The Boston City Council ordered hearings to discuss the role of publicly owned grocery stores in addressing food insecurity and passed resolutions recognizing Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Indigenous Peoples’ Day during its Wednesday meeting.
Councilor Liz Breadon presented a hearing order to discuss the creation of publicly owned grocery stores. The order addresses an increasing number of food-insecure Boston residents amid Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cuts and rising food prices due to tariffs and inflation.
“Food [insecurity] is a sad reflection of the fact that we live in the richest country in the world and there are children and young people and elders going to bed hungry at night when there’s an abundance of food,” Breadon said.
Council President Ruthzee Louijeune said she hoped the hearing would include “a broader discussion to support our nonprofit grocers,” referencing the closure of several nonprofit grocers, including Daily Table in Mattapan, Roxbury and Dorchester.
She also referenced utilizing other cities, like Atlanta, as models of successful city-supported grocery stores.
Louijuene noted the prevalence of this discussion amidst occurrences of food discrimination, referencing how Stop and Shop overcharged Roxbury residents compared to suburban residents.
The docket was referred to the Committee on City Services, Innovation and Technology for further discussion.
Louijeune and Councilor Ed Flynn proposed a resolution recognizing Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Boston.
Flynn said in 2024, Boston Police crime statistics report there were 903 incidents of domestic aggravated assault, an increase of 43 incidents from 2023.
Incidents of domestic violence and sexual assaults “are often unreported by immigrant neighbors [and] members of the LGBTQ community,” Flynn said.
“It is critical that we continue to work together to break the stigma and remind survivors that they are not alone,” he said.
Working to prevent domestic violence helps solve a much larger issue, Louijuene said.
“If you look at any major issue of mass violence or gun violence, at root, there is often a story of domestic violence,” she said. “Routing out and really addressing the issue of domestic violence helps us to eradicate all forms of violence.”
The resolution passed unanimously.
The council also unanimously passed a resolution recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Boston, proposed by Louijeune and Councilor Julia Mejia.
The resolution honors the history and contributions of Boston’s indigenous peoples, including the Ponkapoag Tribe, and acknowledges the city’s history of colonization, forced displacement and cultural erasure.
“By acknowledging this painful history, we are committing to a more honest understanding of our past, to advancing justice and healing for indigenous communities,” Louijeune said.
Mejia said the recognition of indigenous communities “must be paired with action.”
“That means amplifying indigenous voices in our civic life, investing in partnerships rooted in respect and ensuring that indigenous communities have the space and resources to thrive,” she said.
