CCCC President
There are times when men cause you to loose faith in humanity’s ability to progressively evolve towards a higher moral plain. The April 7, 2015 South Miami Commission meeting was just such a time. Last night the fondness of friendship won out over fairness and the feelings of hundreds of South Miami residents.
On last night South Miami City Commissioner Walter Harris used his his commission appointment to reappoint a person to the city’s planing board, who has been apposed by the South Miami Concerned Clergy & Citizen Coalition as well as the residents of the black community, for having made many racially charged and prejudicial statements for years.
Here’s an example of her latest body of work:
http://qa1.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/south-miami/article632337.html
Although, Ms. Fischer has a long history of these incredibly offensive comments, and even though I as president of the Concerned Clergy & Citizens Coalition personally spoke with Commissioner Harris several times to express the community’s and our displeasure at the thought of her being reappointed, as I did with every commissioner, and though he was aware of her highly offensive comments posted in the Miami Herald just last June, and though he admitted that some of the comments in her letter were and I quote: “unfortunate statements.” To which Commissioner Gabriel Edmunds commented “I know Ms. Fischer a little and she’s done some things that have impressed me, although I can not explain her letter,” as he second the motion to remove the motion to appoint her from the table. And although Commissioner Bob Welch passionately tried to caution him on appointing Ms. Fischer, with the city attorney’s assistance no less, by reminding him of both and already pending lawsuit against the city for statements made much like the ones Ms. Fischer wrote in her letter to the Miami Herald and the liability of the city for said statements. To which Commissioner Harris replied: “She’s my friend, I’ll keep my eyes on her.” Hum? Either the glasses Commissioner Harris wears are woefully inadequate or he has a wandering eye. Because, where his eyes were when she wrote that last letter? And though I wrote a letter in response to the issues Ms. Fischer raised and read said letter to the commission in a calm and rational manner, in an effort to point out the terribly offensive language used in Ms. Fischer’s letter to describe a certain segment of the community. Commissioner Harris, rather than hearing my very reasoned reply to Ms. Fischer’s letter, accused me of “attacking” her. But after reading the letter to the commission I presented a signed copy to the clerk with a petition signed by more than four hundred residents, that Commissioner Walter Harris, in the face of those present in the chamber, without the slightest consideration, dismissed and continued to insist on appointing Ms. Fischer.
Last night Commissioner Walter Harris made it crystal clear to us, that the thoughts, opinions and feelings of over 400 hundred residents, a large number of a particular segment of South Miami, are inconsequential to his own personal desires or his sense of obligation to his friends, apparently weather that friend is right or wrong.
Rodney B. James
CCCC President
Here’s a letter that was sent to us;
Mr Miller ,
Pastor James article contains out and out libel against me. James states that I have a history of making offensive remarks. He needs to come fwd with documentation of those remarks. He will not be able to because they are non-existent. The letter that I wrote to the Herald that he and Mayor Stoddard are so offended by makes no reference to race, nor to “poor” people over running the city. There was even an absurd statement made that I “do not trust poor people to cross US 1 on foot” This is an absurd and ugly thing to say. The truth is that I do not trust many drivers on US1 to allow any of us to cross US1 on foot. Death by reckless, and inattentive hit and run drivers does not discriminate between any of us. Mayor Stoddard made these statements about my letter on March 17, and James made the same statements on April 7th. These words were not used in my letter,along with other vile statements not made by me. Why is it that you publish this garbage,and refuse to publish any letter from me with my very real concerns for the All of the people of this city? What ever happened to your Letters to the Editor section? Now you are providing a venue for Pastor James while scoffing at the rest of the people of this city. The Miami Herald sent me a statement that they do not print racist letters. A respected editor, Mr. Scott Andron,Esq. saw fit to publish my letter. The MAYOR AND JAMES have put their own ugly spin on it, and inserted false statements in between many of my sentences. Your policy of giving preferential treatment to liars is disgusting.
Antoinette Fischer
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