The South End's drug epidemic is imperiling the viability of one of Boston’s key economic engines. Newmarket Square has been the center of substance abuse treatment programs for years, but conditions have rapidly deteriorated in the past year due to Covid-19 lockdowns and a swell in drug distribution.

The many business owners between Massachusetts Avenue and Southampton Street report being regularly threatened or attacked, having their vehicles and buildings defecated in, people wandering the streets high and plummeting sales.

Newmarket Square is home to numerous food processing, manufacturing, and supply companies.

“Seven days a week, 24 hours.

It’s a very bad situation and getting worse,” said Janett Colombo, owner of Newmarket Pizza. “[Drug users] don’t care whether it’s public, if there are kids around, if it’s police. They just do whatever they want.”

“The last six months, it’s exploded all over again. Now it’s Meth and Fentanyl, and they make people very animated, very angry, very out there,” said Newmarket Business Association President Sue Sullivan. “Now everyone and his brother knows, from all over New England, if you want to do drugs or sell drugs you come here.”

Sullivan placed much of the responsibility with law enforcement, who she said has largely given up trying to stop the public use and sale of drugs.

“We have a District Attorney who’s been very vocal that she’s not going to prosecute anything that’s a ‘victimless crime,’” she said. “So there’s no prosecution for using. And the drug dealers getting arrested are back out faster than the police can finish making their reports.” The problems have been compounded by the closure of public restrooms and services for the homeless that required indoor spaces. Marty Martinez, chief of Boston’s Health and Human Services Department (HHS), said the city is rushing to reopen public services and expand outreach in the area. “There’s no question the pandemic exacerbated an already challenging situation. Covid-19 hit and closed day programs and public restrooms, and drove people into Boston to get care,” he said. “We’re seeing probably double the number of people on the street that need care and support. Folks are preying on those individuals and taking advantage of them.”

Boston HHS is hoping short-term programs can hand off vulnerable people to more robust support systems, but whether the area can get the long-term drug treatment centers requested by the Newmarket Business Association is up to the state. Sheree Marciante, co-owner of Victoria’s diner, may not be able to wait. She says that like many business owners in Newmarket, she’s having to consider packing up and leaving.

“It’s not like it hasn’t crossed our minds. It’s difficult to run a business, and it’s exceptionally difficult to run a business in this area. More difficult than most places in Boston,” she said. “People ask online, ‘Is it safe around there?’ Our families get worried about us because they think at some point our luck is going to run out.”

Others, however, aren’t planning on going anywhere. Colombo said the area still has potential if its recent issues can be resolved.

“I’m not going to give up,” she said. “Hopefully this is going to change at some point and my business is going to start picking up. It’s a good location, and a lot of people like my pizza. There’s a lot of workers around that I would like to keep serving.”

All parties contacted agreed that homeless populations themselves weren’t the problem, and that simply pushing the police to detain people without targeting the roots of the problem would be counterproductive.

“We’re not going to arrest our way out of this problem,” said Martinez. “What we do need to do is arrest the people down there dealing drugs, make sure they’re not returning back to the street in short order. You have people struggling in some of the toughest moments of their life commingling with folks trying to take advantage of them.”