Boston Blotter: Here We Go Again

In terms of the Boston Blotter, this looked to be a somewhat quiet weekend. The most likely crime would be public drunkenness during the big Pats-Chargers game.

But another teen - a 13-year-old boy named Luis Gerena - was gunned down on Friday night. He got shot, managed to make it to the Jackson Square MBTA station, and collapsed. He died later.

Commissioner Davis issued a statement including this line: "The prevalence of firearms combined with the unabated willingness to use them is a troubling cultural trend that poses a threat to the fabric of our community." Let's translaste the Commish-Speak. Guns are on the street, people are using them, and more people might die.

Gerena's murder is savage. WCVB reported that someone shot Gerena seven times. Whoever killed him wasn't just sending a threat - that person wanted Gerena dead. This is the kind of murder that should prompt way more than statements. It should prompt the mayor to accelerate his plan to get more officers on the street. This one - and the other murders of children before him - calls for a regular dragnet.

However, in a Herald editorial, Peter Gelznis is underwhelmed by Mayor Menino's plan. An officer said to Gelznis, "We don’t need 190 more cops. What we need is about 300 or 400 more. Things have been jumping out here."

The mayor's plan is a step in the right direction, but either the city isn't moving fast enough, or they need more muscle. Killing a kid is a heinous crime, but whoever shot Luis Gerena so publicly (imagine seeing a bleeding child running around your MBTA stop) obviously didn't think anyone would stop him or squeal on him.

This isn't the best way to start the new year, is it? The deaths of these teenagers (three in the past few weeks) should be the city's top priority - and their deaths should definitely be a higher priority than the city's podcast, the web column, and the PR blitz that is the Boston Communicator. It's all well and good for the mayor and the city hall employees to pat themselves on the back - but they should pat themselves on the back after they get the guns and stop the killings.

Image of Dragnet soundtrack album cover from Amazon.com.