Mere hours before the meeting, that item was removed from the agenda, indicating that no action would be taken on the ordinance. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
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For all of this sturm und drang, the only apparent outcome is that the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce has alienated itself from the LGBT community and possibly also the businesses it was trying to impress with this stunt.
The Charlotte Chamber released a break down of the impact HB2 has had on the area. Seven events were canceled over the bill, 36 events were labeled as “hesitant” and 13 events were listed as lost business.
During a meeting Tuesday, the Chamber said that Mecklenburg County alone has lost $285 million in revenue.
But Council members objected to repealing the ordinance on principle, as well as the fact that neither Gov. Pat McCrory (R) nor Republican legislative leaders had promised to do anything on their part to amend or repeal HB 2 as part of the so-called “compromise”. “Charlotte remains committed to being a welcoming and inclusive community that is free of discrimination”.
The city announced there would be no HB2 discussion or vote about 30 minutes before the council meeting was to begin.
It is all but certain that Monday’s vote will scuttle a possible deal with the Republican-led General Assembly over House Bill 2, but that’s OK; this was never a fight our city went looking to start.
“Where there are people who feel victimized and are indeed victimized and made to feel vulnerable simply because of a physical characteristic over which they have no control – that is exactly what the civil rights laws are meant to cover”, Lynch said.
Fallout and push-back from HB2 was expected to dominate the conversation at the meeting.
The law was a knee jerk reaction to Charlotte’s ordinance.
But a faction of council members could ask for – and receive – a vote on a symbolic repeal of the city’s ordinance, which could be the first step toward a compromise with Raleigh.
“We’ll continue to work with the city and with the legislature in the hopes that we’re able to achieve something that can break an impasse”, Chamber Chairman Ned Curran said. I don’t seem to recall the Chamber adopting the same line of thinking when the General Assembly tried to take over the airport. “It is clear that leaders at the General Assembly must act quickly to salvage our state’s reputation”. The speaking against HB2 has not died down. “We’re going to work with the community to make the effective changes that are necessary”.
Among them was Griffin, who referred to HB 2 as a “nightmare” and said responsibility rests exclusively on the legislature to correct it.
Hours before members of the Charlotte City Council would revisit the non-discrimination ordinance, it’s supporters staked their turf and position outside the government center.
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Such a vote would be largely ceremonial, since the ordinance was overturned by House Bill 2.
