Menino calls on Bostonians to shed fear, report crime

In his fourth inaugural speech yesterday, Mayor Thomas M. Menino declared that the burden of fighting Boston's violent crime wave rests not only on police but on city residents, who, he said, must overcome fear and turn in neighbors engaged in illegal activity.

''Personal responsibility must be our mantra," the mayor said, ''from every single person on every single block. If you know someone who has an illegal gun, or you are witness to a crime, you must speak up and keep the specter of fear far away from our neighborhoods."

The mayor's remarks set off thunderous applause from the crowd of about 800 dignitaries and supporters pressed together on polished wooden chairs at Faneuil Hall, which was festooned with flags and sprays of white roses for the occasion. But just a few miles away, on the streets of some of the city's highest-crime neighborhoods, the reaction was anxious, skeptical, and in some cases even angry.

In interviews with 20 people in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan yesterday, many residents said that they do not feel safe in their neighborhoods and that more police are needed.

They, too, are fed up with violence and sick of the code of silence that allows crimes to go unpunished, but said cooperating with the police is too dangerous.

''You've got to be willing to take your life in your own hands if you come forward," said Jay Thomas, 42, of Dorchester, who was at a bus stop near the Dudley MBTA station. ''I wouldn't do it. I worry about my life. There aren't enough police officers out there to protect me."

The divide underscores a major challenge Menino faces as he begins another term. The mayor won a landslide victory eight weeks ago, but since, Boston's homicide rate has reached a 10-year high, and the slaying of four young men in a basement recording studio under a usually tranquil street in Dorchester jolted many residents.

With limited resources and expectations that this term will be his last, Menino avoided major promises of new spending or grand plans, but sought to buttress residents' faith in Boston, ''its riches, its opportunities, its possibilities."

''Let us be bold in our thinking, and let us seek out opportunity in this period of transition," Menino said. ''Let us envision greatness."

But on the streets, residents appeared eager for more direct engagement from Menino on the mounting violence -- and more immediate action. ''We need more safety out here, man," said Simon Mercado, 28, of the South End, who was smoking a cigarette outside P & R Ice Cream on Blue Hill Avenue, where a 17-year-old, Brandon Patterson, was killed last month. ''We need more security out here. Bring cops to start working out here."

James Hubbard, 45, of the South End, suggested the mayor could not understand the realities, saying of Menino: ''He has the police with him 24 hours a day."

Hubbard said he would be reluctant to come forward as a witness to a crime, because he has little faith that police will protect him. ''You can't trust police. When they're done with you, they'll hang you out to dry."

At the same time that the number of homicides has surged, the police department's clearance rate -- the percentage of homicides for which police have arrested someone or identified a suspect -- has fallen to its lowest point in more than a decade. Police say they are struggling to bring charges because witnesses to crimes are not cooperating, in large part because of fear of retaliation against them by violent criminals or their associates.

Menino has tried to use the bully pulpit to encourage people to help police identify criminals. In a move that captured headlines last month, he urged vendors to stop selling ''Stop Snitchin' " T-shirts, saying they help perpetuate the reluctance to provide information to police. He sounded that theme again yesterday in issuing a call for personal responsibility, which struck a chord with some of the residents interviewed.

Creati Cepoudy, 47, of Dorchester, said that if she were the witness to a crime, she would go to authorities immediately.

''I'm not afraid, because it's time for this to stop," said Cepoudy, who was visiting her sister near Ramsay Park in Roxbury, near the site where four young men were shot last week, one fatally. ''That's why so many people are getting killed, because people are scared to say anything."

But even among others who embraced the idea of personal responsibility, there was a vivid awareness of the perils of coming forward.

Idalia Hernandez, 28, who lives near Columbia Road in Dorchester, said she sees and hears trouble often, but she prefers to stay quiet. ''I worry about him," she said, nodding to her 20-month-old son, Deric, who she had bundled into a stroller. ''We need more police."

Elaine Corbin, 54, a mother of three and lifelong Roxbury resident, said she wants the bloodshed to stop, she wants her children to feel safe, and she wants to hold the troublemakers accountable. But when asked if she would come forward after witnessing a crime, she hesitated.

''How do you intend to protect those who come forward?" she asked, addressing her question to Menino. ''You can come to this community and for some reason you get our votes, but you keep saying the same garbage for the past five years. . . . Nobody is going to protect us but us."

The residents' expressions of frustration were striking. Menino has been a popular mayor and enjoyed tremendous support in the city's neighborhoods, especially among African-Americans. But recent high-profile crimes seem to have put people on edge.

Several residents spoke of the need for more police. Boston police are down approximately 200 patrol officers from five years ago, and the mayor has said the city cannot afford at this point to immediately replenish the ranks. Menino has said 100 new officers will hit the streets by next fall, but the patrolmen's union has said the additions are not keeping up with retirements.

While Menino devoted just six sentences of his 15-minute speech to crime, he spoke optimistically about the city's economic future, touting its strong position in established fields such as healthcare, and education and in newer ones such as biotech and medical devices. He also praised the progress the schools have made after 10 years under Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant and promised to ''hire the best educator in the country" to replace him.

He urged people to remember what is positive about Boston, and to maintain faith in the city's future. ''We must protect it against windy naysayers, those who read doom and gloom into every event of every day's news," he said.

After the speech, the mayor said he would roll out several crime-fighting initiatives soon and added that he planned to convene a meeting of the US Conference of Mayors later this month on gun violence. He gave members of the media a fact sheet on initiatives the city has undertaken to improve public safety, including partnerships with clergy and an effort with the federal bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms to seize illegal guns. The fact sheet noted that money for Boston from the federal government to beef up community policing had been eliminated.

Megan Tench and Maria Cramer of the Globe staff contributed to this report.