WORCESTER, MASS. (WHDH) - Amid cries across the country to defund the police, the Worcester City council unanimously voted to increase the police budget at a meeting Tuesday night.
“Everyone in this council agrees on one thing. They think that black lives do matter. But we also believe we just can’t stop there. We need to make black lives even better,” Mayor Joseph Petty said. “We do have a well-trained police department. Crime is down in the city of Worcester.”
The budget was only increased by a small amount — a $250,000 bump to the department’s $53 million budget.
But that additional cash is causing a stir among residents.
“We’re all angry,” one person said. “But, that anger is just going to be driven to putting things into our next steps.”
Members of the organization Defund Worcester Police have marched in recent protests calling for a decrease in state funding for police and an increase in education, jobs, youth intervention and programs that address systemic racism.
“When people do commit crimes, they’re doing it because they have unmet needs, so what we should do is put more funding other programs that will meet them,” Michelle Puch of the movement said.
In a concession, City Councilor Khrystian King was able to convince the council to transfer a small amount of money from the school resource officer budget to fund two social workers for the schools.
“It’s verification and validation that those police officers assigned to those duties can be carried out more effectively by mental health workers,” King said.
Defund Worcester Police said it will continue fighting to redistribute police funding in the city’s future budgets.
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