Recent violence in Downtown Crossing has one Boston city councilor calling for a pause on public events in the area, but some people see the request as a step too far, and in the case of the mayor, one her office says she’s not taking seriously.

City Councilor Ed Flynn, who represents parts of the downtown, made his pitch publicly on social media Wednesday night, while citing a stabbing that nearly killed a man early that morning in Downtown Crossing — a popular shopping area that Boston Police statistics show is the second-most dangerous district in the city.

“Residents, workers and tourists continue to tell me that they no longer feel safe in Downtown Crossing and Boston Common,” Flynn posted on X, the site formerly known as Twitter. “With several permitted events already scheduled in Boston Common, I’m recommending these events not take place.

“Many parts of Boston Common are no longer safe,” he added.

Flynn said his call is geared more toward the Boston Common, where he wants to see a heavier police presence, and ensure that when a permit is issued for a public event, there is a security plan in place with enough officers to “ensure the safety of all people” in the area.

While Wednesday’s stabbing prompted his call to action, Flynn said his public safety concerns in the area have “been building up” for quite some time.

“We’ve had a lot of people relocate from Mass and Cass over into the Downtown Crossing area and into the Boston Common,” Flynn said, putting the number of spillovers at 50 to 60 people per day. “There has been an escalation of drug dealing and violence, in my opinion, on Tremont Street and throughout Boston Common.”

Flynn’s recommendation generated what he described to the Herald as a “mixed reaction,” referring to the conversations he’s had with residents, business owners, tourists and workers in and around the area.

Michael Nichols, president of the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District, which coordinates events at Downtown Crossing, said, for example, that he’s been in contact with Flynn about the stabbing, but chose to move forward with a six-hour, well-attended public event on the day that it occurred and has no plans to cancel others.

While Nichols said he agrees with the councilor that more police resources would be helpful in the area and that there is a problem worth addressing, he wasn’t convinced that the downtown has become more unsafe in recent years — although he acknowledges that may be the perception among certain people.

“I think the perception is worse than the reality,” Nichols said. “I think Downtown Crossing and Downtown Boston are probably the safest major city downtown in America, but when these one-off incidents happen, it certainly makes people feel less safe,” Nichols said. “And then I think we need to redouble the effort to ensure that we’re doing everything we can to avoid them.”

On the other hand, Amanda Linehan, a city councilor in Malden, said Wednesday on social media that her husband, a guide for the Freedom Trail, which extends through Boston Common, is being “pushed to the breaking point” by the problems occurring there this year.

“My husband has been a Freedom Trail guide for 11 years and the stress of keeping his groups safe on the Common and downtown is pushing him to the breaking point this year,” Linehan wrote on X. “It’s way, way worse than anyone is acknowledging and is absolutely affecting livelihoods.”

Flynn’s request also put him at odds again with Mayor Michelle Wu on public safety issues, about a week after his public call for increased staffing levels at the police department ticked off BPD brass and did not sit well with the mayor.

A spokesperson for the mayor said Thursday of his call for canceling public events in the area, “No, we’re not taking this request seriously.”

“Boston is the safest major city in the country, with historic record low crime citywide thanks to the hard work of officers and residents through community policing and our dedicated approach to ending violence through coordinated, data-driven, year-round efforts,” a Wu spokesperson said in a statement.

“Shootings are way down, homicides this year are 75% below the five year average in Boston—at the lowest level of any major city—and Boston Police have been extremely effective in making arrests when incidents do take place, including most recently at Downtown Crossing,” the city statement continued.

Mayor Wu also released a statement suggesting that Flynn’s public safety concerns stem from a lack of awareness from not being present in the downtown community.

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“We welcome the councilor to get into the community and join the thousands of residents and visitors who have been enjoying our city this summer at these fun and inclusive events,” Wu said in a statement. “Just recently, I was with my kids on Boston Common for hours after dark enjoying Shakespeare on the Common alongside hundreds of other attendees on the grass.

“On Tuesday evening, we held the annual Mayor’s Garden Contest awards night right in the area too,” the mayor added. “We’ve had parades and festivals, a climate tech showcase on City Hall Plaza, and many other community gatherings. Hosting these kinds of events with our partner organizations makes downtown a destination that draws residents and visitors and strengthens our economy.”

Flynn, for his part, said he is in downtown Boston every day and that his decisions are informed by his constituents.

“To say we don’t have public safety challenges on Tremont Street and Boston Common is just not accurate,” Flynn said. “We also have to acknowledge that the criminal justice system has to be part of the solution as well. When someone’s arrested and convicted of drug dealing, human trafficking or violence, they have to be committed to state prison.”

Residents,workers & tourists continue to tell me they no longer feel safe in Downtown Crossing & Boston Common. With several permitted events already scheduled in Boston Common, I’m recommending these events not take place. Many parts of Boston Common are no longer safe! #bospoli https://t.co/tVx6Z1jaj4

— Ed Flynn 愛德華費連 (@EdforBoston) August 15, 2024