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| MoCo Planning Board chair Casey Anderson summons armed police officers to confront representatives of a black church on February 16, 2017 |
Cite current chair's record
of calling police on peaceful
black protesters at meetings
The Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition has endorsed applicant Brandy Brooks to replace current Montgomery County Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson. A coalition press release cited Anderson's record of calling in police officers to confront peaceful protesters at commission meetings on the future of the desecrated Moses African Cemetery in Bethesda.
Anderson's escalation of a peaceful situation by calling in law enforcement on representatives of a black church was "placing them in direct confrontation with armed police, arrest, possible injury and death," the coalition said in a statement. Noting that Montgomery County Housing Opportunities Commission Chair Jackie Simon also condoned the same armed police response to cemetery protesters, the coalition declared that Ms. Simon and Mr. Anderson have relinquished any credible moral authority to lead these organizations. Marc Elrich, Montgomery County Executive said that he 'does not believe in incremental change.' It is impossible to understand how in the face of actions placing Montgomery County residence in harm’s way, that Mr. Elrich could re-authorize Jackie Simon or Casey Anderson."
The coalition has instead urban planner and former Democratic At-Large County Council candidate Brandy Brooks as chair. They said Brooks has "demonstrated a keen sensitivity to the Moses African Cemetery issue that has been conspicuously absent throughout the County’s regulatory leadership."
BACC also endorsed Dr. Jeanne Toungara and William Cook, who have applied to fill vacancies on the HOC. They are urging residents to call the County Council and Elrich's offices immediately to voice your support for Brooks, Toungara, and Cook:
Call the County Council and the County Executive today:
Main line 240-777-0311
Special Assistant Debbie Spielberg: 240-777-2515
Special Assistant Debbie Spielberg: 240-777-2515
"Hans Riemer was arrested."
ReplyDeleteMontgomery County Planning Board Chairman Casey Anderson appears to be on track for a third term following an interview with the County Council Tuesday afternoon.
ReplyDeleteDuring Tuesday’s interviews, a majority of council members informally said they looked forward to Anderson for another term, including council members Hans Riemer, Sidney Katz, Craig Rice, Will Jawando and Nancy Navarro.
"During Tuesday’s interviews, a majority of council members informally said they looked forward to Anderson for another term, including council members Hans Riemer, Sidney Katz, Craig Rice, Will Jawando and Nancy Navarro."
ReplyDeleteLooks like both African-American Councilmembers, and at least one of the two Hispanic Councilmembers support Anderson.
Does Anderson only feel comfortable conversing with black constituents while hiding behind county police officers?
ReplyDeleteThe video in the SNN special report is really shaky. Was it a hidden camera?
ReplyDeleteAnderson is right -- no ex-parte communication. If they want to have a meeting, it needs to be at an officially planned and announced meeting, not just walking up randomly.
Oh, and daily reminder: the alleged cemetery was owned by a Black benevolent society and they sold it fair and square more than 50 years ago. The protesters should take up the issue with the original seller, not the current owner.
Nothing to stop the church from setting up their own memorial in their church or on their land they currently use as a parking lot. Why haven't they done so, if this memorial is so important to them?
4:18: Every sentence of your comment is false.
ReplyDeleteNot only not a "hidden camera," but interestingly, I was the only journalist to pull out his/her camera even as reporters from the Post and magazine only stood and watched.
Ergo, I was the only journalist to report this racist incident.
Anderson has been caught red-handed - again, exclusively by me - engaging in ex parte communication several times, and illegally failing to report that communication at the top of the next meeting, as he was required to do by law.
His ex parte shenanigans alone should disqualify him from serving.
This is a vote to watch closely on the Council, to see who condones white people calling police on black people for no reason.
"Oh, and daily reminder," the cemetery is there, and your real question should be, "Did the Tauber family inform Capital Properties about the cemetery as required when they sold the land?" "Did Capital Properties inform Equity One, etc."
The graveyard is not on church property, and erecting a monument elsewhere does not undo the desecration that has already taken place.
12:55: I would be shocked if Will Jawando voted for Anderson given Anderson's racist actions as Board Chair. Watch his vote closely.
ReplyDeleteYour comments suggest that you would be a strong supporter of Candace Owens, Ben Carson and Kanye West. Tell us more!
Nothing is stopping the church from making an offer to buy the land of the alleged cemetery location. How much have they offered?
ReplyDeleteNothing is stopping the church from setting up a memorial on their own property, and moving it to the land once they purchase it. Why have they not done so? It sounds like this alleged cemetery is really important to them, but have they even put up a small plaque or basic memorial?
Oh, and where's the list of all the people allegedly buried there? Surely the church has such a list, given how strongly they feel about this alleged cemetery.
7:07: They do have a partial list, which has been read many times aloud at the burial ground during rallies. Do you believe a $4 billion corporation can buy the bodies of former slaves? Tell us more!
ReplyDelete11:13 AM I guess to the developer community, the Planning Board and Council are considered "places of business".
ReplyDeleteBut to the rest of us, they are supposed to be representing us, not doing "business".
If these protests ever got larger, Anderson would have no hesitation in turning the fire hoses into the crowd.
@12:23 Then they can follow the process to get on the agenda. You don't just show up and disrupt. Would the church be OK if pro-Westbard people showed up in the middle of church service, disrupted it, and demands to give their own sermon?
ReplyDelete1:43 PM The Church's strategy worked, here we are talking about them still.
ReplyDeleteSometimes you have to make some noise to bring change.
Wonder if Dyer knew that Brandy has proposed a statue in honor of Dr Tauber at Westbard?
ReplyDelete3:47: Not only has she not, but no one who was aware that Tauber signed off on desecration of what he reportedly knew was a black cemetery would even consider such a thing.
ReplyDelete1:43: You are comparing the public meeting of a corrupt public body to a worship service? They were protesting because the system won't ALLOW them to get on the agenda.
"Anonymous" @ 12:23 PM said:
ReplyDelete"I guess to the developer community, the Planning Board and Council are considered 'places of business'. But to the rest of us, they are supposed to be representing us, not doing 'business'."
A county agency may not be "a business" but it certainly "conducts business". Lame attempt at word games.
This is the ENTIRE comment from 11:13.
ReplyDeleteIf memory serves...
A group of people, without an appointment, showing up at your place of business, disrupting the office workings and refusing to leave without their demands being met...being offered a room to use and refusing it and instead insisting on staying in the main reception area...well, that might warrant a call to the cops.
It's what actually happened. Why do you keep deleting it?