Two meetings are planned in Cambridge around public safety, including one Wednesday, in a new year that has seen two gunfire incidents, injuring one person and killing another.
The 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday meeting is billed as being only for The Port neighborhood, which has historically seen a disproportionate amount of gun violence; that has not been the case so far this year. Six of last year’s 13 gunfire incidents took place in The Port; this year violence has struck only in Cambridgeport just south of Central Square – The Port is to the north of the square– and in North Cambridge.
The Wednesday meeting organized by mayor E. Denise Simmons promises updates from the City Manager’s Office and police department and discussion of key safety issue staff. It is planned for the Fletcher-Maynard Academy, 225 Windsor St., The Port, Cambridge.
A meeting next week will focus on the Jan. 13 fatal shooting on Clifton Street in North Cambridge, in which Angel Nieves, 21, of Springfield, was shot multiple times. “The preliminary investigation suggested the fatal shooting was an isolated incident and that there is no threat to the general public,” officials said in announcing the meeting.
The 13 gunfire incidents in 2024 were between Jan. 25 and Dec. 13, making this an early start to violence for the year.
The meeting is set for 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday in the auditorium of the Peabody School, 70 Rindge Ave., North Cambridge. Representatives from the City Manager’s Office, Mayor’s Office, police, City Council, Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and public health providers, will be available to share information and resources, answer questions and provide support.
Both meetings will provide refreshments, so attendees can attend without concerns about missing a meal for themselves or family members.
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“The preliminary investigation suggested the fatal shooting was an isolated incident and that there is no threat to the general public,” officials said…”
Of course this is untrue. Whenever guns are used in urban areas there is the strong possibility that bystanders will be shot and killed as well. In many cases this has been true. It often involves harm or death to young children as has been reported – even when it’s a targeted killing. Let’s not trivialize the murderer’s disregard for life. These men and boys should not be indulged and preemptively exonerated.