BOSTON (AP) - Protesters marched Wednesday in Boston to call on city leaders to trim the police budget by 10% and direct that money into jobs programs for the city’s young people.
The protesters gathered in Nubian Square before heading to Boston City Hall. Protesters held signs reading “Defund the Police,” “Racism is a Disease,” and “Justice Can’t Wait” and chanted “What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now.”
The protest was the latest in a string of demonstrations in the city following the death of George Floyd.
Floyd, a black man, died last month after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee on his neck as he pleaded for air.
Vikiana Petit-Homme, 18, one of the organizers of the march, said in a statement that the protesters were calling on the Boston City Council “to take decisive financial action to show its support for the immediate needs of Boston’s black youth.”
The group made a series of demands including increased funding for youth employment programs, mental health counselors at public schools and violence prevention programs.
Protesters also called for a cap on the police overtime budget, an end to funding for military-style training and weapons, the rejection of facial recognition technology, and a phasing out of police in the schools.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said earlier Wednesday that he was looking at the city’s budgeting process, but wasn’t anticipating layoffs.
“The conversations are coming around to how can we potentially take some of the money in the police department and redirect it towards maybe mental health counseling, equity training, things like that,” Walsh said. “Those conversations are all happening right now.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.