BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Community members traveled from South Boston to Gov. Baker's Swampscott home Sunday, calling for an end to what they say is "a health crisis" along Boston's Methadone Mile.
The stretch of road along Massachusetts Ave and Melnea Cass Blvd on the edge of Roxbury, nicknamed Methadone Mile, has long been a location for both recovery and relapse for people dealing with drug addiction. Over recent years, the area has seen an increase in drug activity.
5-year-old resident Ashlyn Williams told WBZ NewsRadio she has to live with it outside her home every day.
"My mom and me we went to the doggy park and when we came back we saw needles," she said. "My momma kicked them off the stairs."
Ashlyn and her mother were among a small group calling on the Governor to declare a public health emergency in their neighborhood, and to decentralize treatment facilities. Ashlyn may be small, but her voice is mighty.
"No one should have needles or people sitting on their steps. That's what I'd tell Baker," the 5-year-old said.
WBZ NewsRadio's Matt Shearer reports:
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(Photo: The Boston Globe via Getty Images)