Remarks by Henry Santana
15 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 1 of 1
- Play at 9:06
“Thank you, Madam President. Come up here. Good afternoon, everyone. Last week, the council passed my resolution recognizing September 23, 2026 as BIPLUS Visibility Day in Boston. Ever since activists like Wendy Curry, Michael Page, and Gigi Raven Wilbur established this day in 1999, the demand has remained clear. visibility, safety, and respect. Boston must stand firmly against bi plus aversion. I am proud to introduce today's featured speaker, Ayanna Peoples. Ayanna is a board member of the Bisexual Resource Center and a legal aid paralegal whose work bridges community advocacy with the…”
City Council · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 17:01
“Thank you, Ayanna. I really appreciate those words. And we're actually going to do a picture, if that's OK. So yeah, if I can invite all my council colleagues, please come up here.”
City Council · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 54:18
“Thank you, Madam President. This grant, as part of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health efforts to place trained mental health professionals within city police departments, will fund a full-time recovery coach position at the Boston Emergency Services team, known as BEST. Recovery coaches can connect with individuals at risk of overdose and or of survivors of non-fatal overdose and their families with substance abuse resources and diversion programs. Recovery coaches are embedded as part of the police departments across the country, including in cities like New Bedford. This position…”
City Council · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 1:06:48
“As the only nationwide database of its kind, the system gathers anonymous data across all 50 states on homicides, suicides, and firearm-related deaths. Data elements collected, such as mental health conditions, can provide valuable context and help decision-makers in public safety to develop and tailor violence prevention efforts. By gathering key details, like mental health history and toxology reports, we get a much clearer picture of why these tragedies happen. As Chair of the Public Safety and Criminal Justice, I recommend that this docket ought to pass.”
City Council · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 1:38:48
“Thank you, Madam President. I'd like to also thank Councillor Webber for adding me as an original co-sponsor and for his diligent attention to matters of data and surveillance. This ordinance closes a loophole in the 2022 Ordinance on Surveillance Oversight information sharing that allowed for both a change of vendors and renewed agreements for current technologies to be done without notifying the boston city council this loophole violates the original purpose of the 2022 ordinance and its use and its use has led to rising public concern about the boston police department's usage of the…”
City Council · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 1:53:24
“Thank you, Madam President. I want to thank Councillor Durkan for introducing this hearing order and leading on this issue. When a package is stolen off a porch, it is rarely just a minor inconvenience. For our seniors and our neighbours living with disabilities, that package often contains a vital medication, specialised medical supplies or essential tools for daily living. Almost every one of us has experienced this firsthand or knows someone who has, and the numbers back that up. Last year alone, nearly one in three Americans, over 41 million people, fell victim to package theft. Right…”
City Council · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 1:57:37
“Thank you, Madam President, and I would like to thank Councilor Culpepper for including me as an original co-sponsor. The 21st Century Road to Housing Act, which became law in July of this year, is in large part due to the leadership from Senator Warren. It's the most significant piece of federal housing legislation to be passed in a generation. It contains over 40 provisions focused on affordability and increasing housing supply nationwide. We could not let this opportunity pass by us. It's no secret that Boston is in a housing crisis and we need to use all of the tools in our toolbox to fix…”
City Council · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 2:04:17
“Thank you Madam President. I want to thank Councillor Flynn for both adding me as an original co-sponsor but also thanking him for his tireless advocacy for Boston's veterans, particularly those from marginalized communities. Earlier this week I was actually on a phone call with Councillor Flynn and he informed me about the the great need of work that we still need to do on this topic, but the great work that both him and Commissioner Santiago have been doing for years now. And I'm excited to be partnering with him and Commissioner Santiago in that work. It's incredibly important that we do…”
City Council · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 3:47:34
“I would just like to add my name to 1802, 1803 and 1804.”
City Council · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 3:48:08
“Thank you, Madam President. I would like to, I have a few green sheet polls. I would like to pull docket number 1394 on the Committee of Public Safety and Criminal Justice.”
City Council · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 3:48:36
“Will if you have more than one I could oh yeah, have you others counselor seven Santana I do Okay, so yeah one one three nine four one six seven eight and One six eight zero”
City Council · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 3:51:14
“Thank you, Madam President. Thank you, Madam Clerk. I will just read my statements on all three different remarks. MS.”
City Council · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 3:51:24
“Great. So for docket number 1394, the Boston Police Department will use these funds to continue staffing and improving its new crisis intervention training and technical assistance center. The center will serve the entire city by increasing mental health training opportunities for not only VPD officers, but also other security personnel who work in the city. The crisis intervention team, the CIT team, program is a community partnership of law enforcement, mental health professionals, individuals with mental illness, and other partners to improve community responses to mental health crises.…”
City Council · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 3:54:50
“So we don't have, as you know, since I've taken over the committee, we don't have hearings on every single specific docket, but we do have multiple hearings at the beginning of the year where we bring 3PD personnel to talk about all grants, and these grants were included in those dockets.”
City Council · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 3:55:47
“Yeah, thank you, Madam President, and thank you, Councillor Flynn. So what I have said is that these funds will be used for daily operations and DNA testing supplies. And then they also plan for, I talked about the reimbursement associated with the registration. This is something, I think this is money that you've actually advocated for in the past. I know you had questions about that money, especially the extra million dollars being allocated to the office. But this is gonna help their efforts and something that you've been advocating for. In terms of the hearing that you requested, I do not…”
City Council · Sep 23, 2026