Public Safety

Mass & Cass

Before moving to Dorchester, I lived in the South End for over a decade. This is personal for me. My view is simple: comprehensive treatment options and enforcement go hand-in-hand. We must give people real recovery options and treat this as the regional problem it actually is instead of pointing fingers and proposing fantasy solutions.

Our current senator's big idea was a floating hospital on a boat. Senator Collins' insulting proposals and blame-game tactics are not fair to the people who live here. We need real recovery options and a real regional plan.

My priorities include: 

  • Fully staff the Neighborhood Engagement and Safety Team (NEST) and the Coordinated Response Team (CRT), so they can sustainably connect people to support and services.

  • The "treatment or charges" approach only works if the recovery options on the other side of that choice actually exist and have the capacity to take people. As it stands, we don't have the resources we need.

  • Expand access to the full range of recovery options, from detox to long-term residential care to step-down housing, so treatment isn't one-size-fits-all and people leaving NEST and CRT engagement have somewhere real to go.

  • Push the state and surrounding municipalities to fund and staff a real regional response, so Boston isn't left carrying this crisis alone.

Investing in Our Youth

Every young person in the 1st Suffolk deserves a real path forward: safe places to go after school and over the summer, mentors who believe in them, and real opportunities to learn and to earn. I've spent much of my career working alongside families and community organizations serving young people across the district. Youth programming is part of how we keep our neighborhoods safe, our families supported, and our young people connected to their community.

My priorities include: 

  • Expand access to affordable, high-quality afterschool and summer programming across the district, so every family has a safe, engaging place for their kids when school is out.

  • Grow summer jobs and paid internship opportunities for teens and young adults so our young people can build real skills and earn real income in their own neighborhood.

  • Invest in community centers, libraries, and public spaces so every neighborhood in the district has a place for young people to gather, learn, and be mentored.

  • Give young people a real voice in decisions that affect them, the same principle guiding my approach to environmental and climate policy.