Dear Mayor Walsh and Governor Baker, 

We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned by the Boston Police Department's violent response to recent protests demanding racial justice and an end to police brutality. Eyewitness accounts suggest the BPD and other local law enforcement agencies acted to violate the First-Amendment rights of protesters seeking justice for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and others. We demand a thorough investigation of BPD's response to these protests over the past week. 

In addition, we demand the following immediate measures: 

1. Independent investigations of the response to Boston protests by BPD and other local law enforcement agencies at the state and federal level 

2. An immediate ban on the use of force by police against protesters, including the use of tear gas, pepper spray, vehicle attacks, and heavy weaponry 

3. Immediate demobilization of military-grade police equipment such as armored vehicles, which have no place on American streets

4. A commitment to demilitarization of BPD and all law enforcement agencies in MA, including the elimination of armored vehicles and heavy weapons from police departments, and increased investment in organizations that offer non-police emergency-response alternatives, including those that address homelessness and mental illness

5. The resignation of Commissioner Gross and BPD leadership responsible for BPD's response to peaceful protests

6. Meaningful measures to ensure accountability for police officers who abuse their office

Boston Police must be held accountable, and must not be allowed to stand in the way of Bostonians' efforts to bring justice for communities of color. We must be better as a city and as a community.