The sound of the Manorhaven Board of Zoning Appeals silence was deafening toward the over 100 concerned residents from all over Port who had shown up Tuesday night expecting to be able to voice their overwhelming opposition to the Dejana multi-story apartment complexes being built in their backyards.
The concerns they hoped to voice ranged from the overcrowding it would cause to their schools, roadways and transit.
The 50 street parking places it required be taken away in their already congested neighborhoods. The dangerous future out of code development precedent it would set throughout Port. The very real life-altering concerns and issues it would cause for thousands of Port residents.
But the voice of the people was shut down that night. The public was told they could not speak… there would be no public comment allowed. Then the people themselves were actually shut out and told there would be no meeting held, as the entire Board of Zoning just inexplicably stood up and walked out on them… literally and figuratively.
The concerned people who came that night, and who represented so many others, came believing they should have a voice and a say in what would happen to them and to their home. But instead, the only voice the Manorhaven Board of Zoning Appeals seemed to hear, as it has in previous BZA meetings, was that of the builder and businessman, Peter Dejana.
Democracy is defined as government by, of and for all the people. It is a form of government where everyone’s voice matters and everyone’s vote counts.
In the village of Manorhaven residents might argue that is not the case.
Lucretia Steele
Manorhaven
