The City of Cambridge will convene the first of four Cambridge Civic Assembly sessions on Saturday, October 24, 2026, marking a historic milestone in resident participation and local decision-making.

The Civic Assembly brings together 40 Cambridge residents selected through a lottery process designed to reflect the community's demographic diversity. Over four sessions, Assembly members will learn from subject matter experts, hear a range of perspectives, deliberate with one another, and develop recommendations for the City Council regarding gunshot detection technology and overnight video surveillance of public parks in Cambridge.

WHO

• Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui and Cambridge City Councillors
• City Manager Yi-An Huang
• 40 Civic Assembly members
• Civic Assembly Facilitators
• FIDE North America staff
• Presenters, including leadership at the Cambridge Police Department, ACLU Massachusetts, and Professor Ermus St. Louis at Northeastern University
• Community representatives

WHAT

First Session of the Cambridge Civic Assembly

The opening session will orient Assembly members to their civic role and responsibilities, establish the framework for deliberations, and provide foundational information on public safety, surveillance technologies, privacy, civil liberties, and public trust.

Topics will include:

• The Assembly's mandate and recommendation process
• Public safety trends and concerns in Cambridge
• Surveillance technology use and trends across the United States
• Civil liberties, privacy, and public trust considerations
• Cambridge Police operational perspectives and current practices
• View the complete agenda
  

WHEN

• Saturday, October 24, 2026 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• First hour will include welcoming remarks and Assembly members taking the oath of service.
• Assembly proceedings will continue throughout the day.

WHERE

• Cambridge Street Upper School & Community Complex, 830 Cambridge St. Cambridge, MA 02139
• Enter the Community Complex via Door 4 on Cambridge Street
• Street parking is available

VIRTUAL & IN-PERSON ACCESS

All four sessions of the Cambridge Civic Assembly will be open to the public for observation and broadcast through Zoom and 22-CityView .

Members of the public can register or join the virtual meeting on Saturday, October 24 using the following link: https://cambridgema.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VfceRWp_TNGTkdsIzjULvw.