New Bedford Layoffs Spark Protests Among Outraged Police Officers and Firefighters

As layoffs become ubiquitous across the nation, so does the outrage and anger sparked by them. In New Bedford, Massachusetts, 38 firefighters and 38 police officers who received layoff notices this week, did not respond to them lightly.

Protests sparked outside New Bedford’s City Hall, ironically enough, by public-safety officers from around the state. The officers warned that this was just the beginning of their retaliation.

Fall River, Worcester, Brockton, Haverhill, and Brookline are all facing potential police officer/firefighter layoffs either immediately or on July 1^st, depending on budget cuts.

“It’s scary,” said Shawn Robert, a 32-year-old New Bedford policeman. Robert just received notice that he would lose his job later this month.

New Bedford’s cuts will slash 15 percent of the city’s officers. The police their respond to around 100,000 calls a year.

More layoffs may occur in July.

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