Residents urge Northampton City Council to ban weapons manufacturers and push out L3Harris

Dozens of Northampton residents used the city council’s public‑comment period to urge elected officials to ban weapons manufacturers from the city and to press for measures aimed at removing or restricting L3Harris, a contractor many speakers said conflicts with Northampton’s stated values.

Speakers linked the company’s local presence to federal immigration enforcement and to weapons systems used overseas. “L3 Harris is committing war crimes in Palestine and ICE is violating the constitution and murdering people in our own country,” said Deborah Yaffe, framing the company’s activities as inconsistent with Northampton’s policies. Residents cited the city’s recent divestment resolution and said that allowing the company to operate here contradicts that action.

Supporters framed the issue as both ethical and practical. “Imagine if Northampton did get rid of L3Harris — how nationally inspiring that would be,” said Catherine Yegel. Others spoke about the local economic dependence on defense work and urged the council to pursue alternative job‑creation strategies for affected workers and suppliers.

Speakers also called for related reforms, including mandatory monthly public meetings with police department leadership and clearer sanctuary‑city policies to clarify how local law enforcement should respond to ICE activity. Several commenters asked the council to use the city’s procurement and tax tools and to explore local ordinances that would make it more difficult for weapons manufacturers to operate here.

Councilors did not take formal action on the requests at the Jan. 15 meeting but acknowledged the breadth of public concern and discussed avenues for further review in committee. The public comment period ended with the council taking a 10‑minute recess and later moving several school funding items to the consent agenda; the L3Harris issue remains an unresolved policy request the council may address in future meetings.