Eight were arrested Wednesday after a protest in the Iannella Chamber during the City Council’s final vote on Mayor Michelle Wu’s $4.9 billion budget. The demonstrators were affiliated with Youth Justice and Power Union (YJPU), a grassroots organization that centers the voices of Black and Brown youth to address systemic issues through organizing and direct action.

The group has been critical of cuts to Boston Public Schools and youth jobs amid a ballooning $474 million police budget. YJPU advocates freezing police hiring, cutting and capping overtime, diverting funds to year-round job programs for ages 14-24, supporting affordable housing development, and creating a $40 million participatory budget to fund voter-decided projects.

“Our goal was to emphasize to city councilors the importance of rejecting the budget,” said a spokesperson. “There is immense frustration, sadness, and anger around the result of the budget vote and the way in which community members were targeted and arrested.”

Approximately 20 people arrived at the meeting around 2:50 p.m., as the council debated an $8.1 million amendment package proposed by Councilor Benjamin Weber. Council President Liz Breadon attempted to stop the protesters before sending the council to recess.

“There will be no more warnings,” Breadon said. “If you make a disturbance or distraction, you will be escorted out.”

After consulting council staff, the Boston Police Department cleared bystanders from the chamber. Roughly half the protesters opted to leave voluntarily, and the rest were informed that they must vacate the premises or face arrest, BPD said in a statement. Officers allowed a 30-minute period for negotiations to continue, but “were ultimately advised the group would not leave willingly.”

The eight arrested range in age from 24 to 82, skewed heavily to the higher end.

“The majority of the city councilors who were against rejecting fled to whatever back rooms and actually refused to come out,” said the spokesperson. “We had Councilor Mejia and Councilor Murphy actually standing alongside the young people and telling us that the legal wall that Mayor Wu was trying to front with the city councilors was actually exactly what it is – a front.”

This comes after a lengthy budget season and months of tension across the city and within the council itself. The controversial budget would impose substantial cuts across citywide offices, including programs supporting special education students, youth jobs, and veterans.

Wu has described her budget as tough, but designed to protect essential city services during an overall tough economic period. City officials have said that funding gaps will be bolstered by private partnerships, charities, and nonprofits, but critics argue this leaves funding vulnerable to the whims of external entities. It also mirrors the policy positions of her 2025 mayoral opponent, Josh Kraft, who sought to lean on philanthropy to fund certain city services. The YJPU spokesperson said that the same people protesting the budget had supported her reelection to keep city services funded.

“Watching residents, advocates, and youth raise their voices for a budget that invests in vital quality-of-life services for our most vulnerable neighbors filled me with hope,” Mejia said in a statement. “I believe something important is happening. People are beginning to recognize what has always been true: we have power. Real power. The power to organize, to speak up, to demand better, and to shape the future of our city.”

A motion to reject the budget failed after an even 6-6 vote. Councilors Murphy, Mejia, Ed Flynn, Miniard Culpepper, John FitzGerald, and Brian Worrell supported the motion, while Breadon, Webber, Sharon Duurkan, Ruthzee Louijeune, Enrique Pepén, and Henry Santana opposed it.