Civil Rights Group Asks Burlington to Rescind Vote
Wisconsin Civil Rights Group Asks Burlington To Rescind Council Vote
Burlington City Council Voted Against the Civil Rights of Disabled PersonsAgainst the advice of senior City staff, the Burlington City Council chose to ignore federal civil rights law. The Council exempted a local business from provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), local zoning, and building codes.According to Dorothy K Dean, CEO of Disability Justice, there are two major problems.The first problem is that no local or state government has the moral, ethical or legal authority to set aside the Constitutional rights of any group of people. Yet that is what Burlington has done.The second problem is the precedent this sets for every municipality in Wisconsin. Businesses would ask their local City Council to give them the same exemption. How can you give one business an exemption and not every other business?Dean says, “The Council should support the City's own zoning laws and building codes. The Burlington City Council is...