Funding for police alternative in Amherst called ‘slap in the face’
Amherst Town Hall GAZETTE FILE PHOTO
Published: 5/18/2021 3:50:10 PM
AMHERST — As a resident of Colonial Village for the past several months, Timmy Sullivan says he has seen first-hand a heavier police presence at the apartment complex than when he was living in more well-to-do neighborhoods in Amherst.
This experience is prompting him to support the full $2.2 million funding for a public safety alternative proposed by the Community Safety Working Group, known as the Community Response for Equity, Safety and Service, or CRESS program, and cutting the police department, noting that Black Lives Matter protests over the past year following the George Floyd murder have endorsed defunding police.