A group of Peorians has filed a class action lawsuit against the city, claiming that it has failed to abide by requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act to build sufficient sidewalks, curbs and other pedestrian rights-of-way.
The lawsuit, filed on July 11 in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, says that the city of Peoria has not provided sufficient pedestrian infrastructure for people with disabilities, despite having decades of warning that its system wasn’t working.
The suit claims that the infrastructure has suffered from years of neglect, with many intersections and streets not being compliant with ADA regulations that require pedestrian walkways to be suitable for use for those with varying disabilities.
As of Friday afternoon, the city had not responded to a request for comment.
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A trio of people — Donald Yarbrough, who has bilateral foot injuries; Chris Mitchell, born with cerebral palsy; and Willie Anderson, who had a unilateral leg amputation — filed the suit on behalf of themselves and others with disabilities in the Peoria area. They claim in the suit that the lack of ADA compliance in the city has prevented them from being able to access public facilities and live a normal life out of fear for their safety.
The plaintiffs also provided photographic evidence for their claims, showing several city streets and intersections without ADA accommodations required under the law.
The suit also says that the city hasn’t made plans to make all of the city’s pedestrian rights-of-way ADA accessible in 12 years and has failed over three decades to install thousands of curb ramps compliant with the ADA.
The plaintiffs and others who will join the suit in the future — estimated to be around 8,000 people across the city — ask that the city be required to ensure that pedestrian rights-of-way be accessible to everyone and that guidelines be instituted to put them in ADA compliance. In addition, they ask that a monitor be appointed to ensure that the city is following its compliance with any court order related to the case.
Jennifer Sender, an attorney for the plaintiffs with Chicago-based Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, said that the city had an obligation to the plaintiffs and all city residents to provide them with safe navigation of public spaces, but hasn’t lived up to its promises over time.
“The City of Peoria has a legal and moral obligation to ensure that all residents can safely and independentlynavigate public spaces,” Sender said. “Our clients have been denied this fundamental right for far too long.”
A date has not yet been set for a hearing. District Judge Michael Mihm will preside over the proceedings.
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This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Class action lawsuit filed against city of Peoria over ADA violations
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