Roughly a dozen community activists and uniformed C-11 police officers knocked on doors and talked to neighbors in the St. Mark’s Area about some of the recent acts of violence in the community as part of a peace walk on Monday evening.

The neighborhood has seen several shootings in recent months, including a homicide at the corner of Dorchester Avenue and Dix Street on Oct. 18. Neighbors report that someone fired shots into a building near that murder scene on Thanksgiving Day.

The small group — led by Area C-11 Captain Tim Connolly — began their walk from the corner of Dorchester Avenue and Welles Avenue, stopping to talk to neighbors along the way.
“This is a little bit more personal and neighborly,” said Capt. Connolly, who took charge at the C-11 station house eight months ago.

At their first stop, a home on Welles Avenue, residents seemed concerned when they opened the door to a group of police officers and the flashing blue light from a police cruiser. Connolly quickly noticed their anxiety and explained that they were simply there to have a conversation and connect with neighbors.

“It’s just a friendly visit,” said Marilyn Forman, who works at Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation, smiling warmly.

“I was so nervous,” said the man who answered the door, now laughing and looking relieved.
“They were very welcoming,” Connolly said as he walked to the next house. “His wife’s face lit up like a Christmas tree when she realized what we were there for.”

Forman, Connolly, and Reverend Mark Scott from Azusa Christian Community had a long chat with two men on Welles Avenue, where just a few weeks ago there had been a shooting in a nearby driveway. On the porch, they talked about the urgent need to get guns off the streets. Connolly offered that the Boston Police Department had collected over 900 guns so far in 2016, but that there is still more to do.

They also talked about the number of vacant buildings in the neighborhood. Directly across the street there was an empty lot and a home boarded up after a fire.

The men seemed happy enough to talk, but unconvinced that much would change in the neighborhood.
“There is something we can do, and that’s why we are here.” said Forman.

At almost every house the group visited, the residents seemed initially concerned when they opened the door.

“It helps if you make a light joke,” said Sergeant John Burma, a 23-year veteran of BPD who now serves as Community Service and Outreach supervisor for Area C-11. “Our job is to calm things down and try to make people feel comfortable.”

The group passed out pamphlets on “Healing after Trauma” with advice on “how to deal with bad things that happen to you, your family, and your community.”

“The hard work pays off, so that the first time the community sees us isn’t during something like a protest,” said Connolly.