Boston Mayor Lights Up a Tree in Mattapan, First Stop in Trolley Tour

An elf rode his unicycle down Cumming Highway, drawing a trail of followers into Mattapan square. Curious bystanders gathered near a fat pine tree, laced with Christmas lights yet unlit, asking what happened, why so many police lights flashed along this commercial hub at the southernmost tip of Boston.

“We’re here to support the Mayor,” said State Rep. Russell Holmes, one of several politicians who came out to share in the spectacle. "I came out here because my community is out here."

This was the first stop of Mayor Marty Walsh’s Enchanted Trolley Tour. On Thursday, November 30th, the mayor lit up the big tree on the Common, a gift from Nova Scotia. Starting Friday, December 1st, he spent the weekend traveling all over Boston in this festive trolley parade.

He started in Mattapan, and stopped in neighborhoods all over Boston from Readville to Charlestown, lighting up trees and bringing holiday cheer. The shop windows along Blue Hill Avenue shone bright and inviting. A few small groups of curious teenagers, drinking slurpees, looking (perhaps) enchanted, congregated on distant corners, watching the police direct traffic around the recently erected tree.

Winston Pierre greets Mattapan Residents. Photo by Kervin Germain

“The mayor is coming!” Liaisons from the city said, and handed out beef patties, popcorn and other treats to a gathering crowd.

Marjorie Saintil-Belizaire leaned against a post in front of Brothers Deli and Restaurant, a beloved local eatery featuring an $8 plate of ribs or Caribbean style chicken curry with a few sides (mac and cheese, sweet potatoes, string beans . . .) and a big piece of cornbread for dinner. She found out about the trolley tour through a neighborhood bulletin posted by Mattapan United.

“I grew up here, and I show up for any kind of arts or cultural thing that happens here,” Belizaire, a Boston artist in residence and member of the Mattapan Arts Council, said. “You staying for the performance?”

After the tree lighting, the Mattapan Arts Council staged a performance and open mic for Mattapan residents. Poetry, songs, dancing and a drum circle brought delight and sparked fresh connections until well after traffic died down.

At 5:30pm Friday night, The Mayor’s trolley approached through a sea of traffic. pulled up to Lights flashed up and down Blue Hill Ave, as police and city officials prepared for the Mayor’s arrival.

Boston Police Commissioner William B. Evans greets residents as the mayor arrives. Photo by Kervin Germain

Some say Mattapan means “a good place to sit.” Others say the name derives from Mattapanock, which means “evil spread about this place.” Boston Police sometimes call it Murderpan. It’s one of the most maligned places to live in Boston.

Over the past few years, as Boston housing prices began to soar, this neighborhood became a target for renewal. Residents who meet regularly to discuss potential developments, connecting through Mattapan United, mymattapan.com, are wary of the changes that might come through gentrification. Mattapan has a history of turmoil and dispossession that stretches back to early 17th century contact between European immigrants and the Neponsett tribe who lived there.

More than one resident who refinanced a home in the early aughts and found they could not afford their mortgage after the economic collapse later in 2008. Developers have been quietly buying up those foreclosed houses for a decade. You see signs all over the area “cash for houses,” and development plans are underway.

Those that were able to cling to their homes following the subprime mortgage collapse know they have equity. But in this depressed, semi-suburban district of the city where many of the old triple decker houses are deteriorating, where many residents rely on public transportation, where many long time residents are renters vulnerable to displacement through rising rents, it’s hard to anticipate what gentrification will mean here.

All of this hangs in the back of the minds of several of the families out on the street now, watching the mayor light up the tree in Mattapan Square. In his speach, the mayor pointed out city officials and members of the police force among the crowd of around a hundred locals. The month before he beat his lead challenger Tito Jackson by 3,435 votes, with about 64% of the total.

“We have a whole bunch of people here,” Mayor Walsh said. “This is an incredible neighborhood. I love Mattapan.”

After the lights went up on the tree, the mayor introduced Mr. and Mrs. Clause. He lifted a few kids up onto the platform with him and the crowd gathered around the trolley for pictures.

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