Aug. 21, 2020, Erie, PA Representatives from Earth Justice - the international advocacy group that “goes to court for the future of our planet” - will headline a 90-minute, all-virtual Erie Bayfront Town Hall at 7:00pm on Tuesday, August 25. The zoom link will be posted on Connect Urban Erie’s Facebook page and website <ConnectUrbanErie.com>.
At the Town Hall, Raul Garcia and Jill Heap, both of Earth Justice, will clarify crucial differences between NEPA’s Categorical Exclusions and Environmental Assessments. PennFuture’s Sarah Bennett will explain how expanding roadways and increasing traffic impacts water quality.
NYC designer, educator and cofounder of designing the WE, April DeSimone, will outline the way in which policies, practices, and investments create systemic inequity. Erie County Council President Andre’ Horton will offer a historical and personal perspective of the Bayfront.
Samone, an artist and community activist, will explain some of the impact of eminent domain on displaced residents. Erie NAACP President Gary Horton will share reflections on environmental justice. The video collage artist, Roland Slade, will share a montage of Eastside residents vainly pleading to keep their long-neglected bridge.
Historian and former Erie County Executive Judith Lynch will outline how the Bayfront has been planned during the last half century. Freda Tepfer, a retired orientation and mobility specialist, will consider whether PennDOT’s plan provides good pedestrian access. Michael Fuhrman, the former Project Manager of Destination Erie Regional Plan, will outline PennDOT’s misguided effort to solve “the wrong (Bayfront) problem”.
Architect Adam Trott, President of Connect Urban Erie, will outline how we can build on the ErieRefocused plan by fixing our planning process. Cleveland architect and urban designer, Maxwell J. Henton, will share examples of “wonderful waterfronts” and offer a vision for Erie.
Andre Rosado, co-founder of ErieEqual, will make a call to action. Rev. Dr. Charles Mock, pastor at Community Missionary Baptist Church, and member of the African-American Concerned Clergy, will conclude the Town Hall by challenging, and inspiring, all listeners.
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