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Home , Granite Railway, Morton Street, Neponset River, Quincy Shore Drive, Truman Parkway

MATTAPAN

THE POWER OF COMMUNITY By Borja Santos Porras Neponset Greenway Mattapan is a predominantly residential neighborhood in the south of The Greenway on the and Milton shore of the Boston. The Native American Mattahunt Tribe inhabited Mattapan in the River is a miles-long, multi-use trail that connects a series of parks and early 1600s, and the name they gave it seems to mean “a good place to provides an exciting opportunity to appreciate the outdoors in an sit”. Although some statistics and past stories have stigmatized its otherwise urban area. It was opened in 2001, however, one “missing reputation, many neighbors and associations fight on daily basis to build link” has been uncompleted for more than a decade. It was only in 2015 a better district, encouraging everyone to come and visit any time. The scale model of the that the work started for the 1.3-mile section between Central Avenue in greenway shows how Milton and Mattapan Square, which included a pedestrian bridge where Mattapan has a population of 36,480 with a very ethnically and culturally the construction is the trail would cross the river from Milton to Mattapan. diverse black/African American community (74%). Out of the foreign bordering the river in population 48% of the foreign-born population are from Haiti, 24% from its pass through For many citizens of Mattapan, this project symbolizes the abandonment Jamaica, 14% from the Dominican Republic, 8% from Vietnam and 6% Mattapan without that Mattapan experiences. “It is difficult to explain why this stretch from Trinidad and Tobago. The richness of that diversity is sometimes passing through the languished in the planning stage for so many years,” claim some of the clouded by the risks of segregation, in contradiction with Boston´s neighborhood. neighbours when they are asked the reasons for the delay. Although lack values of inclusiveness and integration. This is because migration and of funding or weather conditions have been used as arguments for this certain ethnicities are associated with lower economic status. More The map of the delay, the oblivion of the neighborhood and the controversy involved to than half of Mattapan households are low-income, and one in four are David regularly uses greenway shows the connect a segregated area like Mattapan stigmatized by crime or racial below the poverty line. the part of the missing link sixteen issues have been on the negotiation table. Even the final construction of greenway built out years after the project the greenway will just border the neighborhood by the river. The That lack of opportunities has turned the neighborhood into an older outside of Mattapan: opened. greenway is ready to be inaugurated soon after 16 years of being a community (it has a larger percentage of elderly residents than the city of “It is a great way to go “missing link.” Boston). The number of children in Mattapan has fallen (from 5250 from my house in Jamaica JamaicawayPond Park Parkman Memorial Brookside Community Garden Pattens Cove Elm Hill Park Larz Anderson Cr Hellenic Association Cr Starr Lane Park Granada Park Community Garden children in 2000 to 3679 in 2014) and is expected to continue to do so. Mattapan to the school Mt. Calvary Holy Church Garden Vietnam War Memorial Thompson Island Larz Anderson Park Flaherty Plgd QU Downer Ave Plgd SAVIN HILL Fox Point Boat Dock and Landing The Country Club Brewer/burroughs Tot Lot NEWSTEAD MONTEGRADE IN Umass Boston Quincy/stanleyCY Play Area Y FernaldST Terrace Rock Savin Hill Park R A GREEN STREET E W King School Park E Kane Sq. Deer St. Park in the other T N Additionally, public safety is a major concern for residents and a large Ceylon Park PIA S AM Savin Hill Yacht Club E GR A A R Soldiers Monument V E Childrens Park B E U O S R N R O S Coppens Square McConnell Park T E Brunswick-king Play Area W U Dorchester Bay R V D SouthT St Mall DepartmentA of Conservation and Recreation E A Allen Park neighbourhood”. A factor in considering where to do business and where to live. H E Y T L O L R Newton St Parcel S I A Malibu T I Savin Hill Murphy Plgd English High Fields H B Log School Community Garden R BOSTON E M Beach E U Beach E U L WASHINGTON STREET PIERPOINT ROAD O Norton St. Park Neponset RiverT Greenway L C

B Dorchester to QUINCY Public Ground Yacht Club Zoo to DCR Dorchester Shore to Islands E IV MOUNT IDA National Recreation Area DR Beades Bridge Reservation NS MOUNT BOWDOIN Area of Critical Environmental Concern*RA Public parking Multi-use path TE E V Nickerson Beach/chappel Rock Southwest R Walnut Hills Cemetery Carry-in boat launch Path in design ARBORWAY Salt marsh A Rainbow Corridor W H GENEVA AVENUE Swash S Franklin Park ARBORWAY I W Path on road DCR owned or managed W A Byrne 14 Public boat ramp E S J H Commercial IN Playground

M G M T Point

OO Neponset Parkways Other major FORESTpath HILLS Other parkland O N RR

S R R River Point T CENTRE STREET II Allandale Woods Iii Cr R SS mouth Park E SS E 13 *Areas of Critical Environmental Concern are managed by DCR for their significant natural and cultural resources. Learn more EE T at www.mass.gov/dcr/stewardship/acec.Arnold NOTE: this is not a survey plan; locations are not authoritative. dn2011-07, rev. 2014-09. YY Victory Brandegee Estate Cr B Arboretum FOREST O Road U L Park Squantum HILLS DORCHESTER D E A V Naval Air Station T O A EE R A R R ½ Mile ST Y R ARD R Historic Site HARV O DD VIC T McMorrow Allandale Woods I Playground Forest Hill Riverwalk HYDE PARK AVENUE Tenean Cemetery T N Beach E

E E P DORCHESTER SHAWMUT O R TALBOT AVENUE N SquantumT Marshes S S Port CENTER E Billing

M A T Norfolk D A U Marsh T A V M E N N A S U U S E T Q AY R S W E T WASHINGTON STREET ROSLINDALE H G E S CENTRE STREET HI ON T A GI Billings E LE Boston BLUE HILL AVENUE AN D C Nature Creek V I ASHMONT STREET L ER Garvey M Center B Myles Standish School A Playground A E H S DRIVE RR RE R O NEPONSET Bridge E SH D CY NUE N BELGRADE AVE IN A U HYDE PARK AVENUE Neponset Ave Q M M 12 Bridge M O O R T C T E Toohig T ON E E ST R Park E REE ST ASHMONT R T K to T OL S RF D NO to R The A G Hallet Street Quincy Shore V Mt Hope R W R Riverside A A A Brook Reservation H L N NORTH QUINCY Cemetery K I Martin MOUNT HOPE H T I E L Playground DORCHESTER AVENUE Riverwalk L A West Roxbury N S V E T GALLIVAN BOULEVARD E T Davenport W R N Neponset 3A E E E U P E CEDAR GROVE Park Creek O T MORTON STREET R E R T Pope T S Cedar Grove BLUE HILL AVENUE A S John Paul Cemetery Sagamore V M II E A N Creek U D Park E A E Atlantic Jr High Granite Ave X Skate Quarry Pg First water-powered mill in America T Bridge E NORTH N QUINCY Dorchester Riverwalk SI Cavanaugh Field B O A Baker Chocolate Factory Park N B CLARENDON HILLS S First chocolate company in America O NORTH QUINCYFrancis Parker School N

S LOWER MILLS 11 3A T Ware Mill R

E Public Deck

E

28 T Lower Overlook Adams St Bridge Park Mills BUTLER Gulliver's Landing HANCOCK STREET Lower Mills Dam T Mass Fields Pg WASHINGTON STREET MATTAPAN Gorge E E TREET Central Ave Bridge R CU IVER S RR Bridge National Historic Site T N MM R S E INS M W HIG Ryan First commercial railway U P HWA T O Y MILTON Ventura in America N Park A R U T CENTRAL AVENUE Park Q MONTCLAIR A S V Rice Islands ST E Bicycle Path Access WE N Gulliver's Creek U E VALLEY ROAD MILTON VILLAGE Town Neponset Neponset River Estuary Landing Marshes Aea of MATTAPAN CAPEN STREET WOLLASTON Wright W Mattapan Square Bridge Critical Environmental Concern O Golf O GRANITE AVENUE D City Natives Garden Center E Hutchinson's Field N Course A Forbes N V E Kennedy Playground Suffolk Resolves Pierce K E Neponset Espalande Park Woods IN N Historic Marker Reservation G U E P A MILTON E Model for the R

U QUINCY K UPPER MILLS Declaration W N

E A of Independence WollastonStafford School Park V Y A First paper mill in America MILTON K T R B 93 EE A to DCR R R T&H Dam O T P Playground S Blue Hills OK LE E R EA D O 1 B Reservation A TURNER'S Y D H POND BROOK ROAD Pine Tree Brook EAST MILTON 10 AD HYDE PARK RO OK BRO Stoney Brae Playground AD AM R S S BLUE HILL AVENUE E TR E EE Y D T A S Furnace Brook Golf Club D

W Stony Brook A BLUE HILLSPARKWAY K BLUE HILLSPARKWAY L Reservation E R A R O Y P A A W HYDE PARK 28 RANDOLPH AVENUE M D K R A Unquity Brook A H FA IR M OUNT P D TRUMAN HIGHWAY 9 K E O D First industrial Mother RO WEST QUINCY E B in America Brook AC ADAMS STREET RN Confluence Fairmount Ave Bridge MILTON FU Hyde Park Ave Bridge CENTER CANTON AVENUE Whitwell St Pk Pg FAIRMOUNT Blake WILLARD STREET Reservation Dana Ave Bridge Rd Park Estates

Kelley B St Footbridge POPE'S Playground POND Glenwood Ave Footbridge -40 feet deep- North Commons Mill Mill Pond Neponset River Basin Fairview Cemetery Pond BLUE HILLS Dam - 120 square miles - Smith & Quarry St Pg Knight St BOSTON map Quincy C Trout Brook OP Stone Mill Bridge Footbridge 138 EL Moynihan area QuarriesDorchester AN Bay D Play MILTON ST IN RE Mother T E Colella Center E T R Playground Brook S T Shea Park A Reservation T Martini E 9 3

Memorial UNQUITYROAD Shell UNQUITYROAD READVILLE Dedham Rail-trailWEST MILTON STREET Granite Links Sterling Jr High School Golf Course - 635 feet - to DCR Balaster Brook Stony Brook Truman Parkway Bridge Reservation READVILLE Paul's Bridge Fowl Meadow

and Bog RUSSELL T

E

Area of POND E

R Critical Environmental Concern T T S E Neponset River D E R to DCR R A T N S L E E Fowl Meadow - 29 miles long - L U P I O CAMP G W A N R S SAYRE P E S T Town Forest I - 265 feet - N V T A E L L Blue Hills Reservation R E S Capen School Y T

3 P A A 9 R T

K E Neponset ValleyWA Parkway E Y T 9 B A 3 W U T TA T R A O S CK A D Quincy Cemetery 3 HI R C E

T

N Eustis-jeffries Conservation Land I

Neponset River Reservation Chestnut Run Realty Trust Advocating for better infrastructure Vivien is the chairperson of the Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition: "Although I have been working as a nutrition example of the delay that Mattapan suffers in the infrastructure consultant, my real passion has been helping the community to and attention needed to enable good access and better be organized. I’ve lived with my family in Mattapan for 25 The image on the right is services. We are eager to inaugurate it, as it represents another years”. Through her work, she helps local residents and part of the visual opportunity for the community to connect the rest of the city by community organizations transform the food and fitness construction made by the bike and walk to the beauty of Mattapan, through its community environment of Mattapan into a haven of good health, active initial projections of the gardens, parks and green spaces. This also encourages our living and healthy affordable food. One of her longest battles project. The image on the community to have another possible way to work, either walking has been the Neponset River greenway, "It has been a very long left shows the current or biking, and it provides a safe and beautiful space for walkers time until the greenway project has arrived to Mattapan. It is an status. and bikers." A community garden, a way of healing Coalition, supported the community efforts to build this garden. Woolson Street was marked in 2010 by an incident in which four “Many people do not like this stigma, as they believe that people, including a toddler, were dragged outside and shot. Mattapan is much safer that people think. They are organizing Woolson Street thus came to symbolize urban violence in themselves and showing the peace and sense of community Mattapan. A dozen other shootings have occurred there over that Mattapan has. the past 20 years. However, this violence does not fit the sense of community of this five-block street, which has many long- term residents who felt traumatized by these tragic crimes. Robyn Gibson is the coordinator of the community garden at 44 Woolson street. “Before, this was a vacant lot, but the Organizing for a healthier environment community decided to build a community garden as a natural Miss Maggie is 72 years old, but she has an incredible energy. way to strengthen the bond in the community. It can act as a She has been fighting for years to improve the area of her way of healing”. The Woolson Street Community Garden has community. She sits on a rock next to her house and explains: already been completed. It has ten individual plots where “this lot was full abandoned for years. The trees and the bush residents, many from Haiti and the West Indies, can grow their that were here were hiding needles, weapons and many other own food and speak with the community”. things. It was attracting negative energy and crime. We had to ask politicians for 10 years to clean the area. Finally, we got The overall crime rate in Mattapan is 44% higher than the heard, and the lot was cleaned. Now, we water the future plants national average, and many people feel that a strong stigma has and take care of this small area, which symbolizes the victory of become attached to Mattapan, called Murderpan several years a community who wants to have a healthy environment”. ago. Vivien Morris, chairperson of Mattapan Food and Fitness Better opportunities for youth Arthur Kitty “Born” is 38 years old and works as a community organizer with residents and business through the Mattapan community health center, in order to address violence through community mobilization. He was born in Mattapan, so he is not a stranger to the problems that the community and himself have experienced with crime. “When young people have access to better resources, they keep safe and steer away from negative and unsafe behaviors. My work consists in connecting people and resources in the neighborhood. I need to build relationships and empower the inviduals in the community. I am like the unofficial major of Mattapan”, says Arthur. We walk with him for some minutes, and we understand it quickly. Numerous people greet him and start discussing the needs of the community with him.

His work also helps the community in many different ways, “Mattapan is very spread out, so some people finish working in silos. I try to connect them. With the new Trump era, people do not trust the government and feel themselves in an emergency, especially a large undocumented population. We try to create platforms where people feel safe and where their voice is heard”. When I ask him where he would like to have his picture, he says without hesitation “I want it in the library. This place was a desert for young people. At least, since few years, people can come here and read, listen to music or watch a movie. They have free access to knowledge” Supporting a better image for Mattapan Traditional places Fe works as a receptionist for a law business in Blue Hill Brothers is one of the few restaurants in Mattapan where you Avenue, the commercial heart of Mattapan. She complains can sit and eat. His long tradition and history still remains on his about the presence of the liquor stores in the center of the walls. For many people in the community, this place forms part neighborhood, which attracts many people to drink and smoke. of the character and personality of the neighborhood. "I need to clean the street often because of the people drinking around. This does not give a good image of Mattapan and disturbs our business," she said. Based on figures provided by StreetSafe Boston, eighty percent of the high-impact crimes happen in about one-and-a-half square miles of the city, the Blue Hill Avenue spine.

Transportation Boston is considered one of the best cities for public transit in the US, after only San Francisco and New York. That is very good for those with low incomes, because cars are not usually an option for them. However, Mattapan has been an outlier in these statistics. For example, in many parts of Boston, residents have the quick option of walking to stations with fast-moving trains. In Mattapan, the only mass-transit options are a slow trolley connecting to Ashmont Station and glacial-paced buses. "It is not quick," is what many travellers say, resigned to the inordinate time spent in their travels to Boston or other areas and the lack of easy access to the rest of the city.

Many community organizations have been pushing to increase the amount of options available. Dave Dave is a barber and Victor entrepreneur. His portrait Victor is 42 years old and was part of the campaign has been working in this “Our Mattapan. Many small pizza restaurant for pasts. One future.”, that many years. He has been sought to speak about serving their good pizzas victims and perpetrators of to the neighborhood violence, launched in community for decades. 2013. From his opinion, “It This place has been a was useful at that time, but sanctuary for many people after 4 years Mattapan is who like4 sports in changing. Mattapan.