As crime rises in Boston, Massachusetts, voters have no one else to blame but themselves. Before her election, Mayor Michelle Wu filled out a 2021 Boston Mayoral candidate questionnaire from the nonprofit Progressive Massachusetts, which clearly defined her radical ideology.
From supporting noncitizen voting to firing employees present at the January 6 protests, Wu’s answers were a progressive’s dream come true.
Wu’s move to paralyze law enforcement in her city advocated for publicizing the disciplinary records of police officers involved in “use of force misconduct.” She went on to add that police shouldn’t have dogs, tear gas, or rubber bullets and said law enforcement should be “demilitarized.” In her responses to the questionnaire, she called for reallocating a portion of the police budget for “other priorities.”
When asked if she supported then-Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins’ “do not prosecute” list, Wu confirmed her agreement that the DA shouldn’t be prosecuting “such low-level offenses.”
Among the crimes Rollins declines to prosecute are larceny, marijuana possession with intent to distribute, breaking and entering with property damage, receiving stolen property, possessing drugs other than marijuana, threats, malicious property destruction, and shoplifting. Rollins later joined the Biden administration before resigning after an ethics probe alleging abuse of power and multiple ethical violations.
Wu also advocates for closing Boston’s gang database. This system played a crucial role in busting a violent gang of more than forty people that had been operating out of a city housing project for years. Wu agrees with critics of the database that young Hispanic and Black males have been inaccurately profiled as members of a gang.
Wu came under the national spotlight in December of 2023 when her office mistakenly sent invitations for a “non-white” Christmas party to her entire mailing list. While her office apologized for sending the invites to people who were not invited, Wu never apologized for holding an “Electeds of Color Holiday Party” in the first place. Ironically, one of Wu’s first actions after her election was establishing offices for worker empowerment, LGBTQ+ advancements, and Black male advancements to ensure a “more equitable city for generations to come.”
According to a report from July 2023, Wu admitted to using what some called “Nixonian tactics” by compiling a list of her most vocal critics and sharing it with local authorities. The report raised concerns about whether Wu is trying to silence her opposition. Wu’s spokesperson, Ricardo Patron, claims that the list was in response to “harassment and physical intimidation” outside her home and at city functions. Patron said that the list was created at the request of the Boston Police Department, but skeptics are unconvinced.
Wu isn’t alone in her desire to reshape Boston into a progressive paradise. An anonymous City Hall employee has said that council member Tania Fernandes Anderson is a “troubled person” who creates an “unhealthy environment” by accusing fellow council members of racism to bend them to her will. Fernandes Anderson has been, according to the anonymous source, antisemitic, verbally abusive, hostile, and intimidating to bring the city council back “in line.”
Fernandes Anderson is known for calling to “create a revolution for equity” and “dismantle the White backdrop” in the country. She has abandoned her City Council role as she attempts to pass resolutions to condemn Israel, including one that would have labeled Hamas’ war crimes as “military operations.”
It’s unsurprising then that this radical progressive advocated for a budget seeking to take $30 million in funding from police and $1 million from veterans.
Even Wu had to admit that Fernandes Anderson and her fellow council members were out of line and vetoed the budget proposal.
Wu’s insane progressive policies reflect Progressive Massachusetts’s goal of transforming Massachusetts into a bold laboratory for progressive state initiatives.” With the next mayoral election set for November 4, 2025, and so-called “low-level offenses” on the rise in the city, time is running out for Boston residents to decide whether or not to keep participating in the experiment.
