Have a Sa e & Happy Easter and Passov Have a Safe & Happy Easter and Passover Vol. 31, No.15 -FREEwww.advocatenews.net Free Every Friday Human Rights Commission again faces disruptions By Adam Swift T he city’s Human Rights Commission (HRC) meetings continue to be beset by outbursts and interruptions, with the latest meeting on Thursday, April 7 seeing several audience members escorted out after warnings from Chair Janine Grillo Marra. As in recent months, the City Council Chambers saw a small contingent of audience members touting signs to abolish the commission, people taping the meeting with their phones and numerous interruptions and asides from the group. April’s meeting also saw a few people in the audience holding their own signs in support of the commission. Unlike several recent meetings, the HRC ended its April meeting without ending early. However, Grillo Marra did end the meeting before addressing all the issues on its agenda, including the public forum at the end of the agenda, to the consternation of several of those who showed up in opposition to the commission’s existence. Early in the meeting, Grillo Marra laid out the rules that the commission must follow in accordance with the Open Meeting Law. “Guests are expected to speak in a respectful way; aggressive speech and slander will not be tolerated,” said Grillo Marra. “Guests will be muted or deemed out of order after being reminded more than twice, and guests may be removed from the meeting.” Grillo Marra said guests had the right to record the meeting, but could not move around and disrupt the proceedings. “No person can address the commission without the permission of the chair,” she said. “We are glad that you are here, but you have to be silent, and no person shall disrupt the proceedings of a public body.” During her report to the commission, HRC Executive Director Dr. Maritsa Barros said she wants to hear from all voices in the community, but did address the recent dissent at meetings. “It’s not easy to work when we have this opposition in the room,” said Barros. “I just hope that – for those who are not seeing eye to eye with us right now – that just your presence and being with us and being part of the conversation, hearing the things we are discussing and trying to get accomplished, you will MEETING | SEE Page 17 781-286-8500 Friday, April 15, 2022 City Council Honors The City Council presented Certifi cates of Appreciation to Greg Vendetti, Emelio Fusco, April Feeney, Tyler D’Angelo and Joe Singer for their work with children through the Revere High School Boxing Program. Shown from left to right are Singer, Feeney, D’Angelo, Vendetti, Ward 3 Councillor Anthony Cogliandro and City Council President Gerry Visconti. See page 8 for photo highlights. Keefe says now is the time for Erricola Park upgrades By Adam Swift N ow that the Wonderland site has been selected as the site of the new Revere High School, Ward 4 Councillor Patrick Keefe said, it’s time for the city to invest in upgrades to ErrCDBG grants provide FKO with student cool down spaces icola Park next to the current high school. “Over the last few years, there has been some debate and conversation about where the new high school is going, and there has been some hesitation … to put signifi cant fi nancial upgrades into Erricola Park; because if it was deemed to be a future site of a high school, it would be a waste of resources,” said Keefe. Building a new high school on Erricola Park and then recreating the fi elds on the current high school was one of the fi nal two options for the new school, but the School Committee and City Council decided to go with the Wonderland option. “We have a very robust planning department that reconPATRICK KEEFE Ward 4 Councillor structs parks and reinvests in our city’s resources,” said Keefe. PARK | SEE Page 21 City and state offi cials, pictured from left to right: State Representatives Jeff Turco and Jessica Giannino, HUD Regional Administrator Juana Mattias, For Kids Only Executive Director Deborah Kneeland, Mayor Brian Arrigo and Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselsky. See page 10 for photo highlights. (Advocate photo by Tara Vocino)
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