Boston police arrest 8 after protesters disrupt City Council vote on $4.9 billion budget

Politics admin June 10, 2026 0 Comments

Boston police arrest 8 after protesters disrupt City Council vote on $4.9 billion budget

A Boston City Council meeting on Mayor Michelle Wu’s $4.9 billion budget plan devolved into chaos Wednesday when a group of protesters stormed the council chamber and shut down proceedings.

The months-long budget process at City Hall had already been marked by fraught debate over how to respond to Wu’s decision to cut funding for several city grant programs ranging from support for immigrants to resources for food access.

Just as councilors started debate over a $8 million-plus amendment package from City Councilor Ben Weber, roughly a dozen protesters interrupted the meeting, with some yelling, “You failed us.”

A pair of protesters held a sign reading: “Save our youth jobs, city funds now, not empty promises of mythical private jobs and funding.” Wu’s budget proposal slashed funding for a youth jobs program, but the mayor later struck a deal with private sector groups to provide hundreds of school-year jobs for city teens.

After protesters lay on the floor in the middle of the chamber, Boston police cleared members of the public from the room. A contingent of the protesters left midway througha roughly two-hour-longstandoff, but a smaller group remained.

A spokesman for the Boston Police Department said eight adults were arrested.

Councilor Julia Mejia chanted with the protesters and livestreamed the incident on social media. At another point, Councilor Brian Worrell sat on the floor of the council chamber to talk with one of the protesters.

Once police cleared the council chamber, debate resumed on amendments to Wu’s budget just before 5 p.m.

“There will be no more warnings. If you make a disturbance or distraction, you will be escorted out,” City Council President Liz Breadon said.

The protest at City Hall added to what has already been a divisive budget process.

A faction of the council’s most conservative members and some progressives failed to convince enough of their colleagues to reject Wu’s budget proposal last month. But community groups angered by cuts to programs have kept up pressure on the council to block the spending plan.

The Wu administration has long argued that the city — like others across the state — is facing significant fiscal pressures, including rising health insurance costs and snow removal overruns after two major storms this winter.

In response, some councilors have suggested that Wu should raise revenue projections to increase the city budget’s bottom line, or pull from Boston’s “rainy day” fund to pay for programs that are on the chopping block.

Wu has called both ideas “fiscally irresponsible,” prompting backlash from community groups.

This is a developing story, and will be updated.