The Boston City Council convenes today for the first time since Boston University students returned to classes, hoping to forget a summer that saw an increase in crime city-wide and numerous public embarrassments for the council.
Only days after BU finals commenced, Councilor Chuck Turner (Roxbury, Dorchester) held a press conference to reveal photos of what he believed to be U.S. soldiers raping Iraqi women. Invoked by reports of abuse in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison, the photos were soon discovered to be taken from a hardcore pornographic website and sent to Turner via email.
“Those photos were so fake we had an intern in the office who found them on a porn website in 25 minutes,” said Joe Arangio, chief of staff for Councilor Paul Scapicchio (Charlestown, North End). “It is clearly Southern California in the background, not Baghdad.”
The Boston Globe issued an apology for printing the lewd pictures large enough to clearly see the graphic sexual acts. Turner admitted at the press conference he did not know the origin of the photos and tried to pin the press with the job of validating their authenticity.
“Turner held an eleventh-hour press conference without really talking to the other councilors,” Arangio said. “Many of the councilors, including Councilor Scapicchio, felt those kind of actions compromised the integrity of the entire council.”
Six of Boston’s 13 city councilors signed a letter condemning Turner. The letter described Turner’s actions as “hasty, of dubious intent, highly inflammatory and embarrassing to those of us who support our troops.”
June spawned a heated debate among dog owners when the city council’s bill to place higher restrictions on pit bulls was signed into law.
Councilor Rob Consalvo (Hyde Park, Roslindale) proposed the legislation after he noticed a drastic increase in pit bull attacks, including the mauling of a six-year-old boy in Dorchester. Angry animal rights activists and dog owners said the law was unfair and that councilors should not discriminate against one breed.
“Pit bulls are a dangerous animal but owners were very concerned over the law,” Arangio said. “Hearings held in the middle of the day don’t usually draw a crowd, but some people even showed up with their dogs to testify.”
The proactive law requires owners to muzzle their dogs in public and also to place dog-warning signs on their property and obtain licenses for ownership and sterilization of the animal. Violators face an impounded dog and a fine of at least $100.
In July, the council approved Councilor John Tobin’s (Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury) proposal to create a safe-haven law for abandoned babies. The bill, proposed in January, was signed into law by late July.
“Councilor Tobin’s brother was abandoned as an infant and put into social services before his family took him in,” said Liz Sullivan, Tobin’s spokeswoman. “The safe-haven law was something he felt very strongly about and was a real victory for him.”
Infant safe-haven laws allow a mother to bring an infant to designated areas without having to give authorities any identifying information. Such laws intend to defer people from abandoning their babies in unsafe areas that may endanger the children’s life. Opponents argue there are many unintended consequences to such a law, such as doing so without the father’s consent.
Students can look forward to a proposal by Tobin that would broadcast a wireless internet signal across the city of Boston.
“This order certainly would benefit Boston University students,” Sullivan said. “Public meeting ground would be wireless so students could do work and simultaneously be outside.”
City councilors have also proposed regulations for trash pickup in the city. On- and off-campus residents may soon be relieved of noisy late-night trash pickups because of nearby restaurants and private businesses.
“This order originally died at the Statehouse, but we are going to re-file,” Arangio said. “There is currently no regulation as to when private contractors can pick up community trash.”
Private businesses currently use private trash companies to empty their dumpsters, which are oftentimes located outside of residential windows.
“In many areas, there is dense population overlap,” Arangio said. “Different companies used by different restaurants are coming in multiple times during the night in some places.”
City councilors also look to take action against recent gang uprisings, most commonly in South Boston. Arangio said Scapicchio is looking to new Somerville laws as an example of what can be accomplished in Boston.
“The Salvadoran gang MS13 in Somerville caused the city to pass a law allowing police officers to pick up any gang member wearing [gang symbols] under age 18 and bring them home to the address on their license,” Arangio said. “We would like to start a process modeled after the Somerville effort.”
City Council meetings are open to the public and held Wednesdays at 11 a.m. at Boston City Hall at Government Center.
