Description: ROXBURY vs Boston Redevelopment Authority. STEPHEN COYLE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. VACANT LOTS.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 06/11/1986
Description: Marcus Jones reports that the Dorchester Youth Collaborative (DYC) provides a safe haven from street violence for young people in the area. Jones reports that some young people at the DYC have formed their own music groups and write their own songs. Jones interviews Robert Bostic (15-year old Roxbury resident) and his friends. Bostic says that he is using rap music to send a positive message. Jones also interviews Al McClain (DYC counselor), who talks about the impact of the DYC on the lives of the neighborhood teenagers. Jones reports that the DYC-member group One Nation has released an album. Jones interviews DeMaul Golson (DYC member) and other members of the group One Nation. Jones also interviews Todd Maxell (16-year old Roxbury resident), who says that teenagers will listen to anti-violence messages from their peers. The report includes footage of Natalie Jacobson (WCVB-TV) and R.D. Sahl (WNEV-TV) reporting on crime in Roxbury. The report also features footage of teenagers at the DYC, footage of the members of One Nation performing on stage and footage from a video produced by teenagers at the Roxbury Boys and Girls Club. This tape includes additional footage of DYC members and a music video called "Stand Back From Crack" filmed inside Back Bay Station.
1:00:29: Visual: Footage of the members of the group One Nation dancing and performing on stage. Footage from WNEV of R.D. Sahl (WNEV reporter) reporting on gang violence in Roxbury. Footage from WCVB of Natalie Jacobson (WCVB reporter) reporting on shootings in Roxbury. Shots of paramedics wheeling an injured African American woman out of a building; of police vehicles and an ambulance on a street in Roxbury; of paramedics tending to an injured African American patient inside of an ambulance. Marcus Jones reports that a group of Roxbury youngsters are not surrenduring to the violence in Roxbury. V: Footage of Robert Bostic (15-year old Roxbury resident) sitting with a group of his friends. Bostic says that he wants to set a good example for young people; that young people should avoid violence. Bostic says that he and his friends are using rap to send a positive message. Jones reports that Bostic and his friends are members of the Dorchester Youth Collaborative (DYC). V: Shots of Bostic and other members of the Youth Collaborative; of a sign for the Youth Collaborative. Shots of African American youth entering the Youth Collaborative building. Footage of Al McClain (Counselor, Dorchester Youth Collaborative) saying that the Youth Collaborative has had a great impact; that some of the members of the Youth Collaborative used to be in gangs. Shots of members of the youth collaborative dancing to rap music; of Jones sitting with the members of the youth collaborative. Jones reports that some of the members of the Dorchester Youth Collaborative have formed groups to make music. Jones notes that some of the youth write their own music; that the DYC member group One Nation has released an album about AIDS. V: Shot of the cover of an album by the group One Nation. Footage of One Nation members performing a rap song about street violence. Footage of Jones interviewing DeMaul Golson (DYC member) and two other African American male DYC members. Jones asks the boys if they are scared by the street violence. The boys say yes. Golson says that his cousin was shot in the back; that his cousin is dead. Footage of One Nation members performing on stage. Jones reports that the DYC members are determined to rise above the violence. Jones notes that members of the Roxbury Boys and Girls Club are also doing their best to fight the violence. V: Footage of a video produced by members of the Roxbury Boys and Girls Club. Footage of Bostic saying that most kids are not going to listen to their parents' advice; that kids are influenced by the people on the streets who are making money from drugs. Footage of Todd Maxwell (16-year old Roxbury resident) saying that kids might listen to their peers if their peers tell them not to do drugs. Shots of an African American man being led into a police station by police officers; of police standing near a cordoned-off crime scene.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 02/01/1989
Description: Roxbury has few bank branches so residents use check-cashing stores for convenience even though large service fee is deducted. Blue Hill Avenue and Dudley Street signs. Rep. James Brett.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 10/05/1989
Description: Roxbury and Dorchester students address Boston City Council on crime - personal perspectives.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 08/19/1987
Description: BHA police & DEA make drug arrests in Dorchester & Roxbury. Main target was Crown Social Club owned by Darryl Whiting. Confiscated safe & Uzi. Pit bulls guard property. Wayne Budd, Francis Roache.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 12/12/1990
Description: Story on the Drop-a-Dime Program started by Roxbury residents Georgette Watson and Rev. Bruce Wall. Pedestrians on the streets of Roxbury and Roxbury neighborhood in the evening. Watson points out a drug dealer and a building out of which the drug trade operates. Interview with Watson about the drug problem in the city and the effectiveness of the Drop-a-Dime Program. She talks about the role of neighborhood youth in the drug trade. Representatives from the Drop-a-Dime Program were not included in the mayor's newly formed council on drug abuse. Mayor Ray Flynn holds press conference announcing the formation of the council. Ben Thompson, Chairman of the council, says that the council intends to work with anti-crime and drug prevention groups across the city. William Weld, US Attorney for Massachusetts, and Derek Sanderson, former player for the Boston Bruins, stand with the other members of the council at the press conference. Interview with Bruce Wall about how community groups have not been included on the council. He adds that members of community groups understand how the drug trade functions in their neighborhoods. Flynn will go to the Boston City Council to obtain funding to combat drug abuse in the city.
1:00:05: Visual: Shots through the windshield of a traveling car of Boston streets; of Washington Street; of youth gathered in front of a building. Audio of Georgette Watson (Roxbury community leader) talking about drug trafficking in her neighborhood. Watson points out a well-known drug dealer as he walks across the street. Watson talks about the role of neighborhood youth in the drug trade. Meg Vaillancourt reports that Watson is familiar with the drug trade in her neighborhood; that Watson and Reverend Bruce Wall (Roxbury community leader) started the Drop-a-Dime program. Vaillancourt reports that the Drop-a-Dime program encourages residents to phone in tips and information about the drug trade to police; that South Boston and Roxbury police have found the tips to be mostly accurate. V: Shots of Watson and Wall; of a tape recorder. Footage of a hand pressing the play button on the tape recorder. Audiocassette is heard playing in the background of the report. Shots from a traveling car of Washington Street in the evening. Vaillancourt reports that Watson wants to expand Drop-a-Dime program into a city-wide service; that representatives from the program were not included in the mayor's council on drug abuse. V: Footage of Watson saying that Drop-a-Dime deserves more support from the mayor and the city. Vaillancourt reports that the Ray Flynn (Mayor of the City of Boston) held a press conference today to announce his new drug abuse council; that Flynn did not answer questions regarding the absence of Drop-a-Dime representatives from the council. V: Shots of Flynn and his council at a press conference. Footage of Ben Thompson (Chairman of the Council), saying that the council intends to be "inclusive"; that the council intends to work with other anti-crime and drug prevention groups across the city. Footage of Wall saying that community groups need to be included on the mayor's council; that community groups understand how the drug trade functions on the streets of the city. Shots of members of the drug abuse council, including William Weld (US Attorney for Massachusetts) and Derek Sanderson (former player for the Boston Bruins). Footage of Flynn explaining that Sanderson will be paid by the city of Boston; that the rest of the committee is made up of volunteers. Shots of the council preparing to leave the press conference. Vaillancourt notes that the council is made up of local and state officials. Vaillancourt notes that the council will prepare a report on how the city can combat drug abuse; that Flynn will take the report to the Boston City Council in order to obtain funding; that it will be difficult for Flynn to obtain extra funds because of the economic crisis faced by the city.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 12/07/1984
Description: David Boeri reports on drug traffic in the Franklin Development Project. William Sommers, the Boston Inspectional Services Commissioner tours a condemned building on Homestead Street. Interviews with Sommers and Pat Farreta about the problems in the building. Ferrata talks about drug dealers who sell drugs from their apartments. Boeri talks to a tenant, who refuses to comment on the drug traffic in the building. Boeri reports on a plan for increased police presence in the community to combat drug and footage of police making a drug arrest. Interview with Roxbury community leader Don Muhammad about how to solve the drug problem in the community. Following the edited story is b-roll of the Roxbury neighborhood around the Franklin Development Project. Also, additional footage from the tour of condemned buildings with Commissioner Sommers and Pat Ferrata. This edition of the Ten O'Clock News also included the following item: Ray Flynn proposes to increase the number of Boston residents working in Boston jobs
1:00:08: Visual: Footage William Sommers (Inspectional Services Commissioner, Boston) touring a condemned building on 157 Homestead Street in Roxbury. Shots of a rotted stairway; of a the structural beams showing through a wall. Footage of Sommers pointing to a rotted ceiling in an apartment. Shots of Sommers standing in the stairwell of the building. David Boeri reports that Sommers condemned the building at 157 Homestead Street on the previous day; that the tenants will be relocated while the building is repaired. V: Footage of Sommers saying that he has written up thousands of housing violations for the Franklin Development Project. Footage of African American tenants moving furniture from the decrepit building. Boeri reports that Sommers blames the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for neglecting this building and others. V: Shot of a cockroach crawling along a dirty wall. Shots of African American tenants in the lobby of the building. The lobby walls are covered with graffiti. Footage of Sommers saying that there needs to be continuous support for urban housing; that he does not want to repair this building only to see it fall apart again. Boeri stands in front of the building on Homestead Street. Boeri reports that the city will have to fight the drug pushers in the building. V: Footage of Pat Farreta (Housing Inspector) saying that drug buyers will smash down the front doors of buildings in order to reach the apartment of a drug dealer. Shot of a door covered in graffiti. Shots of an African American man removing cabinet doors from the building on Homestead Street. Boeri reports that tenants of these buildings are terrorized by drug dealers. V: Footage of Ferreta saying that tenants report that drugs are being dealt through a hole in the door of one of the apartments. Shot of Boeri, Sommers and Ferreta standing together. Ferreta says that drugs will be dealt in the building that evening if he does have the building secured. Boeri reports that Mrs. Walker (tenant) will be moved to a hotel or shelter while her apartment is fixed. V: Footage of Mrs. Walker looking away from the camera. She says that she does not want to talk about it. Boeri stands in front of the building on Homestead Street. Boeri reports that tenants are afraid of reprisals if they talk about the drug problem; that tenants have told him off-camera that drug dealing occurs day and night in the building. V: Footage of a handcuffed woman getting into a police cruiser. A white police officer closes the cruiser door. Shots of police officers standing on the sidewalks in Roxbury. Boeri reports that the court-appointed trustee for the Franklin Development Project used $300,000 of federal money to hire Boston Police officers to remove drug dealers. Boeri notes that Boston Police officers will be continually present on the streets of Roxbury for 30 days. V: Shot from a moving vehicle of police officers standing on a sidewalk. Boeri reports that community activists disagree about whether the police presence is a good thing. V: Shot of Boeri walking on a street with Don Muhammad (Roxbury community leader}. Footage of Muhammad saying that the community needs leadership more than it needs police; that absentee landlords and irresponsible tenants are part of the problem. Muhammad says that residents would drive out the drug pushers if they owned the buildings. Muhammad urges the courts to punish drug dealers to the full extent of the law. Muhammad compares a drug pusher to "someone who is driving an automobile at 150 mph in a 30 mph zone when children are crossing the street."
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 07/24/1986
Description: Deaths, violence, and crime related to drug transactions increasingly common in inner city neighborhoods. Scene of Roxbury double murder, suspects in custody, blood on car seat and street.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 05/09/1988
Description: At Roxbury Community College, Dukakis proposes Education Insurance Fund to help students repay loans; and Teaching Excellence Fund to offer scholarships and forgive loans for teacher training.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 06/01/1988
Description: Meg Vaillancourt interviews Elma Lewis (Roxbury community leader) about the Roxbury neighborhood. Lewis says that Roxbury is portrayed as "unworthy" by the news media. Lewis criticizes media coverage, housing policy, and police performance in Roxbury. Lewis talks about the need for a community to set its own standards, saying that she complains about certain types of behavior on her block. Lewis says that she will not be driven from her home by the problems in the neighborhood. She talks about her obligation to work for improvements in the community. Vaillancourt's report is accompanied by footage of residents and police in the Roxbury area and a shot of a photograph of Darlene Tiffany Moore (Roxbury resident). This edition of the Ten O'Clock News also included the following items: Teachers and parents are frustrated over new starting times for the Boston Public Schools for the coming school year Boston parents frustrated with Wilson and School Committee Charles Laquidara organizes a boycott against Shell Oil Company
1:00:21: Visual: Footage of Elma Lewis (Roxbury community leader) being interviewed by Meg Vaillancourt. Lewis says that the media portray Roxbury as "unworthy." Shot of a Boston Herald newspaper article with a photo of eleven -year-old Darlene Tiffany Moore (Roxbury resident). Vaillancourt reports that Lewis lives on the same block as Moore; that Moore was killed by a stray bullet in Roxbury last weekend. Vaillancourt reports that Lewis says that Roxbury is a better community than is portrayed in the media. V: Shots of stately houses on Homestead Street in Roxbury; of a camera man filming a man in a business suit on a street. Vaillancourt reports that drug dealers are not common in Roxbury. V: Shot of an African American woman pulling weeds from a crack in a sidewalk. A boy on a bicycle is with her. Shots of two white police officers patrolling a residential street in Roxbury. Shot of multi-family houses on a residential street in Roxbury. Vaillancourt reports that Lewis says that federal housing requirements create crowded and hostile conditions in Roxbury residences. V: Shots of houses in a new development in Roxbury. Footage of Lewis saying that section eight of the federal housing policy was designed to disseminate people over a large area; that the result of section eight has been new housing projects. Vaillancourt notes that Lewis has criticized the performance of the Boston Police Department in Roxbury. V: Shots of a police cruiser traveling down a Roxbury street; of a small group of African American kids on a street corner. Footage of Lewis saying that every child in Roxbury knows where the drugs are; that the police need to be reminded constantly of where the drugs are. Vaillancourt reports that Lewis is tough on her own community. V: Footage of Lewis saying that residents need to refuse to allow certain kinds of activity on their block. Lewis says that she will harass city authorities and those responsible for the activity until the behavior stops. Shots of African American women and children crossing a Roxbury street; of a police cruiser traveling down a residential street. Shots of people doing yard work outside of a new development of houses in Roxbury. Footage of Lewis saying that a community needs to set its own standards; that residents need to stop bad behavior before it gets out of control. Vaillancourt says that Lewis is optimistic about the people who live in Roxbury. V: Shot of African American children playing in front of a building in Roxbury. Footage of Lewis saying that she will not be driven from her home; that she will not get up and move every twenty years while others relax comfortably in the suburbs. Lewis says that she has an obligation to stay in the community and work for improvements.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 08/23/1988