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Youth and organizers call for cutting police funding and redirecting money to housing, jobs and mental-health response
Summary
Youth and community organizers demanded the council freeze police hiring, cap overtime and shift funds into affordable housing, guaranteed youth jobs and a civilian Boston People's Response to mental-health crises.
Multiple youth organizers and community members who marched to City Hall urged the Ways and Means Committee to reverse proposed police budget increases and redirect those funds to housing, year-round jobs and a civilian mental-health response.
“Instead of providing real solutions like housing and voluntary treatment, Boston is spending $20 million on overtime to lock people up,” said Annabel Rabaya, a community garden manager representing neighborhood elders. Youth Justice and Power Union members said policing has not produced safety in their neighborhoods and that investment in housing and jobs would.
Joaquin Atala Gutierrez, a youth organizer from Hyde Park, called for moving “money from the police budget and put into Boston people's response, affordable housing, high-pay year-round youth jobs, and participatory budgeting.” Alexa Santana, a 16-year-old marcher, cited unfulfilled promises on youth jobs and demanded $11.5 million for rental subsidies and funding for 10,500 summer jobs and 5,000 school-year jobs in the budget.
Organizers and youth groups provided rough cost estimates and program targets to illustrate the funding needed to reach pledges on jobs and housing; they also criticized the administration for cutting housing line items and for a mismatch between proclaimed guarantees and available slots in youth-job programs.
Councilors acknowledged the testimony and said they will consider amendments. No formal vote to reallocate police dollars took place at the hearing.
