Boston Mayor Wu says downtown remains safe amid violent crime spree

Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald on Jul 30, 2026

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BOSTON — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu stood by her “safest” city claim when asked about this summer’s downtown violence. She said the city’s core remains safe, but acknowledged back-to-back “isolated” incidents can make people feel unsafe.

Wu addressed the violence that began to plague downtown Boston again this summer for the first time late Wednesday night through a spokesperson. Her office’s comments came after Wu held a closed-door City Hall meeting that afternoon to strategize with the police commissioner, elected officials, business leaders and community stakeholders.

“Our city teams and community partners work every day to deliver the highest quality of life across our neighborhoods, for every resident to feel a sense of safety and belonging,” Wu spokesperson Marcela Dwork said in a statement.

“Even as our violence prevention and community safety efforts have driven down violence to historic lows in recent years and downtown continues to build on that progress, any incident is one too many and isolated incidents in close succession can have a real impact on the feeling of safety across a community.

“Addressing these challenges requires a sustained, coordinated, year-round partnership with residents, businesses and community organizations. We are grateful for the dedicated partners whose collaboration was the foundation for successfully hosting so many large scale events in Boston, with our city named as the safest World Cup city in the country,” Dwork added.

The mayor had declined to speak on the matter with a Herald reporter at City Hall Wednesday through a spokesperson, who cited scheduling restraints.

Wu hasn’t yet directly spoken on the recent downtown crime spike or the city’s plans to address it.

Her public reticence has presented a stark contrast to her approach two years ago, when she held a press conference and convened a task force aimed at getting a handle on the violent crime and drug use that threatened downtown safety, which, at the time, was tied to Mass and Cass spillover.

Two of the task force’s co-chairs, Councilor Ed Flynn and Rishi Shukla, who leads the Downtown Neighborhood Boston Association, said this month the problems that were largely kept at bay in the city’s core last year are back again this summer.

Flynn said Wednesday that the mayor’s closed-door meeting was sparked by the “recent violence that has taken place in downtown Boston and Boston Common.”

Shukla, who attended the meeting, joined Flynn in raising the issue this month when he sent a letter to the mayor and police commissioner that touched on the uptick in violent crime and drug activity downtown, highlighted by five people who had been shot over a 16-day span, from June 29 to July 15.

The Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association is seeking a heavier police presence downtown to counteract crime.

“We turned downtown around once by acting with urgency, coordination and shared purpose,” Shukla wrote on July 15. “We believe this moment calls for that same commitment. Together, we can ensure downtown Boston remains a neighborhood where residents, workers, visitors, and businesses are not only safe, but feel safe.”

Flynn, who also wants more police, said the concerns raised by the neighborhood group are reflective of what downtown residents and businesses are feeling this summer.

“Residents are concerned,” Flynn told the Herald. “Businesses are concerned, and their employees as well. They don’t feel safe at times in downtown Boston, throughout Boston Common, and in Chinatown. This was an opportunity for us to come together to recommit a willingness … to address these outstanding issues.”

Flynn said “the city needs to put more effort and resources in providing a safer and healthier downtown,” saying that while it is his top priority as a councilor representing the area, “the issue has to be a top priority for city officials” as well.

The mayor’s office said police data show the city has made clear progress in reducing violent crime year to date, compared to the first seven months of last year, even with the huge crowds that have flocked to the city for the World Cup and other large events.

Dwork, the Wu spokesperson, said, “The Boston Police Department will continue to partner alongside our residents and community organizations to keep our city safe and ensure downtown remains a safe and welcoming place for everyone.”

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