Thank you for your support by signing/sharing the petition and attending the town hall. There is still work to be done in regards to prohibiting the Confederate flag from Ebensburg events but I am confident that we are heading in the right direction!
The president of the Ebensburg Town Council, Doug Tusing, conducted the town hall last night and prefaced his speech by stating that, “[his] comments reflect [his] personal thoughts and opinions... any formal statements or actions resulting from this meeting would require discussion, deliberation, and potentially voting during a regular public meeting of Ebensburg Borough Council.”
Tusing acknowledged that the Confederate flag can elicit fear, anxiety and division. He invited the mayor, fellow council members, and all borough staff to join him, “in the formal denunciation of the offensive and hurtful display.” He also admitted there was a communication failure and apologized to those who initially reached out to the borough as well as all other borough residents who are being negatively affected by this situation.
Tusing said, “...as a governmental body, the Borough does not have the constitutional authority to limit speech, including the display of flags or other symbols, on public property….the display of the flag was perfectly legal and constitutionally protected...but as we all know, just because something is legal does not necessarily make it right.”
He stated that, “We want Ebensurg and any events that take place within it to be welcoming and family friendly to all residents and visitors. As such, and in accordance with the Solicitor’s advice, it is anticipated that the Borough would take future action which prohibits the Borough itself from organizing parades, and requires future parades and events, to be organized by private groups. Any content restrictions would then be permitted at the sole discretion of the private organizer. In addition to the Borough’s expected action to divest itself from the organizer role in parades or events. I further hereby request that the Borough Manager draft an ordinance to regular parades, events, and other demonstrations for future Council consideration. Such an ordinance is very common in other municipalities and cities around the Commonwealth, providing a general framework for various organizations to follow with regard to these activities.”
Moving forward my hope is that the borough of Ebensburg takes action to remove itself from events and gives that responsibility to private organizations. Furthermore, I desire to see the private organizations that are responsible for such events require participants to submit an application prior to the event and implement language on the application that requires participants to be appropriate for diverse family audiences and not allow for symbols of hate listed on the Anti-Defamation League’s database. Finally, my wish is to see that the wonderful group that has been formed in light of this event, Ebensburg Inclusive, becomes a committee recognized by Ebensburg borough where we can continue to work together to encourage Ebensburg to divest its responsibilities in regards to town events, help private entities establish language to make events held within the borough appropriate for diverse family audiences, and continue to make our community a better place by working with organizations such as the borough police and school district on multiculturalism.
Tusing said that the town hall last night represented, “the beginning of a journey not the end of the road” and I share that sentiment.