[img]1929|right|Damien Goodmon||no_popup[/img][Editor’s Note: In the Crenshaw Subway Coalition’s unswerving campaign to have the last mile of the Crenshaw-LAX light rail built underground to avoid damaging businesses, in a letter sent 24 hours ago to Metro’s CEO, Mr. Goodmon questions the possibility of manipulation of Crenshaw community members.]
(See pdf here.)
Dear Metro CEO Art Leahy:
I'm writing to seek clarification on Metro's intended use of your Crenshaw-LAX Line Community Leadership Council (“CLC”) and the positions of the CLC in light of the just released newsletter (below). We at the Crenshaw Subway Coalition have long said that Metro established the body of hand-selected community members to be a shield for Metro while they attempt to ram the project down the community's throat. It is why, even though the Crenshaw Subway Coalition's team of transit experts, safety experts, noise experts and engineers were not invited to be on the council when it was created, we have refused to even entertain the possibility of joining the council since it became clear how it would be operated. Sadly, this first newsletter of the CLC corroborates our assertion.
The newsletter has been released to the public as that of Metro's Crenshaw-LAX Line Community Leadership Council, yet part of the newsletter (specifically page 2) reads like a Metro Board or Metro Staff press release. It makes claims and ascribes positions that thus far have been attributed solely to the Metro Board or Metro Staff as that of the CLC and its members, many of whom serve on the body as representatives of community organizations.
For example, thus far the position that the project will “provide significant environmental benefits, economic development potential and employment opportunities within the corridor’s communities…” (pg. 2, paragraph 3, line 3 of the newsletter) has been Metro's talking point. Many of the organizations represented on the CLC have strongly questioned these claims or asserted the opposite so long as Metro continues to push its street-running segment, which will kill the last black business corridor in Southern California and endanger our people's lives.
So please clarify: Did you make the members of the Metro Crenshaw Community Leadership Council aware that you would ascribe this position and the others asserted in the newsletter to the CLC as a whole? If no, why did you present these false claims in the CLC's newsletter? If yes, please make clear in your response the organizations/individuals represented on the CLC who have adopted this position/statement. I know the 500 friends in the community and media who I have BCCed on this message would like to know.
Your quick response will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much,
Damien Goodmon
Crenshaw Subway Coalition
Executive Director
dg@crenshawsubway.org
CC:
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas
Mayor Eric Garcetti
Metro Crenshaw-LAX Line CLC Co-Chairs Arna Fulcher & Tunua Thrash
Metro Officer Lynda Bybee
Below is the Crenshaw Leadership Council newsletter announcement Mr. Goodmon received yesterday:
Dear Crenshaw/ LAX Community Stakeholders,
The Crenshaw/ LAX Community Leadership Council (CLC) is pleased to release its first edition of the CLC Quarterly Update to keep the community informed of CLC meetings, project updates and happenings. This issue covers Project Oriented Discussions (POD), Project Overview, Contract Award, CLC Co-Chair Interviews and the Los Angeles Railways Yellow Cars. Please click the link below or the attached to view the Spring/Summer 2013 Edition of the CLC Quarterly Update.
CLC Quarterly Update, Spring/Summer 2013
http://media.metro.net/projects_studies/crenshaw/images/CLC_Quarterly_Update_spring_2013.pdf
