The Bill of
Rights of the U.S. Constitution protects our right to assemble “freedom of assembly” and our right to
question what our government proposes “freedom to petition”.
The long term
interest of the individual citizen and commercial enterprises generally are
not the same. The needs of individuals are seldom championed by
commercial enterprises and generally take a back seat to the commercial
enterprise’s goal to make money.
Recently,
some individual citizens in the Southern District of Baltimore City,
chiefly minority members, have joined together to express their desire for
affordable housing, living wage employment opportunities and more efficient
transportation components.
It appears
that 2 commercial enterprises in Westport
do not want the individual citizens of the Southern District of Baltimore
City to exercise their rights. Individual citterns are being
publically attacked and vilified for participating in discussions and
meetings about these common community goals; access to use public
facilities is being denied; community organizations are being threatened
with the potential to be black-balled from municipal support and funding;
affiliate organizations are being threatened for lending support to this
grass-roots initiative and government representatives are being co-opted to
facilitate the goals of the commercial enterprises instead of the needs if
the citizens.
These
individual citizens who have joined their voices together fully embrace the
prospect of revitalization and redevelopment within their community
however; they are not embracing the municipal support of commercial
developers without some form of community benefit.
It is frightening
and appalling to think that the rights of individuals to assemble and to
petition our government are under attack!
The ability
of powerful business enterprises to successfully influence the decision
makers in local government can sometimes be harmful to individual citizens
and can only be tempered when the rights of individuals are not violated in
the process. Government officials who have participated in the
violation of the civil rights of these individual citizens need to be
publically admonished for their inappropriate behavior.
These
individual citizens of the Southern District of Baltimore City must feel
free to continue their efforts to voice their opinions about community
needs without fear of retribution and are owed an apology.
On
September 18th there was a very big meeting for the rezoning of Annapolis Road,
with the planning Department, and the Westportpartnerships. It was
a huge turn out & the vote was in favor of the rezoning of Annapolis Road
to mixed use. We talked about it being Westports Main Street. Just about
everyone was in favor of this idea. This would bring many
businesses, and services back to our community. This has to go to
the City Of Baltimore
and then an open hearing at City Hall. We will keep you posted on
the hearing dates for all events that will effect Westport.
Hello
Everyone: I thought you might like to know there will be no meeting at
the Westport School on October 4th about the Cherry Hill/ Westport
Coalition. That is not to say they won't have a meeting about this
subject, but it won't be at our WestportSchool.
There will be a BRAC meeting at the WestportSchool
on October 2nd I have a link to the flyer below for you to read.
You may want to come out for this meeting.
Thank
you Westport
for all your support. You have made it possiable for me to let the City
Officials know that Westport
can run it's own Master Plan. We as a community have waited a very
long time for someone anyone to notice Westport. Well now we are being
noticed. A city offical told me at one meeting that Westport couldn't get it's act
together, because of the fighting of associations. Well all of you
made it possiable to let the city know that Westport can and will get it's act
together. Almost three hundred of you signed a petition letting
everyone know that Westport
didn't know anything about any coaltition. You the people and
residents of the Westport
community got together and put it in writing. You said no to any
coalition. You got Westport
together, and let the City know. We can't say no to something
we didn't know about. If community leaders aren't letting you know
what they are doing you can't say no to it.Thank you for all your support
Westport.
This is my new motto: (IT'S ALL ABOUT WESTPORT)
We
have waited a very long time to say those words. Go Westport. I would also like to mention
that the Westport
Business Association said know to it along with you, before I even went
on this mission for our community. Thank you Businesses of Westport.
I
wanted to take a minute to thank all of you for coming out to the
Business Association meeting. You made it a big success. I thank all of
you for that. Thank you for your votes about important business, I
know some thought we shouldn't get involved with community matters.
But this would have effected our whole community, and what effects our
community effects our businesses. That is why I brought it to the
business association meeting. The impact of yet another coalition would
make things very up setting in Westport.
I will be writing the Cherry Hill/ Westport
Coalition, that while we thank them for the offer, we decline. We are
working with, many other
partnerships
& organziations. The Friends of the Middle Branch and many more
groups. We only have time for so many.
Hello
Everyone: Did you know that Westport has
been signed up as the Cherry Hill Westport
Partnership? Did you know three people did this without the knowledge of
our community. This was an open meeting that know one in our community
knew about. It was done by Mrs. Ruth Sherrill- Mrs Linda Towe and name
unknown. Mrs. Sherrill is President of the Westport Improvement Association. Linda
Towe is Director Of Project T.O.O.U.R. on Annapolis Road. Go to this Website
you will be as outraged as I am .
http://www.cherryhillnet.org the
whole Westport
community should be outraged about this I have a flyer that will tell you
why. Were you asked was there a vote are there by-laws for these
associations. ask these questions. I have no intention of working with a
Cherry Hill Partnership, until someone shows me a meeting that was held
to inform our community and a vote that was taken to say we wanted to
belong to a partnership with Cherry Hill.
Go see why everyone wants to be our friends now. I was told at the
suprise meeting well your here now when I tried to tell the whole room of
city officals and Cherry Hill that the Westport Community didn't know
anything about this. We were ingorned and treated like we didn't exist.
Go to the Website see why we have so many friends now. They even got the
President of The City Council to come to this meeting. Westport better rise up and get the
people working against them out of our community. Do any of these
organziations have by-laws to follow. We need to find out. We don't
have to have a Cherry Hill/ Westport
Coalition & I have the signatures to prove it. Thank all of you
who helped with this important project and walked the streets of Westport to let the
residents know what was happening in their community.
ALSO
A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF WESTPORT
FOR IT'S SUPPORT ON RUNNING OUR OWN MASTER PLAN.!!!
Any
text in all caps on our pages in not ment to be yelling at anyone.
It is done to bring attention to something important, or so you can read
it better. You do not have to be a business owner to sign up for this
sites newsletters or up dates. All are welcome to join us in moving
forward in our community.
