HERE’S WHY THE NEXT CRIME BOOM IS HEADED OUR WAY

 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