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Cops call on jakes to help seize dirt bikes at Mission Main

Firefighters cutting bolts on dirt bikes at Mission Main project

Dirt-bike chains prove no match for a firefighter with a bolt cutter. Photo by BPD.

Boston Police report some residents fed up with dealing with dirt bikes let officers know where they could find seven dirt bikes all ready for collection at the Mission Main project yesterday.

All were not street legal, and all were parked within ten feet of a dwelling, and both are seizable offenses, police say.

Only problem: They were bolted to a fence with a thick cable, police report. Solution: A call to a nearby fire company, which "responded and assisted the officers in cutting the heavy chains off leading to the recovery of seven dirt bikes."

Earlier:
Citizen complaint of the day: Wheelie-popping dirt bikes on I-93.

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Comments

hundreds to go.

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If people realize that the city can take them if they are parked next to buildings and not street legal, maybe more people will "drop a dime"?

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It's illegal to have a dirtbike parked in a private yard? It looks like these bikes are inside the fence, why would they legally have to be registered? I can't go buy a project dirtbike and keep it in my yard until I get it roadworthy? Sounds like profiling, if they didn't witness someone riding it illegally.

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They were within 10 feet of the building, seen clearly in the photo.

It sounds like the police are addressing a serious quality-of-life issue of which they have been receiving many complaints.

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Certainly not improving the quality of life for the owner of the motorbike, who may or may not be a legal owner. I wasn't aware of the 10 foot rule. But if we're asking for these residents to respect the property, but at the same time telling them that it's public property and, therefore, not their home, why should we expect them to care about it like it's their own home?
And let's be honest, these are mostly kids. And maybe their enthusiasm for riding their bikes and learning how to fix them is the only think keeping them OUT of trouble. But that wouldn't fit into your worldview, so it must not be the case.

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If they are just being enthusiastic, they need to move somewhere that they can use their not-street legal bikes without breaking the law. Either that, or they need to start with an old honda that IS street legal.

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These dirt bikes aren't keeping them out of trouble, the dirt bikes ARE the trouble. They can't be ridden on public streets and the neighbors don't want them around which is why they called the cops in the first place.

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Gasoline tanks too close to the building. Wouldn't want a BBQ too close, or on a porch or roof.

There are often bylaws in cities and towns against having unregistered motor vehicles outside in yards. After a Camero in Bondo and primer up on blocks come trailers and plastic pink flamingos out front. Then all the 12-14 year old girls get pregnant. There goes the neighborhood.

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haha. Like I said, I wasn't aware of the 10 foot rule, but the gas thing makes sense. But we both know if this was a white suburb, it would be a simple knock on the door or a letter, and a warning. If there were notices and the bikes were left there, then sure take them.

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And yet your demonstrating in a crystal-clear way that you have never seen these guys in action or live in any neighborhood where they are a constant menace. Not just a noisy, obnoxious, unpredictable pain in the ass, but flat out dangerous--riding on sidewalks, through parks, going the wrong way up and down streets, busting through red lights and swerving in and out of traffic. This seems to be literally the only way to stop this problem without some dangerous high speed chases down Washington St or Columbia Road, so please spare us all your Wellesley comparisons.

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If this happened in a white suburb, they'd have run afoul of the zoning board long since, and they'd be hurting much worse than a run-in with the cops.

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Town of Andover and anything that doesn't have a license plate on it. Or can't be driven on demand of a local cop.

People aren't even allowed to mothball a car for their at-college kids in their own damn garage.

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Isn't Mission Main public housing? I don't think you can consider a yard at a public housing complex to be private.

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so uhhhhhhhhh will these be auctioned off?

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can have a look around their properties. There just might be some unregistered dirt bikes, ATVs, scooters, minibikes, and mopeds located there too!

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Have you ever been a property manager? You get get-by pay and you are waiting for the next bigger, nicer development to open up so you can get away from Mission Main and not have your physical existence threatened.

If you want to grow two I would suggest apply for a position managing a private subsidized property and start spreading your crackdown on those evil doers.

Get back to us from the hospital after your first week.

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Their heat, water, gas, hot water, electricity, and cable TV stopped. We'll get somebody right on that.

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you are a real piece of human shit

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No, really. I'll turn everything back on to the units of the kids who beat me up, just as soon as I'm out of the hospital, all recuperated, and back on the job. Just letting you know how public employees can address these sorts of threats. Actions have consequences.

Or tenants can move out and live elsewhere if they don't like it!

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Due to something illegal.

Right.

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I know right?!? It's like bike lock logic.

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That bike lock "logic" is equally illegal and dumb, yes.

Directly defending oneself against an immediate threat of physical violence is a completely different "logic" and a completely legal act.

Unless you are a free-range masochist and like being attacked and beaten by people who get their jollies that way. May I suggest Craigslist, instead?

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That's you in a nutshell, Markkkkkk. "Actions have consequences"? As if you'd know.

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It is managed by WinnResidential--a private for profit company. Forgetting how naive it is for you to think that you would be able shut off services to particular residents (there is no big cartoony off switch in the management office like in Bugs Bunny), you would get fast tracked to the Attorney General's office with a fair housing complaint (not to mentioned getting your company sued).

Just keep that impotent rage boiling there Snidely Whiplash and tell us how you would handle "those people" from the safe glow of your computer screen.

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Have you been a "manager" of public housing Mr. Costello? Pray tell!

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when they were building it. After the people moved in, well.... I like how the city tries to slap cozy names on these jungles ex: Main St. Pleasant St. etc etc. you get it.

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interesting choice of wording, i'd be interested in an elaboration on what features in particular lead you to choose that word?

dont hold back now.

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We also have the Motorhead on tech babble tenor and Manley McManley Man running the manly baritone.

What ever will the pooches do with such celestial sounds?

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1st--there are no such named streets in that area. 2nd--I parked curb-side in the Mission Main development a couple of weeks ago when I had an appt at a hospital in Longwood nearby. I walked through several of the streets and everything is well kept, no litter, and the few residents I encountered were very pleasant.
3rd--While you may think it is subtle (and thus allowable) in a pre-civil-rights-era way, referring to a neighborhood with a predominantly non-white population as a "jungle" is certainly racist.

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Ms. Wetherbee, you are aware that it isn't 1985, correct?

You are also aware that these units are a mixed income development, and that there are a lot of doctors, nurses, and such living there.

Correct?

If you wanted to rent in this area, it would cost you a pretty penny if you weren't one of the subsidized tenants. You know that ... Right?

Chuckie Stuart wouldn't be believed anymore, either.

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If you really enjoy your racist buzzwords, there are other sites where you would feel more at home.

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Jungle is a common metaphor for a situation that's unruly or lawless. Isn't that exactly what's happening in the area where these dirt bikes have been terrorizing people?

Do you really want this board to be a "Safe Space", from "buzzwords"? Because that's a metaphor for censorship. Just look at the college campuses that have actaully set up such zones to protect students from being exposed to what they term "trigger words".

Wouldn't you rather this board be a "Chicago Principles Space", for the schools that adopt the University of Chicago Statement on Principles of Free Expression to robustly defend free speech no matter how "offensive"?

And who exactly gets to define what's a "buzzword" or "trigger word" anyway? Is there a list?

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Is that a halo above your head, Ms. Oh So Innocent? Context is important, and in this context, it's pretty obvious what the earlier poster was referring to, but if you really have trouble figuring that out, there are probably other sites out there where white people just drop the pretense of being post-racial and stuff and loosen their belts and belch out vast clouds of racist nonsense.

As for who decides what the trigger words on this site are? That would be me. No, no list I can refer you to - folks would be clever enough to try some synonym and then when I called them on it would go "Aha, you moron, that word's not on the list!" and I'd add it to the list and before you know it I'd effectively have prohibited all words. So no. It's probably just simpler to either stop being racist or, again, find a site where you'd be happier being one.

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The new satan is friendly and tries to appear reasonable like Cholly Baker. It's the one Goethe would recognize.

Reading these goons is hilarious as they twist themselves into knots trying to sound reasonable about bigotry.

As an experienced white person I've heard every variation as these uncouth dolts feel comfortable enough to 'let their hair down' around me.

The resident Uhub Bigot posse is particularly funny. It's as if they want to go out and yell "N_,_ _ _ _ R!" at the top of their little lungs on some night with a good full moon.

And the need to be restrained is near to giving them a stroke.

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Wow, you really can't take constructive criticism. Reading your comment about "buzzwords" resonated a lot with what I've read about the current debate over free speech on college campuses, and I shared my perspective.

But it's your blog and you make the rules. So be it. But the comments here are going to get really stilted and boring if you only allow one point of view (and vocabulary). And that will be too bad.

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It's a funny public/private gray area. But I always treat it as someone else's home and their right to decide the decorum level.

This place has a bunch of bigots regularly holding court from blatant to subtle, but all are reliably loathsome. As an idealized concept, sure. It's lovely to imagine a world where people can just be assholes without recourse.

But as a practical matter, your aspirations for this faux freedom to be a dick amount to more noise cluttering up the signal.

It looks good on paper but falls flat in practice.

Why don't you take this crusade to public situations out there on the streets, at the workplace or other such places where strangers gather? I'm sure you'll be a big hit and can savor attaining the courage wanted by your conceptual convictions.

Those of us who want a less toxic social contract can laugh and point at yet another uncouth slobber blast.

And those who would take offense have a fair chance to get up close and personal in the imaginary debate about speech freedoms that are barely worth having.

Also too, this is Boston, not Chicago.

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Out of idle curiosity, I looked at a current map and looked up the street names in and around Mission Main to what appeared in the 1976 Boston Street Name book. The results?

Parker Street
St. Alphonsus Street
Cornelia Court
Tobin Court
Ward Street
McGreevey Way
Horadan Way
Smith Street
Huban Court- all existed!

The post rehab street, therefore the only new street name- Turquoise Way.

Thanks for playing. To quote Steve Carrell from the Daily Show- how is the view up your own ass?

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I live right next to this area and it is unbelievable how horrible some of the residents are. These bikes are INCREDIBLY LOUD always driven down one way streets back and forth. THEY ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE, just rollin' around the area destroying my ability to enjoy peace and quiet. At least its never part of the same crew pissing on the street banging music and intimidating any college aged or "non local" looking person from parking there, oh wait….it is. SPACE SAVERS 365 DAYS A YEAR. NEVER a meter maid in sight when Back bay is patrolled like the US/Mexico border. I was SOOOOO happy to see this because I don't deserve to work hard to be able to live around here and have it constantly impeded upon by the most inconsiderate people in the immediate area. Horidan Way (Horrible way) has shootings, stabbings, drugs hookers, an illegal car wash you name it and has been the hub for deplorable activity for years. I welcome anyone to try to justify this behavior as staying out of trouble. What a pathetic excuse and cover for people making a conscious choice to destroy an area.

THANK YOU BPD AND BFD!!!!!!!!

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If the Back Bay is patrolled like the US/Mexico border then that'd mean nobody ever gets a parking ticket.

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From December:

Taken together, total apprehensions of Mexican and non-Mexican unauthorized immigrants (more than 486,000) were up 16% over the previous year.

Yes, those are apprehensions at the border, not in your Fox News personalities' household staffs.

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"Can't park within 10' of a building" is like getting Capone for tax evasion.

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Yeah...I think it's awful the way people have been terrorizing neighborhoods with dirt bikes, and I think the police need to deal with this problem. But I don't think the police should use unfair tactics.

Why is it illegal to park a non-street-legal vehicle somewhere off the street? Where are you supposed to keep your ATV that you use at an off-road track?

Who knew it was illegal to keep something like this within 10 feet of a building? Does this also apply to cars? There are thousands of parking spaces right against building walls in Boston.

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What is awful about it?
The bikes are a menace and are illegal , good riddance.

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