Actions broadly part of the “defund police” movement took steps forward as city councillors called for a study of an alternative crisis response system and asked formally to see the city police department’s list of equipment, to judge for themselves whether it is over-militarized.

Cambridge Police Department reports on use of force by officers say the number of incidents has generally declined in recent years, although it’s been variable. Certain kinds of forcible actions, such as knee strikes, have increased, and reports don’t include the race or ethnicity of officers or civilians.

A peaceful protest drew some 2,000 people Saturday, gathering under the Black Lives Matter flag but marching from Cambridge Common behind the banner of defunding the police, with speeches saying a reallocation debated in City Council meetings was “far too little.”

As I returned from my morning walk, I noticed that someone had erased the word “Black” from “Black Lives Matter” on a chalk message left the day before. My first reaction was shock, anger, then (after a few deep breaths) curiosity. Why are we still having to explain this?

While the film possesses a great deal of compassion, humor and warmth, it’s response to injustice that makes “The Hate U Give” – adapted from Angie Thomas’ wildly popular 2017 young adult novel – one of the most startlingly visceral films of the year.

If you support the black movement but not black people’s right to be angry, you are claiming that years of oppression, destruction and historical trauma should not affect them.

Four Black Lives Matter Cambridge protesters chained themselves to the front door of City Hall at 5:40 a.m. Wednesday, kicking off a nine-hour demonstration to protest the lack of affordable housing that ended with their arrests.

A Black Lives Matter rally planned for Thursday will focus not just on violence to people of color nationwide, but on the gentrification of Cambridge and stubborn achievement gap in city schools.

Black Lives Matter Cambridge members addressed the jarring presence of an armored vehicle at a Central Square rally and traveled into Somerville to match a police rally of opposition to a movement banner, and expect to speak out Monday on a new issue.

Cambridge police made a bad decision to bring a heavy-duty armored vehicle to a peaceful Black Lives Matter rally Sunday.