To the Editor:

The 99 Melville Avenue dispute has taken on a life of its own.

In the process our neighbor, Yvonne Ruggles, has endured repeated personal attacks, has been vilified in the media, heckled and shouted down at public meetings, and generally singled out as the villain in this neighborhood saga. None of us has been unaffected; but Yvonne has borne the brunt of extreme incivility, rumor and innuendo. And for what? For caring about her neighborhood and the wider community of Boston.

Contrary to being a divisive influence, she is a well-informed community activist, the personification of a good neighbor. She is a force of nature &endash; intelligent, articulate, and thoughtful, a good listener, and an unbiased advisor, generous, energetic, tireless, funny and fair.

A Melville Park resident for 17 years (homeowner for 14), she served for two years as President of the Melville Park Neighborhood Association, guiding the Association through a myriad of vital issues. Her depth of knowledge and her can-do attitude have affected solutions that have positively impacted the quality of life for all of us.

The case has worked its way through the judicial process for more than four years; and Yvonne has always stayed above the fray, refusing to participate or retaliate despite dirty tricks, and the sometimes astonishingly cruel and vulgar treatment, including death threats. Choosing instead to turn the other cheek, she has demonstrated remarkable inner strength.

Dorchester is changing. In most ways the changes are for the better. Working together, the neighborhood associations have made new subway stations a reality. Better safety standards and traffic calming measures are now in place. Steel back doors and window grates are disappearing. New stores and restaurants are springing up the length of Dorchester Avenue, a sure sign of healthy and positive growth, benefiting all neighborhoods. And still newer neighbors are asked how long they have lived here. How could it possibly matter? We are all neighbors, working to solve common problems. The adversarial old‚ versus new‚ neighbor attitude has been a source of much ugliness and only serves to divide us. It would be nice, if someday, the content of one‚s character would mean more than the number of years one has lived here.

Although we believe having a house torn down would be the worst possible outcome for our neighborhood, the fact that this is a real possibility is not attributable to Yvonne.

Apparently no amount of abuse can dim the bright light that is Yvonne.

We are proud to call her our neighbor, and our friend.

Lee Robinson, Bonney Bouley, Michael Gillick, Gary Riegel, Kim Larkin, Jeffrey Barranco, Charlie Kessler, Peggy Wyse-McLaughlin, Michael McLaughlin, Paul Robinson