mun2 News: Toxic City: This is Where I Live

Transcript.

[ ALARM WAILS ]

If industry can come in and think they can get away with it

because the community might
not say anything, they will.

We want to ensure that they're following the regulations.

Residents who live
within a two-mile radius

of two or more facilities,

it's about 70 percent of Latinos
and African-Americans.

"That we won't take this
sitting down.

"We're standing up
against them

and refusing
their exploitation."

I was so surprised
to know everything –

All the contamination,

all the people that are involved in this cleanup.

Once I found out
that there was a genuine way

to go out and effect change,
I just went for it.

Before there was la pobreska,
I was already in the ska scene,

And I was already working
at the Allen Theatre.

And I started
focusing on other things,

and I started reading a lot.

That's when I started getting more progressive.

I'm just really dedicated
to the band, you know?

I would do anything
for these guys.

I just – I really –

There's a lot of energy.

I put a lot of myself
into it.

And the band kind of
fits into everything

because
we're really progressive,

we have a progressive message,

and we're bringing out
something real and true.

That fits into everything
I do already

because
I'm doing the same thing,

just on different subject issue.

I'm bringing out the real
and the truth

about what's going on
in the community.

The band and all the work
That I do for CBE –

They kind of
reinforce each other,

because they're both kind of
on the same side.

When you think about it,

in the big sense of the way things are going, you know?

'Cause in life, especially
in the work that I do,

there are some times you got to do things that make you nervous

or you'd just rather not do.

And the only way to actually get through it and actually do it

is by numbing that feeling
and just going for it.

There's this thing
that nobody even knows about

or talks about, really,
called "environmental racism,"

where there's a disproportionate amount of pollution

that's concentrated in these low-income communities of color.

And it's an injustice
at the level

of where the air you breathe
is not even clean enough

for you to sustain
a healthy life.

Once I found out
that there was a genuine way

to go out and effect change,
I just went for it.

The city of Vernon wants to build a 943-megawatt power plant

less than
one mile from our office

and also from six schools.

Our goal should be to try
to cut these emissions down

that are already in our area,
not add new sources

which are gonna make
even more pollution in our area.

If you talk about
the concentration of residents

who live within a two-mile radius of two or more facilities,

it's about 70 percent of Latinos
and African-Americans.

So, the Vernon power plant
will roughly be in that area.

So they're talking about adding

a whole nother source
of pollution to this area

that's already heavily impacted with pollution.

So it's like --
we already have this much,

and they're just
trying to add that much more,

and that's what
we're trying to fight against.

In this community,

we have all the pollution
that hits us from Vernon

because we're downwind
from the city.

And so all of the things
that are going to impact us

need to be assessed.

To me, it makes a lot of sense to draw a parallel to the Prius.

Nobody marches against Priuses.

Nobody says,
"Oh, we shouldn't have those.

We don't need any more."

But for some reason,

people are marching against the Vernon power plant and saying,

"We don't need
any more power plants."

But we do.

We have old ones that
will eventually stop running.

No matter what we try and do, they'll stop.

Eventually, they'll wear out.

All: El Paso!

El Paso!

Let's get to work!

Woman:
Uno...dos...tres.

Ivamos a trabajar!

Asarco is going to bring in initially 1,800 jobs.

And then there's a spin-off
of jobs that are created

With that kind of money.

We got to go through
all these extra hoops

That no one else in the state of Texas has ever had to go through

for a permit --
a simple permit renewal.

But at the end of the day,

we now have
the science that says

it's not gonna be
a health problem.

It's not gonna cause

or contribute to a condition
of air pollution.

The workers are safe, as always.

And I think that's excellent.

I mean, that's what
this community needs.

The Smelter's
right next to campus.

It's within minutes of here.

If it opens, it is our job

to continue trying to do
this outreach to the public.

We want to ensure that they're following the regulations.

So, regardless
if it opens or not,

it's not gonna determine
the end of the battle.

We're gonna continue on.

Let's hope
that Vernon really hears this.

Let's hope that AQMD find –

knows that the people,
the community,

really don't want
this power plant.

No tengo miedo

no tengo miedo
a lo que digan

I was so surprised
to know everything –

All the contamination,

all the people that are involved in this cleanup,

and I was so surprised about it.

We have the Duwamish River, which is a superfund site,

which means it's one of
the most contaminated places

on the planet.

A superfund site are those sites

that the federal government has designated as the worst sites,

where there's hazardous waste, where there's toxic materials,

and they pose
an imminent health threat.

I didn't know
that much information about it,

but after I started having different classes

and we started doing community service, and I liked that,

And I realized
That's what I like to do –

Community service.

Oh, I didn't actually
get a chance to tell you –

The Duwamish cleanup members
met yesterday,

and you're now
officially hired.

They voted
to offer you a stipend

from now
through the end of the year

to be a youth peer leader
10 hours a week, okay?

That's good.
Today
is your first day.

Thank you.
So, Yay!

Every social movement that has been successful in this country

has involved
young people and students,

whether it was
the peace and justice,

antiwar, civil rights,
women's movement,

and I think the environmental justice movement

is just as important.

Ryan: H.P., Huntington Park,
has this name –

It's called "Asthma Town"

because so many residents
have asthma – myself included.

Just the power plant
being built,

anybody who has
any kind of respiratory illness,

it's just gonna get worse
for them.

Certainly,
the input of 881 tons per year

of contaminants in the air
of our local community

has to have an impact,

especially on those suffering
from asthma, bronchitis,

and especially those illnesses.

Crowd: no.

AQMD's assessment – the final conclusion of the assessment

was that there was
no significant health risk.

Now, in that analysis, they did go look at potential risks,

and I know the monsignor
quoted one of them.

Once you have a kid that's sick,

$90 million cannot pay
or bring back his health.

Once a person dies --

the AQMD estimates
in their study

there will be something
like four to 11 deaths per year.

Some studies --
some studies will predict

that there is
a potential health risk

over the 30 years
of the plant's use.

Let's hope
that Vernon really hears this.

Let's hope that AQMD find --

knows that the people,
the community

really don't want
this power plant here.

They really can't have it.

There's too many health issues,

there's too many
Political issues,

there's too much money
going around,

and it's not gonna happen.

If industry can come in and think they can get away with it

because the community might not say anything, they will.

And they might not ask questions.

They might not get in an uproar.

They'll do it because they can.

Show me another major city
In the United States

that has somebody that allows thousands of tons of lead

to be emitted into the air,

thousands of tons of arsenic
to be emitted into the air,

sulfur dioxide, sulfur.

I've heard that they did
more production

than was going to Juárez.

And this affects
not only Juárez,

it affects
Chaparral, New Mexico, El Paso,

all the little tiny communities in the area,

and they're definitely
Latino communities.

It really affects them.

[ Shouting in Spanish ]

Asarco is there,
and the university is here.

And then
people from the university

don't even realize
that just crossing the border

there are very poor people
that live here.

I was talking to her,

and she said that she doesn't know anything about ASARCO.

And it's very interesting,

because there are
a lot of newcomers

that they come
just to work for the maquilas.

And they don't know
anything,

because ASARCO
has been closed for 10 years.

That's why
they are not interested

in fighting against ASARCO.

The problem is that we have to let them know what is happening,

and I think
that people have to be empowered

and make their own decisions.

My dad – he was –

I guess that you could say I get a lot of what I do from him,

because of just
all the stuff he did,

even though
I'd want to just hang out

or go with my friends
or go to the movies

instead of going out with him.

I look back – it was like,
"I should have done it,"

because I didn't have him around that long.

Rosa: He was concerned
about many things,

but, again,
the water infrastructure

was very important to him.

He was also – I don't know
If Ryan has told you

that he had a toxic-waste incinerator in Vernon,

and he fought very hard
against that.

My dad is right there,

'Cause he was mayor from
'91 to '92 and from '92 to '93.

That's why
his picture's up there.

I guess he was just really
A public servant,

like he really
went out of his way

to help people and get it done.

The fact that he got involved

has me very motivated,
and I'm glad.

I like to see that in him.
I like to see that in him.

Ryan: When I feel
or when I hear little hints

that mom is interested
or being supportive of me

and my environmental work,

it makes me feel like I'm doing something right in her eyes.

It's fulfilling to know
that she's actually supportive

of something
that I'm actually interested in.

What's your name?

My name is Naoiki.

What is it?
Naoiki.

How do you spell that?

"N..."
"N"?

"...a..."

Today we had
the two language groups.

We had
The Spanish-speaking students,

and we also had Japanese groups.

And there was
a lot of conversation going on

and information sharing,

and that gives me a lot of hope

that these students,
in whatever state,

whatever interest they have
with their school,

and whatever program
they're going to pursue,

that they
absorb some information

about environmental justice.

And so I found that
really positive.

And hopefully, maybe
they'll even stay in touch.

I mean, who knows?
It was great to see that.

I want to thank you all
for coming here today

to show these oppressors

that we're not gonna take this sitting down.

Muerte.

No, after Lois finishes
her translation, then we'll --

well, 'cause I want to say
my whole speech,

and then he's gonna
say it all in Spanish,

or I could even...

I think they should
just die onstage.

Woman: Ready?
Die cute, everyone.

[ Alarm Blaring ]

[ Laughter ]

Come on!

Ryan: Right now, we're trying
to organize a candlelight vigil,

have this mass demonstration
of just people upon people

with their candles and their coffins and their gas masks.

We're serious.
We mean business.

And we're not gonna stop fighting

till this power plant
is not built.

"That we won't take this
sitting down.

We're standing up
against them

and refusing
their exploitation."

They're building
this power plant

in a low-income,
working-class community

where people of color reside.

What about pregnant women?
What about babies?

What about people
who can't afford healthcare?

What about people
who are already sick,

People who already have asthma and bronchitis

and birth defects and cancer?

Woman:
What about the people?

What about the people?

That's why I want to thank
you all for coming here today

to show these oppressors

that we're not gonna take this sitting down.

Woman: While they're setting up,
I'm just gonna tell you

a little bit
about what we're gonna be doing.

We have
a handmade teleprompter,

So you all will be able
to read the signs.

What they'll be asking you
to do is --

Let me go through them
real quick.

We'll be cueing you to say that as they're filming.

So you all can go ahead
and practice your enthusiasm.

Man: One of the main things
to keep in mind today

is if anyone comes around
for ASARCO, all three of them,

and they start kind of
trying to push buttons,

just don't pay attention
to them.

If they start annoying you, we've got police right there.

And they have a right
to be here just like we do.

We just don't want them disrupting the event.

Los llevan
y nosotros vamos por el lado.

¿Aquí están todos?
Sí, están.

Just go ahead and go this way,

and that's where
the picture will be taken.

We're here because
we don't want ASARCO to open.

And we're gonna take a picture, a big photo shoot,

so he can see how many people are against ASARCO.

Man: We want you to turn around
and wave "bye-bye" to ASARCO.

Would you like to come?
Yeah.

Okay, from 10:00 a.m.
To 2:00 p.m.

Want to write it down?
Yeah.

I think your parish
has a lot more information, too.

Well, you can take
this one.

Young man:
My name is Mariyer.

I am very inspired by them because they are local people

and they are in high school.

Many people don't do that,

So, actually,
I'm very inspired by them.

It's not as simple
as everybody --

When you're young,
you think the world's simple

and it's all black and white
and it's good and bad --

it's, like, you know,
wrong and right.

But when you get
into the whole realm

of politics and everything,

everything is so twisted,
and it's all everywhere.

You don't know who to trust.
You don't know who's doing what.

You don't know who's
the good guy, who's the bad guy.

It's a lot more complicated
and complex.

[ Girl in a Coma's
"clumsy sky" plays ]

Picture me away

are we all right now?

Are we all right now?

Something's gone
and happened

you're staring off now

to the sky

you were staring off now

hush, heart, just play dumb

you are waiting on