EVERETT, Mass. — Dozens gathered outside Everett city hall Monday to show support for city councilor Gerly Adrien.
PREVIOUS: Everett City Councilor defends choice to attend meetings virtually
She claims other Everett city councilors are pushing her to resign since she’s been attending all meetings virtually during the pandemic.
“I live with my father who’s over 60 years old, who has diabetes,” said Adrien. “So we just want to make sure everyone is safe.”
Other councilors argue they’re also over 60 years old and considered in a high-risk age group, yet they’re still attending council meetings in person.
So Adrien says they’ve been pushing her to do the same, or resign.
Adrien is also the first black woman to be elected to Everett’s city council.
“Her representing me made me so proud, even with Kamala Harris, I feel so overwhelmed with joy that there are women representing who I am as a whole,” said Tamika Bispham, an Everett resident.
Residents here say it’s even more important to have diverse representation on the local level, so they hope the rest of the council allows Adrien to work remotely while COVID-19 remains a high risk in the city.
“I think it’s important for me because as I was raised here I didn’t feel important, as a black woman in this community I wasn’t recognized as that,” said Bispham. “It was always a different skin tone that was way more important.”
“As an educator it is very important to me that we are not silencing or subduing any of our diverse voices either as overtly or as a matter of inuendo,” said Priya Tahiliani, superintendent of Everett Public Schools, who also joined Monday’s rally.
Adrien says she has no plans to resign despite the pressure she’s been facing, and she hopes her colleagues will start focusing on the biggest issues in Everett right now like the COVID-19 pandemic.
“At the end of the day the people voted me as a top vote getter and there’s a reason why,” said Adrien. “Change is coming to our city and they have to accept it, I know they’re afraid, but at the end of the day we want to help serve the people.”
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