Social Justice Committee: Why Can’t We Get a Meeting with the Town Council?

Report on the Meeting of the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee, September 10, 2025.

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Present
Debora Ferreira (co-chair), Allegra Clark (co-chair), Everald Henry, Erica Piedade. Absent: Lissette Paredes. Two vacancies.

Staff: Camille Theriaque (Director of CRESS and committee liaison), Philip Avila (Assistant Director, Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion)

The Community Safety and Social Justice Committee (CSSJC), expressed frustration at their meeting on September 10, about being unable to get a meeting with the Town Council to advocate for social justice programs that the town has previously committed to but have largely neglected.  For a start, the unwillingness of Town Council President Lynn Griesemer to give them time to make their presentation to the council has led several on the committee to question the town government’s commitment to justice and equity in Amherst.

Co-chairs Allegra Clark and Debora Ferreira had met with Griesemer in the preceding week to discuss when the committee can be put on the agenda for a Town Council meeting. They discussed the 2021 recommendations made by the Community Safety Working Group (CSWG), of which Ferreira had been a member, and conveyed their repeated frustration about the lack of implementation of that group’s goals (see e.g. here, here, and here). Griesemer told them, as she had in response to a previous request, that there is limited room available on the council’s agenda, and suggested that they schedule another “pre-meeting” to talk with her about what they want to share with the council.

Ferreira worried that the Town Council is not properly utilizing the CSSJC, which has no budget and is forced to beg (thus far unsuccessfully) to get on the Town Council’s agenda. The committee’s charge is to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and community safety in Amherst and provide advice and support to all Town government entities, including the Town Council, Town Manager, and Town committees to fully realize the resolution “Affirming the Town of Amherst’s Commitment to End Structural Racism and Achieve Racial Equity for Black Residents” that was adopted by the Town Council as far back as December 2020.

CSSJ member Erica Piedade agreed with the co-chairs’ assessment, and suggested that the committee ought to have “at least two 30-minute time slots per year” to report to the council.

LVR and Tury Reports
These concerns have been a feature of CSSJC meetings extending back years (see e.g. here and here) and echo concerns raised in the recently concluded two-year 

Liberatory Visioning Report (LVR), whose conclusions echo those of the former Community Safety Working Group (CSWG): Amherst needs  to acknowledge historical and ongoing harm to marginalized communities here and create safe spaces for all residents of the town. The LVR involved several group listening sessions, individual interviews, and a community-wide survey for “members of the Town of Amherst to share their vision of a liberatory community that works well for everyone” (see also here).

The bulk of the meeting was devoted to discussing the Liberatory Visioning Report and the Community Engagement and Needs Assessment Report for the Town of Amherst produced by the Tury Research Institute and submitted in August 2025.

Camille Theriaque, director of Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Service (CRESS) reported that the Tury Report was conducted over several months and had been submitted to the Town Council. The study focused primarily on senior, unhoused, and BIPOC Amherst residents to “identify the most pressing needs, challenges, and hopes of these communities, in order to inform more equitable and effective town policies and programs.” 

Theriaque stressed that the council has the LVR report, and that it underscores several aspects of life in Amherst that undermine the quality of life for seniors and BIPOC residents, beginning with a dearth of affordable housing. It points out that while seniors make up a significant portion of the population in Amherst, social services, resources, and facilities for seniors are paltry, and seniors feel neglected. BIPOC residents point to widespread experiences of racial bias. Across all groups, people desire more transparency, better communication about services available, and greater inclusion in decision-making. Town leadership was advised to develop affordable housing, improve social services (especially for the elderly and the unhoused), improve outreach, and develop more inclusive communication.

The CSSJC expressed concern that these studies have been and continue to be overlooked by the Town Council and Town Manager, and that the council has neglected to lay out specifically how they will uphold the  recommendations of this and other reports, especially since the Visioning Report and the Tury Report express similar concerns and echo those raised by the CSWG four years ago.

“Why do we have to report things over and over again [only for nothing to be done]?” asked Ferreira.

During public comment, Pat Ononibaku, another original member of the CSWG, charged that the town is undertaking these studies to stall reform.

Anxieties on Immigration and Customs Enforcement:
Ferreira conveyed her concerns over the lack of community knowledge about I.C.E. activities in Amherst, and emphasized the abundance of fear among many people in Amherst, even though they live in a sanctuary city. She acknowledged that these emotions have been amplified after the September 8 Supreme Court ruling (Perdomo v. Noem)that allows I.C.E. agents to act upon “reasonable suspicion.” 

Henry echoed those concerns: “There needs to be some clarity on what we are as a [sanctuary] town,” he said. Henry emailed the Amherst Police Department (APD) to request a statement from them on this ongoing issue.

Resident Oversight Board (ROB):
Two versions of final draft bylaws for establishing a Resident Oversight Board (ROB) to handle complaints about the Amherst Police have been sent to Town Manager Paul Bockelman, who will decide which one to present to the Town Council, the ROB Committee’s draft or the version marked up by the Amherst Police Department (APD). The ROB was recommended by the CSWG in the wake of George Floyd’s murder to ensure not only that safe and equitable services are provided by APD but that they “are provided in a way that contributes to eliminating systematic racism in Amherst.” 

The CSSJC, and especially Allegra Clark, its representative on the ROB committee, were hesitant to accept what amounts to a “weaker” ROB, as laid out in the APD version. 

CRESS Update
Theriaque reviewed recent CRESS activities (as summarized in their August, 2025 newsletter) and reported that 911 calls that do not require armed (police) responders are still not being dispatched to CRESS as was originally intended. She has submitted a draft of dispatch protocols and is awaiting their final review by the APD. 

Theriaque reported that CRESS Day will take place on September 21 from noon to 4 p.m. at Mill River Recreation Area, and will celebrate the three-year anniversary of the town’s civilian responder service. The event will feature family-friendly activities, music, dancing, a live DJ, community resource tables, a chance to meet with CRESS team members, and an appearance by State Senator Jo Comerford. 

The CSSJC’s next meeting is scheduled for  October 10, 2025.