NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council on Tuesday accepted a fiscal 2025 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant in the amount of $14,231 for the construction of an evidence room. 

 

The small but contentious grant was accepted 5-4 after weeks of debate. 

 

"It was appropriate for us to accept the Byrne grant as those items of question, we'll say, were not going to be enforceable," said Mayor Jennifer Macksey, then turning to the packed audience, "I don't know how you feel, but I'm very sensitive to what you feel and the worries that you have. And I would speak on behalf of Chief Bailey ... 

 

"Our job is to make sure everyone is safe, whether you lived here five minutes, whether you lived here 50 years, 100 years."

 

The grant received weeks of pushback from area residents who have filled council chambers for the past four meetings and started a petition. The crux had been certain language added to the grant this year that put conditions on local law enforcement regarding immigration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

 

At the last meeting, councilors had asked for a reservation of rights, a legal letter outlining that the city could not be compelled to comply with four provisions in the grant, based on the opinions of the city solicitor and Attorney General Andrea Campbell, and recent court cases. 

 

Councilor Peter Breen, who had urged the submission of a letter, noted the 23 states that have filed class action suits.