Gov. Maura Healey announced a $14 million safety grant following several so-called street takeovers this month.

Healey’s press conference on Thursday was in response to violent car meetups that occurred in several cities on Oct. 4, which allegedly saw a crowd use fireworks to ignite a police cruiser in the South End.

“We have zero tolerance for this kind of behavior,” Healey said. “It poses a real significant threat to public safety and certainly harms quality of life in our neighborhoods and communities.”

“These illegal car meetups, street takeovers have negatively impacted our residents, our businesses and our city as a whole, damaging personal and real property, … creating serious risk of personal injury to onlookers, pedestrians, passengers, and even injuring one of my officers,” Brockton Police Chief Brenda Perez said.

“These are organized groups whose purpose is to cause chaos and disruption, to create public disturbance, and to draw attention from both the communities they harass and the police want to protect those communities, and they have succeeded in gaining our attention,” said Fall River Police Chief Kelly Furtado.

In response to these meetups, State Police worked with local departments to prevent other meetups that were advertised online. On Oct. 11, law enforcement across the state issued 232 civil citations, 74 warnings, and 20 criminal summons, arrested seven people, towed 15 vehicles, seized two vehicles under the Controlled Substances Act, and recovered one stolen car as part of the prevention work, Healey said.

During Saturday’s efforts, some of the involved motorists fled the scene and State Police are continuing to work to identify the suspects, Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble said.

To continue these prevention efforts, Healey issued a $14 million safety grant.. The grant includes $6.2 million from the Municipal Road Safety Grant Program for 210 local police departments, $7.1 million from the State Agency Traffic Safety Grant Program for nine state agencies, and $613,900 from the State Traffic Safety Information System Improvements Program to strengthen crash data collection and reporting, according to a press release.

“Every resident of our state deserves to live in a community with a high quality of life and where public safety is assured, and the men and women working across police departments are out there every day trying to do just that,” she said.

Healey said her office will continue to work with law enforcement to monitor online channels and prevent further dangerous meet ups. She urged the public to report any advertisements of such meetups to the authorities.

“The two operations the governor highlighted today illustrate the power of collaboration, the power of working together to meet the evolving needs of the Commonwealth, to make our community safer beyond any one mission,” Noble said.

Although street takeovers are new to the state, State Police and its partners have been tracking similar events across the country for several years, Noble said.

The street takeovers seem to be an escalation of the increase of road races seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, Healey added.

The takeovers in Massachusetts caught the attention of President Donald Trump, who said Tuesday he would prevent the 2026 World Cup games from taking place in Foxborough if he feels it is unsafe.

In addition to Massachusetts being one of the safest states in the nation, “I think that Robert Kraft and the team have safety well in hand,” Healey said when asked about Trump’s comments about the World Cup.

“That’s just more political theater,” Healey continued. “Another day, another Donald Trump comment.”

While public safety is a priority for Healey, she is also “dealing with and trying to mitigate against some of the serious, serious harm by the Trump administration and the reconciliation bill that has cut, effectively, [$3.7 billion] from our budget over the next couple of years,” she said.

Harvard’s ongoing legal disputes with the Trump administration have found a consistent supporter in the state of Massachusetts. According to the Harvard Crimson, since President Donald Trump took office in January, Attorney General Andrea J. Campbell has joined 35 lawsuits and filed several amicus briefs against his administration. Many of these cases involve higher education and research policy, areas central to the state’s economy.Universities and research institutions in Massachusetts support about 320,000 jobs and generate nearly 70 billion dollars in annual economic activity, reports

The Crimson

. The state receives more federal research funding per capita than any other in the country, with universities collectively drawing over 2 billion dollars in federal support each year.Campbell has opposed federal actions that could affect this funding, including restrictions on diversity-related grants and limits on reimbursements for research costs not tied to specific projects. Her office has filed briefs in support of Harvard in both of its lawsuits against the administration’s attempts to apply pressure on the university.

Disputes over federal research funding

The Crimson reports that the legal conflict began soon after the new administration took office. The National Institutes of Health introduced a 15 percent cap on indirect research costs, which cover expenses such as facilities and administrative support. Massachusetts joined 21 other states in suing to block the change. A federal judge later ruled that the cap violated federal law, and it was permanently withdrawn.The National Science Foundation then imposed a similar limit and ended funding for projects aimed at increasing participation of underrepresented groups in science and engineering. Massachusetts again joined other states in challenging the decision. The case is still pending.When the administration cut funding for research involving race, gender, health disparities, and vaccines, Massachusetts participated in another multistate lawsuit. A lower court ordered the restoration of nearly 800 million dollars in grants, but the Supreme Court later allowed the cuts to proceed.

Economic interests and legal alignment

Harvard is one of the largest employers in Massachusetts and a major contributor to the state economy. Its federal research funding supports industries such as biotechnology and healthcare, which depend on university partnerships. State officials view federal funding reductions as a threat to this economic structure.Campbell’s legal stance aligns with these interests. When Harvard sued over the federal government’s decision to freeze more than 2 billion dollars in research funds, Massachusetts led 20 states in supporting the university through an amicus brief, according to the Crimson. A federal judge later ruled that the freeze violated constitutional protections, and most of the blocked payments were released.

Support for international scholars and academic freedom

Massachusetts has also opposed federal actions targeting international students and researchers. The Crimson reports that when the administration moved to revoke Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, the state filed an amicus brief supporting the university. International students in Massachusetts contribute about 3.9 billion dollars to the state economy each year, including 380 million dollars from Harvard students, supporting nearly 4,000 jobs.Campbell’s office also supported Harvard researcher Kseniia Petrova, who was detained in Louisiana on charges related to undeclared biological materials. She was released from detention in May and is awaiting trial.In another case, Massachusetts joined 19 states in filing a brief in support of university professors, including those from Harvard, who challenged the government’s actions against international academics engaged in political expression. A federal judge ruled this month that the government’s actions violated free speech protections.

Broader implications

The partnership between Massachusetts and Harvard illustrates the state’s effort to protect its higher education and research base from federal intervention. The outcomes of these cases carry financial and policy implications for both the university and the broader economy. Campbell’s actions reflect a coordinated approach to defending research institutions that play a central role in the state’s development.