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Cambridge Black Lives Matter Protesters Call for Affordable Housing

Black Lives Matter protesters chained themselves to the front door of City Hall in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, August 31, seeking changes to local affordable housing rules to address what they say is a crisis in the city.

Police said they have not made any arrests of the protesters, who say they are associated with Black Lives Matter Cambridge, according to the Boston Globe. City Hall employees are using other entrances to get to work.

The protesters want rules that mandate 25 percent of developments with more than nine units to be designated as affordable housing; allow MIT to build housing for its 5,500 graduate and postgraduate students in order to open more city housing; and for the city to develop its own housing and rent-to-own program.

A man identifying himself as a social worker, who can be seen in these videos, spoke to the protesters, saying the blanket 25 percent requirement is not economically feasible. Instead, he said, the protesters should fight for an affordable housing requirement in select developments that make sense.

These videos also show the protesters who had chained themselves to City Hall and the police presence. Credit: Instagram/recordrays