Following a week of nationwide protests over police brutality and the killing of George Floyd, Massachusetts leaders are beginning to speak publicly about how they plan to address the centuries-old issue of racial injustice.
On Friday, Under the Radar and Basic Black host Callie Crossley made her weekly appearance on Boston Public Radio, where she said she was “very interested in all of the proposals that’ve come forth.”
Some leaders have been more direct than others, Crossley said. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh pledged on Thursday to prioritize antiracist legislation in the city, but did not offer concrete steps toward that goal.
"Boston City Mayor Walsh said everyone who is white should be listening to your Black neighbors, listen to Black Bostonians who are protesting. And [Boston City] Councilor Michelle Wu responded to him, saying, ‘It’s not enough to say we’re going to listen. There needs to be some action.’ So, we’ve yet to see what may come of that,” Crossley said.
Crossley contrasted Walsh’s comments with what she called “very specific steps” proposed by legislators like Rep. Ayanna Pressley and groups like the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus.
The first proposal Crossley touched on was the creation of an independent civilian review board to investigate instances of police brutality.
"There’s usually an internal [review board],” she said, "which as a lot of people have pointed out, doesn’t allow for a real step-back from the behavior, because you’re investigating your own.”
She also noted Mass. Rep. Liz Miranda’s plan to introduce state legislation that would limit police use of force, including chokeholds.
Meanwhile, Somerville Mayor Jospeh Curtatone said on Thursday that he would declare systemic racism a public safety health emergency, and called on Massachusetts to introduce an independent prosecutor.
"He wants to create an independent special prosecutor at the state level to review these cases that come up of police misconduct,” Crossley explained. “That’s where, usually, the breakdown happens,” she said, in reference to how complaints against police typically get stifled.
"I think it’s very interesting,” she said, and "says something about moving forward in a positive and very concrete way.”
