THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ARE BEING DENIED

THE WAR ZONE DISASTER CONSTRUCTION PROJECT ON THE FLAGLER STREET CORRIDOR IN MIAMI'S LITTLE HAVANA HAS DENIED BASIC MOBILITY TO WHEELCHAIR USERS AND OTHERS

We appreciate the Miami politicians who toured the Flagler construction debacle – and got some great press coverage from it.

With all due respect, much more must be done immediately.

We have worked in the press, public service and the urban design, architecture, transportation engineering and construction industries.

Our 30+ years of career experience perfectly enables us to evaluate the difference between reasonable delays/disruptions vs. abject (criminal?) neglect.

The Flagler reconstruction is a mess, a failure, something we're lucky the New York Times hasn't put on the front page as the worst neighborhood impact project in our nation.

Miami leaders are lucky that this disaster – on their watch – hasn’t been exposed nationally, though the people who have been trapped in their homes or who lost it all because their business had no access -- would welcome a national spotlight shined on this disaster.

Our biggest concern is lack of mobility for people with disabilities.

Sidewalks and crosswalks made impassible for months are a nightmare, especially for low income people with disabilities.

The Flagler corridor largely houses folks with very little money.

The good folks of this part of Little Havana walk to their work and daily needs.

Folks who roll in wheelchairs, some of them very shaky, fragile, old wheelchairs.

For virtually 2 years, hundreds of people with disabilities have basically been made prisoners because of this neglect.

This is a once in a lifetime issue that defines how far a leader will go to make things right for people with little to no voice.

We are encouraged by the recent tours made by city, county and state elected officials.

But we are way to old (and maybe wise) to sugar coat things.

This is a long, festering disaster of national proportions.

Significant city, county, state, nonprofit and other resources must be directed to this corridor immediately.

Poor oversight has turned it into a war zone.

We look forward to seeing how our elected leaders will dedicate themselves to a multifaceted humanitarian aid mission – to fix this mess, and to immediately help people in dire need.