REMARKS OF DISTRICT ATTORNEY DANIEL F. CONLEY Renovation of Moreland Street, Roxbury, Drug Den Into Affordable Housing Tuesday, July 9, 2002 Thank you for having me here today. So many people are responsible for this great celebration today, but let me begin by congratulating those people who are going to be here long after the rest of us leave - the homeowners. Yvette and Josetta - congratulations, and thank you. I know we are leaving this home in good hands. Your desire to be part of this community, to put down roots and make this a better place, is to be commended. It is an honor to be here today, and I am proud that my office is part of the Ten Most Wanted Drug Houses Task Force. This effort, this program, this partnership - is all about redemption and the American Dream. This is about reclaiming our city - lot by lot, house by house - from those criminals who once spread poison on our streets. The fact that we are taking houses once used by drug dealers is poetic justice, surely, but it is also practical justice, too - if you sell drugs, we will come after you in every way we can, right up to taking the house you use for your horrible acts. And renovating houses like this one do more than just solving the immediate problem of someone pumping drugs out of one house. Each drug dealer, like a I thrown in a pond, creates ripples that radiate outward and affect everyone in the neighborhood around them. Drug dealing makes the neighborhood look shabby, because dealers do not care what their property looks like. Drug dealers threaten our property values, and what we work so hard for is worth less because of them. Drug dealers breed violence, and attract an element that threatens our safety, and the safety of our children. So when I look at this house, I say - and I know you join me in this sentiment - good riddance to anyone who dares soil our neighborhoods with narcotics. Over these last two weeks, as our city has been struck by tragedy of the worst sort, the killing of true innocents, our children, much has been said in the newspapers and on TV about what we can do to stem the violence. Some people have even questioned the partnerships that have been so successful in the past. But I say to them, if you do not think partnerships work any longer, if you think the Boston Miracle is dead, come to Moreland Street. If you think we do not have the will to confront the new challenges this city is facing, come to Moreland Street. If you question the awesome power of different but dedicated agencies and groups, public officials and private citizens, working together, come to Moreland Street. Come here and see this house, and more importantly, see what it stands for - our resolve not to let the bad guys win. Certainly, the solution to our current challenges requires a balanced approach. When it comes to violence, we need to pursue those inflicting the violence swiftly and surely. We need to be aggressive in identifying and rooting out those who brazenly fire guns on our streets. But at the same time we need to renew and recommit to the partnerships that bring a creative approach to crime prevention and neighborhood renewal. That is exactly what the Ten Most Wanted Drug Houses Task Force is doing - preventing crime, and revitalizing neighborhoods. It is just one part - but an important part - of our continuing work to make Boston a better and safer place to live, work, and raise our families. Everyone has his part to play in making a brighter, safer future. It was like renovating this house. If one central beam, if one load-bearing wall, were to fail, the entire house would collapse. Likewise, if one member of our coalition does not re-commit and re-dedicate itself to this journey that lies ahead, this journey toward peace on our streets, the entire effort will fail. But I can assure you today that this house will not collapse, and our journey, fueled by the passion of all of us who have a stake in this city's future, will bear fruit. United, we will create a better Boston. I commend all of you here today for your leadership through this program. I commend our new homeowners for their willingness to be part of this great happening. And I commend this partnership that embodies the values that make this city, and this country, great, this partnership that sends a clear message: our neighborhoods belong to those of us who live by the law, and we will not tolerate those who do not. Thank you. --END--