A call to action to have your voice heard by City Council
Dear Uniontown residents,
In the last chapter, “Days to Come,” of Martin Luther King Jr.’s first book, “Why We Can’t Wait,” is a statement that encapsulates the most significant mindset reminder of what the 1960s Civil Rights Movement was able to achieve.
He simply stated, “It was the people who moved their leaders, not the leaders who moved the people.”
For over two months, the We Can’t Wait PA Statewide Coalition has been fearlessly advocating for your distinctiveness. You are the most diverse small city in the Southwestern corridor of Pennsylvania. As such it is our contention that your voice matters! Since 70% of Uniontown residents are renters, the $15.50 a year YOU contribute toward city and school taxes validates your value and your absolute right to be respected as an asset in the community.
When the current mayor ran as a candidate, he stated in a 蘑菇视频 article that his candidacy was not about him but “about the city and the community, and it always has been.” He promised to “work as a team” with other City Council members, to benefit city residents. When he was a Uniontown School Board Member, he believed if you owe something, you should pay it. He owes Uniontown the confidence in his promises when they voted for him. He owes residents the opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to express their concerns in their voice, in person at a City Council meeting.
Since last November, when the indoor COVID restrictions were established by Governor Wolf, it seems City Council members have ensured they and other city employees have had a seat at the table without actively exhausting all means of opportunities to ensure that all Uniontown residents had access to equally engage. When indoor restrictions were set at 10% capacity, there were more than 10% of selective people in the room. When indoor restrictions were increased to 25% capacity, there were justifications for “entitled” people in the room.
It is the contention of the We Can’t Wait PA Statewide Coalition that all taxpayers are entitled to be in the room and even under COVID restrictions, it was the job of the mayor, especially, to live by his commitment, to ensure that the residents of Uniontown could do that in their voice and in their presence.
Last week, I served as a pro se plaintiff against the City Council of Uniontown. I filed an emergency complaint to request the court to consider issuing an order to City Council to make reasonable public accommodations at the next council meeting, which happened to be the following day. The hearing was in the afternoon and after two hours of opposition by the defendant, the reality was that it would have been less than 24 hours to notify the public of changes that could have occurred. I then sought a compromise and asked the solicitor if they would consider allowing a special community meeting to occur before the next regular council meeting so the community could have their voices heard while there were indoor restrictions because I had attempted 11 times prior to the court hearing to have a meeting with the mayor to work something out. To no avail, I still haven’t heard from the mayor about this last request.
So now I am asking YOU, UNIONTOWN, to join us, in our quest to have this special community meeting. You are the only stakeholder that matters! The judge has offered his chambers to hold the meeting, the majority of the county commissioners are in agreement of having the meeting and the sheriff’s department is securing arrangements for security coverage. We still haven’t heard from the mayor. So now, it’s up to you, Uniontown!
I urge you to email and call the mayor every day until he responds to our request. This meeting is about you and your right to be at the table!
Martin Luther King Jr. also said in his final chapter of “Why We Can’t Wait” that “when the cry for justice has hardened into a palpable force, it becomes irresistible. This is a truth which wise leadership and a sensible society ultimately come to realize.”
Let’s be that force, Uniontown, because the spirit for justice can be infectious!
Let’s do this together!
Carmina Taylor, Founder
We Can’t Wait PA Statewide Coalition