A Park User's Thoughtful Response to the City of Boston's "Improvements" by the Park's Department

BEFORE APRIL, 2022

AFTER APRIL, 2022

If you get a chance, can you share this on my behalf as an and frequent user of the park?

-My whole family uses the park on a regular basis as it is right next to our house. Our 2 children, age 6 and 10, spent many hours playing beneath the trees this past year while they attend school from home. We were initially thrilled at the news of the park’s renovation and participated actively in the community process to design the park -When we heard the news about the removal of so many trees we were surprised and saddened. The mature, healthy trees are what give the park its character and we agree with the Community Stewards and Friends of Malcolm X Park that should not be removed.

-In addition to the environmental and historical reasons, I offer 2 additional reasons:

1. Replacing mature trees for newly planted trees is not an acceptable compromise. This plan will only benefit community members who live here a generation from now, while current residents experience the negative impact of reduced shade and poorer air quality. Too many “improvements” to Boston communities are made not for current residents but for future residents — this fuels gentrification and is counter to the values our mayor expressed in her campaign.

2. Allowing the process to go forward without returning to meaningful community engagement will reinforce narratives that the city does not listen to its residents. My children were thrilled to participate in the community process and I had hoped it could be a way for them to learn about civic engagement. I hope that the lesson they learn, and the lesson my neighbors learn, is not that “engagement” is a fake exercise conducted by the city to check a box while they proceed with plans that are only partially divulged to residents. While it may cost more to pause and adjust the plan to meet community concerns, the long term cost of angering or, worse, causing disengagement in residents would be far more expensive to pay for our community.

Thank you for the work you’ve been doing! I hope there is still work to do in the coming weeks so that I can find time to get involved more.

Take care,

Lucas