Boston City Council passes Gaza ceasefire resolution 11-2 on May Day

BOSTON — May 1, 2024 — Boston City Council passes Gaza ceasefire resolution 11 to 2 on May Day. The council, presided over by President Ruthzee Louijeune, adopted the resolution sponsored by Councillor Tania Fernandes Anderson after months of procedural delays; Councillors Edward M. Flynn and Erin J. Murphy cast the two dissenting votes. The same session saw unanimous passage of $38,277,047 in Fiscal Year 2024 Community Preservation Act funding covering 37 projects in 19 neighborhoods — nearly half directed at affordable housing — and a 10-to-3 vote advancing a home rule petition to cut the fire department cadet program's required service from two years to one, with Flynn, Murphy, and John FitzGerald in opposition. Three Boston Police Department public safety grants totaling $1,833,575 also cleared on unanimous roll calls. Councillor Henry Santana, presenting the grants, cited a 16 percent decrease in homicides in targeted areas since 2006 linked to the Shannon Community Safety Initiative alone.