A weird section in today's Joan Vennochi column.
Kevin Peterson, executive director of the Ella J. Baker House in Dorchester, sees "crisis fatigue" as a problem undercutting efforts to address black-on-black crime. Local clergy and community activists are worn down by years of trying to stop it, he said."Very young people are being victimized. There doesn't seem to be the appropriate level of outrage and concern," said Peterson, who extends that critique to Governor Deval Patrick. After promising to pay attention to urban violence, Patrick "has not made it a priority," he said.
A year ago, Peterson led a delegation of teenagers from Roxbury, Mattapan, Dorchester, and Hyde Park who accused the governor of indifference when they tried to meet with Patrick to discuss their concerns about violence. A year later, Patrick appointed a youth council.
The governor also recently announced severe budget cuts that will slash community police funding across the state; Boston could lose as much as $870,000.
People don't seem to care as much about budget cuts like that, or about urban violence and the efforts to stop it.
Someone needs to tell Mr. Peterson that the youths causing the violence are responsible for the violence, not Gov. Patrick. Suggesting that Patrick is somehow responsible for inner-city crime is as fundamentally absurd as the circumstances surrounding the Reese Hopkins case.
UPDATE: From the AP and Globe.
