Read what Pembroke Pines residents wrote at town hall about North Perry plane crashes

Over the summer, a small plane narrowly missed houses, struck a tree and crash-landed on a residential street in Pembroke Pines.

It wasn’t an uncommon experience for residents next to busy North Perry airport, several of whom stopped eating dinner to rescue the pilot and three passengers on July 14. Airport and Broward County officials organized a town hall to provide answers to fed-up residents, who have weathered years of crashes and increasingly fear the impact of lead emissions from burning plane fuel.

While the Aug. 27 town hall featured glossy poster boards, dinner boxes for every attendee and realtime digital feedback collection, it lacked a typical staple of these types of events: a chance for residents to speak.

During the town hall, attendees weren’t allowed to publicl