Boston Council Advances $1 Million Anti-Violence Grant to Full Council Vote

BOSTON — July 2, 2026 — Boston City Council committee advances $1 million anti-violence grant amid state funding cuts. The Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice held a virtual oversight hearing Thursday on Docket No. 0970, a $1,073,239 FY26 Shannon Community Safety Initiative grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. Committee Chair and At-Large Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune said she will bring the order to the full council for a vote the week of July 7. BPD project coordinator Damon Bills, who has overseen the grant for 15 years, reported that state cuts have reduced the pool from 28 recipient organizations last year to 17 this year, out of roughly 65 applicants, and that the grant once stood at approximately $3 million. Councilors Ed Flynn and Brian Murphy both criticized the absence of any Boston Police Department command-level official from the hearing, with Flynn calling for a separate hearing dedicated to staffing and public safety strategy. District 6 Councilor Ben Weber pressed Bills on the exclusion of the Hyde Square Task Force and the lack of re-entry programming in the current grant cycle.