The mood seemed cautiously optimistic, maybe even hopeful, when civic and business leaders gathered at Emerson’s Cutler Majestic Theatre to discuss public safety in downtown last October.

A recent wave of violence in Boston, including a fatal shooting in Hyde Park, a shooting near a Seaport bar, and a daytime stabbing on the Boston Common,has raised public safety concerns and prompted calls for action.

There is growing frustration from business owners and people who live near the Boston Common, saying violent crime needs to be reined in urgently.

Ashlie Jeremie, the man charged with a murder near Boston Common Wednesday, was arrested earlier this summer on a gun charge, according to court records.

A man accused of killing a person near the Boston Common and assaulting another person in the city was held without bail and ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation at his arraignment Thursday.

Boston police warn of phone robberies Downtown, report arrests in two incidents, and offer precautions for people using phones in busy stores and transit areas.

Police identify a suspect following a Boston Common homicide. DBNA calls for additional police staffing and a coordinated Downtown public-safety response.

A deadly attack in Boston has sparked calls for action. A Bedford man is facing charges in connection with two violent incidents, including the death of a man found with serious injuries near Boylston and Tremont streets and a separate assault near Beach Street. The Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association is calling for a renewed task force to address public safety concerns, and co-founder Rishi Shukla joined Dan to discuss.

Boston police ask for help identifying a suspect in an alleged assault on a Downtown Crossing employee. The worker was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Residents and a city councilor who represents the area are sounding the alarm on public safety concerns in downtown Boston, where five people have been shot in the past two weeks and crime is on the rise.

The Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association is calling for an increased police presence downtown, as well as more police officers on staff.

The calls for increased public safety come after five people were shot in three separate incidents over the last 17 days.

Three people were injured in a shooting in Boston’s Theater District late Monday night, authorities said. The Boston Police Department says officers were called to 216 Tremont Street just before 11 p.m., where they shut down the area between Boylston and Stuart streets.

Leaders want to expand units of police and case managers, as well as create a "specialty court" to taker a tougher approach on public drug use.

Most people feel that downtown Boston has become a safer place compared to a year ago, according to a survey of hundreds of residents and stakeholders conducted by the Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association.

A top Wu administration official indicated the city may be moving away from its harm reduction strategy as residents and politicians from Boston neighborhoods hurt by the Mass and Cass drug market spillover push for a long-term recovery solution.

A survey of hundreds of downtown Boston residents and stakeholders in recent weeks has found that most feel safer than they did a year ago.

A successful post-pandemic revival of Boston’s beleaguered downtown depends heavily on how safe people feel walking around the neighborhood.

Eight months after declaring downtown Boston’s public safety situation “urgent,” officials gathered again Thursday to measure progress — and confront persistent challenges.

Leaders and community members came together to talk about health and safety challenges Thursday at a public safety summit.

The Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association hosted the meeting at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre. It previously held a closed-door meeting discussing the same topic in February.

Progress has been made in cleaning up the elements of crime in Downtown and the Boston Common since last year’s dramatic increase in drug abuse and drug dealing. But for the partners invested in dealing with those criminal elements, the work is far from over.