Around 50 protesters, including a group armed with sleeping bags, rallied in front of City Hall before the Board of Aldermen meeting Thursday to demand city officials pay closer attention to how their decisions impact the homeless.
The rally, organized by the Somerville Community Corporation and the Somerville Homeless Coalition, follows a Sept. 15 Zoning Board of Appeals decision that denied a permit for the SCC to begin building six apartments for homeless families in a vacant building on Highland Avenue.
“Any attempt at helping struggling people has an excuse for not happening,” Save Our Somerville president Matt McLaughlin told the crowd, adding that while several aldermen cited density as a concern for this project, “I see houses being shoehorned into places they don’t belong.”
The protesters filed into City Hall — sleeping bags in tow — to see the issue brought up at that night’s meeting.
More from Matt McLaughlin:
Sleeping Bag Rally from Post Somerville on Vimeo.
