Dudley St. mural is A-OK in Aloisi’s eyes

A group of Boston youths in a summer jobs program worked on the four-panel mural that celebrates the history of Dudley Street, but MBTA officials objected to its depiction of the neighborhood’s roughest years, with images of fires and words such as arson and abandonment.

Instead of changing their design for the mural on an East Cottage Street wall, the young people left the first panel blank in protest at its unveiling Thursday. The three other panels depicted community members picking up trash, turning vacant lots into gardens, and images of attractive affordable housing.

Aloisi said he stopped by the headquarters of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, which the youths had researched for the project, yesterday afternoon and spoke with about 15 young people over pizza about why they thought the mural was seen as negative.

“The issue here was that the mural talked about the past in a negative way, and what I said to them was that you guys have an appreciation of history, but a positive vision for the future,’’ he said in a phone interview last night.

Aloisi said the youths showed him their designs for the first panel, which he believed was a valid depiction of life in the neighborhood in 1984.

“I see it as honest, and I said you can’t sugarcoat history and keep yourself blind to things that weren’t so great, so I don’t see it as negativity,’’ he said.

Aloisi said he would speak with Mayor Thomas M. Menino about funding the completion of the project.

Mural program coordinator Suely Neves said the teens were flattered by Aloisi’s visit.

“They’re not shy,’’ she said of the youths in the group. “They definitely said what they were thinking . . . and they were surprised that he actually asked to speak with them.’’

John Barros, executive director of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, said he hopes the group will be able to finish the mural by the end of next month.