Boston councilors eye higher fines for loud parties

Some Boston officials are calling for beefing up fines for “young punks” throwing loud parties late into the night that have left neighbors exasperated.

City Councilor Ed Flynn, whose district includes South Boston, said the city needs to consider jacking up fines against party hosts and their landlords.

“Five hundred dollars is not enough,” Flynn said, referring to the current fine for violating the city’s noise ordinance. “Boston should look to issue increasing fines. Perhaps at $1,000 for the first offense — to explore $2,000 for a second offense, and for a third, $3,000.”

Flynn, who referred to the “young punks” who keep partying even after neighbors ask them to keep it down, added, that this is the way to “keep our neighborhoods peaceful, healthy and clean.”

City Councilor Michael Flaherty, who is elected citywide but lives in Southie, said he would aim for any changes to be geared at helping the other various neighborhoods were noise complaints abound, too.

“I want to be clear that I recognize this problem is not contained to South Boston residents, and other neighborhoods like Mission Hill, Allston-Brighton, the North End, just to name a few others, are dealing with similarly out-of-control parties,” Flaherty said.

Boston Police Superintendent Kevin McGoldrick said the hundreds of noise complaints the department receives just in Southie’s C-6 precinct on weekends are “extraordinarily taxing on our resources.” He said he liked the sound in general of the councilors’ push to hit party hosts and landlords.

“The people that own these properties have a role to play as well,” McGoldrick said. “It probably puts the onus on both of them.”

He said the department has filed criminal charges — seeking more severe penalties than a simple fine — on various occasions, including multiple times in the past couple of weeks.

City Councilor Lydia Edwards, who represents East Boston, Charlestown and the North End, suggested moving up the times at night at which the acceptable noise levels drop — an idea that went over well with several of the residents who spoke.

“I understand we live in a city, but we live in communities first,” Edwards said. She noted that she isn’t “anti-partying” and said, referring to herself, Flaherty and Flynn, “we enjoy a good party.”

The councilors plan to have a working session to figure out what the city is allowed to do without getting permission from the state.

Several residents, largely from Southie, spoke during the hearing’s public-comment section, detailing horror stories of all-night ragers, people relieving themselves in the streets and public sex acts.

“The behavior has been normalized in the neighborhood,” said South Boston’s Natalie Butler.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3wH5Iut