This article originally appeared in Good Day, Berks — Spotlight PA’s free daily newsletter for Berks County and your daily dose of Berks County essentials. Sign up here.
READING — A proposal to ban events on city property that is under construction has drawn criticism from some council members, the mayor and a local nonprofit that recently held a yoga class at a Reading landmark.
The ordinance, introduced by Council President Donna Reed, would allow police to immediately remove people on city-owned property undergoing construction and issue a $35 penalty.
Reed discussed the change in council after community engagement group Barrio Alegría hosted the free yoga class in the Pagoda parking lot. The group obtained a permit from the city to hold the class.
Reed said at a council meeting before the event that she asked Barrio to cancel the class to protect public safety, citing the construction happening on the Pagoda and the extreme heat.
Mayor Eddie Moran’s administration opposes the legislation and believes there will be unintended consequences to limiting community events, Reading Managing Director Jack Gombach told the council Monday.
At that council committee meeting, District 2 Council Member Jaime Baez called the legislation offensive and argued it targets the predominantly Latino group, Barrio Alegría, noting a recent Hillclimb racing event that council members did not protest.
Anthony Orozco, Barrio Alegría’s communications director, told Spotlight PA the council should focus on more pressing issues, such as collapsing buildings and the state of downtown Reading.
“If City Council cannot trust us or the judgement of our city's administration to host a safe, inclusive, fully insured and permitted event on public property, I am not sure who they can trust,” Orozco said. “More than anything, this ordinance shows who our decision makers show up for and who they distrust.”
Reed said the bill does not target any specific group and argued it is necessary to protect the properties under construction and residents looking to use public spaces.
City Council will likely vote on the proposal July 14.
In other City Hall news: City Council members discussed allowing exclusive parking to residents who apply for handicapped parking spots in front of their homes. Currently, anyone with a handicap placard can park in any handicapped parking spot. The change would benefit residents who say they do not have reliable access to handicapped spots.
– Hanna Holthaus, City/County Accountability Reporter
