Residents push Somerville to fund unarmed emergency response, automated traffic enforcement and repairs for youth center

Somerville — At a Jan. 30 public hearing before the City Council’s Finance Committee, residents urged the city to include funding in its fiscal 2026 budget for a range of priorities including a fully separate, unarmed emergency response team, automated traffic enforcement, anti‑displacement measures and repairs and ADA upgrades at the Teen Empowerment facility at 165 Broadway.

The hearing, held as part of an annual request from the council to gather community budget priorities, gave each speaker two minutes to address councilors. “Co response will see more funding for the police and will continue to traumatize residents by responding to their calls for help with armed officers instead of care and empathy,” said Derek DuPont of Ward 3, urging the council to reject a co‑response model recommended this week by the mayoral Public Safety for All Task Force and instead fund a non‑police alternative.

Supporters of a separate unarmed team repeated that plea. “The recommendation for co response is not an alternative,” said Lauren, a licensed mental health counselor and Ward 2 resident.…