July 23, 2026 Special City Council meeting in response to the murder of Xavier Bautista
Call of the Meeting: The City Council shall hold a Special Meeting to receive updates on and discuss the City of Cambridge’s current, planned, and recommended public safety and violence prevention work on Thursday, July 23, at 5:30pm in the Sullivan Chamber, Second Floor, City Hall.
Note: The meeting agenda was revised prior to the meeting.
Manager’s Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the City’s violence prevention efforts. [text of report]
Placed on File 9-0
Manager’s Agenda #2. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a Community Safety Department update. [text of report]
Placed on File 9-0
Manager’s Agenda #3. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a report on 2026 Summer Community Programs. [text of report]
Placed on File 9-0
Manager’s Agenda #4. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a Violence Prevention Recommendations Report from the Community Safety Department. [text of report (Feb 5, 2026)]
Placed on File 9-0
Though this meeting has been scheduled as a result of demand by attendees at the July 8 community meeting on the murder of Xavier Bautista (a Cambridge City employee working for the Department of Public Works), the only posted agenda item is a generic report on violence prevention produced for the Community Safety Department and reported to the City Council nearly 6 months ago.
I can only hope that some of the current city councillors will refocus the discussion toward more timely matters, including a discussion (and action) on the Council’s recent questionable decision to remove the only gunshot detection system that had been in place in Cambridge. I am not optimistic. This could very easily become little more than a scripted teleplay focused on covering the asses of those councillors (and our current mayor) who were so insistent on the removal of the gunshot detection system based on specious arguments from activists.
We’ll see what transpires at the meeting, but my sense is that the DSA councillors (Al-Zubi, Sobrinho-Wheeler) won’t budge from their anti-police ideology, and Councillor Nolan has likely already prompted her ACLU activist friends to provide for her political cover. I cannot so easily dismiss the fact that the necessary 5th vote to make Sumbul Siddiqui mayor came with the promise to appoint Ms. Al-Zubi as Chair of the Public Safety Committee, and in that role she dove headlong into her quest to remove our gunshot detection system by inviting a thoroughly one-sided panel of activists and commenters who were not even slightly representative of those residents of Cambridge who would be so negatively affected by the diminution of police protection in their neighborhoods. – Robert Winters
Order #1. That the City Manager is requested to take all necessary steps to temporarily restore and reactivate ShotSpotter within the areas of Cambridge previously covered by the system. Councillor Simmons, Councillor Flaherty
Charter Right – Al-Zubi
Order #2. That the City Manager is hereby requested to report on progress of the February 2026 report’s recommendations, and plans for ensuring appropriate levels of support and staffing for the Community Safety Department, including continued expansion of CSD’s violence prevention program, the number and types of calls handled by the CARE team, and the timeline for more comprehensive staffing for the CARE team emergency response program and is requested to report back to the City Council in a timely manner. Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Nolan
Charter Right – Simmons
Order #3. That the City Manager is requested to provide a comprehensive evaluation of violence response and prevention strategies, along with survivor support services, across City departments including CPD, CSD, CHA, and DHSP and come with recommendations before the City Council’s Public Safety Committee and report back to the City Council in a timely manner. Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Al-Zubi
Charter Right – Simmons
Late Order #4. That the City Manager is requested to investigate directing the appropriate City departments to install security cameras overlooking Cambridge public parks, with such cameras operational only between the hours of 8:00pm and 8:00am. (PO26#139)
Charter Right – Simmons
At some point I’ll have more to say about what transpired at this meeting, but the basic points were:
(a) Al-Zubi and Sobrinho-Wheeler managed to bring in a truckload of DSA characters to recite their idiotic talking points about ShotSpotter.
(b) Several actual long-term Cambridge residents and persons of color expressed their belief that they wanted the additional police protection provided by ShotSpotter.
(c) As Councillor McGovern pointed out, several residents of Newtowne Court who would have spoken in support of restoring ShotSpotter felt very disrespected by the statements by the DSA people and consequently chose not to speak.
(d) After dispensing with the various reports, the Council began discussion of the Simmons/Flaherty Order calling for provisional restoration of the ShotSpotter system. It appeared to be the case that the two councillors (Azeem and Zusy) who had previously voted “Present” were now inclined to vote in favor of the Order to restore ShotSpotter. Councillor McGovern’s remarks also gave some indication that he would support the provisional restoration – especially since the Order called for getting feedback from the broader community (as opposed to just misinformed DSA activists). It was unclear how Councillor Nolan was inclined to vote, but it all became moot when drama queen Councillor Al-Zubi went on a rant when it appeared that she was not going to have her way, and she exercised her Charter Right to delay the matter to the August 3 Midsummer City Council meeting.
(e) In response to Al-Zubi’s hissy fit and Charter Right, Councillor Simmons exercised her Charter Right on the rest of the agenda.
It’s fair to assume that the August 3 meeting will attract the same DSA misfits, so I will likely just skip Public Comment as it will again be little more than recitations of the same talking points over and over and over again. Hopefully it won’t again be just another badly scripted melodrama and maybe, just maybe, the actual residents of Cambridge will be heard. – Robert Winters
PS – The City Council really should insist that Councillor Al-Zubi be removed as Chair of the Public Safety Committee.
