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Black Lives Matter Protesters Chain Themselves To Cambridge City Hall To Call For Housing Reforms

Black Lives Matter protesters linked together outside Cambridge City Hall Wednesday morning. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)
Black Lives Matter protesters linked together outside Cambridge City Hall Wednesday morning. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Protests, decrying a lack of affordable housing, at Cambridge City Hall Wednesday ended in four arrests.

Demonstrators, who identified themselves as members of Black Lives Matter Cambridge, marched to City Hall, where two members chained themselves to the building's front doors with bike locks. Two other protesters connected themselves to the chained protesters.

Two men and two women, all considered juveniles, were arrested Wednesday afternoon, according to Cambridge Police Department spokesman Jeremy Warnick.

"They were given several opportunities to cooperate and make the entrance to City Hall accessible, but refused after more than 8 hours," Warnick said in a statement.

The protesters had hung a sign on City Hall's front door that read: "Cambridge City Hall is Condemned" and included a list of four demands:

  • A mandate that developers of more than nine units make 25 percent of the units "affordable"
  • A permit for MIT to build additional student housing in order to free up off-campus housing
  • Prioritize using free land for affordable housing and public spaces over selling it to private developers
  • The establishment of a Rent to Own program that provides paths to home ownership for low-income residents
Protesters hold up signs that read "25% affordable housing." (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)
Protesters hold up signs that read "25% affordable housing." (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)
Protesters gather outside Cambridge City Hall Wednesday morning. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)
Protesters gather outside Cambridge City Hall Wednesday morning. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)
Some demonstrators held Black Lives Matter signs. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)
Some demonstrators held Black Lives Matter signs. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)
Police moved the protesters who were chained to City Hall's front doors off to the side of the entry way. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)
Police moved the protesters who were chained to City Hall's front doors off to the side of the entry way. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

This article was originally published on August 31, 2016.

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