Annapolis Capital Punishment

The below from Mayoral candidate Zina Pierre who joins other mayoral candidates in responding to CP's question:

"I support HACA’s efforts to promote the safety and security of residents living in Annapolis’s low-income housing communities. HACA’s trespassing rules are an important part of these efforts. I also support HACA’s determination to work with the Annapolis Police Department to better serve the residents of these housing units. The majority of the residents living in these communities are law-abiding, hard-working citizens. The city must ensure that the essential services it provides for the public’s safety reach into these communities.

I do not believe it is necessary or appropriate to comment on the details of the ACLU lawsuit. As a general matter, it is my understanding that a majority of residents living in the affected communities support HACA’s rules. Within legal bounds, local residents should be able to choose, in cooperation with HACA and the police department, how to improve security in their communities.

No one will say that security and safety is a right reserved for some neighborhoods but denied to others. The residents of Annapolis’s lower-income communities should have options available to them for the same kind of community-building safety measures – and they should be able to determine for themselves which options they prefer. I believe that HACA’s rules were implemented with these good intentions in mind. I also believe that local residents have the responsibility to make their choices and preferences known to their representatives and city officials. The Residents Advisory Board is one body where local residents who may be dissatisfied with the rules can turn to have their voices heard. The rules should certainly be implemented fairly, and there should be a process for residents to challenge whether certain names should appear on these lists – a process that is not arbitrary or burdensome."

Speaking of the ban, our poll has now closed. Results are posted to the right side of the blog. Remember, these results are not scientifically valid, but they do show that a huge percentage of readers responding believe that in general, banning is favored. Thanks!