Social Justice Committee Endorses Investigative Model for Resident Oversight Board
Photo: The Urban Institute.
Report on the Meeting of the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee, Sept. 9, 2026
The meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.
Present
Debora Ferreira (Co-chair), Everald Henry (co-chair), Erica Piedade. Absent: Anna Derby, Lissette Paredes, and Brigid Owino. One vacancy.
Staff: Philip Avila (assistant director, Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)
The meeting did not constitute a quorum, so no votes were taken.
The committee advocated for an investigatory model for the Resident Oversight Board (ROB), condemned recent hate graffiti in Amherst, and expressed frustration over apparent failures in the CRESS dispatch process. The long-standing vacancy on the committee continues to concern members. The group is preparing for a strategic retreat on September 26 to prepare to advocate for a larger CRESS budget and engage with town management on social justice issues.
Resident Oversight Board (ROB)
The committee spent much of the meeting discussing ongoing deliberations in the Government Organization and Legislation Committee (GOL) on the proposed Resident Oversight Board to hear complaints about the Amherst Police Department (APD). The committee was charged with recommending one of two ROB models: a review model in which the APD would investigate police misconduct and the resident board would review the results, and an investigatory model in which the ROB would conduct independent investigations.
The committee strongly opposed the “review model” as “toothless and lacking credibility” and instead advocated for an investigatory model with subpoena powers. They said this was necessary to build trust among Amherst residents in the APD, which is currently strained.
The committee requested time at last week’s GOL meeting to share its background on the ROB proposal and dispel misunderstandings about the investigatory model, but GOL chair Ana Devlin Gauthier denied the request, saying that the entire GOL would have to vote on their appearance. The prospect of a future CSSJC appearance was not taken up at GOL’s last meeting on Sept 8. The committee will request an opportunity to speak at the next GOL meeting on Sept. 22.
Debora Ferreira noted that at their Sept. 8 meeting, GOL did not discuss the detailed letter the CSSJC sent to town councilors on Aug. 6, 2026, outlining the committee’s positions on the ROB. At that GOL meeting, Ferreira and Erica Piedade shared some key points from the letter during public comment.
Members noted that some town councilors are confused about the investigatory model, including what Piedade said were unfounded budget worries. Piedade said the budget comparisons with Cambridge, a large city, were not apt.
Everald Henry said that he heard a lot of fear from councilors who felt police shouldn’t be compelled to respond to an independent inquiry. He suggested that the review model would have no credibility, said the community deserves better, and noted that an advisory role is not what the Community Safety Working Group (CSWG) recommended for the ROB.
“But there are genuine questions and concerns on the part of the councilors, and we can help them get to a place where we end up with a credible process that also assuages those concerns,” he said.
Ferreira added that the fear and pushback are reminiscent of what the Community Safety Working Group (CSWG) experienced when CRESS was starting up. She predicted that people will not file complaints under the review model. “The ROB needs to be a body that can conduct investigations independent of the police,” she said.
Henry concurred, saying that people will not believe that (their complaints) will get a fair hearing if the police are policing themselves. “This will not promote trust, and we need to help the GOL fully appreciate that,“ he said. He reminded the committee that the ROB would not conduct the investigations itself but would hire professional investigators when needed.
Community Safety & Hate Speech
The committee discussed reports of hate speech graffiti at Kendrick Park and on electrical boxes around town in late August. Ferreira reported that her son saw the graffiti and was upset by it. Members criticized the town manager for sending out a generic notification alert rather than engaging the CSSJC or the Human Rights Commission to manage community healing. The committee proposed issuing a joint statement with other town committees and commissions to declare that no hate (anti-Semitism, racism, Islamophobia, or homophobia) will be tolerated in Amherst.
Piedade asked the committee to consider the larger context of growing intolerance in which this is happening, especially with the escalating assaults on immigrants around the country. She suggested that the committee reach out to the town manager, the Human Rights Commission, and the DEI office to insist that we need a strong joint statement saying that hate will not be tolerated in our town.
CRESS Update
CRESS Director Camile Theriaque could not attend the meeting, but the committee discussed the latest CRESS newsletter, noting that it highlighted the CSSJC’s recent work.
Piedade reported that CRESS received only three dispatch calls in July. Members voiced frustration that CRESS continues to receive very few calls from dispatch and speculated that more calls should be referred to CRESS but are not.
Ferreira characterized this ongoing failure to incorporate CRESS into the town’s public safety work as “a joke,” saying, “This is evidence of active resistance from the town and police.” Ferreira suggested that the town council needs to get involved to ensure CRESS can fulfill the mission adopted at its creation.
Henry noted that having a complete dispatch record would help evaluate whether calls that should go to CRESS are not being dispatched to them. Piedade recommended reaching out to the committee’s liaison, Councilor Hala Lord, and asking her to request all dispatch records for July. Henry volunteered to review the call logs.
The committee continued to lament inadequate funding for CRESS. Piedade said there is a critical need for at least 10 responders and a program director so that CRESS can extend its operational hours beyond 4:30 p.m.
Piedade reported that the town manager said CRESS was helping with traffic control for the opening of school at Amethyst Brook.
DEI Update
Assistant DEI Director Philip Avila reported that the DEI office has moved back into the Bangs Center following renovations. They have issued an end-of-fiscal-year report highlighting all the work the office does.
Avila announced that the DEI office is conducting DEI trainings for town employees and that a “Community Heart and Soul” kickoff event would happen October 22 at 5 p.m. at the Bangs Community Center. He also noted that DEI director Pamela Nolan-Young is joining the Mass Municipal Association’s DEI advisory committee and that the office’s intern, Valentina, is back for her senior year and will be joined by one new intern.
The committee will collaborate with the Human Rights Commission to link immigration/immigrant resources to the CSSJC website.
Nolan-Young and Avila will be presenting a poster at a conference in Kentucky later in the year, highlighting the department’s work.
Other Updates
- Affordable Housing: Thirty low-income, energy-efficient homeownership units, completed in North Amherst by Valley Community Development Corporation, are now ready for move-in.
- Youth Empowerment Center: The town has regained ownership of the Wildwood School building following the opening of Amethyst Brook Elementary School. The town manager has mentioned the Wildwood building as a possible site for a youth empowerment center. A working group to study the future of the property has not yet been established.
- International Tragedies: Piedade called attention to the floods in Tibet/Nepal (1300 dead, 5000 missing) and the fatal bus accident on Fogo Island in Cape Verde and noted that those communities in Amherst are feeling the pain of the tragedies.
Next Meeting
The next CSSJC meeting will be on Wed., Oct. 14 at 6:30 p.m. over Zoom. Find the meeting link on the town website.
The Amherst police have done an amazing job maintaining law and order in Amherst. Maybe not perfect, but they are human. Perhaps some of these people who seem to be so displeased with them should try doing what they do for one full week. It is far from an easy job.
First responders, including the police, make on the spot decisions that often save lives and reduce conflicts. They do their best to be kind and helpful to the constituents of Amherst. This is not any easy job.
All these men and women have been highly trained, they come from diverse backgrounds and experiences, and they sign up for this occupation because they care about people.
Often Amherst tends to be so highly critical of all our service providers. Maybe it is time to express appreciation to these people who give so much of themselves to help protect, defend and truly help our town.
Instead of being critical, try stopping and expressing your appreciation to first responders, teachers and other service people the town employs. Sometimes that works far better than just constantly looking for ways to criticize them.