BOSTON — Boston residents impacted by Mass and Cass spillover say the area “remains an open-air drug market” two years after the mayor rolled out a plan to clean up the troubled intersection and are begging for more police enforcement to quell the lawlessness.

Brian McCarter, a South End resident, said drug dealing has persisted at 874 Harrison Ave., despite his repeated 911 calls, in a series of emails that were sent to three high-ranking Boston police officers in recent weeks, and shared with a number of city officials and the Herald.

“The area remains an open-air drug market,” McCarter wrote on Sunday. “We continue calling 911, but the activity simply shifts from corner to corner. This morning, multiple dealers met to hand off money to their supplier, yet no warrant checks were conducted.

“Security at Rosie’s Place and the nearby tower appear to take no action to deter the dealing,” he said. “In one instance today, tower security walked directly through a visible cash exchange without intervening. This kind of passive response may be reinforcing the perception that there are no consequences.”

McCarter had previously fired off a message to police on May 19, when he wrote that he reported a drug transaction and injection he witnessed at 874 Harrison Ave.

He said he relayed to responding officers that he had “captured the entire sequence — exchange and injection — on video,” and that he was available to “speak with the officers inside the building for safety reasons.”

“No officer contacted me,” McCarter wrote. “They drove off without making any arrests. The group quickly reformed after the police departed. … Can you clarify what more is required to take action in these situations of clear and persistent dealing?”

Outgoing Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, who represents Roxbury and part of the South End and is stepping down later this month after pleading guilty to federal corruption charges, called McCarter’s report of “ongoing visible drug activity” at and around 874 Harrison Ave. “deeply troubling.”

“His firsthand observations, supported by video documentation, raise critical concerns — not only about the brazen nature of these exchanges but also about the apparent lack of follow-through and enforcement despite real-time reporting to 911 and availability of direct evidence,” Fernandes Anderson wrote on the email chain.

“This is not an isolated concern,” the councilor added. “As Mr. McCarter also documented, the area continues to function as an open-air drug market. The sense that illegal activity can proceed undeterred — at all hours, in full view of law enforcement and private security — sends the wrong message to both residents and offenders.”

Fernandes Anderson asked that police respond directly to McCarter’s inquiry “and provide this community with a clear explanation of enforcement policy and expectations moving forward.”

BPD Sgt. Joseph Narduzzo responded by email on Monday, by expressing the department’s shared frustration over the persistent drug use and crime at and around Mass and Cass despite frequent enforcement action.

“I know this is a frustrating, difficult and deeply concerning issue, and I want you to know it’s frustrating for us as well,” Narduzzo wrote. “We are constantly taking action, although it may not be with every encounter.”

As of April 28 of this year, for example, Narduzzo said, BPD has made approximately 190 arrests and issued 34 summonses in the Mass and Cass area, including 33 arrests just last week, from Sunday to Thursday.

He highlighted hot spot intersections like Harrison/Northampton, Reed/East Lenox and Rosie’s Place as being “key focal points” for enforcement.

“That said, this is a complex issue that goes far beyond what enforcement alone can resolve,” Narduzzo wrote. “It involves multiple agencies and stakeholders, from social services to housing and public health, and our department is just one part of what needs to be a coordinated, long-term response.”

He said a police report was taken based on McCarter’s documentation, but noted that officers cannot make an arrest for a drug arrest based solely on a citizen’s observations. The courts, he said, “hold officers to an extremely high standard in these cases.”

“We are trying the best we can within the confines of the law,” Narduzzo wrote. “Our approach aims to address criminal activity effectively while safeguarding the constitutional rights of all.”

Mayor Michelle Wu’s three-pronged plan to tackle crime, homelessness and drug use at Mass and Cass kicked off in November 2023, with the removal of the tent encampment.

311 data indicates that drug use is still rampant at and around Mass and Cass, with a 42% uptick in discarded needle complaints this year, over the same time period last year. Higher spikes were seen in areas impacted by Mass and Cass spillover, including the South End, Roxbury and downtown, at 61%, 90% and 21%, respectively, the data show.

Josh Kraft, a mayoral candidate, is attributing the uptick in improperly discarded syringes across the city to the Wu administration’s decision to end the community syringe redemption program in June 2024.

“It’s no surprise that reports of discarded needles have continued to surge since Mayor Wu allowed Mass and Cass to expand into areas around the city and canceled the successful and highly cost-effective community syringe redemption program that recovered 765,000 used needles that would have otherwise been left on the street,” Kraft said in a statement.

“They’re everywhere around the city. This is another example of how Mayor Wu’s failures on Mass and Cass are having a detrimental impact on public safety and quality of life all over Boston,” he said.

Mayor Wu’s office said the CSRP program was funded with one-time federal ARPA funding, and “ended following neighborhood concerns about program impact and congregations of people.”

The Boston Public Health Commission operates several different programs that engage in syringe collection, including an expanded partnership with the Newmarket Business Improvement District Back2Work program, a city spokesperson said.

“Discarded needles on our city streets are unacceptable and their removal is a top priority,” the Wu spokesperson said in a statement. “An increase in needle complaints this time of year is consistent with what we’ve observed in years past when the weather gets warmer and more people are outside.

“The city has also made a targeted effort to educate people about the 311 service and encourage them to report needle sightings so that they can be safely and properly disposed of,” the spokesperson said. “We will continue our lifesaving work to end congregate drug use outside and reduce overdoses.”

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