The Youth Summer Jobs Fair at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury was broken up due to massive crowding and reports of violent incidents, Boston Police stated — leading some to critique a lack of security and insufficient planning at the annual event.
“Regrettably, the event was marred by overcrowding and insufficient security measures,” City Councilor Erin Murphy, who attended the event, wrote in a statement. “Notably, there was an absence of Boston Police details, leaving the venue’s security personnel overwhelmed when altercations erupted.”
FutureBOS Youth Jobs and Resource Fair was scheduled to take place at the Reggie Lewis Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, allowing youth from 14 to 24 years old to connect with over 100 summer employers and job resources.
Over 10,000 young people participated in the city’s summer job program last year, and the fair maxed out available early registration ahead of the event, though city staff encouraged unregistered students to still come.
Boston Police said they received a call about a disturbance at the Reggie Lewis Center around 1 p.m. Saturday. Murphy noted an off-duty officer contacted the police.
Responding cops “observed about 1,500 youths inside and leaving the Lewis Center” upon arrival, a Boston Police incident report stated.
“A decision was made to close the event down,” Boston Police said. “An announcement was made by the Lewis Center staff that the event was cancelled, and the Lewis Center was to be cleared.”
A “large fight” broke out at the Malcolm X Blvd. exit, BPD said, and officers requested city-wide Emergency Deployment Teams to help clear the scene.
“I witnessed large groups of youths congregating without clear direction, leading to multiple fights that posed significant safety risks,” said Murphy, calling for “comprehensive security measures into all large public gatherings.”
The crowd eventually left the area peacefully, police said, and the scene was emptied by 1:40 p.m. Boston Police reported no arrests, no injuries and no property damage in the area.
A spokesperson for the City noted “record turnout at its annual youth jobs fair.”
“We’re grateful to all the employers and families who participated in the fair and thankful to our community partners and first responders for their presence and immediate response to ensure that everyone was safe,” the City spokesperson said. “BPS support services will be following up with the students and school communities involved.”
The Mayor’s office did not state whether the event will be rescheduled.
Meanwhile, the Josh Kraft campaign issued a statement calling the event a “abject failure” and noted Mayor Michelle Wu did not attend the fair.
“I am calling upon the Mayor to schedule another job fair, show up for the event, ensure it is properly staffed, and make sure our youth can safely sign up for summer jobs,” said Kraft. “Mayor Wu has once again proven to be a poor leader whose primary objective is to get a good headline without the accountability. And Boston can’t be the safest city in America if your teenager can’t show up at a job fair without fear of being hurt.”
“To get connected with summer job opportunities, we encourage Boston families to sign up at www.boston.gov/futureBOS,” the City spokesperson said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
