Mayoral contender Josh Kraft toured Downtown Crossing last week after releasing his plan to combat drug use, in another denunciation of incumbent mayor Michelle Wu’s handling of public safety and addiction in the city.

Drug use has plagued Wu’s administration.

Since the city cleared the permanent homeless encampment at Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, (Mass. and Cass) in 2022, other neighborhoods have been dealing with spillover effects.

“We rolled out our Mass. and Cass policy plan the day before [the tour],” Kraft said in a phone call.

“One of the things we wanted to show is that Mass. and Cass is not just Mass. and Cass. It has spread. It’s in many neighborhoods throughout the city, and Downtown Crossing is one of the most impacted.”

Downtown Crossing experienced its highest crime rate in seven years in 2024, with a total of 995 crimes reported. The spike spurred a public safety action plan which includes nearly 50 separate public safety initiatives.

As part of his tour, Kraft spoke with Friar Thomas Conway of St. Anthony’s Shrine, whom he said was a “good friend.” St. Anthony’s Shrine is part of the public safety action plan and has started or completed seven projects to improve services for homeless people in Downtown Crossing.

“You see folks that you know are struggling with addiction, mental health, or homelessness in that area,” Kraft said. “It’s usually such a vibrant and important part of the city, and now I think because of that, it’s lost significant amounts of that vibrancy. We have to do right by these people. It’s recovery first, and services not sentences.”

Kraft’s plan includes proactive police enforcement of open-air drug use, trespassing and encampment. “The goal is to increase people’s willingness to seek and accept help by making it clear that ongoing public drug use and indefinite street living are no longer tolerated,” Kraft’s campaign website states.

Kraft’s policy plan also includes using state resources to create a “Recover Boston” campus, where individuals can go for structured addiction and housing support. His campaign website notes that Wu’s administration dismissed a similar proposal made by South End business and community groups. Kraft said he had been in touch with several neighborhood groups, including the Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association (DBNA) and the Alliance of Downtown Civic Organizations. Rishi Shukla, the head of the DBNA who organized the action plan, said he was open to any new ideas about public safety.

“Public safety is dynamic,” Shukla said in a statement. “It requires constant fine tuning and trial and error. We have to be nimble and open to constant feedback and adjustment. In terms of Boston Police, we have great leadership and an exceptional group of officers at [police district] A1. I am confident that Captain Driscoll will deploy officers as and where needed.”