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Election roundup: Campbell talks major BPD changes, Teamsters, Rushing endorse Wu; Barros gets ready to run
By adamg on Wed, 02/24/2021 - 11:08am
The Globe reports that Andrea Campbell is considering far more substantive changes at BPD than we've seen of late, including a $50-million reallocation of BPD funds to "public health, economic justice, and youth development" and the elimination of the BPD gang and bicycle units.
The Wu campaign reports she was endorsed this week by Teamsters Local 25 and former South End State Rep. Byron Rushing (whose successor, Jon Santiago, announced this week he's running against Wu and others for the seat Marty Walsh is leaving).
The Teamsters said:
She has been relentless in fighting for better wages, health insurance, retirement benefits and improved working conditions. As the daughter of immigrants, Michelle shares our vision for the City of Boston, with an understanding that access to training and other neighborhood resources will help the working class that makes this city great.
Rushing said:
She has the vision and the ability to take on the crises we face and help people move forward and recover. From accessible and reliable public transportation to quality schools for all our children, she has lived the stakes of our challenges and is ready to deliver structural change. She has committed her office from early on to discussing race in Boston and supporting anti-racist policy making. She is going to use every lever she has to make Boston more equitable, more innovative, and more livable for every person.
The Globe reports John Barros, who ran in 2013, lost, then got appointed by Walsh as his chief of economic development, is resigning from City Hall on Friday and looks likely to announce another run.
The Daily Free Press reports on a climate-justice forum Campbell had.
There are now ten people running for the District 4 council seat Campbell is giving up to run for mayor.
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Comments
get rid of the gang squad?
really? these officers are some of the only people in the city who can work out problems with gangs before they become murders.
I hear you but...
The gang unit (Youth Violence Taskforce is the actual name) routinely does very very shady/borderline illegal searches pretty much daily, if not hourly.
It's an important unit that is effective but they pretty much run roughshod over any young black/Latino person in Boston's Black/Latino areas who isn't in college areas. They barely try to hide it.
It only means the troopers will take over
And the old gang unit cops will be in patrol cars backing up the troopers.
Gang unit
SO true Massachusetts trooper will come in BPD gang unit is probably one of the best in the nation AND no I am not a cop but am a school employee who works all over the city @ night .. and welcome the visibility of girls/boys in blue!! Mayor and city council can't do shit about MSP they can patrol any street in Mass they show respect to all the city and town cops by not pulling rank unless needed. Hopefully, A common sense Mayor like Annisa who has the experience of all aspect of city government from homeless needs and our students and buisssnesses GOD HELP US
Source please?
Bold comment about the gang unit. Source?
Bicycle units are the worst.
Bicycle units are the worst.
Why?
This is a new take to me, what's wrong with bike cops?
My personal complaint
is how often I see them riding on the sidewalk rather than in the actual bike lanes. I can't help but think that if we regularly had bike cops using our bike infrastructure, there might be more of a push to improve that infrastructure and actually enforce traffic laws...
So?
A lot of cyclists do that as well. Would you prefer everyone to be in a car instead? They certainly won't be on the sidewalk that way.
And in business districts...
cyclists aren't supposed to do that either.
What I'd prefer, as I said, is that cops use the actual existing cycling infrastructure, which would both hopefully lead to better enforcement of said infrastructure (maybe we'd get some actual tickets for people parking in bike lanes) and ideally, better infrastructure overall (since we seem to care a lot more about safety when the police union is involved).
is that a good reason to get
is that a good reason to get rid of them though?
but yes, forcing them into bike lanes would be a win-win.
I wouldn't get rid of them
but in my limited experience with them, I think some new training and refocusing would be a good idea. I'd like to see more "bike cops helping direct traffic through Kenmore Square" or "bike cops responding to a call along the Southwest Corridor" and less "bike cops slowly riding together in a group of 10 along the Fort Point sidewalk and forcing pedestrians into the road".
Bike cops
Need to patrol places that might not have bike lanes you nimrod.
<insert eye-roll emoji>
Yeah and I'm clearly not talking about that when I mention that I wish they were in the bike lane instead, am I?
And I'd point out that where there aren't bike lanes, cyclists are supposed to take the lane and ride with car traffic. If cops arent willing to do that, that says something about our current cycling infrastructure and its need for improvement.
Why the heck would you get
Why the heck would you get rid of the bicycle squad? Having police using bikes is great because they can interact more directly with people but not be limited to walking speed for getting around.
Gang squad
The gang squad seems to be taking a lot of guns off the streets. And I know the bike squad commander has a bad reputation, but the idea of bike mobile officers seems very helpful.
From what I've heard in Seattle and Minneapolis, adding social workers, etc,. will be helpful. But significant reductions of cops on the street isn't working and those cities are walking back their reduction plans.
Campbell is about so find out how governing is different than just pontificating from the Council.
Wrong black woman, genius
Campbell's earliest chance to learn about how governing is different than just pontificating from the Council is next January.
The next elected mayor takes office in November
If the home rule petition is approved, the next mayor takes office as soon as the results are certified. https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2021/02/03/boston-city-council-spec...
Equity
I think we should demand that the next mayor focuses on equity based on the disproportionate lack of equity that has existed during the systemic period of equity inequity....am I doing this right?
I'll vote for the first person who talks about potholes and graffiti and doesn't use the word equity.
(I'll save someone the time on reply...bla bla Trump, bla bla white nationalist)