Boston mayoral candidate Annissa Essaibi George released a plan Tuesday aimed at "rooting out inequity" and "dismantling racism" in Boston.
The 44-page agenda opens with a statement regarding the need to acknowledge the city's history of racism and includes proposals on police reform, creating home ownership opportunities and small business supports for people of color.
“This process and plan underscores my commitment to be intentional in my words and actions to name and eradicate racism and discrimination in city business, policies ... and be deliberate in ensuring that Black and brown, immigrant and refugee, women, working class, LGBTQIA+ and marginalized communities, as well as the voices of those aging and with disabilities, are heard and elevated,” Essaibi George wrote in the document’s introduction.
At a rally on the Dudley Common near Roxbury’s Nubian Square, Anthony Seymour, a West Roxbury resident and organizer of the Youth in Crisis program, said Essaibi George’s plan would appropriately tackle the city’s problems rooted in racism, despite criticisms from people purporting to speak for Boston’s Black community.
“You hear from a lot of these voices in the Black community,” said Seymour, who is Black, “and they got good commentary, and I love it, but you have to go out and look for yourself and see for yourself and understand for yourself.”
Seymour later said his comments were not addressed to anyone in particular.
Essaibi George’s plan for reforming the Boston Police Department includes a “transparent and community-led process” for selecting the next commissioner; a mandate that body camera footage be released to “the public” within 24 hours of an incident; “fully” implementing recommendations from the Boston Police Reform Task Force assembled by former Mayor Marty Walsh last summer; and enhancing the department’s use-of-force policies to include a “clear and enforceable disciplinary code” for violations.
The plan would also double the budget for the force’s Community Engagement Bureau from $5 million to $10 million.
It also includes a long-term goal to reduce the police overtime budget “by improved staffing protocols for large events” and “rearranging officers’ shifts” to make certain tasks, such as court appearances, a part of their regular duties.
On housing, within her first 100 days in office, Essaibi George would increase funding for City Hall's homeownership initiatives; implement a policy giving renters a first chance to purchase the property where they live if it comes up for sale; and double the city’s funding to the non-profit Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance’s STASH program, which grants first-generation homebuyers who earn less than the area-median income down payment assistance up to $5,000.
Essaibi George would also, within her first 100 days, separate planning from the development functions of the Boston Planning and Development Agency. This would appear to be a more moderate reform than dismantling the agency as her opponent, Michelle Wu, has called for in the past.
For bolstering business owners of color, Essaibi George plans to “strengthen” Boston’s now-toothless residents jobs policy, with an executive order creating “an enforcement mechanism” for developers who fail to adhere the policy.
The Boston Residents Jobs Policy, which developers have flouted since its 1983 inception, mandates that work hours on public or large private projects go to 51% residents, 40% people of color and 12% women.
Renee Dozier, a Brockton resident and electrician union member who recently moved out of Boston, said in a private meeting with some of the women of IBEW Local 103 that Essaibi George was also supportive of diversifying the trade unions’ membership as a way to ensure good jobs are equitably distributed and help close the wealth gap.
“It is one of the best ways,” Dozier said. “You can be an electrician, a plumber. ... You go through our program, come out making $100,000 a year.
“And it is traditionally for men,” she added. “But we’re breaking down those barriers.”
Essaibi George’s plans for bolstering businesses owned by people of color include creating a fund with $50 million for direct distribution. She would also establish an “Economic Justice Task Force” to address racial discrimination and other issues.
The rollout comes as Essaibi George combats implicit criticism from opponents about her suitability to address the city's racial inequities.
Last week, several prominent elected officials, including Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, declared support for Essaibi George’s opponent, saying that Wu has the will and legislative track record to work through issues like the wealth gap and the lack of diversity in public contracting.
Asked about the apparent flood of public officials who have come out in support of her rival, Essaibi George said she has had conversations with “most of them” before their endorsements were announced and she is focused on earning the support of Boston voters.
“And I’m proud of the endorsements I have earned from many of the men and women who are working every day in this city, for this city and around this city,” she added, pointing to the backing of several building trade unions.
On Monday, Essaibi George received a nod from the Painters and Allied Trades District Council 35, which has about 4,000 members, including 1,000 in Boston.
