Last night (08/22/2017), approximately 80 Zion Hill Community Citizens peacefully assembled in the Weatherford City Council Chambers (standing room only) to voice our nonsupport of Weatherford's Involuntary Annexation of our community. As per Article 6.3.4 of Weatherford's Rules of Procedure, many of us completed speaking request forms 5 minutes before the meeting to speak on the involuntary annexation.
After the pledges and some other city business, the Mayor, Mr. Craig Swancy, advised the entire crowd, many of us eager to speak, that no public comments about Zion Hill would be heard. For a moment, the crowd sat SILENTLY in disbelief at what we had heard. One person asked, "why?" To which the mayor responded, "because we don't want to."
At that moment, jeers from the crowd began as now the city was trying to silence our voices of opposition to this annexation. The mayor slammed his gavel several times and advised he would have law enforcement clear the room. Upset, community members were still conveying their discontent of the situation and the Mayor said, "empty the room," at that point we peacefully left and waited in the lobby.
After he kicked us out of the meeting, the council went into executive session and after they came back out, "allowed" us to speak (conveniently, enough time had passed that many community members had gone home because their voices had been silenced). This tells me that the city attorney advised the Mayor he had violated our constitutional rights to oppose the city with our voices in a public meeting.
Even though Mayor Swancy apologized, the Weatherford City Council violated the rights of everyone who wished to speak by telling us we could not. Many people's voices were silenced last night by the council.
The Zion Hill Community (and your community when they come after you) does not have a vote on whether or not we wish to be a part of the city, all we have is our voices of opposition and last night proved that the City of Weatherford is willing to violate your rights in order to silence you and annex your property.
Please help stand up to Weatherford's oppression and help us stop involuntary annexations.
To watch the meeting and what happened to us. Visit the Weatherford Page at this link: http://tx-weatherford2.civicplus.com...-Live-Archived
After the pledges and some other city business, the Mayor, Mr. Craig Swancy, advised the entire crowd, many of us eager to speak, that no public comments about Zion Hill would be heard. For a moment, the crowd sat SILENTLY in disbelief at what we had heard. One person asked, "why?" To which the mayor responded, "because we don't want to."
At that moment, jeers from the crowd began as now the city was trying to silence our voices of opposition to this annexation. The mayor slammed his gavel several times and advised he would have law enforcement clear the room. Upset, community members were still conveying their discontent of the situation and the Mayor said, "empty the room," at that point we peacefully left and waited in the lobby.
After he kicked us out of the meeting, the council went into executive session and after they came back out, "allowed" us to speak (conveniently, enough time had passed that many community members had gone home because their voices had been silenced). This tells me that the city attorney advised the Mayor he had violated our constitutional rights to oppose the city with our voices in a public meeting.
Even though Mayor Swancy apologized, the Weatherford City Council violated the rights of everyone who wished to speak by telling us we could not. Many people's voices were silenced last night by the council.
The Zion Hill Community (and your community when they come after you) does not have a vote on whether or not we wish to be a part of the city, all we have is our voices of opposition and last night proved that the City of Weatherford is willing to violate your rights in order to silence you and annex your property.
Please help stand up to Weatherford's oppression and help us stop involuntary annexations.
To watch the meeting and what happened to us. Visit the Weatherford Page at this link: http://tx-weatherford2.civicplus.com...-Live-Archived
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