A Response to “Leadership Is Not a Popularity Contest”

[Ricky Meinke]

Neighbors and Friends,

First I want to thank the 1,100 neighbors and supporters who attended our festival this past Saturday and prior events leading up to our festival. We had a wonderful time welcoming families, neighbors, and artists together to celebrate our local community while reviewing how we can stop the pests that unfortunately live around us. 

Given recent messages from our ACA President, I want to follow up with education to give neighbors more knowledge about this festival, as it seems some are leaning on assumption. 

This year the Rat City Arts Festival focused heavily into rat mitigation in our neighborhood. We hosted our annual Rat Walk along with Boston Inspectional Services, having two routes across Allston to review rat dens, garbage collection, and rat mitigation techniques. Over 60 neighbors were taught methods to address rats in their area and learned about our local rat problem.

ISD was present and due to joining our walk they were able to mitigate 3 dens in real time, showing guests new techniques like utilizing carbon monoxide. 

This walk was led by our Rat Rangers, a group of 15 neighbors who care deeply about rat mitigation. They have been trained by local experts, like meeting with the Rat Czar of NYC, managers of our birth control pilot here in Boston, and reviewed curated research from Dr. Corrigan who is a leading rodentologist. 

Our walks may be sensationalized by the news as a 'Rat Safari', but let me be clear, we are here to educate neighbors on how to address rodent problems in Allston-Brighton.

I'll speak to additional efforts our festival has taken on to further rat mitigation in our neighborhood.

We have debuted the Mr. Rymkus award, named after Brighton resident Mr. Rymkus, a Lithuanian immigrant who won the 1917 Rat Day in Boston. This award recognizes neighbors who have pursued rat mitigation efforts in Allston-Brighton.

So for example, following participation in our 2024 Rat Walk, a Allston resident was then empowered to speak to their HOA to introduce mitigation techniques taught during our walk in their complex. This resulted in renovations to  landscaping outside their building to reduce rat dens. This work has continued for this resident in how their building manages their trash and dumpsters. This neighbor was awarded this year’s Mr. Rymkus due to these efforts. 

So neighbors and friends, I hope how you can see how our efforts bring together neighbors to learn about rat mitigation in creative ways. 

I am proud of the work my team has done as we've now eradicated 5 rat dens in Allston and educated over 250 neighbors (Summer 2024, Fall 2024, and Summer 2025) through our Rat Walks. We now have an active group of Rat Rangers ready to educate more neighbors in unique ways as well, furthering our goal of addressing Allston's rat problem.

If you are struggling with the name of 'Rat City',  know we are finally using the name for something positive and finally using this name to highlight/address our neighborhood's rodent problems. 

I hope many of you continue to join us in our festival's events, conversations, and efforts to address Allston-Brighton's rodent problems.

For leaders who have entrenched themselves in opposition, despite having all the information to see the benefits of this work for our neighborhood, I hope you take time to reflect on your own efforts. Imagine an Allston-Brighton where you used your energy to help our efforts rather than detract for our festival's goals. 

It would be an Allston-Brighton strengthened by intergenerational relationships, ideas, and efforts. I believe our leadership should seek to unify our neighborhood, rather than fracture it with misinformed opinions. 

This year was very exciting for us, as we welcomed close to 1500 neighbors across all of our events, promoting over 100 paid opportunities to local artists, totaling close to $20,000 in funding. 

I am always happy to chat with neighbors about our festival's efforts and goals. I’ve reached out personally to Tony, who I’ve considered a neighborhood mentor, to chat with him about all the good we’ve done for youth, families, and all neighbors of Allston Brighton. I hope we can have that conversation sometime soon. 

Thank you for being amazing neighbors and I hope we can continue to find coalitions to build the Allston-Brighton we all want to see.

Sincerely,

Ricky Meinke

Director, Rat City Arts Festival

[Bernadette Lally]

Hi Rick,

   First I think the work you are doing on rat mitigation in Allston is very helpful and appreciated by all. I think the issue I and a lot of people have is referring to Allston as Rat City. I have a problem with you turning  I have lived in Allston for over 27 years and before that I grew up in Brighton, rats have become a problem in the last 20 years. But I agree with Tony referring to our neighborhood as Rat City is offensive to a lot of people. We are all trying to keep our neighborhood clean and safe but we live in a neighborhood with mostly renters and improper trash disposal is the main problem. If rats do not have access to food and water, they do not thrive. Dumpsters especially are a problem, property owners need to take more accountability for keeping trash contained and those with their tenants need to keep them aware of their responsibility to keeping the neighborhood clean and rat free. 

Allston used to be known as  Rock City because of the history of famous bands living here when they were starting out in the music industry.

Now I hear Rat City and no one wants their neighborhood to be known as Rat City.

Thanks

Bernadette Moran Lally

Allston resident

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[David Strati]

Hi Ricky

I think everyone agrees the rat walk is a good idea but those of us that have lived here for many years hate the name Rat City and do not see how that helps the problem. Simply pointing out what the walk is all about can be done without calling Allston Rat City. It is offensive and should be stopped. I hope Tony can convince you because I know that as a long time Allston resident he would like this to be stopped.

Dave Strati

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[Paul Creighton]

I'm with Bernadette and David on this.   Allston was known as Allston and we were, and still are, proud to say that that is where we come from and that our roots are here.  

Interestingly, the Chinese "Zodiac" holds the Rat in a very respectful light.  However, up until now, that connotation has not caught on here.. 

People tend to associate rats with vermin, disease, the Black Plaque  and  the movies' "you dirty rat"  or "you low down dirty rat".

A young child will likely develop low self esteem if he has to answer that frequent question "Hey where you from"

Paul

On Thu, Aug 21, 2025 at 11:13 AM Bernadette Lally <ward22c...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Dan Daly]

I am chiming in to agree with these responses! First of all, Ricky you have been doing Great Work ever since coming here! I truly appreciate every bit of it! I have been digesting “Rat City & Allston Christmas” for many years! They each shine a negative image on Allston. 

 On a positive note, I heard what I have been saying for many years on WBZ 1030, that a  newer program this year creates an opportunity for people that are struggling out there. A chance to donate gently used items to people that need them, & don’t want to dig in trash piles for hidden gems. Sounds Great To Me! Win / Win! We Love ,Live , & Contribute In Our Community!  ~DD~

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 21, 2025, at 6:29 PM, Paul Creighton <creight...@gmail.com> wrote:



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