N. Charleston, Summervile, Lincolnville & Ladson, SC, USA- Marvin Pendarvis has spent the last three years in the SC Legislature introducing and working to pass bills which would make SC a more decent place. He’s supported complete streets, so people don’t die walking to their bus stop, affordable housing so we have a place to live, and accountability for the police with they seize someone’s property to obtain funds for their operations. Marvin even introduced a bill to fine railroads when they block traffic. He’s been forced into a contested Democratic primary.
On Saturday, June, 6, Marvin needs your help in a day long effort to reach voters from N. Charleston to Summerville. We’re not fighting to win here. We’re fighting to secure a conclusive and dominate victory. We must demonstrate to others that when Marvin files a bill to reduce the chance that a woman and her children will be run over and killed by the side of the road on the long, dark and rainy journey home from their bus stop on a roadside with no sidewalk, they must listen.
Please join us at 9 am, Saturday in North Charleston for a breakfast catered by fellow state Rep. JA Moore and then push with us all the way to Summerville. Full details are online at https://www.facebook.com/events/1192814577724690/
We can’t keep waiting and we won’t get change demonstrating outside of buildings if we don’t have people inside working for us.
Among the people who traveled with us to the State Capital to support complete Streets in Marcy 2019 was Janet of Sangaree, a delightful, dedicated activist who excelled at table work. In her day Janet held decades of community dances. By the time we met Janet, she was living in section 8 housing, very ill and still ready to work for a difference. We hauled her, her wheelchair and a van full of other activists driven by Milicent Middleton to the lobby our legislators.
Janet of Sangaree had a good day. She pulled to her feet from her wheelchair by gripping the podium and told the committee, with Marvin sitting in, that she struggled to get to the grocery store and pharmacy due to the lack of sidewalks and transit in Sangaree.
Janet asked to meet with her state representative that day, but he ignored her notes asking for a handshake. Marvin gave her a hug. So did JA Moore and many others. Despite being snubbed by her own representative, Janet had a great day.
In October, Janet became ill again. This time the only public transit that provides door to door service came to give her the last ride of her life. All their trips go to the hospital. Janet never came out. Perhaps if she had been able to get to the doctor, pharmacy and grocery store more easily, she would still be alive. Perhaps she might have lived long enough to force her representative to talk to her in person. She did reach him on the phone and he explained that she didn’t understand why it is so hard to build sidewalks.
I understand. If they drag things out long enough you wake up with kids and a mortgage one day and you can’t go to the demonstration. Some years later you realize your back hurts and you look at that gray hair in the mirror and realize today is not your day to march three miles. Finally, you make that 911 call for your last ride on public transit from which you never come home. When we wait, they win.
After our trip to Columbia, the committee voted a positive report on Marvins bill over the objections of the all powerful Dpt. of Transportation. Not liking the first round with our ragged group of advocates, the DOT adopted their own complete streets policy. Milicent Middleton decided, when her Representative skipped the committee meeting we testified at, a committee he was a sitting member of, that she would run for the legislator herself because she was tired of the white crosses lining the roads of the sea islands.
We were happy to go to the statehouse to support Marvin that day, but too many people won’t listen to him or sign on to support our legislation. We need power.
On June 6, help us show South Carolina that Marvin Pendarvis has power and that if one van full of activists won’t do it, an orange army will. Wear your mask. Bring your hand sanitizer. Help us fight it all: fear, the virus, the corruption and the power trying to beat hope and change to death in the streets. Come for the breakfast JA Moore is preparing at 9 am. Stay until Ben D’Allesandro delivers the Pepperoni Pizza that we’ll wash down with Pepsi, Dr. Pepper and purple soda
We don’t have forever. The country is falling apart by the hour.
Come propel Pendavis to Power Saturday, May 6, North Charleston to Summerville.