The war over peace

Published Feb. 5, 2010 at 4:49 p.m.
A decade after the 'Boston Miracle,' violent crime has again overtaken parts of the city. Can the miracle makers create a new peace?
In the early infancy of this five-week-old year, Boston has been rocked by four homicides and 10 non-fatal shootings. By the time this goes to print, there may well be more.

Cease and desist: Operation Ceasefire brought peace to the streets, and then let it all slip away. By Chris Faraone.

In the early infancy of this five-week-old year, Boston has been rocked by four homicides and 10 non-fatal shootings. By the time this goes to print, there may well be more. On January 24 alone, a 22-year-old male died at Boston Medical Center after being shot near his home in Mattapan. Blocks away, police busted a man the same age for gun possession following another shootout. And in East Boston, cops arrested a 13 year old for armed robbery. Needless to say, residents of Greater Boston have seen brighter, less bloody days.

Once upon a time, though, the Hub won more accolades for curbing violence than for all its pro-sports feats combined. After initiating bold tactics that dramatically stunted youth-homicide rates in the late 1990s, efforts to curb street violence were heralded as models for reducing gang killings and shootings nationwide. In 1997, President Bill Clinton came here to launch a national safety plan aimed at replicating the "Boston Strategy to Prevent Youth Violence" in other metropolises. That same year, Mayor Tom Menino was singled out for honors at the United States Conference of Mayors, where he received the Ford Foundation Innovations Award for presiding over what was popularly hailed as the "Boston Miracle."

Soon after, Newsweek ran a cover story touting the cooperation between Boston police, pols, community members, and black clergy.And in 1999, when the number of homicides plunged from an all-time high of 150 to 31, its lowest rate in two generations, other large cities — including New York — adopted Boston-type plans to combat their own spiking murder trends.

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