Walsh declares racism a ‘public health crisis’ in Boston, says $3M will be taken from police budget to combat emergency

BOSTON (WHDH) - Mayor Martin J. Walsh on Friday declared racism a public health emergency in Boston, calling racial inequalities a “slow-moving disaster” that harms communities and individuals over the course of a lifetime. He also announced that an initial investment of $3 million will be taken from the Boston Police Department’s overtime budget to help combat the crisis.

“Today I am declaring racism a public health crisis in the city of Boston,” Walsh said during a news conference at City Hall. “The health impacts of historic and systemic racism are clear in our COVID-19 case numbers, and the impacts go far beyond the current crisis.”

From the moment the coronavirus pandemic hit Boston, Walsh said he saw a stark picture of how it impacted neighborhoods that suffer from financial vulnerability, housing and food insecurities, and health impacts.

“We stand with our black community and communities of color to lead the change toward a more just and equitable society. With these actions, we will increase equity in public safety and public health, and launch a conversation that can produce lasting, systemic change to eliminate all the ways that racism and inequality harm our residents,” Walsh said.

Walsh explained that he was been listening to the voices of protesters across the country who are pushing for change and racial equality following the police-involved death of Geroge Floyd on May 25.

“Lifetimes of experiences were brought to the surface in justified anger. Young people refused and still refuse to accept that injustice of the past,” Walsh said. “A movement grew that has brought a new urgency to this moment in our nation’s history.”

Walsh stated that he is determined to bring about lasting change for all Bostonians and to ensure that no one dies in the horrific manner in which Floyd did.

“I’ve been listening to black Americans and people of color in my life…we’ve been in dialogues about their experiences, real experiences on how racism shapes lives and hurts communities,” Walsh said. “We’re determined to accelerate our work toward systemic change, to renew our nation and our city’s promise of equal opportunity and justice for every single person.”

Following President Obama’s call to mayors to pursue policing reforms, Walsh said that he has signed the “Mayor’s Pledge” issued by the Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance

The “Mayor’s Pledge” commits Boston to the following actions:

Review police use of force policies
Engage communities by including a diverse range of input, experiences, and stories
Report review findings to the community and seek feedback
Reform police use of force policies

“We’re not going to let this moment or this movement pass us by,” Walsh said. “I pledged to make Boston a national leader in this work and we are following through on our pledge.”

Walsh also announced the formation of a new task force that will be initially focused on reviewing the Boston Police Department’s use of force policies, recommending rigorous implicit bias training for police officers, improving the current body camera program, and strengthening the city’s existing police review board.

Walsh said his administration will start combatting the health crisis by transferring $3 million from the Boston police overtime budget to the Boston Public Health Commission.

“The health commission will work with our city departments, including our police department, on strategies to direct access in the impacts racism has on the lives and health of Boston residents,” Walsh said.

Boston Health and Human Services Chief Marty Martinez said racism is a driving force that shapes access to the social determinants of health, housing, employment, and education.

“This declaration will bring this work into greater focus with real, intentional efforts to get to the root causes and see measurable solutions,” Martinez said.

Martinez said Walsh’s executive order comes with actions, including an eight-step strategy to ensure resources are set aside to curb all racial injustices and inequalities. The steps include:

Create policy solutions to dismantle systemic racism and barriers to public health by evaluating current policies and using data to drive change.
Develop a “Boston Health Equity Now” plan that includes clear objectives and measurable goals to address the root causes of the inequities that cause disparities in health outcomes.
Engage historically marginalized communities to identify problems, solutions, and support a community-driven response.
Require public reporting of race and ethnicity data that documents health inequities in Boston by working with hospitals and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to access this critical information.
Analyze data to better understand the interconnectedness of societal, environmental, and behavioral factors that contribute to the impact of racism and access to jobs, food, housing, transit, and education.
Improve access to prevention and treatment that is culturally and linguistically competent.
Develop services and programs to address the negative impact these inequities have had on specific populations.
Advocate at the state and federal level for policies and funding opportunities that directly combat systemic racism.

As part of Fiscal Year 2021, Walsh said he has proposed to reallocate 20 percent or $12 million of the Boston police overtime budget to make a significant investment in equity and inclusion across the city. The investments include:

$3 million for the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) to begin implementation of the eight strategies outlined in Boston’s declaration of racism as a public health crisis,
$1 million to support trauma teams and counseling services at the Boston Public Health Commission
$2 million in new funding for community-based programs and supports through City departments, such as violence intervention grants, youth programming, language, and food access, immigrant advancement, the Age Strong Commission, and the Human Rights Commission.
$2 million for additional BEST Clinicians and mental health supports at the Boston Police Department
$2 million to support economic development initiatives to support minority and women-owned businesses and;
$2 million to provide additional housing supports and youth homelessness programs.

The Boston Police Department on Thursday announced the integration of Campaign Zero’s “8 Can’t Wait” recommended reforms that have been championed by elected officials recently.

The reforms include requiring officers to de-escalate situations before using force, if possible, defining the types of weapons and force that can be used to respond to specific instances of resistance, prohibiting the shooting at suspects in moving vehicles, unless they pose a deadly threat and intervening if other officers attempt to use excessive force.

Police Commissioner William G. Gross also spoke at the news conference, saying his depart must make sure another “cowardly murder” like Floyd doesn’t happen in Boston.

Floyd, a black man, died after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on the back of his kneck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest on Memorial Day. Floyd had been suspected of using a counterfeit $20 bill.

“The new normal is not going to be what we experienced in the past,” Walsh added. “It’s incumbent on me, it’s incumbent on all of us, to continue to move forward.”

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