The National AIDS Brigade had agreed Thursday to suspend its 2-month-old needle exchange at the rented storefront in the lower-and-middle-class Mission Hill neighborhood near Rowbury Community College, while continuing to hand out needles in the street.

The group's founder, Jon Parker, said supporters would erect chicken wire in the storefront's windows because of threats it would be firebombed. "My people aren't giving in to it" he said.

About 40 protesters, including neighborhood residents and church leaders, stood outside the office space Thursday afternoon.

"We are strongly opposed to this" said Rev. Joseph Krestel of Mission Church. "It's going to attract more drug dealers to this area".

Earlier in the day, AIDS Brigade board members met with several community groups and agreed to suspend its storefront operation until the group and other community organizations can meet again and determine common goals, including drug treatment, said project coordinator Will Murphy.

"We had a discussion with the community, and we found people felt they lost control when we moved in" Murphy said.

"We 're serving a vital function here; we are saving lives", Murphy said.

Mayor Reymond Flynn, supports the concept of a needle exchange, and police generally have let AIDS Brigade distribute needles on the streets. But city and police officials told the group Thursday that it must apply for an occupancy certificate for its storefront.

Police did arrest Parker in 1988 on a charge of illegal possession of hypodermic needles, but Municipal Judge Sally A. Kelly acquitted him, saying in a ruling unprecedented in Massachusetts that Parker acted "solely with the purpose of limiting the spread of AIDS".

Parker started the brigade with part of a $ 50.000 grant he received from the Washington-based Drug Policy Foundation, a private organization. He is one of nine board members.

The HIV virus that can lead to AIDS generally is spread trough sexual activity or shared intravenous needles.

Recovering drug addicts were among neighbors split over the needle exchange.

Ronald Hill, a member od Treatment On Demand, an organization of recovering addicts, said providing needles promotes continued drug use.

"We keep putting a band-aid on a sore," Hill said.

But William Morales, a Mission Hill resident and reformed heroin addict, said the AIDS Brigade enabled him to help himself stay free of AIDS Brigade enabled him to help himself stay free of AIDS until he was ready to seek drug treatment.

"These people just help people so they won't catch AIDS", Morales said.