February 28 2016 to D. Cooper on ADA Event
Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.
1365 E. Mt. Morris Rd.
Mt. Morris, MI 48458
joeharcz@xxxxxxxxxxx
810-516-5262
Re: ADA violations on ADA Celebration Day at State Capitol
To:
Daniel Cooper, ADA Michigan/MPAS
(Via e-mail)
Dear Mr. Cooper:
I point your attention to the following from your ADA Michigan October 2015
minutes:
“Old and New Business
Dan showed photos from ADA25 events from the around the state. Curt Hansen
staffed a table at the 25th anniversary events in Detroit and Kalamazoo. Dan
gave Rod DesJardins materials for the event in Marquette. Dan staffed tables
at events in Flint, Bay City, Kentwood (Grand Rapids) and Lansing. Dan said
he received an e-mail from an individual questioning the accessibility of the
Lansing event, but there were no concerns from the members who attended.
Dan said he was pleased with committee's role in funding, planning and/or
staffing tables at ADA25 events.
Curt brought up concerns about others using the ADA Michigan logo. Sharon
Ellis suggested using a copyright symbol and stating that reproduction can only
be done with written approval. Dan will look into doing this.
Dan said that there are still some leftover materials from the ADA25 events,
such as stickers, magazines and posters. Members should contact Dan if they
would like him to send anything to them.
Sharon said she would send photos to Dan regarding the new State legislation on
service animals. He will forward them to the committee.”
Now, to say I’m angry at this whitewash of events is an under statement. Were
you blind to the dozens of people with disabilities including me and others
who are blind, or who used disability devices literally barred from attending
the ADA Celebration on the State Capitol Lawn and funded in part by ADA
Michigan.
There were literally barriers and a cordone of Michigan State Police keeping us
out totally illegally and in violation of the ADA itself! Were you deaf
to our chants of “Let us in?”
Are you totally ignorant of the role of Sarah Gravetti, Chair of the SILC,
Sharon Ellis, with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, and other mostly
non-disabled state actors at this civil rights holocaust on the very day meant
to celebrate the rights hard fought for, but again violated that very day?
The ADA in part is about barrier removal, but on that day literally I and
others were barricaded out of the event, and had our constitutional rights
violated
on multiple accounts.
Robin Jones saw all this and had to pass around the police cordoned with
impunity. But, I was bloody well arrested for attempting to even enter my own
event,
and one of which I was also nominally a part of the “accommodations committee.
Accommodations, by the way that were not met.
Moreover, much of what we who are blind were protesting is the fact the State
Capitol itself is not ADA compliant and it still is not so to this very day.
The fence surrounding the inaccessible Capitol steps and patio where most
functions for the public are held is a testament to the violations that go on
daily.
We have lots of photos, videos, utubes, etc. documenting the outrage and
violations that day.
I’d be happy to send them to you.
Regardless, this is a complaint against you and all that violated mmy and
others rights that infamous day.
It is the elephant in the civil rights room where on a daily basis the rights
of people with disabilities are violated especially by state actors under
this totally discredited Snyder Administration.
I might be blind, but I’m not so blind that I can’t see civil rights violations
and violations of the ADA that are so obvious to anyone.
Martin Luther King, Jr once said, “All that is needed for evil to triumph is
for good men to be silent.”
It is time to end your silence and denials about what really happened that dark
day.
Sincerely,
Joe Harcz
Cc: Robin Jones
Cc: Peter Berg
Cc: Peer Action Alliance
Cc: NFB
Cc: NCIL
Cc: MPAS
Cc: ADAPT
Cc: several
