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Election roundup: Ross says curbing violence begins with early childhood education; hotel union endorses Walsh

Mike Ross yesterday released a 20-page plan that starts with increased access to pre-school and other educational programs and would include a tax on gun and ammo sales in Boston to help fund more direct anti-violence programs.

Ross says we need a holistic approach to crime prevention that includes giving the teenagers who might otherwise become criminals greater opportunities for both education and jobs. But he'd also build police sub-stations, hire more minority officers, and make community service an option for juvenile offenders rather than straight detention. Some of the money would come from the tax; he'd also lobby the legislature for additional funds. The complete plan is attached below.

David Bernstein reports Local 26, which represents hotel workers, has endorsed Marty Walsh, which might be seen as a blow to Felix Arroyo, a former organizer for the SEIU.

The Globe asked mayoral candidates for their favorite public art in Boston.

Joan Vennochi surveys the candidates on the Suffolk Downs casino proposal.

John Connolly has some supporters in Delhi, India.

Councilor Matt O'Malley (West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain) announces his favorite Muppet.

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Comments

From what I can tell, there are only two gun shops in the city limits. Seems like all he's going to do is put them out of business.

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A tax on gun an ammo sales? Because the people purchasing that stuff legally are really the ones committing all the crime. Doing everything to reduce legal gun ownership only emboldens criminals.

The teenagers killing everyone don't go to school other than to do business and socialize. In fact they are a major factor in ruining the quality of education for the children that do want to learn by often being disruptive or creating an atmosphere of terror. These teenage killers aren't interested in holding a job. All they want to do is live the thug life glamorized in the violent music they love so much.

Police substations don't seem to do much to deter crime. The one at DTX still has incidents occur in front of it on a regular basis and major crimes have frequently occurred fully fledged police stations this year.

Minority officers may help with some trust issues because communities and the police. But in the long run a cop is a cop no matter what color he or she is and any manpower is going to help. Assuming they walk a beat and don't have a lax attitude toward doing their jobs.

Community service an option for juvenile offenders? OH PLEASE! The kids committing the crime don't care about anyone or anything beyond themselves. They already view the law as a joke. Allowing community service as a punishment will accomplish nothing beyond keeping them out and about in the neighborhoods committing crime.

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But in the long run a cop is a cop no matter what color he or she is and any manpower is going to help. Assuming they walk a beat and don't have a lax attitude toward doing their jobs.

Could you cite your data please, that shows that foot patrols decrease crime? My understanding is that this has not been demonstrated at all, and that, in fact, foot patrols are pretty much a waste of money.

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"All they want to do is live the thug life glamorized in the violent music they love so much."

Imagine if people said this about corporate criminals. "Oh they just want to live the life glamorized in movies like Wall Street! Damn you Gordon Gekko!"

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I worked in a building that had a "teen lounge", or a safe place for teens to hang out. They'd be there wandering around, looking for something to do, well into the early evening, not doing any homework. Because they didn't have any. Because their teachers didn't assign it.

Maybe if they were given something productive to do, they wouldn't be meandering about looking for trouble.

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"Police substations don't seem to do much to deter crime. The one at DTX still has incidents occur in front of it on a regular basis"

I don't think there even is a police substation at DTX anymore. That one that was in front of the DTX T Stop entrance across from Macy's has been vacant for years now. There is an Asian gentlemen that sells inexpensive flowers in front of it.

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There are taxes on cigarettes and alcohol which raise prices and discourage consumption. So, what might be the effect of gun and ammo taxes? A. Criminals couldn't afford to shoot (as many) people as before? B. Criminals have to steal more to pay for ammo? C. Everyone couldn't afford to do as much target practice, and be less likely to hit intended targets? D. Responsible gun owners end up burdened paying for more community outreach workers who carry illegal guns.

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Need to put more of the burden onto parents, when kids under 21 get arrested there should be action taken against the parents since they "raised" the kids to be this way.....and the parents should be given English language classes to give them more chances at climbing the economic ladder since you can't get most jobs in the city that pay decent without knowing the English language.

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they "raised" the kids to be this way

Bullshit. Will there be a tax on companies that only pay people poverty wages so that they have to work two jobs to support their families?

Will there be a tax on healthcare organizations that dump mentally ill kids on their families without proper care?

Sorry, but this Bullshit about blaming parents? It went out with fucking Freudian pseudoscience nonsense.

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We all know every single working poor family has gangbanger kids - way to generalize, dipshit. Has it ever occurred to you bleeding heart crowd that at least 90% of the poor, kids included, are working their asses off trying to get out of poverty, but it's the other 10% worthless criminal welfare trash you love to defend so much that's dragging them down? How can anyone get a good education when teachers at an average urban school in a poor neighborhood spend most of their time trying to control one thug that's ruining it for everyone instead of teaching their class? He'll be in school for 16 years, ruin education for hundreds of kids, but the bleeding heart crowd will be patting themselves on the back once he finally graduates, and needless to say anyone who even thinks about expelling him somewhere along the way will be labeled a raging racist and fired on the spot. How can kids grow up to be productive members of society when their mother is constantly popping out little brothers and sisters for a bigger welfare check and father (if present) is selling crack in the street corner? How can we have normal functional families when DCF keeps returning kids to their crack fiend mommy and violent felon/wife-beater daddy? Will there ever be a tax on bleeding heart morons living in their made-up Utopia where it's never the parent's fault?

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What about the ones who do speak English? Why are you assuming they would all need English language lessons? And "kids" reach the age of majority in most states at 18.

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Tax gun shops because that's where criminals get their guns, genius! Also, not a word about the existing crime problem, just the usual Utopian "keep throwing money at it until it goes away" BS. Education is the solution in the grand scheme of things, but not when the neighborhood gangbanger is the role model and teacher is "that dumb cracka b*tch at school." Start fining nonviolent offenders and RICO the crap out of them if they (allegedly) have no money (no money to pay the fine? no problem, we'll take that gold chain, those $350 air jordans, that PS3, that 60" plasma and those 22" rims,) lock up the violent ones for 15 years as the law dictates instead of the usual 6 months, and suddenly you'll start seeing 6 murders a year instead of the usual 60. No drug sales on every corner either, if the fines are set sufficiently high and a small-time drug pusher stands a good chance of losing a year's worth of drug money acquisitions in a single bust.

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In the chess game for the job of mayor Council Ross has made an excellent strategic move seizing the issues of crime and punishment from DA Connolly whose campaign has stalled since the rash of violent attacks on women

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Connolly = former teacher / councillor
Conley = DA

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