People will not be silenced

To the editor:

The energy that was brought to the Mat-Su Borough Assembly meeting on Oct. 18 was evidence enough that the people of the Mat-Su Valley will not be silenced.

Around 5:30 p.m., a group of about 40 people were standing outside the borough building on East Dahlia Avenue holding bright yellow signs with messages ranging from “No Coal” to “People over Profits.” The overall message was to protest the way Mayor Larry Devilbiss ran the borough assembly meeting on Sept. 6, where a resolution was presented and passed by the assembly (with assemblyman Warren Keogh in opposition) that supports the proposed coal mining project at Wishbone Hill.

Devilbiss strategically crafted the Sept. 6 meeting to make it appear as if opposition to coal mining in the Valley and support for proposed coal mining were split even down the middle. The reality is this: when Devilbiss cut off public testimony, there were still about 30 people against the resolution who were not given the opportunity to speak. The consequence is those who were not given the chance to speak were contacted soon after this undemocratic event and given the opportunity to actually have their voices heard — and that opportunity manifested at the borough meeting this past Tuesday.

The rally was successful insofar as the people felt empowered during the meeting as they took their voice back from the mayor, taken from them a little over a month ago now. Some expressed this feeling of empowerment by stepping outside to chant slogans such as, “Hey, ho, Usibelli’s got to go!” Some showed their solidarity by simply having a presence in the borough meeting room as they waited for public audience participation to open up.

The orange T-shirts with varying messages, all showing solidarity against Mat-Su coal mining, gave the people a visual way of representing solidarity for each others’ voices to be heard. The message to the borough was loud and clear: stop silencing the people who you claim to represent and start listening, because we the people are not going away. We are here to stay, Mayor Devilbiss, and you cannot silence us. The United States of America claims to be a democratic country, so if there is any merit left in this statement, I suggest that our elected officials start acting like they represent the voices of their constituents.

Christiana Wright

Palmer