Mayor, council eye safety plan for garages
Signs or barriers to stop people from killing themselves would be a welcome addition to Boston garages, pols say — but more important is a focus on improving mental health services.
“We can put fences up and things like that and try and prevent spots like that, but it’s not just about that,” Mayor Martin Walsh said. “People have unfortunately committed suicide so many different ways, the bigger question is how do we let people know that their life is worthy.”
Three Boston cops talked a man down from attempting to leap to his death from a Brighton garage on Friday, bringing the spotlight back to garage suicides and renewing calls for action. That comes after five recent deaths at a Northeastern garage, including a murder-suicide carried out by a woman on her small children on Christmas Day, and last spring a college student whose girlfriend has been charged with goading him into leaping to his death.
Advocates say that impediments that make it hard for people to kill themselves can result in people giving it a second thought — and then choosing life.
City Council President Kim Janey noted that bridges have guardrails and signs — so it’s not a big stretch to think garages should, too, she said, adding, “Anything that’s going to make us safer — go for it.”
At-large Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George, who’s chaired the committee focusing on mental health, said that the guardrails are “certainly something to look at” but shouldn’t be the focus.
“The bigger issue and the deeper issue is to have better mental health services,” Essaibi-George said.
At-large City Councilor Michelle Wu said, “In cases of attempted suicide, we know the healt -care community, the survivor community and advocates are very clear that every little action helps — every additional moment of potential support helps. If this deters or even saves any lives, it’s worth it.”
At-large Councilor Michael Flaherty said, “Installing safety rails and making improvements to the safety of our municipal garages is something that will benefit all users of the garage.”
Flaherty added, “It’s critically important that while we may be able to make our built environment safer, that our focus remains on providing mental health resources to those who need it in a coordinated and timely manner.”
At-large Councilor Julia Mejia said, “We can’t just put Band-Aids on bullet wounds. The guardrails are definitely important but we should also pour resources and invest in mental health/ trauma services.”