Thursday, April 25
5:00 pm
Arsenal Technical High School
1500 E. Michigan St.
Stephen Lane, the only librarian on the Indianapolis Public Library Board of Trustees, will hold a press conference where, accompanied by former IndyPL worker and whistleblower Bree Flannelly, Library workers union President Michael Torres, and Indiana Black Librarians Network member Mahasin Ameen, he will read his letter of resignation from the Board.
The move comes after discovering that IPS Board President Angelia L. Moore slipped a recommendation to remove Lane as an IPS Board of School Commissioners appointee into tonight’s 6:00 pm meeting agenda.
In an early-morning interview, Lane said he “found it highly troubling that rather than dedicating the meeting to addressing the barbaric teacher ‘fight-club discipline’ bullying against one of our city’s disabled students–let alone the dismal literacy rates–they are caving to political pressure from IndyPL Board President Hope Tribble.”
Lane has an abundance of evidence demonstrating Tribble’s abuse of power and attempts to prevent Lane from implementing any of the pro-worker and pro-community measures he accepted the appointment to enact.
One obvious verification of Lane’s assertion is the absence of any public petitions, comments, or any other input calling for a change in his behavior or his removal from the Board. On the other hand, hundreds of people have protested the actions of Tribble, Ray Biederman, Dr. Eugene White, and Dr. Luis Palacio at numerous meetings and in online petitions. Since their refusal to hire the people’s choice, Nichelle M. Hayes, as CEO, the Tribble-dominated Board has been mired in one controversy after another.
After the conference, Lane and his supporters will deliver his letter of resignation directly to the IPS Action Meeting.
