According to the Kanawha County Commission’s Emergency Management Team, the situation on the West Side does not satisfy the requirements for a state of emergency. We disagree.
The prolonged inability of more than a thousand people to cook, bathe, access water or heat their homes is a crisis. This is also occurring in a largely Black community and our government has an obligation to show the same level of concern for this community as it would for any other.
While we rarely support states of emergency and the civil liberty issues that can accompany them, a declaration is warranted in this case.
If you agree, please take a minute to urge the Kanawha County Commission and Mayor Goodwin’s office to take all necessary steps to ensure West Side residents are properly taken of during this obvious state of emergency. Then, get five of your friends to do the same.
Kanawha County Commission: 304-357-0101
Mayor Goodwin’s office: 304-348-8174