Racial Justice - September Update

This month, our Racial Justice Committee members are hard at work preparing a Progress Report on the Town's implementation of the Community Safety Working Group (CSWG) recommendations.

Following the May 26, 2020, murder of George Floyd, the Town of Amherst issued a strong statement of condemnation, and the Town Council directed the Town Manager to explore alternative options for providing safety services for Amherst. The Town Manager proposed –- and the Council approved –- formation of a Community Safety Working Group to study the complex issues of how the Town delivers safety services; to make recommendations on alternative ways of providing public safety to ensure racial equity; and to make recommendations on reforms to the current organizational and oversight structures of the Amherst Police Department.

The CSWG met weekly from November 2020 through October 2021. They held community forums, and listened to the lived experiences of community members impacted by policing. They contracted with 7 Generation Movement Collective to conduct outreach, and they researched alternative safety programs in other communities. The CSWG prepared a two-part Final Report summarizing their analyses and presented a set of recommendations to place Amherst on a path towards racial equity and safety for all our residents.

Four years have passed since their Report was issued. We have decided it is an appropriate time to review the progress our Town has made on implementing the CSWG recommendations. We hope to complete our Report by October, in order to stimulate discussion with Town Council candidates before the Nov. 4 election.

We look forward to talking with all of you at the Opening Meeting about how to broaden League participation in racial equity issues.

Martha Hanner, for the Racial Justice Committee