PEORIA -- Six months ago Hedy Elliott Gardner and I spoke to the Peoria Housing Authority asking the board to develop due process for those on the notorious Trespass List, so that inclusion on the list isn't a life sentence.
(See the June 25, 2012 story easily accessible by clicking on the 'civil rights' category, on the list on the right of this page.)
Gardner, who teaches GED classes at housing authority sites knew that the huge list, with many similar names, included people who are dead or serving life terms in prison.
We found that any employee of the PHA can place a name on the list, for any reason or no reason, so the person is subject to arrest.
There's no appeal process to get off the list. The potential for corruption is obviously there, especially if a person's relatives live at one of the PHA sites.
The security chief of the PHA also devotes much of his time to monitoring the list, according to his reports. So there's an incentive to make sure the list grows.
We asked the PHA board, appointed by the Peoria mayor, to develop an appeals process, an independent committee to hear appeals if someone wants off the list.
To date, nothing has happened, and now the PHA has added a new twist to its meetings. It schedules closed sessions first, before public comments, to discourage people who might be critical of what's going on.
That's what happened on Dec. 17. Gardner was there, to make a comment, namely to ask why dead people's names are still on the list, and why nothing has been done about setting up a system for due process.
But before she could comment, the closed session was called, as the first order of business. An audience of a dozen people, including me and an observer for the Peoria Area League of Women Voters, was ushered out of the room. I protested and was told I was out of order.
The League member and I left. It's the holiday season and we're busy. Gardner decided to stay after someone told her the closed session would last only 15 minutes.
Forty minutes later the closed session was still taking place so Gardner had to leave. Who knows how long it went on, but obviously long enough to discourage public comments and perhaps news coverage, as reporters also are busy people.
Oddly there was another closed session on the agenda scheduled for the end of the meeting. That's where all closed sessions should take place for the convenience of the audience whose taxes support the PHA.
Why two closed sessions? No one offered an answer.
This is very poor public policy.
The long time board president Richard Zuckerman was replaced at the end of his term in November, and a new regime is taking over. Election of officers also was on the agenda, but likely there will be no one left to witness the election, which may be the way this board wants it.
Very sad.
-- Elaine Hopkins
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