Published June 19, 2020
MELROSE — Nerves were raw this week as the City Council continued its debate of a move by Mayor Paul Brodeur to divert $26,000 away from the Police Department and invest it in on-going diversity, inclusion and anti-racism efforts.
As protests demanding social justice and equality continued across the country — including one along the Lynn Fells Parkway on Sunday, June 7 — the treatment of people of color in America has catapulted to the top of the national conversation. With that as a backdrop, Brodeur and his administration felt this was not the time to spend money to upgrade police firearms and related equipment like holsters, scopes and ammunition.
“The murder of George Floyd,” he wrote to the City Council in a June 11 memo, “has irrevocably changed the context and meaning of this request (by Police Chief Mike Lyle). Cities across the country and here in Massachusetts are now engaged in probing discussions regarding the role of police in ensuring community safety, use of force policies, and how local budgeting should reflect local values. Many communities and even the United States itself seems to be at a turning point where these discussions are resulting in substantive and far reaching policy changes.
“Here in Melrose, I have initiated a review of all City departments, boards, and commissions. We are taking stock of current City practices, identifying national best practices, and developing implementation plans and timelines. ‘Two Weeks Toward Change’ is just the beginning of this work, and the outpouring of support, ideas, and research has been heartening. What has become clear is that we have a long way to go as we continue to make Melrose one community open to all.
“Investing in police firearms right now while the City is in the midst of determining how to respond meaningfully to the ongoing systemic barriers Black people and other people of color face would be misguided. This is not and must not be interpreted as a criticism of our police officers. They do an exceptional job protecting us, and have done so with limited resources for many years. It is however, a recognition that this investment, at this moment, would distract from the important discussion about the community policing ideals the officers of this department work so tirelessly to model.”
In a heated meeting of the City Council’s Appropriations Committee last week, some councilors felt that the Brodeur move was a direct affront to local police, who are not in the habit of violating anyone’s rights, they explained. Appropriations Committee Chairman Christopher Cinella, an at-large councilor, said, “The last time I checked the Melrose Police Department had zero civil rights violations. There’s nothing but honor and integrity for that badge and for this community to serve and protect all the residents. All 28,193. So perhaps we can be asking them what are they doing right?”
The Appropriations Committee voted 8-3 to recommend that the police firearms upgrade be funded. The police are seeking to go from the larger 40-caliber to smaller 9mm handguns. They haven’t had new weapons in 14 years.
Voting against the proposal were Councilors Jen Grigoraitis, Leila Migliorelli and Maya Jamaleddine.
The Appropriations Committee meeting was followed by a City Council meeting Monday. Residents expressed outrage that the weapons upgrade passed.
However, a majority of councilors, led by Cinella and Ward 2’s Jeffrey McNaught, were angered that Brodeur’s request was last-minute and called it political grandstanding.
Cinella went so far as to suggest taking money from the city’s operating budget and using that to begin the bias training process. The motion was eventually withdrawn.
McNaught has been consistent in his belief that training is necessary, that $26,000 is nowhere near enough and that the program should not be funded on the backs of local police.
Ward 4’s Mark Garipay wanted Brodeur and his administration to apologize for the situation they had put the council and the city of Melrose in.
No vote was ever taken at this week’s City Council meeting. The councilors have been meeting virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic, and time allowed on disk space ran low, so they had to move on to other matters.
One of the other issues the councilors dealt with this week, however, was directly related to the debate about public safety and equal treatment regardless of color.
The council unanimously passed a resolution denouncing racism. The resolution concluded that the “Melrose City Council will affirm that Black Lives Matter and reaffirm our motto ‘One Community Open to All’ by taking a pledge stating ‘As an individual committed to social justice, I stand against racism and discrimination of any kind. I commit to a lifetime of promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all people in my community and in the World.’”