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Council hears public pleas on Howe Bridge safety, orders studies on bridge barriers and seeks ICE activity data
Summary
Residents urged the council to pursue physical suicide‑prevention measures on the Howe Bridge and other crossings; the council filed motions to request MassDOT evaluations and asked the city manager to seek briefings and reports including an ICE activity report following community concern.
Public speakers and councilors at the Jan. 20 Lowell City Council meeting urged immediate action to address repeated suicide incidents and accessibility problems on city bridges and in municipal parking garages.
Several speakers, including Paulette Renault Karajanis and a resident who identified herself as Kira, told the council the Howe Bridge had been the site of multiple incidents and urged the city to pursue physical deterrents — barriers, safety netting or other means‑reduction measures — and clearer signage for people in crisis. “Interrupting and deterring what is often impulsive behavior provides time for a struggling person to get past the intense suicidal crisis,” Paulette Renault Karajanis said during public comment. Councilors discussed successful examples from other cities and supported motions asking the city manager to work with MassDOT, the Lowell Police Department and mental‑health partners to evaluate and pursue preventive measures.
The council also voted to request that the city manager invite Chief Hudon to a future council meeting to brief the body on local policing and any known interactions with federal immigration enforcement after public testimony raised concerns about ICE operations in Lowell. Speakers from immigrant‑justice groups and neighborhood organizations described arrests in Lowell and asked for transparency and data on recent ICE activity; some councilors cautioned that ICE is a federal agency with independent jurisdiction but supported seeking whatever data the city can provide and arranging a police briefing to reassure residents.
Separately, councilors advanced a motion to request an ADA compliance report for city‑owned garages after a downtown resident, Brady McCarron, described elevator outages and lack of timely notifications for monthly pass holders.
Next steps: The council referred motions for bridge safety measures, an ICE information request and ADA garage reports to the city manager for follow‑up; the manager said staff will contact MassDOT and partner organizations and that the Howe Bridge, as a state‑maintained structure, will require state coordination.
