Mass. and Cass
[9] This led to closure of all homeless shelters and treatment services previously located on the island, leading to the displacement of approximately 700 people.
[11] The Barbara McInnis House respite center, located in Boston, temporarily sheltered four dozen women on cots.
Over a span of several months, around 440 guests per night (at peak capacity) were sheltered on cots and overflow mats at the South End Fitness Center.
[11][12] In January 2015, under the administration of Mayor Walsh, an old Boston transportation building at 112 Southampton St was renovated and turned into a 100-bed men's shelter.
and Cass applauded the tent camp sweeps in October 2021, but they were discontent with the city's decision of siting a temporary shelter at the Round House hotel.
[18] It was estimated in October 2023 that the majority of the people who congregated in the area during the day were not living there, but rather came in from outside of Boston to buy or sell drugs.
In an effort dubbed "Operation Clean Sweep", on August 1 and 2, 2019, the Boston police department made a series of 34 arrests in the Mass.
With no notice, police confiscated and destroyed all encampment property, including wheelchairs, by crushing people's belongings in a garbage truck compressor.
[23] Critics of Operation Clean Sweep stated that it terrorized homeless residents, who avoided medical and social service providers for months following arrests, out of fear of being abused or incarcerated.
[19] In 2020, the ACLU accused Boston police of intimidation tactics and unlawful detention of pedestrians during Operation Clean Sweep.
[29] In response to the proposal, advocates and attorneys asked Tompkins and other law enforcement agencies to provide more information about the deaths of four prisoners, who all died in a three-month span while in the custody of the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department.
[4] Janey cited a lack of hygienic facilities in tents, sexual assaults and crime, and the prevalence of overdoses in the area.
[4] Advocates objected, stating that the dismantling of the tents and other makeshift structures would be a waste of resources, as well as a blatant criminalization of homelessness and addiction.
[41] Suffolk District Attorney, Rachael Rollins, was quoted expressing disappointment at the incarcerations, describing the outcomes as "having the opposite of what was discussed happen".
[41][42] The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts sued to halt the Janey administration's removal of campers from Mass.
and Cass outreach workers struggled afterward to locate and serve the estimated hundred people that were displaced from the camps without shelter.
[50][48] In December 2022, Mayor Wu confirmed 150 people displaced from the sweep were still on the waitlist to get a bed at one of the city-sponsored low-threshold sites.
[55] Her proposal gave police the explicit power to remove tents, that she said had "been shielding much of the dangerous activity in the area and undermining the ability of providers to safely and effectively deliver services".
[56] Police would be obliged to offer the tent owners 48 hours notice, transportation to services, and storage for personal belongings.
[57] Boston police officers collected nearly $4 million in overtime pay between 2019 and 2020 for work at Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard.
[23] The 2019/2020 overtime report was criticized by homeless advocates, mental health professionals, and public policy experts, who stated the money could have been spent on expanding overburdened services, building more low-threshold housing, and raising the salaries of low-paid outreach workers in the area.
Sullivan expressed that though she has seen some officers intervene, she finds most sit in their cars and seem hesitant to engage with the homeless residents of Mass.
and Cass have stated repeatedly that uniformed police officers do not react or intervene when violent assaults occur against members of the homeless community there.
[59][50] Boston police established a command center in the area in October 2023 to enforce the breakdown of the camp and to support outreach workers.
