Dear Editor,
Since when did non-discrimination and freedom of choice become a political issue in Oakland County?
On a party-line vote of 10 to nine on June 17, the Board of Commissioners voted down a motion offered by Eileen Kowall of District 6 to take up a resolution stopping medical discrimination in the county.
Now the question goes to the Legislative Affairs Committee where Chair Kristen Nelson, who represents the cities of Keego Harbor, Orchard Lake Village, and Sylvan Lake, and portions of Waterford and West Bloomfield townships, is expected to let the idea quietly die.
What began as a non-partisan issue in May when over 100 county residents called in to voice their support for the measure instead last week moved Commission Democrats and Republicans into partisan camps. Both parties should focus on protecting our rights and freedoms. Why is the Commission so divided?
At last week’s meeting, protestors lined the walkway outside of the Commission Auditorium in Pontiac carrying signs while residents inside the meeting described nightmares they face every day:
A professional orchestra musician described being denied the right to play with the Detroit Symphony due to not accepting the Covid-19 injection.
A father powerfully advocated for his daughter’s right to attend summer camp.
One Oxford resident was physically separated from friends at work, and another was segregated in a physician’s waiting room, just like the 1950s or 1960s.
A college student described being denied entry to Wayne State University, a public institution funded by his tax dollars.
It is time the Oakland County Commission, led by Democrat Chair David Woodward, take up the question of whether they support or do not support our residents’ right to choose the vaccines or medical procedures they take. Some people are immune from having had the disease and others may not even be able to take a vaccine safely. All of us just want to live, work and play in our county without discrimination.
Jay R. Taylor, Oxford