New Boston City Councilor-Elect Has Called For Abolishing Police and Prisons

Kendra Hicks is soon to be one of the newest members of the Boston City Council, and she's not a fan of the police..The democratic socialist, who won a tight election in the city's sixth district, made clear that she's not a fan of prisons and police last year; she was a city council candidate at the time. The sixth district includes parts of the Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury neighborhoods of the city..In a four-part Twitter thread in August 2020, Hicks reiterated this position.."Decriminalize Marijuana. Free everyone who is in imprisoned over a marijuana charge," Hicks tweeted. ."(free everyone whose in prison period)," she continued ."(abolish prisons even.)," she added. ."(and the police)," she concluded.As of Friday, the Twitter thread was still up..https://twitter.com/hicks4district6/status/1297263981783068673.It's apparently not the only time that Hicks posted in support of these sentiments. Her opponent, Mary Tamer, posted screenshots of Hicks saying in the past that she favors abolishing police and prisons, including two of the tweets quoted above..One screenshot showed that Hicks posted on Facebook in December 2014, "ABOLISH PRISONS! ABOLISH POLICE!" .She also posted about abolition a couple of other times last year. On June 10, 2020, she posted on Facebook: "*whispers* abolish the police means zero cops*". And in July 2020 she posted: "abolishing the police means abolishing prisons. our people don't belong in cages.".Below are images from what Hicks's opponent described as Hicks's past tweets:.NewBostonPost obtained a separate screenshot of the July 2020 post..During the campaign, Jamaica Plain News asked Hicks about her support for abolishing the police and prisons. Here is what she said:. In the 13 months on the campaign trail, I have spoken with many district residents who work in some capacity in policing — police officers, probation officers, etc. When I was a street worker, I worked closely with the DA's office to help find alternatives to incarceration for young people who were working hard to be and do better. Those of us with lived experience in this work know that when we address root causes, which are overwhelmingly driven by lack of social safety nets, that crime is reduced. I have laid out straightforward, pragmatic ways I believe that investing in our communities will lead to greater community safety for all of us.Right now, we ask officers in our community to be everything for everyone; that's not only unrealistic, but it's also unsustainable and ineffective in giving the people of this city the care and the resources that they need. So we're not just redistributing police duties, we're giving the job of the social worker back to the social worker, we're reducing violence by increasing financial investment in communities, we're funding communities to explore alternative violence prevention practices, and we're creating a civilian flagger program to roll out hundreds of well-paying union jobs that will support neighborhoods through the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic..Hicks beat Tamer 51.5 percent to 48.2 percent in an open seat race last week; Tamer is a former Boston School Committee member and a former president of the League of Women Voters of Boston, a group that supports pro-abortion women political candidates..Hicks could not be reached for comment on Friday..New to NewBostonPost? Discover the difference with content that goes beyond the typical Massachusetts news outlets. Stay informed with news and commentary rooted in conservative values—for just $1 a week. Cancel anytime. Don’t wait—join now and see what you’ve been missing!

New Boston City Councilor-Elect Has Called For Abolishing Police and Prisons

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