Most of the following crime reports were taken from Watertown News Police Logs, others from local news media and police department press releases.
On February 3, 2018, at 10:03 p.m., a man wearing a mask, entered
Victoria Spa on Mount Auburn Street, and pulled out a knife. He then pushed his
way behind the counter, grabbed the clerk by the neck, pressed the knife to the
clerk’s face, forced the clerk to the end of the counter, opened the register,
and stole a large amount of cash. About nine people ran out of the store after
the suspect told them to “get the (expletive) out.”
On May 8, 2019, at around 9:45 p.m., two women were robbed
at gunpoint, across from Intelligentsia Coffee. Since the crime took place just
over the line in Cambridge, the Cambridge Police answered the call and began an
investigation.
On June 28, 2019, at around 7 p.m., a man, wearing a mask
and brandishing a gun, entered Behind the Hair Salon on Main Street, where he
fired the gun into the air, grabbed an undisclosed amount of cash, and fled the
scene.
With assistance from the Newton Police Department,
Watertown Police arrested Joseph Boyda (44), most recently of Worcester. Boyda
was well known to both the Newton and Worcester Police Departments. He had been
given prison sentences in 2007, 2010, and 2013 and faced additional charges in
2018.
Collectively, his crimes and charges included: resisting
arrest, assault and battery of a police officer, the kidnapping, assault, and
intimidation of a witness, possession of burglary tools, and drug possession.
On May 19, 2021, at 2:08 a.m., a police officer checking on
a parking garage at Arsenal Yards spotted a white pickup with two men inside,
on the second floor. One of the men appeared to be hunched over with his eyes
closed. Police checked on them and asked what they were doing in the mall after
business hours. They said they had no place to stay, and they were looking for
work so they figured they would check if Arsenal Yards had work with all the
construction going on.
Police discovered that one man, identified as Edward
Johnson, 22, of Arlington, had five warrants for his arrest. The charges
included breaking and entering, operating a stolen motor vehicle, possession of
a Class E drug, furnishing a false ID to law enforcement, shoplifting, and
possession of burglarious instruments. The warrants were out of Roxbury,
Waltham and Brookline district courts.
Police also discovered three knives on Johnson, including
one on a rope around his neck. They also found a substance on the dash that
appeared to be methamphetamine, and a lock picking device. Johnson was charged
with possession of a dangerous weapon, possession of a Class B drug, and
possession of burglarious tools.
The second man, identified as Richard Fitts, 42, of Revere,
was wanted on five warrants from Boston District Court for charges including
possession of a Class A drug, larceny over $1,200, larceny from a building,
malicious damage of a motor vehicle, possession of burglarious instruments, and
breaking and entering a motor vehicle for a felony.
When police searched Fitts, they found he had meth on him
and a device that removes the theft detection devices from merchandise. Fitts
was charged with possession of a Class B drug, and unlawful possession of a
theft detection device. Their truck was registered in Port Arthur, Texas.
(There is no word yet on whether Boylston Properties was
able to offer the men suitable employment.)
May 22, 2021, at 9:41 a.m., police spotted a vehicle on the
side of Main Street near Edenfield Avenue. The owner said her vehicle had
broken down and she needed to be towed. When officers spoke to the woman, they
discovered she had four warrants for her arrest from Roxbury and Dorchester
district courts. The charges included malicious destruction of property,
breaking and entering for a felony larceny under $1,200, assault and battery,
and unarmed robbery. Claudia Allen, 32, of Taunton was arrested on the
warrants.
In the early morning hours of September 22, 2021, two homes
were broken into, while the residents were home and asleep. One break-in took
place on Longfellow Road, in Waltham and the other on nearby Partridge Street
in Watertown, where 15-year-old Max had fallen asleep on a couch in the
basement. Hearing the sound of a stranger rummaging through his home and then
entering the basement, he woke up terrified and pretended to be asleep. The Longfellow Road/Partridge Street neighborhood has
seen numerous break-ins in recent years.
Here’s some of what I’ve left out: unarmed robberies on
Pleasant Street, Main Street, and the Moxley neighborhood, car thefts, car
break-ins, stolen catalytic converters, car vandalism (smashed windows, slashed
tires), stolen bikes, domestic disturbances, road rage incidents, large-scale shoplifting,
scams targeting the elderly, and crimes taking place prior to 2018.
Here's what the crime reports don’t tell us: what Watertown
Police Department investigations are in progress and what neighboring police
department investigations are in progress regarding potential threats to the Watertown
community.
Information on many of the investigations in progress
probably cannot be shared with the general public without undermining those
investigations. Transparency is not always a good thing. But it would be
valuable to know if, through the police logs and news reports, we are only
seeing the tip of the iceberg.
In the March 21, 2021 Zoom meeting of the Watertown Town Council’s
Committee on Public Safety, one of the highlights was Town Manager Michael
Driscoll’s unscheduled appearance.
The police abolitionist group, calling themselves Uplift
Watertown, had repeatedly proposed gutting the police budget by $2 million,
which would bring it in line with cities and towns that have populations
comparable to ours.
Manager Driscoll needed to set the record straight. He respectfully
pointed out that Uplift Watertown’s comparable communities were not at all
comparable. Had they chosen the more urban Greater Boston communities, contiguous
to Watertown − Cambridge, Belmont, Newton, and Waltham − they would have found
that our police budget was perfectly in line.
Comparing Watertown to rural and suburban communities simply
made no sense. Our challenges to public safety, due to our proximity to Boston
and Cambridge, puts us in a different league than Franklin, Falmouth, or Dartmouth.
Manager Driscoll could have just held up a sign saying: Stop Being Naive.
Crime is Not Just Local. It’s Regional. Criminals Do Not Respect Borders!
But that would have been ungentlemanly.
And then Manager Driscoll explained that a $2 million cut
in the police department budget would result in the loss of 20 police officers
out of the current roster of 70. While that was welcome news to the police
abolitionists, it probably sent a chill through anyone who has ever been touched
by crime − especially violent crime − directly or indirectly.
If you scan the above crime reports, you will notice the
number of cities, towns, and sections of Boston, where the individuals involved
either lived, encountered the police, or were issued warrants: Boston, Worcester,
Arlington, Cambridge, Brookline, Newton, Roxbury, Dorchester, Waltham, Revere, and
Taunton.
Criminals do not feel obligated to confine their law-breaking
ventures to their own community. Our borders do not protect us from the worst
elements who view Watertown as a conveniently located soft target.
I will bet you that the Victoria Spa robber wasn’t a
product of Watertown any more than Joseph Boyda, the salon robber was. I will
also bet you that Victoria Spa wasn’t his only robbery at knife point. Who
knows where else in the Greater Boston area he may have struck before or since?
Here’s a security camera video,
showing his out-of-control behavior.
So, what do you think? Does Watertown have a crime problem?
You might answer that question by saying that it does have a crime problem, but
it’s at an “acceptable” level. Of course, if you were the clerk at Victoria Spa
or one of the nine customers who ran out, thinking they might be killed, or one
of the two women held up at gunpoint, or if you are Max’s parents, you might
have a different answer.
And that’s a big part of the problem. Our fear of crime is often
based on how close it comes to touching us directly. If you don’t hear an
intruder walking around your house while you are tucked away in bed, you might
think that the crime situation is unfortunate but nowhere near serious enough
to call your city councilor and demand to know what she or he is doing about
it.
So, here’s something to think about.
There is a crime boom headed our way and while it may be
unpreventable, it can certainly be weakened, but only if we face it and see it
for what it is − a perfect storm, made up of three mega storms converging into
one.
Mega Storm Number One is the Current Epidemic of
Synthetic Opioids − Primarily Fentanyl.
Fentanyl arrived on the scene in 2013 and became the single
biggest game changer in illicit drug use and street gang activity since the beginning
of the heroin wave in 2010, which itself was the biggest game changer in
illicit drug use and street gang activity since the introduction of
prescription opioids such as OxyContin in 1995.
Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than
morphine, so a very little goes a very long way, making
It is the deadliest drug on the planet. One kilogram of fentanyl (2.2 pounds)
has the potential to kill 500,000 people.
Mega Storm Number Two is the Covid Pandemic.
According to the CDC, the stress caused by social isolation
and disruptions of daily life has led to a spike in drug use by first time
users of all ages but most significantly by teenagers. Since
the beginning of covid, fentanyl overdose deaths have tripled among teenagers
and have increased by five times among black teenagers.
Social isolation and being locked out of school are considered
to be the main causes driving teens to drug use. It is also believed that most of
those teens do not have a drug use disorder but are just experimenting when
they “often end up dead.”
Disruptions to the health care system and drug treatment
centers have caused drug users to look to either street corners or the internet
for replacement drugs. If they are unable to get prescription opioids or can’t
afford the cost, they can easily find cheap heroin, which produces a better
high, on the streets or illegal prescription opioids on the internet.
In both cases, they are likely to be unknowingly using
drugs that are either spiked with fentanyl or are 100 percent fentanyl. Victims
often look like the boy or girl next door. And all too often, they are the boy
or girl next door.
None of us, experts included, know just how long the covid effects
− anxiety and depression caused by isolation and extreme, prolonged disruption
to daily life − will continue to be a major health problem, even as the
pandemic subsides. And there is no way
of knowing how many of those affected − especially teenagers − will turn to
illicit drugs in the near future.
The re-entry phase, which is just beginning, could be extremely
bumpy for some of our friends and neighbors.
Mega Storm Number three is the Proliferation of
Street Gangs.
The increasing number of deaths from prescription drug
overdoses led to a drastic cut back on prescriptions, beginning in 2012. Due to
tougher regulations and guidelines, prescription opioid cutbacks peaked in 2017.
Despite these cutbacks, overdoses continued to rise because
illegal drug sales filled the void. With the market forces of demand outstripping
legal supply, the criminal supply chain would have to expand to meet the surging
demand brought on by covid.
Much of the supply of fentanyl comes from China, through
Mexico. And some of it is being manufactured in small hidden labs scattered
across the U.S. − a flourishing cottage industry with a sky’s the limit upside.
Fentanyl became the natural drug of choice for the Mexican
cartels because it’s highly profitable and extremely potent, making it easier
to smuggle into the U.S. because, unlike bulkier drugs, it can be concealed in
small packages. The cartels use intimidation to force migrants to smuggle the
drug over the border. The street gangs take it from there.
If you think that street gangs are confined to poor
neighborhoods in big cities, where small neighborhood gangs battle over street turf,
welcome to the new reality!
21st century gangs are national and transnational organizations,
with hierarchal structures and tens of thousands of members, who operate out of
regional headquarters. Like other businesses, they compete for territorial
dominance. Unlike other businesses, they do not hesitate to murder their
competitors, which might involve killing innocent bystanders. Collateral damage
is just the cost of doing business.
MS-13 is based in El Salvador and
has a major presence in Honduras and Guatemala, making that Central American
region one of the most violent parts of the world. Their longest and largest
U.S. presence is in Los Angeles. The gang is made up of hundreds of smaller
groups, called “cliques,” that operate in regions across the country.
The cliques hold regular meetings, where business is
discussed and where dues are collected. That money is used to cover business
expenditures such as cell phones, guns, and lawyers. A portion of the dues
collected is wired back to leaders in El Salvador.
MS-13’s hierarchy is set up in a way that higher-ups in El
Salvador can communicate directly with members on the street, providing them
with a two-way information pipeline.
The cliques that established their operations in Greater
Boston were (and may still be) based in East Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Lynn,
Revere, and Somerville. Recently, the Greater Boston cliques were targeted and
disrupted by law enforcement, but they are known to be resilient.
They are also known to be vicious. MS-13’s moto is Mata,
roba, viola, controla! − translated as: Kill, rob, rape, and control!
And they are known to recruit middle and high school kids as
young as 14 years old.
The Gangster Disciples were born in Chicago in the
1960s and are primarily African American. They are now in over 40 states,
including Massachusetts. Like MS-13, they have their own version of a corporate
structure. They have “board members,” a “chairman of the board,” and state
“governors.”
Their North Shore operation covers Massachusetts, Maine,
and New Hampshire. Last year, 16 members of the gang were arrested and indicted
for distribution of fentanyl, cocaine, and counterfeit pills disguised as
Adderall and oxycodone.
Thirteen members and associates of the Gangster Disciples were
named in the indictment, including one from Watertown.
There is a dangerous rivalry within two of our neighboring
communities and it’s not high school football. The Cambridge gang known as Port
44 are suspected of trafficking in all of the drugs that have been
mentioned here so far and according to the Somerville Police Department, are
under investigation for “multiple murders and other violent crimes believed to
have stemmed from an ongoing drug turf war against other rival gangs in the Cambridge/Somerville
area.”
The predominant turf war is between Port 44 and the
Somerville gang, known as MP45 or ESV. According to official
police statements: “As a result, numerous innocent residents have become
victims of their wake of violence.”
The investigation of both gangs has involved the police
departments from Somerville, Cambridge, Woburn, Malden, Melrose, Wakefield, the
Massachusetts State Police, and the U.S. Secret Service.
These two gangs are not just a Cambridge problem or a
Somerville problem. They are a regional problem.
The Tiny Rascal Gang, also known as TRG, are
based in Long Beach, California and are considered to be the largest Asian gang
in the U.S. They were originally all- Cambodian and are still majority
Cambodian, but in the interests of bolstering their ranks, they’ve gone the
route of “diversity and inclusion” by admitting individuals from other racial
groups. I don’t think “equity” is part of the deal.
In their never-ending drive for increased profits, gangs
need to open new territories and recruit new members to work those territories as
well as to replace members who have been sent to prison or deported, so welcome
to Massachusetts!
The Tiny Rascals are a decentralized organization, where regional
and local groups are referred to as “sets.” Law enforcement agencies have
discovered TRG sets in Greater Boston communities, including Cambridge and
Somerville, where they are engaged in drug turf wars with rival gangs. They are
known for waging gun battles in the streets and engaging in drive-by shootings
of the residences of rival gang members.
The Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, otherwise known
as the Latin Kings, was founded in 1954 by Puerto Ricans, living in
Chicago. Like most street gangs, driven by profit, their business model calls
for expansion into other states and countries, using murder and intimidation to
capture territory from rival gangs.
The Latin Kings are represented in Boston by their local
chapter, the Devon Street Kings or D5K, named for its origin on
Devon Street in Boston. They report to, and receive direction from, their
Massachusetts state manager.
According to the Department of Justice, “The
Latin Kings adhere to a national manifesto” which members are required to read
and demonstrate that they understand its principles. They employ “an internal
judiciary and use a sophisticated system of communication to maintain the
hierarchy of the organization.”
There are more nationwide/transnational street gangs that
operate in Greater Boston, which I won’t list here, but I think you get the
point.
Gang members do get arrested and sent to prison as a result
of targeted law enforcement initiatives, involving federal, state, and multiple
municipal police forces, but most gang members are easily replaceable thanks to
ongoing gang recruitment efforts.
In today’s environment, where the bad guys outnumber the
cops, it is easier to recruit new gang members than it is to recruit good cops.
Police retirements are up and the applicant pool to replace them is the lowest it’s
ever been.
And, when law enforcement successfully removes one gang from
a local neighborhood, their competitors are ready to move in, loaded with product:
meth, heroin, fentanyl, and counterfeit opioid pain killers.
On the list of crime reports that started this article, I saved
this one for last.
On May 24, 2021, at about 3 a.m., WPD responded to a call about
possible gun shots in the Lexington Gardens neighborhood. Police responded to Philip
Darch Road, where they determined that a home was shot at several times. The
occupants were sleeping at the time and no injuries were reported.
Was this shooting gang related? I would venture to say that
many residents believe it was. It would be a great question to ask Chief Lawn. There
are many great questions to ask Chief Lawn − about gang activity, fentanyl,
heroin, and counterfeit opioid distribution, and whether our police department
staffing is adequate to handle a significant uptick in crime.
The best place to ask those questions and other timely questions
is at the next meeting of the Committee on Public Safety.
Which might not be easy.
Four 2021 meetings of that committee were monopolized by a relatively
small group of residents alleging racist behavior by the Watertown Police
Department, based on a disproportionate number of traffic stops. Maybe the 2022
meetings will be different.
Or maybe they won’t. Maybe not enough residents have yet been
touched by crime to stand up and demand that our elected representatives prioritize
real public safety for all residents instead of the woke agenda driven by our
cultural elite.
In the meantime, let’s pay attention to the police reports.
And let’s ask ourselves what they portend for the near future. They may only
show us the tip of the iceberg, but they will at least give us a clue as to just
how big the iceberg really is.
Bruce Coltin, The Battle for Watertown
