Two separate incidents — one in Savin Hill, and another near Franklin Park— have the neighborhood on edge this week mainly because of the brazen, callous nature of the crimes themselves.

On Monday, a woman was sexually assaulted in broad daylight as she walked along the roadside path next to Franklin Park. The crime is all the more alarming because the victim, age 70, was pushing a young child in a stroller. The child was not harmed. A candle-light vigil is planned for tonight (Dec. 1) as a show of solidarity and defiance.

In Savin Hill, where a disturbing string of street robberies has been recorded in recent weeks, a man walking along Dorchester Avenue with his two young children last Tuesday was accosted by two young thugs, one of whom wielded a pistol and demanded cash and the man’s cell phone.
The local civic group in Columbia-Savin Hill has now decided to turn its December meeting— usually a festive event to celebrate the holidays— into a more serious discussion about crime. That session is set for Monday at 7 p.m. at the Cristo Rey School.

– B.F.