Chants of "Tell us where the money goes" brought a Boston City Council budget hearing to a grinding halt Wednesday, as protesters stretched out on the chamber floor and forced councilors into an hours-long timeout from debating Mayor Michelle Wu’s $4.9 billion spending plan.
The disruption at City Hall kicked off while councilors were working through amendments to the mayor’s proposal. The meeting went into an extended recess of more than two hours, and by the time things calmed down, police had arrested eight people and the council had pushed the rest of its budget work to later in the afternoon.
Police confirmed a total of eight arrests, and a NewsCenter 5 photographer inside the room saw people placed in handcuffs in the council chamber, according to WCVB. The station reported that demonstrators lay on the floor and shouted for transparency as the amendment debate continued, and that officers removed those who refused to leave so the meeting could eventually resume.
Budget showdown at the center of the action
Mayor Wu rolled out her $4.9 billion budget proposal in April in what city officials described as a challenging fiscal environment, according to WBUR. The plan has faced pushback from community groups and some city councilors over proposed job cuts and reductions to grant programs, as reported by The Boston Globe.
Inside the chamber
Witnesses said protesters lay across the council chamber floor and derailed debate just as councilors were weighing amendments. The session was forced into a recess that stretched for more than two hours before reconvening shortly after 5 p.m., when a council spokesperson told WCVB that lawmakers planned to pick their budget work back up later that afternoon.
Organizers push for transparency and restored funding
Organizers behind the protest said they were demanding clarity on how public dollars are allocated and calling for the restoration of funding for youth jobs and community services that would be cut under the mayor’s proposal. Community groups have already been rallying outside City Hall in recent weeks as the council weighs possible changes to the spending plan, according to The Boston Globe.
Under the city charter, the City Council must vote on the budget no later than the second Wednesday in June, and councilors are expected to continue hearings and votes this week as they sort through amendments, according to the city’s budget calendar at Boston.gov. Officials did not immediately release details about potential charges for those arrested, and the council’s schedule could still shift as lawmakers slog through the final stages of their review.
