By Rosalie Tirella

We believe District 4 City Councilor Sarai Rivera’s account of the hard time she was given during the recent election day: People who shouldn’t have gotten into her face at the Murray Ave polling station DID get into her face.

Election Day is not Intimidation Day! So let the state investigate this mess and sanction people who broke the law (if the state finds they did indeed break the law).

Of course, this being Worcester, the Powers That Be protect their idiot pals/relatives and circle the wagons and say NO to any investigation. Let’s keep all this on the QT, says official Worcester. Why call attention to the city? Why give our voting officials a very public black eye?

Well, it has nothing to do with how the rest of the state/country perceives Worcester. It has everything to do with people being allowed to exercise their franchise on Election Day in their city – in their country, America. Home of the FREE.

So …

To learn more about your rights and organize around this and other important voting issues, please attend the Voter Protection Network meeting at the YWCA, 1 Salem Sq., Worcester, on Wednesday, September 26. The meeting begins at 6:15 p.m.

Need more info? Call Chris Robarge at 508.444.2258

The Voter Protection Network is a coalition of Worcester County Organizations, and it is making the following requests in response to the Election Day events at several Worcester polling locations, INCLUDING: requesting “the names of anyone who was removed from polling locations by the Worcester Police Department, or asked to leave by the Worcester City Clerk, be submitted by the CITY OF WORCESTER to the Attorney General’s Civil Rights Commission and the City Solicitor’s Office to be reviewed and recommended for potential sanctions.

We don’t think this is too much to ask of city officials. Unless they think Worcester poll workers and other city officials can violate people’s civil rights – any old time.

Pathetic.