On the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Civil Rights Act, the American people can celebrate the progress that has been made in seeing the equality of all citizens. Although there is much more work needed, the foundation has been laid for generations to come.
In 1968, in response to the Civil Rights Act, Middletown Township set the precedent by being the first township to form a Human Rights Commission. Over the years, this all-volunteer body has contributed to various successes in the fields of public access, employee relations and the equal treatment of everyone.In recent years, the Middletown Township Committee has neglected to appoint members to this commission and has discouraged the existing members from participating, leading to member resignations. Essentially, the governing body has decided that there is no need for a Human Rights Commission in Middletown and that they themselves can address any concerns a resident may have.
The Township Committee unanimously introduced and adopted an ordinance to abolish the Middletown Human Rights Commission. This shameful act of disregard of public participation in local government is appalling. The very premise of volunteerism, which our township thrives on, is being eroded by this dissolution. One can only speculate as to what will be the next thing that the Township Committee will remove to distance them from the residents.
Don Watson
New Monmouth
5 comments:
So very true, Mr.Watson! And they were very rude in the process!
'This shameful act of disregard of public participation in local government is appalling. The very premise of volunteerism, which our township thrives on, is being eroded by this dissolution'
what are you talking about? You can volunteer to any number of boards in town and there are other things you can do. We don't need this commission any longer as the laws, populace, and need for it are all different today.
You want to be concerned about something, be concerned about the Board of Education and the shenanigans going on there
Anon 9:17,
How wrong you are ! The appalling excuse for "representative" government in this town is disgraceful and shocking. The behavior and shenanigans of those on the dais is violating the rights of every citizen of this town !!!
The need for the Human Rights Commission is more necessary today than EVER before in this town !!!
Anon 9:17, maybe you should be monitoring the BoE and make a report for posting. Step up and volunteer some of your time for the good of the community instead of crying about what a poor job the BoE is doing.
Anon 9:17 PM,
We need a commission like this because there are members (individual, group, corporate, municipal) of the "populace" today that are no different than members of the populace when the commission was created -- prejudice and bigotry cannot be removed by legislation: these attributes can only be controlled by legislation. Because there are federal, state and county statutes and ordinances addressing human and civil rights is not a justification for eliminating the commission. This line of reasoning is lazy, lacks depth and fails to demonstrate critical thinking.
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