A meeting at the Charlestown High School auditorium last Wednesday illustrated the growing tension between adolescents and police in the wake of the Sept. 28 shooting near the school.

“I know at times it seems like an inquisition, but we’re really trying to keep you safe,” Captain Bernie O’Rourke of Boston Police Area A-1 said. “When we see a group of kids who look like they’re up to something, we have a right to find out what is going on. We can’t find out what’s going on in the community if we don’t talk to kids.”

The gathering organized by Deb Lang of the Charlestown Community Centers drew a crowd of over 100, consisting largely of white high school students and white residents of the housing developments. While the meeting was intended to open communication between the community and police, many alleged that police, who have increased their presence in Charlestown since Sept. 28, were targeting youths. According to Sgt. Tom Lema of Boston Police, the police recently initiated the bike patrol unit, stepped up the Youth Violence Strike Force and added additional officers from Area A-1 — measures that he said that he police hoped would minimize the chances of retaliation from the shooting.

“We’re trying to get information out of the community,” Sgt. Lema said. “We’re trying to figure out through a sea of chaos what’s going on. Our goals are violence isn’t on the street and guns aren’t on the street.”

Peter Looney, chairman of Charlestown Against Drugs, said police who were clashing with residents are auxiliary officers, rather than those who typically work in the community.

“When there’s trouble, they bring in out-of-town cops and everyone is the enemy,” Looney said. “This town has a lot of good people.”

Captain O’Rourke encouraged residents to file complaints with the police department if they feel they were mistreated at the hands of officers.

“If you feel you were manhandled, if you feel you were wrongly arrested, we have a process to deal with this,” he said.

Sgt. Lema also urged residents to report crimes, saying that police might not be aware of some problems in the community and that the allocation of officers was based on police reports.

One parent who declined to give her name said that police were continually persecuting white adolescents.

“I feel that it’s the white kids who mostly get targeted,” she said. “There always seems to be a group of kids whose names come up, and it takes time to get their names cleared.”

Captain O’Rourke refuted this claim, saying that much of the police’s attention is now focused on the primarily non-white Bunker Hill Housing Development.

“We probably take more names in the development than we do in Mishawum, Main Street or anywhere else,” he said, adding that he would provide documentation that demonstrated police had not arrested a disproportionate number of white youths.

In addition, Sgt. Lema said the police were working to combat the presence of the Bloods street gang at the high school and throughout the town.

“Do we want the Bloods here? Absolutely not,” he said. “Our goal is to take them off the streets and arrest them for crimes committed.”

Sgt. Lema said police couldn’t make arrests solely based on the fact that an individual’s clothing is consistent with that of gang members, however. “Just because you wear red colors, you can’t be arrested,” he said.

Captain O’Rourke said a leader of the Bloods was incarcerated seven or eight months ago and that gang activity in Charlestown has slowed down since that arrest.

Another problem facing police is that adolescents are committing crimes at a younger age.

“The age of onset used to be 14-years-old,” Captain O’Rourke said. “Now, it’s 12 or 13.”

Midway through the meeting, many of the students and residents left the meeting, apparently because they weren’t satisfied with the police’s responses to their concerns. Captain O’Rourke also expressed frustration that the turnout at the meeting was so high, while not many people attended the monthly Charlestown Neighborhood Council Public Safety meetings.

Meanwhile, a woman who declined to give her name suggested that parents needed to discipline their children better.

“We have to start with the kids first and teach them respect,” she said.

SIDEBAR: Changes in police coverage

Besides an increase in police coverage following the shooting outside the high school, the Boston Police Department has made other recent changes in Charlestown. Captain Bernie O’Rourke said the recently-implemented Anti-Crime Unit, which consists of plainclothes officers on foot, was expanded in the Bunker Hill Housing Development during the night shifts. Another unit is also now operating during day shifts. Sgt. John Hamilton recently took over the Anti-Crime Units. Captain O’Rourke also said that officers would be deployed to Charlestown from downtown Boston when necessary and on rare occasions, Charlestown-based officer might be moved downtown. “We have increased the number of police officers patrolling Charlestown over the last year, and we’d like to increase it even more,” he said. In addition, Captain O’Rourke said he intended to improve communication between the Youth Violence Strike Force, Area A-1 officers and school police.

Combing two good ideas — recycling and fundraising for local schools and non-profits — is now a snap for Charlestown residents thanks to Abitibi-Consolidated, a newsprint manufacturer that is also in the paper recycling business.

A typical example is the informal partnership between the Boston Public Schools and Abitibi. The schools set aside space for a paper-recycling container, and the company hauls away paper goods and pays the school a “royalty” per ton of paper collected.

The company started placing containers in Charlestown and greater Boston this summer.

“We look for locations within a community like a school or a church that’s willing to host a container,” said Jason Bean, area manager for the Boston area for Abitibi Consolidated.

In the city, the premium put on space doesn’t always make this an easy arrangement.

“The problem with Charlestown and Boston proper is space – we set up our program as an external collection program, seven-cubic yards, roughly the size of a normal dumpster,” said Bean, adding that the firms thinks of its containers as donation centers, similar to containers that accept clothing donations.

“We are placing containers at all [public] schools in Charlestown, and at Sullivan Square stations, and we are looking for a location to place containers for the Boys & Girls Club,” said Jason Bean. “They really want to do the program, [but because] they have no land, we need to find someone to host the container.”

The company accepts newsprint, office paper, magazines, junk mail, including envelopes with plastic windows, and items with staples, said Bean. This program goes not recycle cardboard items like cereal boxes.

The company’s goal is to recycle paper instead of treating it as refuse.

“Thirty-eight percent of what goes into landfills is paper that could be recycled,” said Bean. “[The program] diverts paper away from landfills and raise funds for schools and non-profits.”

“We’ve been doing the paper program for more than a dozen years, and the main creation of the program was community-driven recycling,” said Bean, adding that the company paid over $3 million in 2005 to churches, school and non-profits that participate in the program.

For information, contact Jason Bean of Abitibi Consolidated at 617-279-9986.

In the aftermath of the Sept. 28 shooting just outside the school, Charlestown High School will revise its safety plan.

“We review safety plans with school on an annual basis or ask schools to review them,” Boston Public Schools spokesman Jonathan Palumbo said. “Usually, it’s up to the school unless there’s an incident, as was the case here.”

According to a statement issued by BPS, new security precautions include the formation of a multi-unit “Beat Team,” which will include a Boston Police unit from Area A-1, the School Police Unit, School Police officers assigned to Charlestown High, the Boston Housing Authority police and the MBTA police, in an effort to share information and coordinate activities. The new entity will also share information concerning students with gang affiliations to prevent incidents before they occur and will identify and arrest students with serious felony warrants via Operation Clean Slate. The Student Threat Assessment Team will continue to address any violence or threats of violence at the school. School Police and Boston Police intend to intervene in any serious conflicts that arise between students. The School Police office will also be relocated to the first floor of the high school, giving it more visibility and a greater presence.

In addition, the “Beat” or “Sweep” team is already in place and begins work this week. The group consisting of staff and faculty will supplement the work of School Police by ensuring that students are out of the hallways and in the classrooms. Greater attention will also be focused on the passage between the high school and the Charlestown Community Center, and staffing will be improved at lunchtime.

The Bunker Hill Housing Development, which is adjacent to the high school, will also see an increased presence from the School Police, District A-1 officers, the Drug Control Unit and BHA police.

Other specific security measures include the installation and usage of metal detectors at school entrances; the installation of closed-circuit TV cameras, which Palumbo said would take place in the coming weeks; the implementation of a new student ID system; and hall pass protocols, which are now standardized across the campus. In addition, students will now enter the school through a large foyer off of Polk Street to prevent “student bottleneck” at the start of school, according to the BPS statement. The school safety contingency plans have been updated, and the school containment procedure has also been refined.

Palumbo also said that the high school plans to fill two newly-added Community Field Coordinator positions as soon as possible. The positions are posted and interviews are presently underway, he said.

“We’ve obviously seen a lot of accomplishments at Charlestown High School, including the rise of MCAS scores,” Palumbo said. “We want to provide a safe learning environment so the work keeps getting better.”

All politics is local, and for Charlestown residents who want to get involved, the Charlestown Neighborhood Council will hold elections for its seven at-large seats in November.

For residents interested in serving on the CNC, nomination papers will be available on Monday, Oct. 9, at the Charlestown Branch Library at 179 Main St. Candidates must gather a minimum of 25 signatures from Charlestown residents who are at least 18 years old (it is not required that the residents be registered voters).

“There is no hierarchy, all the members share the duties and responsibilities of the neighborhood council — and all the glory,” said Judy Brennan, a longtime CNC member and current chair of the election committee, with a smile.

The completed nomination papers must be mailed to the Charlestown Neighborhood Council, P.O. 397, Charlestown, MA 02129 and postmarked no later than Friday, Nov. 3.

The CNC is made up of 21 members: one from each of Charlestown’s seven precincts; the CNC selects seven Charlestown non-profit community organization, with each one appointing a representative; and there are seven at-large representatives.

The election will be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 75 West School St., on Saturday, Nov. 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The elected councilors will take their seats on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2007, the first CNC meeting of the New Year.

“There are 21 hard-working volunteers, most of whom have fulltime jobs, though some are retired or have a lighter schedule,” said Brennan. “I’ve been on the council for a while…it’s not always the easiest thing in the world to juggle, but I think it’s very rewarding.”

As part of its goal to provide coverage for every part of Charlestown by the end of the year, the Charlestown Neighborhood Watch Coalition is planning an Oct. 28 rally at Eden Street Park in the hopes of recruiting more residents to the cause.

“We’re designing [the rally] so people can see what watches already exist, meet leaders and sign up on the spot,” said Joseph Porcelli, civilian community service officer for the Boston Police Department’s Neighborhood Crime Watch Program. “It’s a rally that’s also an action meeting.”

Neighborhood Watches are established to help disseminate contact information between neighbors for the purposes of building community and addressing crime and other issues on their streets. The first two in Charlestown were set up on Trenton and Green streets last spring. Since that time, 26 more Neighborhood Watches have met or are in the planning stages, Porcelli said, adding that combined, all the Watches would represent 50 streets in town. Under the guidance of Charlestown Mothers Association member Kelly Pellagrini, the organization’s members are now heading up many of the new Watches. Plans are also underway for collaborations between the Coalition and the Clarence R. Edwards Middle School as well as the Mishawum Park Housing Development.

“This year, Charlestown is the most active neighborhood in starting neighborhood Watch programs,” Porcelli said. “The people in Charlestown have really stepped up in leading and participating in Neighborhood Watch groups.”

Lynne Levesque, coordinator of the Charlestown Neighborhood Watch Coalition, hopes the program is working to make Charlestown the safest neighborhood in the city but also emphasizes that it aims to do more than deter crime.

”The biggest thing isn’t working on issues,” she said. “It’s building community.”

Porcelli said participants don’t view their efforts as a chore. “One thing that’s unique is that people are really enjoying this,” he said.

He also said taking part is a Neighborhood Watch isn’t time consuming given the results.

“If you’re sick of drugs and crime in Charlestown, this is an effective way to take action,” Porcelli said. “It takes two hours a month to do this.”

For more information on the Neighborhood Watch program, contact Porcelli at 617-343-4345 or via email at porcellij.bpd@ci.boston.ma.us or visit www.BostonCrimeWatch.com on the Web.

A Charlestown youth was arrested last week in connection with the Sept. 28 shooting outside of the high school. Two days later, his brother was stabbed in City Square.

A 15-year-old Charlestown resident was arraigned in Boston Juvenile Court on Oct. 4 as the alleged shooter in the shotgun attack that took place near Charlestown High School, according to Jake Wark, spokesman for Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley. The suspect was charged with assault with intent to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, discharging a firearm 500 feet from a school, possession of ammunition and carrying a loaded shotgun. The suspect’s bail was set at $25,000. Attendees at a meeting at the high school concerning police relations in the community identified the suspect as George Walsh, the younger brother of Kevin Walsh, who was slain in the vicinity of the Bunker Hill Housing Development at age 16 on June 23, 2005.

A second suspect in the shotgun attack — an unidentified 16-year-old Dorchester male — was also charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after allegedly throwing a brick at a victim fleeing from the shooter. He was released to the custody of his parents on no cash bail.

As terms of the bail, both suspects have a 4 p.m. curfew that would allow them to go school. They were ordered to stay away from each other and all civilian witnesses. Both suspects have a pre-trial hearing set for Oct. 18.

On Oct. 5 at around 7 p.m., a Charlestown man suffered a stab wound to the abdomen in City Square. An anonymous source confirmed that the victim was Josh Walsh, the 19-year-old brother of Adam and Kevin Walsh. The victim was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Jacinto Batista, 21, of Roxbury was arrested in connection with the stabbing. Batista, who was arraigned in Charlestown District Court on Oct. 6, was charges with armed assault with intent to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (knife), according to Wark. Judge Anthony Sullivan set Batista’s bail at $5,000 and revoked his bail for an outstanding case, in which he was charged with disorderly conduct and assault and battery on a police officer for a July incident in Roxbury. Batista can be held for up to 60 days for the outstanding case. He is due back in court for a pre-trial hearing on Nov. 1.

Batista was the victim of a June 22 shooting on Samuel Morse Way. Adam Walsh, the younger brother of George, Kevin and Josh, was reportedly one of two suspects arrested in connection with this incident.

The Boston Public School Transportation Department’s decision last week to add a bus to the Boston Latin Academy in Dorchester has addressed parents’ concerns about the commute on public transportation.

The BPS Transportation Department has reviewed recent changes to the bus routes and will roll them back effective mid-October.

“The Transportation Department, in an attempt to improve efficiency of service, this year consolidated two different routes going to Boston Latin Academy (Charlestown and South End) to transport the seventh and eighth-graders, which meant that from time to time, there was not enough room for the older students,” said Jonathan Palumbo, spokesman for the Boston Public Schools, in a written statement.

The consolidation led to parents’ concern because of the long commute on public transportation combined with street crossings at busy intersections. In addition, at the Charlestown Neighborhood Council meeting on Oct. 3, parents said that high school students had been asked to get off bus and in some cases were given detention for getting on the bus.

In light of parents’ concerns, the BPS will alter the bus schedule.

“The Transportation Department has been reviewing this for the past few weeks and has listened to parents, and it going to add a second bus because the two consolidated together pushed the capacity, meaning that there will likely again be room for the high school aged students,” stated Palumbo. “This should resolve the issue raised by the families.”

The BPS transportation policy for the city’s exam schools, where students are drawn from all over the city, operates slightly differently from regular public high schools.

“The exam schools, which serve students in grades seven - 12, are provided yellow buses for students in seventh and eighth grade, while the students in grades nine - 12 are provided MBTA passes,” stated Palumbo. In general, students who attend public high schools receive free monthly passes for transportation.

“It has been the practice specifically in Charlestown in the past that, if there is room on the bus for the seventh and eighth-graders, that nine – 12th-graders are allowed to ride the bus as well,” stated Palumbo.

Palumbo said that four high schools — Charlestown, East Boston, South Boston and West Roxbury — based on their proximity to public transportation or other traffic issues, are provided with yellow bus service from MBTA stops. It is BPS policy to provide buses for elementary and middle school students.

Last Wednesday’s meeting at the Charlestown High School auditorium, which aimed to improve relations between police and the community, made one thing abundantly clear: There is deep-seated distrust of the police in Charlestown, particularly among adolescents.

And as well-intentioned as it was, the gathering probably served to make matters worse, as made evident when nearly half of the over 100 local residents and high school students in attendance made a premature exit to express their dissatisfaction with the police’s responses to their concerns. Captain Bernie O’Rourke also seemed understandably agitated, commenting on how many people turned out for a meeting that allowed them to express their frustration with the police as opposed to the relatively low turnout at the monthly public safety meetings.

Some residents complained that police were continually harassing their children, but curiously, many of the same individuals also said Charlestown needed better police coverage. This raises the central issue: Police have to be respectful of the community, but if residents want to see less crime in their community, they also must cooperate with the police.

One student in attendance at the meeting wore a T-shirt that said, “What happens in Charlestown… stays in Charlestown,” which illustrates the biggest problem facing police. Traditionally, when a wrongdoing happens in the community, there is a tendency on the part of residents to take matters into their own hands and administer justice outside of the law. But this mentality does nothing to resolve the community’s problems. If this mindset persists, then young people will continue to be murdered, crimes will spawn retaliation, and more lives will be ruined. It is time to break this vicious cycle once and for all.

Housing project redux
A week has passed, and once again, the Boston Housing Authority has gone back to sleep, like an ostrich burying its head into the ground, as it was back to business as usual concerning the crime-ridden, violent, drug-soaked, pathetic Charlestown public housing project on Bunker Hill Street.

We still see more police than usual scurrying about as police officials realize the importance of stopping shotgun-wielding high school youths coming out of the projects from shooting at innocents during the open, clear light of day in one of Boston’s most prestigious and historic neighborhoods.

The police presence remaining is heartwarming but it is not permanent. Shortly, the police will disappear again and the chaotic life going on inside the projects will lead to another violent disaster.

In recent figures released by a leading real estate organization, the real estate slowdown around the state did not appear to have reached Charlestown. In fact, prices here during the last business quarter continued to rise while prices elsewhere went the other way.

Inventory is a bit higher and sales are a bit slower, but, overall, the Charlestown real estate market for upscale buyers is going higher and higher.

For this situation to coexist indefinitely with the human misery that is alive and growing inside the projects on the other side of the street is an absolute impossibility.

The shotgun blasts apparently aimed at Charlestown High School students by out-of-control types walking out of the projects two weeks ago are reverberating loudly among residents here.

Everyone with an abiding interest in this neighborhood is taken aback by the BHA’s utter and nearly complete failure as the manager of the housing projects here.

The lawlessness, the drug dealing, the violence, the armed attacks, the beatings, the fear that residents live with — is this what the projects are supposed to be all about?

If the BHA can’t run the projects so they don’t resemble a penal colony, then maybe the time has come to outsource the management of the projects to a company that can bring a sense of control back to the place, so that men, women and children can live without fear, without drug dealers and without violence.

Can’t be done, the BHA might say?

It better be done or this neighborhood faces a day of reckoning.

About no representation?
In the Boston Herald earlier this week, columnist Michelle McPhee wrote a panegyric about the projects — pointing out, with statistics, the sad story of failure in management there.

One of the main points of her column was that Charlestown does not have a representative who lives here, and therefore, the place is treated more like a cemetery by the city and by the state than it is a housing project.

She is right — but to say that State Rep. Eugene O’Flaherty can’t help or that City Councilor Sal LaMattina can’t make a difference or that Sen. Jarrett Barrios won’t lift a hand, is rubbish.

In fact, O’Flaherty, Barrios and LaMattina should hold a summit with police officials, officials of the BHA and the Neighborhood Council, to once and for all, and forever, turn the projects here into residences instead of prisons, and to make them safe, instead of perpetuating a management fraud that has turned them into war zones.

Columbus Day
It was a quintessential Columbus Day for Charlestown residents — a day to do as little as possible as we all took a breath before getting back to the rat race Tuesday morning.

Of course, the day was made a bit disquieting by news from North Korea that that rogue nation, with its starving population and its tyrannical Stalinist dictator, had exploded a nuclear device.

The pacifists among us all agreed — nothing can be done.

A realist replied: “Let’s wait until they drop an atomic bomb and then we’ll deal with the issue.”

A centrist urged us to go to New York: “The United Nations will take of this one.” Of course, that’s a dream.

“Nuke them before they nuke us,” said a kid from the Bunker Hill Street projects. “If you think you can talk with those people, you’re nuts,” he added.

Indeed.