A group of Boston faith leaders has publicly called out Mayor Michelle Wu in light of the recent gun deaths in the city. The Boston clergy urged the mayor to offer solutions to the gun violence problem, saying she “can’t ignore the Black community.”

Call for Action, Solutions

Boston25 News reported that Rev. Eugene Rivers expressed frustration over the city’s handling of gun violence incidents.

“When this happens, you see the mayor. We’re asking, Mayor Wu: You have to be the leader for all of the city. You can’t ignore the black community,” Boston25 News quoted Reverend Rivers saying.

Rivers, who co-founded the National Ten Point Coalition in 1992, added that Mayor Wu’s actions regarding the gun deaths pale compared to her predecessors. The religious leader argued that Wu should ‘meet with Black mothers in the violent schools and assure them that she is in control of the situation.’

The local clergy made the plea a few hours following the shooting of two males in the Dorchester area on Tuesday evening.

To date, Boston has recorded seven shooting deaths since the start of 2023, now twice the number of deaths during the same period in 2022. The report added that Reverend Rivers spoke at the weekly Violence Reduction task Force held at the Charles Street AME Church in Roxbury.

Pastor Gregory Groover of Charles Street AME Church told the participants that Boston’s clergy is open to working with the mayor to solve the city’s gun violence concerns.

Meanwhile, Mayor Wu’s office said in a statement about her administration’s resolve to use Boston’s resources in addressing the situation.

“There is no greater priority for our City than ensuring people feel safe and welcome in their communities…This work requires a coordinated approach and we will continue to dedicate the full weight of all city departments across all neighborhoods to keep our residents safe,” Wu’s statement reads.

Recent Gun Deaths in Boston

Boston25 News noted in a separate report that one of the victims died on the spot, police said. The report also noted that Tuesday’s shooting death was already the third in the city since Saturday of the previous week.

The same report said a 32-year-old woman named Diva Ayuso was gunned down on Saturday evening at Fermor Heights Avenue. Two hours after her shooting, local police responded to another shooting incident at Tremont Street in Roxbury.

Police said one male victim died on the spot, while the other male was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening gunshot injuries.

About Rev. Eugene Rivers

Reverend Rivers co-founded the National Ten Point Coalition with Jeffrey Brown in Boston.

According to his profile, Rivers was a former gang member who turned his life around and answered his calling to become a religious leader. Rivers leads the Azusa Christian Community located in the Boston suburb of Dorchester. 

The reverend actively advocates fighting youth violence, for which he has gained national acclaim. The profile says Rivers has over three decades of experience collaborating with local communities and the federal government in addressing foreign policy and domestic concerns.

Reverend Rivers lives in Dorchester with his wife, Jacqueline, and their three children.

More from Crossmap: Boston’s Trinity Church welcomes demonstrators after Sunday’s ‘Boston Ukraine Day’ in Copley Square