Strange bedfellows are making waves for the Purple Line
Last night, nearly 200 activists from across Maryland flooded the statehouse in Annapolis to remind legislators of broad popular support for the state’s two transit projects, the Purple Line and Baltimore’s Red Line.
Amid concerns that Governor Larry Hogan may cancel the projects, transit supporters from around the state attended over 50 meetings with delegates from Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Baltimore County, and Baltimore City. They also stirred up social media with the hashtag #transitnight.
An exceptionally diverse range of organizations, from the Board of Trade to the Sierra Club to University of Maryland students to CASA, an immigrant advocacy organization, organized and attended the event. Support from so many different walks of life makes sense given that the Purple Line will strengthen neighborhoods, improve connections to friends and family, and boost local economies all over.
Baltimore mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was one of many elected, community, and business leaders to speak at the rally.
Organizers of the event hosted a rally after the evening’s meetings, which nearly two dozen elected officials attended. Among them were Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Prince George’s County Councilmembers Mel Franklin, Dannielle Glaros, and Deni Taveras, and Montgomery County Councilmembers George Leventhal and Roger Berliner.
Councilmember George Leventhal summed up the sentiment and hopes of the packed room when he said, “When we stand together like this, these projects cannot be killed.”
Governor Hogan’s transportation secretary Pete Rahn, who has come under scrutiny for having little transit experience, is currently reevaluating the Purple Line, and the Governor has said he will make a final decision about the project in mid-May.