[nfbmi-talk] Airport

[Fred Wurtzel]

Good Morning,

 

Here is an update and another call to action.  We will need your help
tomorrow afternoon in Dearborn.  We are very close to an acceptable finish.
We have made a lot of progress and there is only 1 more step to success.  

 

As with many legal battles, there are twists and turns.  Here is a recap of
the situation in brief.

 

In September of 2014 the airport changed the bus stop of the Michigan Flyer
from an accessible stop at the International Arrivals door in the McNamara
Terminal to an inaccessible place in the Ground Transportation Center (GTC).

 

In October of 2014 the NFB of Michigan adopted a resolution to return the
bus stop to the International Arrivals door.

 

We began meeting with the Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA)
administration who refused to consider making any changes.

 

We had a picket demonstration at the airport.

 

We began attending WCAA board meetings.

 

In December of 2015, in response to our pressure, the airport proposed 2
accessible stops, 1 for arrivals and 1 for departures.  A delegation of
Federation members took a tour and found the proposed stops very acceptable.

 

In January of 2016 the Airport announced that these stops would be
segregated to the use of persons with disabilities.  We like the stops and
object to the fact they are segregated.

 

During all of this time, there are 2 lawsuits by persons with disabilities.
NFB is not a party (we have not filed to join these suits) to these suits,
however, they bear on our resolution.  The plaintiffs are a blind person and
a person who uses a wheelchair.

 

The plaintiffs went to court to ask for a restraining order to prevent the
implementation of segregated bus stops.

 

The Judge ordered the airport that these stops are for "everyone."

 

After that, the Judge recused herself and the case has been transferred to
another judge.

 

Since the change of judges, the airport has put up signs making these stops
segregated for persons with disabilities.

 

Of course, there are now further proceedings to rehear the judge's decision.

 

Until the new judge hears the case, the signs remain and the Michigan Flyer
is forced to adjust to the new system with separate stops for persons with
disabilities.

 

Tomorrow, there will be another WCAA board meeting.  We need federation
members to attend to make public comment to keep pressure on the airport.
There will be transportation provided for those who need it.  The meeting
will be at the Henry Ford Museum at a conference center near the museum
building. Watch this list for specific directions.  

 

This situation keeps changing.  We have accomplished, by our steady pressure
and by demonstrating that we will not quit until the airport does the right
thing,  our original goal to get the airport to have an accessible bus stop.
The present situation is that the airport, for some reason, has chosen to
segregate these stops and thus keep the battle going.  If they would simply
take down the sign and eliminate the inaccessible stop in the GTC this case
would go away.  We are extremely close to an acceptable solution.  It is the
action of many federationists over a year and a half that has brought us
this far.  

 

So, please plan to come to the Henry Ford Museum tomorrow afternoon to tell
the WCAA board to make these stops integrated.  In the town where Rosa Parks
lived a good portion of her life, it is amazingly ironic that the Detroit
Airport would try to set us back 60 years of civil rights progress.  Come
make your voices heard.

There will be another post with specific information, soon.  In the
meantime, please feel free to email or call me with questions.

 

Warmest Regards,

 

Fred