Citizen-led unarmed emergency response team is state funded and readying for summer rollout
The volunteer-founded organization trying for more than a year to get support from the city to establish a non-police, unarmed response to people in distress now has two-years of funding from the state for such needs as a van and dispatch software.
Four stories of survived mental health crises shared by police in release, raising questions (updated)
In an unusual statement Wednesday, Cambridge police said officers had successfully handled four incidents in the previous week involving severely disturbed people – three of them armed. The report appeared to counter criticism of a Jan. 4 fatal police shooting.
Unit treating autism and ADHD may give up beds for more adolescent psychiatric treatment needs
Cambridge Health Alliance wants to switch half the beds in a new unit for children and teens with neurological and developmental disorders to space for adolescents with more common psychiatric illnesses, because most of the special beds are empty.
Review of county’s police-involved shootings show criminal charges for officer are unlikely
Demonstrators protesting the police shooting of Arif Sayed Faisal have called repeatedly for the officer who shot him to be charged with murder. That is unlikely.
Council finds it has little oversight of police force, and a city body that does has been missing duties (corrected)
City councillors have spent hours questioning the police commissioner, city manager and other officials about the police department policies since an officer shooting of Arif Sayed Faisal, only to be told Wednesday they have no authority to change anything.
Protesters force City Council into virtual meeting with chants to release name of officer in shooting
Approximately 50 protesters continued to shout demands outside the second-floor council chamber in City Hall, at one point chasing Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui down the stairs and confronting police commissioner Christine Elow.
Even unarmed response teams see few options for calls reporting someone holding a weapon
The death of Arif Sayed Faisal at the hands of Cambridge police has revived calls to establish an unarmed alternative to police, but it’s not likely such an organization would respond on its own to situations involving violence.
There was more protest than answers at meeting about the killing of a Bangladeshi man by police
Anger, grief and protest dominated a Thursday meeting city officials called about the police shooting of Sayed Faisal on Jan. 4. Few questions were answered and protesters interrupted speakers repeatedly with shouts and chants.
County returns to high-risk category for Covid, changing mask and test guidance in Cambridge
The city is requesting – not requiring – residents and city employees to mask up inside public buildings because of a surge in Covid-19 that could threaten hospitals.
Protests seeking ‘justice for Faisal’ grow in size but hear that shooting case will be slow to resolve
About 400 people turned out for a demonstration Monday to protest the police killing last week of Sayed Faisal, a 20-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant.
