By Star
On March 7 at 9 am, the Residents of Gordon Plaza went to City Hall to meet with Mayor LaToya Cantrell. For 7 months residents have attempted to meet with Cantrell following a decades long struggle to be relocated off toxic soil. They hoped she would honor her campaign promise to use city resources to ensure that residents have a safe and healthy environment to call home. Before going to City Hall, residents tried many times to get a meeting and were rebuffed. Despite the mayor never listening to the residents, she approved a statement from her office indicating that “due to pending litigation, the Mayor’s office is unable to make specific comment at this time. Mayor Cantrell has heard from the residents and will fully explore the possibilities in working toward a positive resolution.”
After that statement was issued, Cantrell texted the residents’ representative to say that if she needed anything, to call her office or e-mail to set up a meeting. As the mayor requested, the residents sent an e-mail in advance of their arrival. At the mayor’s office they were met with her communication director who made it clear that the mayor was not going to meet with the residents of Gordon Plaza.
Since being in office, white supremacists continually state that the mayor meets with them to discuss elevating monuments of white supremacy, and the mayor never denies it. It is not acceptable that the mayor refuses to meet with the residents of Gordon Plaza, while she listens to the cries of white supremacists as they mourn the loss of their monuments to oppression.
The fully funded relocation of the residents Gordon Plaza is long overdue and is the only acceptable resolution. Residents will continue to organize until this is achieved.