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Welcome Letter to Mayor Janey with Racial Justice Blueprint

Economic Justice, Education, Employment, Immigrant Rights, Police Accountability, Racial Justice

AFTER DECADES OF INSUFFICIENT MUNICIPAL ACTION, LAWYERS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS GIVES MAYOR JANEY BLUEPRINT FOR RACIAL JUSTICE AND IMMIGRATION REFORM

Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) congratulates and applauds Mayor Kim Janey for her historic leadership as Boston’s first Black woman Mayor. For many years, LCR has tirelessly advocated for the City of Boston to make critical changes to improve widespread access to equal opportunities, to eliminate discriminatory practices, and to address a lack of transparency between the City and its diverse constituencies. Unfortunately, much of this racial justice advocacy has remained unaddressed and unresolved by prior administrations. LCR welcomes an opportunity to work with the Janey Administration to finally address long-standing race and equity issues.

As we move into this new chapter in Boston history, LCR urges the City to:

  • Take bold steps to dismantle entrenched “old boys networks” that for decades have unfairly and unlawfully deprived minority-owned businesses of equal contacting opportunity;
  • Reform police practices, including increasing transparency and de-coupling policing from mental health services in light of Terrence Coleman’s fatal shooting;
  • Create a municipal ID program to help integrate and empower vulnerable communities – as the City promised to study back in 2017;
  • Take concrete steps to ensure diversity in public employment, so that our public institutions – including but not limited to the Boston Police Department and Boston Fire Department – truly reflect the communities they serve; and
  • Resolve civil rights lawsuits – some of which the City has been fighting for years including Coleman v. Boston,  Figueroa v. Boston,  Smith v. Boston, and De La Rosa – and stand on the side of justice.

LCR outlines each of these issues in greater detail in the letter available below. We are identifying concrete solutions for each problem. With Mayor Janey’s expertise and leadership, immediate action on each of these issues can expedite resolutions for longstanding discriminatory conduct and unfair practices. 

Click here to download the letter.

Welcome-Letter-for-Mayor-Janey-March-23-2021