Criminal Justice Reform

When ECCO listened to Black leaders in our community, one truth was undeniable: policing in Lynn was causing real harm. The state identified the Lynn Police Department as one of the top three in Massachusetts for racially biased outcomes. Black and Brown residents were being stopped, arrested, and incarcerated at rates far beyond their share of the population. Every Black leader we spoke with had either experienced police mistreatment or had a loved one who had been incarcerated.

We knew change was urgent. Alongside unions and formerly incarcerated organizers, ECCO leaders helped raise awareness that what happened in Ferguson and Minneapolis was happening right here at home. Through public testimony, vigils, and organizing, we shifted the conversation from punishment to possibility—calling for jobs, not jails.

That pressure helped win historic criminal justice reform in 2018, followed by a statewide police reform bill in 2021.

But we didn’t stop there. As racial profiling continued—especially in Lynn—we organized for deeper local change. As a result:

• Lynn police are now required to wear body cameras

• All officers and command staff must complete race and bias training

• And this year, Lynn will launch CALM—one of the first unarmed crisis response teams in the country

These victories show what’s possible when communities speak out and organize together.