Walsh mum on how to ‘reallocate’ Boston Police budget as councilors suggest reforms
A day after Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said he would look to “reallocate some” of the police budget, the city’s chief executive declined to offer specifics — even as several councilors continued calls for increased police oversight and more funding for public health programs.
“We have to not only fiscally manage the city but we also are now taking into account the events of what the protesters have been saying,” Walsh said on WBUR Monday. “It’s not just about defunding police departments … it’s also about economic development and also about housing and health inequities.”
As calls to “defund the police” grow from the ongoing protests against police brutality — including one in Cambridge Monday — Walsh said Sunday on WCVB’s “On the Record” that there is “an opportunity for us to reallocate some” of the money in the police budget, “whether it’s into training or to community involvement.”
Walsh declined to expand on where he would look to shift funds when asked by the Herald Monday, saying he was working with councilors as the city continues to hammer out its fiscal year 2021 budget.
“Now is a time to roll up our sleeves and get real work done, not separately as the Mayor and City Council, but together as one government,” Walsh said in a statement. “I am committed to making real change.”
The police department has a current budget of roughly $414 million — about 11% of the city’s operating budget and the second-largest allocation behind education. Walsh has said the city is facing a $60 million to $80 million budget shortfall due to COVID-19.
City Council public safety Chairwoman Andrea Campbell is pushing for increased transparency in the department through measures including a civilian review board, fully implementing the use of body cameras, putting officers through racial equity training and ending the use of military weapons.
“Many of these issues I’ve been working on for a really long time have gone nowhere,” Campbell said. “Now is the time for us to demand specifics into working collaboration to make it happen.”
City Councilor Michelle Wu said the city is “falling short in funding public health” and other services to create opportunities for people of color.
“No one’s asking for an arbitrary cut to any line item,” Wu said. “People are asking for an intentional funding of the priorities that will actually have an impact for public health and safety.”
City Councilor Julia Mejia called for reallocating funds toward supporting trauma-informed programs and youth jobs. Councilor Matt O’Malley said Walsh’s comments “are the right approach” and pushed for a greater focus on public health.
Councilor Ed Flynn said police “play a critical role in our city.” He wants to see the Community Services Officers program “increased dramatically” and said now is the time to listen to communities of color “to ensure that city government works for them.”
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3h8khjF
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