A small group of community organizers gathered outside a Valley Metro community office in south Phoenix on Saturday. They came to protest the planned extension of the light rail.
"Four Lanes or No Train" — that’s the motto several small business owners in south Phoenix have adopted.
Celia Contreras has owned Tony’s Window Tinting for 23 years. She and other protesters stationed themselves outside the office where Valley Metro was having a party, celebrating the planned extension.
"And we said what? They want to celebrate? They want to celebrate our tragedy, they want to celebrate our fears? They want to celebrate. Then they don’t want to listen to our voices," Contreras said. "It’s not good. It’s not correct. They don’t want to listen to us.”
Contreras and other small business owners believe cutting the number of lanes in the area will reduce traffic to their storefronts and make it more difficult for people to turn into them.
