Table of Contents
- Controversial Display Sparks Local Fury
- Community Response: Pain Still Fresh
- Owners Defend Art as Historical Tribute
- Who Was Whitey Bulger? A Brief Timeline
- Sources
Controversial Display Sparks Local Fury
In a move that’s reignited old wounds, Savin Bar & Kitchen in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood recently unveiled oversized mug shots of infamous mobsters James “Whitey” Bulger and Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi as part of a wall decor refresh. While the owners say it’s meant to reflect the area’s gritty past, many longtime residents are furious—calling the display deeply insensitive.
The photos, blown up and prominently mounted against wood-paneled walls, have become a flashpoint in Savin Hill—a tight-knit community still reckoning with the trauma inflicted by Bulger’s decades-long reign of terror.
Community Response: Pain Still Fresh
“There are people still living here who are the daughters and sisters of people Whitey Bulger killed,” said Donna McColgan, a lifelong Savin Hill resident who lives just blocks from the restaurant. “All of us have been affected by him. Everyone here has a story. It’s crass and insensitive, and it has done nothing but harm.”
Local civic associations have held emergency meetings, and letters to the editor in neighborhood papers have poured in, decrying the bar’s decision. For many, the mug shots aren’t nostalgic memorabilia—they’re painful reminders of unsolved murders, vanished loved ones, and a criminal justice system that failed to protect them for far too long.
Owners Defend Art as Historical Tribute
Kenneth Osherow, one of the restaurant’s co-owners, issued a statement defending the display. “Our intent was not to glorify Whitey Bulger or the violence that scarred Boston,” he said, “but to recognize a chapter in the complex, gritty story of our neighborhood.”
Still, critics argue that context matters—and hanging mug shots without commentary, warning, or educational framing crosses a line. “This isn’t history—it’s trauma tourism,” said one anonymous community member during a recent town forum.
Who Was Whitey Bulger? A Brief Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1970s–1990s | Bulger leads the Winter Hill Gang, involved in racketeering, extortion, and murder |
| 1994 | Flees Boston after learning of impending indictment |
| 2011 | Captured in Santa Monica, California after 16 years on the run |
| 2013 | Convicted of 11 murders; sentenced to life in prison |
| 2018 | Killed in federal prison in West Virginia |
Bulger’s legacy remains one of the darkest in Boston’s modern history—not just for his crimes, but for his collusion with the FBI, which allowed him to operate with impunity for years.
