'Snitching' T-shirts come off the shelves

Mayor Thomas M. Menino yesterday said his campaign to take ''Stop Snitching" T-shirts off the streets of Boston is progressing and that the decision of two merchants to remove the shirts from store shelves is one step in a long process of ending witness intimidation citywide.

Antonio Ennis, who owns the Antonio Ansaldi clothing store in Dorchester, agreed to remove about 35 shirts Saturday and to stop manufacturing them, Menino said. The mayor yesterday said Ennis also removed all references to the shirts -- which critics say have fostered a culture of fear -- from the store's website.

Ennis could not be reached yesterday. The removal of the shirts came after the ACLU of Massachusetts sent a letter to Menino and Police Commissioner Kathleen M. O'Toole on Friday asking them not to pressure store owners to stop selling the shirts. The letter cited constitutional protections of free speech.

But Menino has said his overarching concern is for the safety of Boston's residents. Last week, Boston recorded its 66th homicide, equaling the highest annual total in 10 years.

Menino emphasized that Ennis had voluntarily agreed to stop selling the shirts. ''I've known Antonio for years. I've never had a heated conversation with him," Menino said in an interview, after a tree-lighting in the North End yesterday. ''He says, 'I'll do it -- I don't want to be involved in this.' "

Menino said Ennis was not compensated for the cost of the shirts he agreed to dispose of.

''He understands that it did have an impact," Menino said. ''He didn't want witnesses to be intimidated, so he says, 'I'll pull 'em out. It's for the good of the community. It's for the good of everyone. Let's do it.' "

Menino said the other merchant who agreed to stop selling the shirts owns a shop on Dudley Street called Bargain T and T. Menino said the man pledged to stop selling them after Boston police Captain James Hasson visited the shop. The mayor said his focus is shutting down an inflammatory website that uses the ''Stop Snitching" slogan.

''We have to find out who the person is," Menino said. ''I'd like to have them [the websites] all down."

City officials also focused this weekend on arresting criminal suspects with arrest warrants. Dozens of officers working overtime searched citywide for the suspects, continuing an effort that began Friday. By yesterday afternoon, 77 suspects had been arrested in the sweeps, O'Toole said. ''I think it's working exceptionally well," O'Toole said of the effort. O'Toole said officers not involved in the overtime shifts also have had a productive weekend. She praised the department's bike squad for seizing a gun at Talbot Avenue and Norfolk Street on Saturday night and said that five minutes later, other officers patrolling on Morton Street recovered another illegal gun.

''If you look at the nature of the arrests being made, most are for drugs or violent crime," O'Toole said. ''I think the word is getting out very loudly and clearly that we're not going to tolerate this."

Suzanne Smalley can be reached at ssmalley@globe.com.