Cinnamon throws her hat into the ring for elections
LOCAL activist Cinnamon Blackmore has thrown her hat in the ring for the local elections in May.
She was selected as the Gorey candidate for People Before Profit at a convention held on Saturday night in the Coach House. The convention was attended by Deputy Brid Smith and European Election candidate, Adrienne Wallace. There was also live music from local musicians Tina and the Red Lights and Aidan Kelly.
Cinnamon got involved in political activism in 2008 as a result of fighting for services for her autistic son and seeing how other parents were competing for almost non-existent supports for their special needs children.
She said: ‘I have been an outspoken advocate for affordable housing, I campaigned for a repeal of the 8th amendment and marriage equality.
‘Last year I called a public meeting slamming the collapse of the Children’s and Adolescents Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Wexford and organised a rally in Gorey to coincide with the National Health Campaign, Still Waiting, and had a protest march down main street calling for adequate services for children in crisis.
‘The fight for CAMHS is a core element of my campaign – children are no longer falling through the cracks in our services they are being stomped through, this is unacceptable.’
She added that she helped organise the protest outside the Belly Weins circus in March 2016 because of the elephant training techniques. Cinnamon also successfully campaigned against water charges and is a part of the National Housing and Homeless Coalition who have organised people power campaigns to try force the government to address the housing crisis.
At the convention Deputy Smith said ‘Cinnamon is a great candidate for People Before Profit, she stands to represent all those in her community and has a great track record of dedicated activism’.