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Residents urge council to center racial equity and push on immigration enforcement during public comment
Summary
Public commenters congratulated council on recovery-board appointments, urged attention to longstanding racial disparities in Asheville and cautioned about federal immigration enforcement actions affecting local families.
Three speakers addressed the council during general public comment.
Nina Tovesh congratulated council on completing the recovery-board appointments and offered assistance from people who participated in the city's realignment working group.
Jonathan Wayne Scott urged council to consider historic and ongoing racial disparities as policy decisions are made. "A rising tide is not gonna lift a boat that's had holes shot in the bottom of it," Scott said, and he cited long-term population stagnation in Asheville's Black community as reason to focus equity into policy.
Anthony Mejia described an alleged incident involving his family and federal agents and urged the council to act on immigration-enforcement concerns and to remember people facing enforcement outside the council chamber. He told the council, "I'm tired. The work isn't done here," and said he would continue community action outside the formal meeting process.
No direct council response or action items were produced on the record during the meeting; public comments were recorded for the meeting minutes and for staff follow-up as appropriate.
