City Kicks Children to the Curb

Recent comments at the March 1st City Council meeting regarding the City employees limiting access to the public open spaces - kicking the kids off the City property playing in the Gazebo - was reported to John Phinney (as head of the Library Board) who brought the comment to the council meeting. This reporter was involved in a similar incident last year on October 18 - here's my first person account.


Original Title: "Citizens Banned from Public Property"

Wilmer City Administration has evidently decided citizens and taxpayers are no longer to be allowed on city property.

The City operates a "dump" on a piece of property on Millers Ferry Road that was deeded to the City by the Lions Club for the sole purpose of erecting a community center. The property is owned by the City, which operates "dump" (aka attractive nuisance, hazardous waste disposal site) there without statutory or other authority by ordinance to do so and has no permits for such activities from regulatory authorities. There are no signs on the property nor is the property fenced although there is a vehicle gate which was open at 2:20 in the afternoon Tuesday October 18.

Evidently, the City Water department was compelled to stop their southbound journey down Millers Ferry and expel this reporter from the "Lions Club" premises while sitting in the car eating lunch. While the passenger demanded I vacate the property immediately, the driver had positioned the truck so as to make entering the roadway impossible. Following the City truck and proceeding to City Hall, my Calls to City Hall and AdminSec Birdwell have been left unanswered as we go to press. Wilmer PD confirmed there was no ordinance or restrictive signage on the property shortly before press time.
[ED NOTE: This was written October 18, 2011 and never published. The fact remains City Hall has never addressed this complaint.]

Let us settle for a reasonable amount of compensatory and punitive damages over this denial of use of public assets, this abuse of official capacity, this continuing denial of due process to many Wilmer taxpayers. Or let's just go to USC Title 18 Section 245 for relief, save the taxpayer's money and put the offending officials in the federal prison for a year or so.