health emergency, and the large number of discarded needles are a part of this emergency,' his statement said. 'The city disperses hundreds of thousands of needles every year, which they are happy to promote. It is also their responsibility to pick up discarded needles promptly to keep Bostonians safe — especially our children."
Kraft's statement called for Wu 'to commit to taking emergency measures to pick up all discarded needles throughout Boston.'
'As Mayor, I will bring a new and different approach and urgency to this problem,' Kraft's statement said.
The child's mothercould not be reached for comment by the Globe. Since the incident, she has called for urgent action from city leaders and elected officials.
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In a statement, state Senator Nick Collins, who represents South Boston, said the 'tragic' incident was 'a stark reminder of the collateral damage caused by the ongoing drug and human trafficking crisis at Mass & Cass.'
'My thoughts are with the young victim and their family,' Collins' statement said. 'No one should have to experience something like this.'
A city spokesperson said in a statement the city operates a Mobile Sharps Team that coordinates daily sweeps in public spaces and quickly pick up any needles reported to 311, the spokesperson's statement said.
The city has formed a new partnership with the Gavin Foundation for 'transport and direct access to recovery beds for individuals identified at the Mass and Cass area,' the spokesperson said.
Tonya Alanez can be reached at