Letter to the editor: Create a human relations commission

To the Editor,

I was surprised, as I’m sure many were, to hear a new ordinance was proposed that took out all mention of establishing a local human relations commission. After attending the Jan. 13 public hearing, and openly listening to all the arguments by those commissioners who opposed the ordinance, it seemed as though there would be minor changes made in order to pass the ordinance. However, Abington Board of Commissioners President Carol DiJoseph introduced her rewritten version with so many changes that the integrity of the ordinance was stripped down.

The new version replaces any and all mention of a human relations commission and replaces it with “the township.” During the public hearing, several members of the board very clearly stated they felt there was no need for a human relations commission due to “redundancy” because we have a great "No Place for Hate" program.

This argument was laid to rest when the chairman of the Anti-Defamation League, the umbrella of NPFH, reached out to support the creation of a local human relations commission, and continued to ask for removal of all mention of NPFH in a legal ordinance.

Many thought that would end this debate, and we would see the board embrace a human relations commission in our community and not try to start a brand-new untested program.

Why not pass an ordinance with real legal teeth? Our residents deserve to have a neutral, well-trained, court-tested method of dealing with discrimination. There is no need to reinvent the wheel here and possibly open the township up for more problems. The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission encourages and supports townships to establish local commissions; this allows matters to be handled locally without the need for the state commission to intervene, and it keeps it personal. It is always better to resolve problems at a local level whenever possible by local people who know the township. Without a human relations commission, victims would be forced to wait for the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, or go through the Court of Common Pleas and incur costs and legal fees.

We need a strong ordinance that offers real protection for all our residents, not a watered-down version with many loopholes. If we want to see discrimination end, we need to offer a tried and tested method of dealing with it. As an award-winning community, known for being one of the best, we do not want a weakened option.

Theresa Keenan-Flite

Glenside

Abington Against Discrimination and Defamation