While I appreciate the growth in quality of The Daily Free Press since my BU days, I have to take exception with the pandering your paper seems to be doing toward a small group of NIMBIES opposing Boston University’s biolab. From the misguided Hennigan endorsement to yet another article playing up only 30 people protesting at City Hall, your coverage completely misses a very salient point. Jobs and tax revenues don’t spontaneously regenerate. Cities have to be aggressive in encouraging growth and development in order to stay functional and livable. The BU biolab is an excellent opportunity to do so. Short-sighted NIMBYism and the self-centered people of Safety Net should not be portrayed as heroes, but rather as a tiny self-interested group who’s made no traction with the public in their fear-mongering to displace this lab. Here’s a newsflash: In Boston, like the Atlanta CDC lab, we’d all be in danger if something happened, but most of us won’t let unjustified fears cloud good policy. Please try to keep that in mind in your coverage of this issue.

Scott Copley SMG ’94, GSM ’98