LETTER TO A FRIEND - What a Cell Tower Looks Like - Help for the Lithonia Schools

A friend who lives in Lithonia and has been trying to help spread the word about the cell tower approved for Martin Luther King High School recently asked if I had anything to help her show others exactly what cell towers look like and how many we already have in most large cities, such as Atlanta, today. 

In an effort to help others who may have heard the comments at last night's board meeting and would like to learn more, I'm reprinting part of the letter below:

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Dear Concerned Citizens of South DeKalb:

This is the video I made when we were considering the cell tower issue at Brockett: http://youtu.be/hEXY8DaKv0I . This video led us to the Channel 2 reporter who did a story about us prior to the board's July vote.  It helped us gain support and let our board know how we felt about the issue they would soon be voting on.  We also delivered our petition of 100 names from concerned residents in our community.

This is the video I made after Brockett was taken off the list, but we still felt it wasn't enough. We wanted to help the other schools, too. This is the video that gained a lot of views online and caught the attention of School Watch Blog as well as the local FOX reporter who ended up doing a story about us and the fight against the towers: http://youtu.be/qRzDxs5yJvA

Either of these videos might be helpful to show people who are not yet familiar with what cell towers look like and how dangerous and intimidating they are up close. My main reason for making the first video was that I was so shocked by how many we had around us to begin with and I wanted to go and see them for myself. When I did, I was sickened. I wouldn't want to spend all day, every day next to one of these things. How could my school principal, PTA and school board expect me to be okay with this? 

How close is too close?
Cell towers are moving into DeKalb County
at a rapid pace.  Who is ensuring they
are safe to be placed so close to our homes
and schools?  The answer will surprise
you - possibly no one.

It is wrong - on so many levels. Who are they to make this kind of decision for my family? I am required by law to send my child to school, but they have an obligation to make that school a "safe and healthy learning environment." 

There is NOTHING that is safe or healty about a cell tower on school grounds - even the cell company would never claim something so ridiculous. These towers are clearly hazardous, as evidenced by the very signs they are required by law to post on them and by the setbacks, eavesments, fencing, locks and other requirements that the school board claims to be exempt from... and therefore they are granting that same immunity to their new contracted partner for the next 30 years??

There is no precedent in GA state courts and there is no law that says this is a legal claim of exemption or a legal use of active school property paid for by the taxpayers.

This is something that is too big to be ignored or overlook or swept under the rug. I am so happy that we had so many people who spoke out at last night's meeting. Here we are, 6 months after they first announced their plans and we are STILL talking about it. As soon as we were informed, did our own reserach and learned the truth, we were OPPOSED to this action. Yet the board wants to "move forward."   I'm sure they do. Don't we all? 

But, this issue will only go away if they acknowledge what they have done and lay out their plans to void this contract and commit to the parents and other taxpayers in DeKalb County that this is a non-educational issue and a poor source of ongoing revenue. They must commit to stop these towers and resolve to not bring this issue up in our school system again unless all of our concerns have been adequately addressed and the scientific community has made a final determination regarding the safety of non-ionizing radiation when children are exposed to it continuously and against their will.

THANK YOU FOR HELPING SPREAD THE WORD!

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Further thoughts on this subject:
We are so thankful that we helped stop a cell tower from coming to our school, but that does not mean that this issue will go away.  The health of my child and every child in DeKalb is placed in greater and greater danger every time another cell tower goes up that is closer to the roads than they used to be, closer to the retail businesses we frequent than they used to be and closer to the schools that we support with our own tax dollars that are near so many of our homes, tucked into the residential communities where we should feel safe. 

We are asking everyone we know to pay attention to your surroundings and question your goverment and school officials about what is being done to ensure our safety.  This issue needs to remain front and center in our minds and in our communities until it is recognized by our leaders as significant and they take action to respond to our requests for reasonable limits upon a fast-growing industry that should not be allowed to self-regulate when the results could one day prove to be devestating.

I, for one, want my legacy to go down as someone who stood up, spoke out and tried to protect her family, loved ones, neighbors and friends.  I do not want to be someone who had doubts, but wasn't strong enough or sure enough to even ask any questions or seek any answers.