Race relations still a thorny issue for Hub

Five decades after the Civil Rights era, tensions around race continue to dominate city and state politics as well as the public discourse.

Over the past year, racial tensions have repeatedly boiled over in the city, prompting controversy while influencing politics and social policy:

• Former U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz launched a civil rights probe into the city’s most prestigious school, Boston Latin, which concluded in some instances the school failed to properly investigate student complaints and that there was a pattern of racial harassment at the elite campus.

• Boston police have managed to defuse tensions over shootings by officers with strong community outreach, but still faced push-back from minority communities on a wide range of issues.

• A six-month pilot to launch a body-camera program ended up in court after the city’s plan to get 100 officers to volunteer for it was met with resistance, and no cops stepped up. Community advocates — primarily in minority neighborhoods — have supported the program as a tool meant to increase police accountability and trust among the public.

• After considerable backlash, Boston police decided not to move forward on any bids on a controversial $1.4 million software program meant to monitor social media use for criminal activity. Detractors worried about impinging on privacy rights and the possible targeting of minorities. The program is still under consideration.

• Boston police also came under fire for not hiring enough minority officers through the state’s Civil Service exam in one of its classes while promoting lower-ranking applicants.

• There has been ongoing concern about the overall performance of the city’s schools and how to close the achievement gap between minority and white students.

• This month, City Councilor Tito Jackson jumped into the 2017 mayoral race, accusing Mayor Martin J. Walsh of prioritizing high-end downtown development to the detriment of minority neighborhoods.