A Worcester City Council meeting is set to be held virtually Tuesday night instead of at City Hall “out of an abundance of caution” regarding “public safety concerns,” the city announced Monday afternoon.
Officials now plan to close City Hall at 5 p.m. and hold the 6:30 p.m. City Council meeting via Zoom, city officials said in a press release. There will be an opportunity for remote public participation, and citizens can join through the City Council’s Zoom link or by calling 1-646-828-7666 and entering access code: 161 363 1913.
Read more: Protest planned at Worcester City Hall over ICE, police actions
The decision to make the meeting virtual comes after grassroots political organizers announced plans to hold a rally at the Worcester City Council meeting Tuesday. Organizers were set to protest Thursday’s “chaotic” arrest of a woman by federal immigration agents in Worcester, as well as Worcester police’s arrest of a second woman and a female minor who tried to disrupt law enforcement action during the incident.
One of the protest’s lead organizers — Jim Miller of progressive group Worcester Indivisible — expressed disdain at the change to the meeting plans in a Monday evening statement to MassLive.
“Speaking personally, this was a chance for the city council to make this right,” he said. “The decision to make the meeting virtual reinforces the stereotype that the protesters are dangerous — we are not — and looks like a tremendous display of cowardice.”
Read more: Worcester police unions say councilor assaulted officers. Here’s what videos show
It is unclear whether there will still be some kind of organized protest during the virtual City Council meeting, or whether protesters still plan to hold a rally at City Hall.
Tuesday’s City Council meeting is the first to occur since Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers’ arrest of Brazilian national Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira in Worcester on May 8. The arrest drew a crowd of over 25 people who confronted ICE on Eureka Street, prompting a response from Worcester police.
During their response, Worcester officers arrested Ferreira-De Oliveira’s daughter, who is a minor, after she stood in front of the ICE vehicle that was taking her mother away while holding a newborn baby, according to the police department. Worcester police pushed the daughter to the ground while taking her into custody, witnesses said.
City police have faced criticism for their handling of the arrest, including from District 4 City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj. Haxhiaj has since been accused by police unions of assaulting Worcester officers during the incident.
Worcester police also arrested School Committee candidate Ashley Spring during the Thursday morning incident after she tried to interfere with the arrest of Ferreira-De Oliveira’s daughter, according to the police department. Both were charged and later released.
The incident has sparked concern and outrage in the Worcester community, including from Mayor Joe Petty, who called it “deeply disturbing.” He has ordered a review of the incident by city officials, as well as the drafting of a new policy dictating how city officials should interact with ICE.
