WTSP; Published By: BriShon Mitchell
CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition in Clearwater says they have been locked out of the MLK community center by the Pinellas County School Board without a reason why.
The volunteer-ran coalition held a protest on Thursday against the school board for evicting them and called for the board to give them reasons behind their removal.
The group says they restored the space after it was initially condemned by the school board to serve the local community — providing a space to have weddings, family repass, reunions, food pantry, adult services that assist with rent payments, utility bills, senior homeowners renovations and a cold weather shelter for the homeless, the coalition detailed in a news release.
The center was a “vital hub” for the community to come together for important events and services they would otherwise not be able to afford, the group said.
“We are deeply disappointed by the Pinellas County School Board’s decision to lock us out of the Martin Luther King Jr Center,” Carmen Lundy, MLK Coalition board president, said in a statement. “We will not stand by and let the school board take away this vital resource from our community. We call on the school board to give back access to the center so that these services can continue to be accessible to the community.” Read more
