Tell City Council: Vote NO on the budget

Over the past several years, our Boston Bike Budget campaign has led to significant changes to Boston’s transportation priorities. Now, we’re asking you to join us in supporting a different budget demand that could have critical street safety implications for Black Bostonians and people of color. 

TODAY, the City Council will vote on whether to pass Mayor Walsh’s proposed budget. The vote will come at the end of the city council meeting, beginning at noon. We urge you to contact council members immediately and ask them to vote NO on the budget until it is revised to divert more money from policing to social services. 

We stand with the activists and organizations — including Families for Justice as Healing, Youth Justice and Power Union, and the Muslim Justice League — leading the campaign to defund the Boston Police Department. They’re calling on Mayor Walsh to cut 10% of the BPD budget ($40 million) and invest those funds in social services and communities of color. Mayor Walsh has so far proposed cutting only $12 million from the police overtime budget.

Street safety means more than just safety from traffic violence; it means safety from police violence and racism, too. So while the movement to curtail policing is not ours to lead, it is one we are committed to supporting by amplifying the voices and efforts of those on the front lines of this campaign. You should follow and read more here.  

This month, we called on Mayor Walsh to remove enforcement as a tenet of Vision Zero, and to cut the BPD budget. (Read our full statement here.) Now, we ask that you also raise your voice in pushing Boston to shift more resources from policing to community investment. 

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More opportunities to act in solidarity

Bike: On Saturday, ride in solidarity with the fight against systems and acts of oppression, police brutality, and murder against Black people, including and especially LGBTQ+’ disabled, and poor Black folks, by joining the Ride for Black Lives. Boston Bike Party is organizing this ride in conjunction with Black-owned and -led businesses and organizations.

Donate: Organizers of the Ride for Black Lives are encouraging people to donate to Mass Action Against Police Brutality, which you can do here: paypal.me/MASSACTION