Thursday, 4:30 PM
Mayors, police rally against gangs
(Robert E. Klein for the Boston Globe)
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino addressed a anti-gang summit today in Roxbury.
By April Simpson, Globe Staff
Law enforcement officials and community leaders gathered at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury today to address increasing community safety through violence prevention, at-risk youth intervention and targeted law enforcement programs.
The leaders were drawn together by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council's Metro Mayors Coalition, a group of 12 Boston-area mayors and city managers working to apply regional solutions to mutual problems.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino spoke of the importance of broad partnerships as a new administration enters the State House.
"It's not just going to be about 1,000 more police, it has to be intervention, and prevention, and enforcement," Menino said. "If you just have enforcement, it doesn't work."
Most of the speakers discussed the benefits of $11 million in anti-gang grants provided by the Legislature to support regional approaches to combating gang violence. More than 100 police chiefs, district attorneys and legislators attended the event.
April Simpson can be reached at asimpson@globe.com
