The president of the Boston City Council is calling for an investigation after a toddler was found staying in the Mass. and Cass area last week.
Boston police said they were told about the 2-year-old boy by an outreach worker on Friday morning. A woman was reportedly with the child on Southhampton Street.
A police report said the mother and son ended up in the area after her car was towed the night before while parked in a nearby McDonald's parking lot. She said she spent most of the night at Boston Medical Center with her son to stay warm and charge her phone, before leaving around 6:30 a.m. Friday.
"It should be noted that Southampton Street and its surrounding areas are known for the avid use of drugs, illegal drug sales, human trafficking, and violence," the police report said.
Police said the toddler was wearing only a single layer of clothing, but an evaluation determined the child was healthy. The low temperature in Boston on Friday was 48 degrees, with a high of 63.
The officer offered the mother and child a ride home, but the mother refused. Police said they provided the mother with a blanket to keep her child warm.
The child's father, who was also at Mass. and Cass at the time, was arrested on outstanding warrants for operating under the influence and drug possession.
The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families "has received a report and is investigating," a spokesperson said in a statement. The agency said it was unable to reveal any further details due to state and federal confidentiality requirements.
"I was alarmed to hear about the discovery of a 2-year-old boy spending a night at Mass & Cass. This is not a safe environment for any children to be in," City Council President Ed Flynn said in a statement to NBC10 Boston. "I have already requested that the Boston Public Health Commission conduct an investigation into how this happened and whether this is the first time a child has been found in the Mass and Cass area. It is of utmost importance that we ensure the safety of children and protect them from the violence and crimes there. This is a public health emergency."
Flynn and three other councilors urged health officials to declare a state of emergency at Mass. and Cass last month, warning that the level of sex trafficking, drug abuse and violence in the neighborhood had reached the point of needing "dramatic intervention."
Mayor Michelle Wu has proposed her own solution to the crisis, seeking to give police increased authority to remove tents and tarps and provide housing at a new, temporary 30-bed facility for those in need. Police would only be allowed to take down tents if the people living there had already been offered shelter, transportation to that shelter and storage for their belongings.
Her proposal also called for an around-the-clock police presence in the area for several months and an increased focus on cracking down on crime, assaults and drug and human trafficking that are often shielded by the many tents and tarps in the area.
