No additional funding for police department; Redirect it into housing, health, other services
Since 2009, the year Henry Louis Gates was arrested as a direct result of racist bias, the Cambridge Police Department’s budget has increased by a whopping 33 percent. Our city is now deliberating whether to fork over an additional $4.1 million to the department.
Cambridge should not give any additional funding, and instead should reallocate those funds to housing, health care, education and other initiatives that actively benefit our black and brown community members.
Nationwide, attempts to reform police practices – from implicit bias trainings to body cameras – have failed, as evidenced by the brutal murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Tony McDade in recent weeks. We cannot expect any different from a police department that, despite $21.8 million of additional funding and numerous community policing training programs, continues to treat our community with contempt. Most recently, it slipped up on the official twitter account last month.
Monday’s City Council hearing on the FY2021 budget is an opportunity for us to pressure the council to take a stand and pressure the city manager to adjust the budget. Together, we can shift funds away from the police and transform the way Cambridge invests in community safety and well-being. It’s long past time.
Lillyanne Daigle, Gold Star Court
I’d rather see the focus be on the removal of qualified immunity for police officers.
Next time you see a police officer sitting in his car near a hole that is being dug, or you see police officers standing and looking around near a construction site – remember, he/she is on detail pay getting about $60 an hour. That is right folks. That is in addition to their regular pay. Detail pay accounts for millions of dollars in addition to the already 6 figure average salary the police gets.
Some will argue that the money is coming from the private company/contractor doing the construction. Money does not fall from the sky. Someone is paying for it and is coming out of someone’s pocket.
No wonder the police union does not want to change anything. Good fat paycheck, amazing benefits, additional pay for standing around construction sites, and immunity from everything they do.
Sickening.