Police say they will not be laying any charges in connection with a road painting demonstration outside Hamilton City Hall this summer.
Protestors painted “Defund The Police” in giant block letters on Main Street East, just prior to a meeting of Hamilton’s police services board on July 23.
That same day, the city spent more than $5,000 hiring a private contractor to remove the household paint from the busy downtown road.
In a release, police say they’ve identified and cautioned five people with “varying levels of involvement,” but have “chosen to exercise discretion” and will not be proceeding with criminal charges.
The update was released just hours ahead of another meeting of Hamilton’s police services board.
Police Chief Eric Girt will present a two-page report on Thursday afternoon, saying a 20 per cent cut to the city’s police budget would mean cutting $34.3 million, including money earmarked for traffic safety, victim services and street outreach.
Chief Girt’s report also indicates that such a reduction would cost 279 sworn officers their jobs.