Letter: Slavin: Claim in Arpaia’s letter false
Editor: Thanksgiving comes at a time with much for which to be thankful.
I am proud to have lived in St. Augustine for 12 years. Our City and County Commissioners are increasing in competence and compassion, respecting diversity and equality. Riberia Street is being fixed, at last. West Augustine will soon get proper sewer and water service, finally. Decennial redistricting is now being accomplished without surrendering to illegal demands to dilute minority voting strength.
Sadly, James Arpaia printed a libelous letter the day before Thanksgiving, retaliation for our reporting the School Board to the Justice Department. Arpaia falsely claimed Judith Seraphin and I took “what seemed like a simple plan to repair the St. Johns County fishing pier as a racial plot to keep African-Americans from using the pier.” That’s false. Arpaia continued: “They proposed instead to turn over ownership of the pier and all of the waterfront to the federal government and thereby remove it from local ownership because they claim African-Americans are being discriminated (sic).” That’s false.
Reality: on Nov. 15, our county administrator invited ideas to raise $8 million to replace the pier. Judith Seraphin was in North Carolina and did not speak that day. It was I who responded, recalling the heroic history of beach wade-ins leading to the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Our beach would make a fine addition to the National Park system, with a new pier paid for by NPS, attracting tourist families to see where courageous African-Americans waded in the then-segregated ocean. Angry Arpaia responded, incensed about encouraging Civil Rights tourism. He’s crabby about the proposed St. Augustine National Historical Park and National Seashore interpreting our Civil Rights history.
We’re thankful that for the first time in 71 years, our public officials are discussing the proposed National Park and Seashore. I salute them.
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