In the holiday classic “A Christmas Carol,” Ebenezer Scrooge is finally convinced to change his ways following a visit by the Ghost of Christmas Future. Lowell residents may not have to wait for the third apparition to appear, as a look at Methuen’s Ghost of Christmas Past could be enough to let us gaze at what the future might bring.
A recent Eagle-Tribune article highlights 383 calls to authorities at the Days Inn on Pelham Street in Methuen over the last year, a period that marks the latest wave of homeless and migrant families moving into the facility formerly comprised of 117 hotel rooms. The number of calls is more than two and a half times the 182-calls to law enforcement when the hotel originally sheltered homeless from 2020-2021. Those calls to law enforcement are in addition to 347 health violations cited in an earlier Eagle Tribune article.
About a third of the police calls are described as proactive efforts on the part of police to maintain order and provide care for the residents, with Police Chief Scott McNamara telling the Eagle Tribune “it’s not an ideal situation for anyone.” McNamara added he hopes each of the families finds a “more stable and suitable living arrangement.”
But the article also reports other calls involve accidents, assaults, harassment and even animal control. At a September 5th Council meeting, Methuen Mayor Neil Perry described the situation as a “financial drain to the city” and as “wasting a lot of manpower.”
Downtown Lowell’s Inn & Conference Center, still under consideration by Governor Maura Healey for conversion to a similar emergency shelter, has approximately double the rooms of its Methuen counterpart, leading to concern by local authorities that situations playing out there will develop in the Mill City, on an even larger scale.
4 responses to “Ghost of ICC Future?”
With Biden Dems in control of the State and Lowell( at least until Election Day) more of this insanity will continue. These democrat weasels will keep allowing pro-socialist illegal immigrants into our Country in hopes of swamping our system into one party rule by democrat socialists. In Lowell, the pro socialist forces are seen in the southeast Asian city councilors who ought to know better given the history of socialism destroying their homeland’s necessitating their move to America. They will force the single family zoned to become two family zoned with ADU’s clogging our neighborhoods and our streets with cars. They will destroy the most positive thing we have, the city hotel and conference center which supports our tourism to our parks and festivals. That will be flushed down the toilet by illegals and high crime and turn our downtown into a lighted area which will kill tourism and our nationally renowned Folk Festival. I suggest we all vote out the gang of 7 city councilors in Lowell that matches to the tune of a socialist drummer! Or MOVE!
There are a lot of homeless in Lowell. How come they are not being moved there? Lowell has a lot of issues to deal with now, this will make them worse. Sad really…
I’m praying this doesn’t happen in lowell
I believe Marty Meehan agreed to this from the get go. It is pathetic what is happening in Methuen. The strain on the system is so wrong.
I don’t see this being temporary at all.
So many questions yet no answers
@Steve I really don’t understand these endless buzzword comments. Everything in your post is Biden this, socialism that. Can’t you just intelligently oppose something without repeating the zero-effort talking points a paid TV pundit says?
You ever wonder why this country is divided? It’s the fault of everyone who thinks “everybody who disagrees with me is my enemy.”
You are not my enemy, I just can’t sit around and watch this rhetoric get posted everywhere online. Just be calm and state your counterpoints. The most defensible position will ultimately prevail.