ErieCPR and CIVITAS will co-host a brief media event at 4:15pm Saturday, March 23 in the Renaissance Building, 1001 State Street, Suite 205 – the office of AJT Architect.
ErieCPR members including Vice President Janice Cole, Community Outreach Advisor Cynthia Muhammad and President Adam Trott will explain why ErieCPR has filed its second appeal in the Federal Civil Rights case.
Trott reports that the “Federal complaint to save the McBride Viaduct a.k.a. East Avenue Bridge was filed in April 2018, assigned to a federal district court in Pittsburgh, later reassigned to an Erie court in August, granted a hearing in October that was dismissed by the judge on the eve of the hearing date, and then was dismissed with prejudice in late October by the same judge without hearing arguments. This forced the Plaintiffs to appeal to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, and it was dismissed by that court on the misunderstanding that the completion of the bridge demolition made the case moot.”
Trott explained that a petition for a rehearing was filed on Friday, March 22 because the legal complaint was “never just about the Viaduct but about correcting the flawed, illegal decision-making process that continues to undermine Erie’s great potential for what seems to be the immediate, short-term gain of a few privileged power-brokers.”
Structural problems in Erie’s decision-making process continue to ignore needs and wishes of city residents as evidenced by: the demolition of the Viaduct, the planned demolition of the McAllister Building to make-way for place-less new construction, and the proposed 4-lane bayfront highway to move traffic through Erie instead of designing infrastructure for the benefit of Erie City Residents.
Those wishing to donate to support the all-volunteer effort by ErieCPR are urged to text “Viaduct” to phone number “44-321”. # # #