The last City Council hearing was held on Wednesday, May 2 at Boston City Hall. The following items were discussed:
Grants
The Boston Police Department will accept and expend $850,000 from the Boston Regional Intelligence Center Allocation. The grant will fund upgrading, expanding, and integrating technology and protocols related to anti-terrorism, anti-crime, anti-gang and emergency response. (Assigned to the Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice)
The Boston City Council voted to approve $99,314 from U.S. Department of Justice to fund Address Verification Program activities mandated by the MA Sex Offender Registry Board.
The City Council also approved to accept and expend $130,253 from the Retired Senior Volunteer Program grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service to fund 356 RSVP volunteers who will provide social support to homebound or older adults and individuals with disabilities.
The Mayors Office of Arts and Culture will accept and expand $5,000 from the MA Cultural Council to fund programming in the Roxbury Cultural District and $5,000 from the Boston Foundation to fund the original creation of contemporary artwork by emerging artists.
Supporting Human Rights in Honduras
The Boston City Council voted to adopt the resolution Councilor Lydia Edwards filed to urge the U.S. Congress to pass H.R. 1299, the Berta Caceres HumanRights in Honduras Act.
Honduras has been experiencing an unprecedented level of insecurity and violence. In the aftermath of the election, there were 192 repressed demonstrations, resulting in over 1,250 arrests, 38 people killed, 393 people injured, 76 victims of torture, cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment, 15 journalists assaulted, and more.
The Berta Caceres Human Rights in Honduras Act, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Hank Johnson, would prohibit funds from being made available to Honduras for the police and military (including equipment and training), and direct the Department of the Treasury to vote against multilateral loans to Honduras for its police and military, until the Department of State certifies that the government of Honduras has taken certain steps to promote accountability, dignity, freedom of speech and human rights.
“Our U.S. government will soon take away TPS (temporary protected status) for current Hondurans who live here,” said Edwards. “It will only further eliminate the foundation and their futures here in this country, potentially departing thousands of people – some of who live in my neighborhood.”