Tuesday night’s city council meeting in Worcester will be fully remote due to “threats of violence” made to elected and city officials, Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty said.
In a statement released Tuesday morning, Petty said tensions in the city have been high since a Brazilian woman was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Eureka Street last Thursday. The incident has caused public outcry in the days since.
Since the incident, the “events of the last few days … have been deeply disturbing and raised many questions,” Petty said. “As a result, many people — regardless of their viewpoint — are frustrated and angry.”
“Unfortunately, elected and city officials have received threats of violence,” Petty continued. “City employees and department heads have also faced threatening calls and emails. It is important to remember that the people that keep city hall alive are just that — they are people. Employees have shared concerns about their safety.”
With “the hope that the many questions raised can be answered,” Petty chose to make Tuesday night’s meeting fully remote “in the hope of easing tensions and to provide more time to get information to the community,” he said.
“I recognize that some do not agree with this decision, but as mayor I feel it is my responsibility to keep people safe as we seek to bring people together and get answers,” Petty concluded.
The city made a similar announcement Monday night, that the meeting will be held virtually “out of an abundance of caution” regarding “public safety concerns.”
The decision to make the meeting virtual comes after grassroots political organizers announced plans to hold a rally at the Worcester City Council meeting on Tuesday. Organizers were set to protest ICE’s detainment of Rosane Ferreira De-Oliveira in Worcester, as well as Worcester police’s arrest of a second woman and a girl both accused by police of disrupting law enforcement action during the incident.
Officials plan to close City Hall at 5 p.m. and hold the 6:30 p.m. City Council meeting via Zoom. 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.
