Politics & Government
'Black Lives Matter' Banner Litmus Test For City Hall Messaging
The Medford City Council hit pause on hanging a "Black Lives Matter" banner until a policy on messaging at City Hall is determined.
MEDFORD, MA — A "Black Lives Matter" banner will not be put up at Medford City Hall – for now. The City Council rejected the proposal to hang the banner at its July 28 meeting, citing a lack of policy on banners at City Hall.
The resolution was introduced by Councilor Zac Bears. Those against it said while they agreed with the message, there are currently no guidelines in place for determining future signs and banners at City Hall.
Councilors Michael Marks and Richard Caraviello worried that groups could end up jockeying for space at City Hall. Marks cautioned against turning the building into a "billboard battle zone."
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The Council passed resolutions to put Bears's proposal on hold and request a concrete policy from Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn. Bears and Councilor Nicole Morell voted against both resolutions.
"This is the easy thing," Morell said. If we can't do the easy thing, how do we do the difficult things?"
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