Several hundred protesters marched from the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury to the Massachusetts State House Monday, demanding that Governor Charlie Baker reallocate funding to community-led initiatives instead.
The protest came on the heels of a bill filed by Baker last week that would award bonuses up to $5,000 for officers who choose to undergo racial sensitivity training.
"Nobody should have to pay you to not be racist, that's not an incentive," activist Monica Cannon-Grant said, standing beside members of Black Lives Matter and Violence In Boston, two local groups working against police brutality and racism. "It's disrespectful, it's a slap in the face to every Black person in this city, to be paid for you to have cultural sensitivity, not be racist and to not kill us."
Activists like Cannon-Grant have been calling on Baker and other elected officials to place more funding into programs focusing on mental health, community organizing and other alternatives to policing since protests began in May.
She called Baker’s proposal "disrespectful" and a move in the wrong direction.
“We’re not going to arrest our way out of this problem. We watched them try to do it before, it doesn’t work.”
A spokesperson for the governor said Baker stands by his proposal, saying it will increase “transparency and accountability” in policing, according to a statement sent to WGBH News following Monday’s protest.
"The Administration’s legislation will provide law enforcement with the training and resources necessary to serve communities effectively, safely and responsibly," the statement said. "Skill development in areas such as de-escalation, foreign language proficiency and bias-free policing are crucial, and in turn will benefit municipalities and yield higher caliber public safety officials.”
After arriving at the state house, protesters in the crowd heard from Angelique Negroni Kearse, the widow of Andrew Kearse, a 36-year-old Black man who died of a heart attack in the back of a New York City police cruiser in 2017.
“I’m still marching because there’s a lot of people who have been affected, there’s a lot of voices, and they need to be heard,” Kearse said. “I have to give my strength to the families that are still here.”
Last week, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D — Mass.) and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D — Mass.) unveiled the Andrew Kearse Accountabilty for Denial of Medical Care Act, which would hold police officers criminally liable for not providing medical care to anyone in their custody.
“It’s just one step for Andrew to get justice,” Kearse said.
Eric Garner, named after his father who died in a police choke hold in New York in 2014, came from New York with Kearse to march with Cannon-Grant during the protest.
“I’m the voice of the young people,” the 24-year-old said. “I came out here to stand with her and get some justice, because it’s still happening.”
The event was also organized to honor the life of Rayshard Brooks, a Black man who was fatally shot in the back by police in Atlanta, Georgia, two weeks ago.
“Another Black man was killed, Rayshard Brooks,” Cannon-Grant said. “We watched it on video. How many videos do y’all need to stop killing Black folks? That’s my question.”
Cannon-Grant urged protesters to call, email and send letters to Governor Baker over the next eight days, demanding that he rescind his bill and act to reallocate funds intended for policing instead.
“I This is your opportunity, if you ever wondered what it felt like to be in a civil rights movement, welcome. You’re here,” Cannon-Grant said. “The question is — what side will you be on?”
