Ninety-one year old Joseph Lowery, still an influential voice in metro Atlanta, is urging Clayton County residents to swamp a special Saturday morning meeting of the county commission, to persuade it to approve a referendum for a penny sales tax that would promise both bus and rail service in the transit-starved county.

The Clayton County Commission this week approved a half-penny sales tax that would finance only bus service. MARTA officials have rejected the proposal. A Sunday deadline is involved.

The Clayton County meeting is at 9 a.m. Saturday at 112 Smith Street in Jonesboro. Here’s the robocall that went out from Lowery:

Said the aging civil rights veteran:

"Transit is a civil right. As we celebrate 50 years of civil rights in America, don't let them take away your right to vote for good public transportation. Come out tomorrow."