Former chair of Cambridge accessibility committee says harassment investigation meant to 'silence me'

The erstwhile seat of Cambridge's accessibility advisory committee — who openly spoke astir his frustrations with the metropolis — says he's present being investigated for workplace harassment.

Devin Sisak says helium believes it's successful retaliation for the comments he's made publically and besides mightiness beryllium a informing to others.

"It truly scares maine for anyone looking to unpaid due to the fact that if the metropolis is consenting to spell to this level erstwhile you talk up, wherefore would anyone privation to unpaid their time?" helium said successful an interrogation with CBC News connected Monday.

"Since speaking up, that's erstwhile this each came to a head. And I consciousness that this is simply a mode for unit to effort and soundlessness maine for speaking up for the rights of my lad and others with disabilities similar him."

Sisak, whose 12-year-old lad is successful a wheelchair, spoke retired to section media including CBC News astir a March 12 gathering wherever helium admits to being frustrated by metropolis unit not having clip to reply questions helium had.

Sisak says helium questioned wherefore a definite metropolis unit subordinate was astatine that gathering due to the fact that they weren't portion of the committee.

He discontinue the committee aft that and went nationalist with his frustrations, saying the metropolis hampered the enactment the accessibility advisory committee was capable to bash and accused unit of sometimes bypassing the committee and going consecutive to assembly without getting feedback.

Sisak says helium received an email connected April 30 from a lawyer moving connected behalf of the metropolis to accidental an probe was underway.

In an emailed connection to CBC News, the City of Cambridge said it is their work arsenic an leader to enactment connected allegations of maltreatment oregon harassment. The metropolis declined to remark further.

Sisak says the metropolis taking this enactment doesn't mean helium volition halt speaking out because helium says the metropolis is not doing capable to code the accessibility needs of the community. He started an online advocacy radical called Barrier Free Cambridge, which has already written to assembly asking for an update connected its multi-year accessibility plan.

"Accessibility is simply a right. It's not thing that you tin conscionable prime and take erstwhile you privation to springiness it to people," Sisak said.

"There's tons of radical successful our assemblage that person accessibility needs and truly necessitate the prioritization of accessibility by the metropolis and I anticipation that going guardant they commencement to truly recognize that and prioritize it."