It is with heavy hearts that we send this email to share with you that Ryan Morrissey, a 17-year-old Charlestown resident, died yesterday morning from fatal injuries he sustained in the shooting last Wednesday evening. We extend our sincere and heartfelt condolences to the Morrissey family.
We are asking for our members’ help, as we believe that no child in Charlestown should ever lose their life to gun violence, and we are calling on our elected officials for action to prevent such further tragedies from happening. What we need you to do is to make calls and send emails to our elected officials asking for the following. We believe that only a significant outcry from Charlestown residents will compel the necessary changes.
While there are many things that could be done, at a minimum, we want to see 24 Hour Staffing of the Charlestown Police Station, and 24 Hour Staffing of EMS/Paramedics in Charlestown. A consistent, 24-hour police presence is clearly needed to improve public safety in our neighborhood. As for EMS/paramedics, Charlestown is already cut off from the city and ambulances can take far too long to arrive, even before the increased Everett casino traffic.
We urge you to contact:
1. Jerome Smith (head of Neighborhood Services):[email protected] 617.635.3485
2. The Mayor’s Hotline: 617.635.4500
3. Councilor Sal LaMattina: [email protected], 617.635.3200
The CMA is working with other community organizations who also will be calling for such changes. The Charlestown Neighborhood Council, The Charlestown Chamber of Commerce, The Townie Association and St. Mary’s Church have joined this coalition, and the CMA board is actively reaching out to other organizations. We ask other organizations that would like to get involved to please get in touch with us directly. We need a strong, united front so that the City of Boston understands that the Charlestown community will not accept that children are losing their lives on our streets. And we need your help – please do call and write. Thank you.
Sincerely,
The Charlestown Mothers Association Board