Council hearing finds planning gaps after March disorder at Future Boss youth job fair; event rescheduled for May 10

Boston City Council members and city staff on April 10 examined planning and security shortcomings after disturbances at the March 28 Future Boss youth jobs and resource fair at the Reginald A. Lewis Center, and the administration said the fair has been rescheduled for May 10.

The hearing, convened by At-large City Councilor Erin Murphy, chair of the Committee on Strong Women, Families and Communities, focused on crowd control, whether Boston Police Department (BPD) and the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) were properly engaged, and steps the city will take before the May 10 event.

"We dropped the ball," Murphy said at the hearing, describing traffic congestion outside the venue, long lines and overwhelmed onsite staff. Councilor Flynn urged stronger police involvement, saying, "The police are part of the solution. They are not the problem," and recommended including BPD command staff at future fairs so officers can engage with youth as role models.

City staff from the Office of Youth Employment and Opportunity (YEO) told the committee the department is reviewing what happened and will use lessons learned to change operations for the rescheduled fair. Adeola Bekozian, deputy director (serving as interim executive director) for YEO, said the office will host the May 10 event and a series of pop-up school and community-site events to reach youth who missed the March fair and to reduce crowding.

Officials described the scale of the program and the turnout that contributed to the concerns. YEO staff said that historically about 3,000 students RSVP for the annual fair and roughly 1,600 attended the prior year; this year YEO reported roughly 5,000 students indicated interest and about 2,200 passed through the venue before the incident. Reggie Lewis staff told the committee the facility's occupancy was framed as about 3,500, and that the event's security guidance called for roughly two security personnel per 1,000 people — which would translate to about six guards for 3,500 people. At the March 28 fair, Reggie Lewis provided four hired security personnel plus roughly 34 staff and volunteers, and BPD had some on-site recruiting/resource officers but not a formal, pre-arranged security detail signed on for directed crowd control, committee members were told.

Committee members pressed staff on several planning gaps cited during the hearing: whether the BPD lieutenant who signed the event permit had signed off on police details (YEO staff said the lieutenant signed the permit to allow use of the space and the entertainment license but did not sign specifically to provide a security detail); whether OEM was present in command during the fair (staff said OEM helped create an updated safety protocol but OEM staff were not known to be on site that morning); and whether the state police were requested (staff said state police were not present and were not requested for that event).

City officials described the cause of the disturbances as rooted in off‑line social media exchanges that flowed into the in‑person event, saying some participants were known to staff but the individuals involved were not tied to broader, citywide violent groups. To reduce the chance of repeat incidents, officials said they will: coordinate more closely with BPD command staff and OEM, involve MBTA police for transit-area coverage, invite specific BPD deputy/superintendent-level leaders to attend, increase volunteer and community partner presence (including mentorship groups and community-based organizations), use staggered or alternative site activations and expand on-site workshop programming, and set up a mobile command post if needed.

The administration also announced program changes aimed at reducing friction in onboarding: YEO plans a pilot that will let youth complete onboarding and I‑9 verification at about eight Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) sites beginning in May so young people do not need to come to the Tobin Center for initial processing; staff said paycheck pick-up procedures remain unchanged. YEO staff also said the city's annual "summer activation mini-grant," posted April 3 on Boston.gov, will prioritize youth-focused activations and organizations that serve youth with disabilities.

Council members stopped short of a formal vote at the hearing but the administration confirmed the May 10 rescheduled date and said it will refile the one-time entertainment permit with updated operational plans. Committee members requested that the permit application no longer mark "no" for a police detail; staff said they will work with the licensing and BPD to ensure appropriate detail and command-staff coordination.

The committee asked staff to return with additional details before May 10, including the name of the senior BPD officer assigned to coordinate security, final volunteer and partner rosters, and a clear staffing plan for on-site crowd management and outside traffic control. Councilors also flagged accessibility and inclusion questions: one councilor said she has filed a separate hearing request on summer-job access for students with disabilities and asked YEO to coordinate so that activation grants and partner outreach include organizations that serve disabled youth.

The hearing record shows the council and city staff agreed to pursue administrative changes and cross-agency coordination before the rescheduled fair; the committee kept the hearing open for follow-up and asked to be notified of final operational and permit filings.