Indiana Borough Council has set aside, at least for the time being, a proposal to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana for personal use â and perhaps drug paraphernalia as well â in the borough.
However, a work session Tuesday night that had on its agenda marijuana decriminalization was occupied in large part by a discussion of putting a rainbow or Pride flag on a borough flagpole for the remaining days of what is called Pride Month.
Councilman Joshua Kratsa made the motion, which was seconded by Council Administration Committee Chair Poom Sunhachawi-Taylor.
âWe have an empty flagpole in front of our building,â Kratsa said. That pole had been used in the past for a police flag or a prisoner-of-war flag.
âCan you fly any flag on it?â Councilman Luke DeBuyser wondered.
Councilwoman Tamara Collazzo cautioned about controversy that could result.
DeBuyser wondered about whether people with âstrong religious beliefsâ would be welcomed to fly their flags.
âThe motion on the floor is about the Pride flag,â Sunhachawi-Taylor said. âIt is not about religion.â
Councilwoman Sharon Herring said the borough is committed to promoting non-discrimination, and that the Pride flag could be seen âas a sign of welcome.â
Sunhachawi-Taylor said the federal governmentâs General Services Administration is having Pride flags fly above federal facilities across the country throughout the month of June to show the federal governmentâs support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and other communities.
Collazzo moved and Council Vice President Kaycee Newell seconded a motion to table the proposal.
That was voted down 6 to 4, with Collazzo, DeBuyser, Newell and Councilwoman Sara Steelman voting to table, Council President Dr. Peter Broad voting no along with Herring, Kratsa, Sunhachawi-Taylor and Councilors Donald Lancaster and Jonathan Warnock.
Councilors Ben Ford and Gerald Smith were absent, Ford running late because of other matters.
Then the motion to put the flag out for the remainder of June was approved by 7 to 3, with Broad, Herring, Kratsa, Sunhachawi-Taylor, Lancaster, Warnock and Steelman voting yes, and Collazzo, DeBuyser and Newell voting no.
Some proponents of flying that flag planned to raise it for the first time at 9 a.m. today.
As for the proposal to decriminalize marijuana, Kratsa, speaking on behalf of Councilâs Community Development Committee, said that there was a need to gather more data from other municipalities that have passed similar ordinances.
âWhile in other municipalities that have decriminalized there has not been any increase in use among youth,â Kratsa said. âThere has actually been an increase in the disparity of arrests.â
In other words, he was saying, it could be an issue of social justice. Kratsa said most of those arrests start with minor traffic violations.
Ford, the committeeâs chairman, could not arrive before Tuesday nightâs work session ended at 7:45 p.m.
Warnock, who also is on Community Development Committee, also supported setting the proposal aside.
Solicitor Patrick Dougherty said an ordinance to decriminalize would be just one option Indiana Borough Police could consider.
âJust because you pass this ordinance does not tell the police department that they can cite under that ordinance,â the solicitor advised. âWe as a municipality would not be permitted to tell an officer âyou must do this.ââ
In fact, he went on, Chief Justin Schawl could not do that, or risk a charge of official oppression.
âEven when I was district attorney, I could direct … but I could not tell an officer when he filed his complaint, you must do this or you must do that,â Dougherty said.
Schawl said his officers and sergeants were all capable, and said his lieutenant is a man of high character.
The chief said Indiana is safe enough with his police force that his family could walk anywhere in town at any hour of the night.
Also Tuesday, borough Manager Nichole Sipos said the order of presentations for the rest of the summer was being adjusted, with ward reapportionment to be discussed in July, the Strategic Management Planning Program in August, and Schawlâs state of the police department in September.
The borough manager also said a high school student would begin working for the borough in a summer job today.
Broad said his comments last month critical of Indiana Area School District treatment of racist death threats prompted a meeting with district Superintendent Michael J. Vuckovich and an agreement to prepare a joint statement regarding the matter.
Council also approved a request from The Artists Hand to close a portion of Gompers Avenue and to allow an open container waiver for its 10th Anniversary celebration on July 9 from 6 to 10 p.m.
Be the first to comment