The mayoral candidate put forth a public safety and criminal justice plan.
Boston city councilor and mayoral candidate Andrea Campbell released a plan with the intention of making the City’s police department more transparent and accountable, on February 24. Her aim is to “address root causes of violence and crime and reallocate at least 10% of the Boston Police budget to proven public health, economic justice, and youth development strategies.
“My entire life has been impacted by the trauma, loss, and injustices of incarceration and the criminal legal system,” said Campbell, in a press release. “It’s time we reimagine our approach to public safety to address root causes of violence and crime, and invest in strategies that support public health, economic justice, and youth development to heal and empower our communities and break cycles of generational poverty, trauma, and incarceration. As mayor, I will ensure our Boston Police Department is the most transparent and accountable in the nation, make Boston a leader in criminal justice reform and effective reentry, shift our school safety approach to a restorative justice model, and ensure all Bostonians feel safe in their communities.”
The plan outlines several strategies. Campbell hopes to create equitable access to good education, housing, jobs, mental health services and addiction treatment. She will also implement the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency with a system of civilian oversight and demilitarize the police. She intends to invest in neighborhoods and youth, removing police from Boston Public Schools. She also plans to advocate for passage of congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s “Peoples Justice Guarantee.”
Shira Laucharoen is a reporter based in Boston. She currently serves as the assistant director of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. In the past she has written for Sampan newspaper, The Somerville Times, Scout Magazine, Boston Magazine, and WBUR.
