Inclusion and equity require justice as a foundation

Inclusion and equity require justice as a foundation. We must acknowledge that traditional approaches to many civic functions – and to  our laws and their enforcement –  too often include racial, social and anti-immigrant biases. I am committed to a transparent and comprehensive effort to to examine, re-imagine, and retool all of our systems and structures responsibly, to address these biases.

As Mayor, I therefore propose that we begin this process with a holistic, collaborative, and fact-based approach to public safety. This initiative will bring all our stakeholders together to assess our current public safety needs, to find practical alternatives to some aspects of traditional policing and incarceration, to emphasize proactive crime prevention and de-escalation, and reform police policy to ensure we meet our goal of safety for all of our residents.

Racism, xenophobia, stereotyping, and hate have no place in any aspect of local government - they have no place in Somerville. To ensure their prevention, we will fulfill our commitment to establish civilian oversight of public safety. We will provide additional training and resources to address mental health, addiction prevention, and public health as vital elements in a re-imagined public safety program.