To the Editor:
As a lifelong Boston resident, a community organizer, and executive director of By Believe Inspire Repeat Tree House (BBIRTH), I’ve spent my life fighting for equity, safety, and opportunity in neighborhoods that are too often neglected. Today, I’m running for Boston City Council District 4 from my home in Dorchester because our community deserves leadership that doesn’t just show up for ribbon cuttings—but for the hard conversations, the tough votes, and the people who feel unheard.
District 4 is in crisis. We are watching vital institutions close—Carney Hospital, Walgreens pharmacies—without real transparency or response. We are experiencing displacement from unaffordable housing developments pushed through without community input. Our schools are struggling, our streets are unsafe, and our voices continue to be ignored.
Take Hopkins Street. Residents have spent years asking for the return of the Residential Parking Permit Program. They are overwhelmed by overflow parking, have filed countless 311s, and received no meaningful updates. In 2018, ROC Assurance #7 promised residential parking protections—yet nothing has been delivered. Why are commitments made to our neighborhoods so easily dismissed?
The Norfolk Street Bridge is another painful example. Since 2019, we’ve called for basic safety improvements—lighting, ADA access, repairs, trash removal. Two shootings, one fatal, have happened near the bridge. Still, our concerns go unanswered. These are not cosmetic upgrades—they’re life-saving ones.
Meanwhile, we’re told to be patient. But I say: Enough. District 4 deserves better than part-time leadership for full-time problems.
From 2016 to 2018, I served as a liaison to then-Council President Andrea Campbell. I met with over 20 neighborhood associations monthly, helping residents shape housing projects and access city services. I’ve led community organizations born from tragedy, like Redefining Our Community, formed after the innocent murder of my best friend, Steven P. Odom in 2007 when we were just 13.
I’m not running against one person. I’m running for every resident tired of being ignored. For rent control with teeth. For safer streets and stronger schools. For leaders who listen, follow through, and never forget who they serve.
Dr. King had a Dream, and Malcolm X was relentless. I am both.
Let’s build bridges—not barriers—and move District 4 forward. I humbly ask for your support on September 9.
