Fresno City Council Member Cynthia Sterling, at a public meeting at the Hinton Center on Monday evening, spoke about the controversy at another Community Center in West Fresno. She had been criticized for not attending either of the two public meetings at the Frank Ball Community Center. Sterling said that the police department disrespected her when they went to Parks and Recreation with a plan to convert the Frank Ball Center into a Police Activities League facility. Sterling was upset because the police did not come to her first about the proposal and held no public meetings in the area before the decision to convert the community center was made. She says, in the video above, that she was kept out of the loop and that when she heard about the take over attempt, she told the City Manager that she had been disrespected and if she had known about it she would have called for neighborhood meetings to discuss the proposal.

For background on this issue, see:

Sparks Fly in West Fresno Community Meeting
Saturday Jun 21st, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/06/21/18509945.php

West Fresno Victory - Press Conference
Sunday Jul 20th, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/07/20/18518162.php

West Side Victory
Sunday Jul 20th, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/07/20/18518154.php