Politics & Government
Worcester Approves 2021 Budget With Police Increase Intact
The Worcester police budget will rise by $254,000 despite outcry. The Council did pass other measures aimed at racial justice.
WORCESTER, MA — The Worcester City Council on Tuesday night unanimously passed the city's $721.8 million fiscal year 2021 budget, including an increase for the police department — an item that a nascent movement to defund Worcester police sought to quash.
The group Defund WPD sprang up following a June 1 incident in Main South between a small group of protesters and Worcester police. Organizers have a long-term goal of using the department's $52 million budget to address social problems as an alternate way of fighting crime.
Viewed as a long-term project, the organizers wanted to score an early victory by getting the City Council to deny police a requested $254,000 increase this year. Movements to defund police have sprung up in cities across the U.S. following the deaths of George Floyd, Breona Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery.
That $254,000 would be better spent on public health or education, the group argued.
"The clearest way for a city to demonstrate its morals to its residents is through its budget," Defund WPD said in a statement Tuesday. "Tonight, the council demonstrated that its values are out of touch with its constituents. After weeks of residents expressing their concerns over this budget allocation, the city council has decided to value policing over people."
Along with the budget, the Council also passed a number of measures aimed at addressing systemic racism.
The Council adopted a measure declaring racism a public health emergency, as cities like Framingham and Boston have also done. Another measure ordered City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. to study creating a civilian review board for police use-of-force incidents. The Council also ordered the National League of Cities be brought in to provide race and equity training.
And as part of the budget, the Council ordered that Augustus and Superintendent Maureen Binienda review using money set aside for school resource officers for school counselors instead.
Worcester's fiscal 2021 budget year begins on July 1.
