By Peyton Gill
On September 8th, 120 people came out to support the residents of the Gordon Plaza neighborhood in their demand for a full, just relocation. A lot of powerful words that have been building up in the struggle were shared on the mic from residents and supporters. I talked to a mother who lived 3 houses over and she said, “No one ever really hangs outside their homes. I have to tell my daughter you can’t play in the grass.” Ms. Shannon spoke on the mic, “We want the same satisfaction that folks up in the Irish Channel and St. Charles are getting. We voted her (Mayor Cantrell) in just like they did.” Environmental Racism is a real thing y’all. Raise awareness! #GordonPlazaResidents.
Buses came around 11:30 am and we headed over to the rally in St. James Parish to support those residents who are stuck in between the Mississippi River and more than 4 dozen crude oil reservoirs with no path out in the case of an explosion and who live with fumes, chemicals, and smog that envelops their town. The bus ride was about an hour, provided with a delicious lunch prepared by Brother T! We arrived at a pavilion to rally with 100 or so of the local community members involved in the fight against the oil companies and the parish and state government officials who enable their abuses.
One resident told me they were really excited because this is the first time a group has come out to support and rally with ‘em. We marched up Burton Street, lined on one side with the homes of low-income Black families, predominantly elderly and many handicapped. On the left side of the street, across from their homes, huge oil storage tanks lined up on hundreds of acres, with plenty more coming in the future.
Travis, a resident down the way in Ascension Parish said, “At one time St. James was nothing but country area. You could have rolled around on the weekend in the sun with your windows down. And everybody liked to do that. But you can’t do that now, because St. James smells horrible, you know, you smell different chemicals everywhere. It’s like a big super EXXON.”
After the march, we went back to the pavilion for some more great food and speakers from 5th district HELP, Mount Triumph Baptist Church, The League of Better St. James, L’eau Est La Vie Camp, and individual residents spoke of the work that needs to be done and what has happened up until now. It was an overall great day with outstanding community involvement. But there is still work to be done because these people and families are still living on and in toxic environments. What can you do? Contact/email the mayor’s office to demand the residents of Gordon Plaza receive a fully funded relocation (504) 658-4900 & mayor@nola.gov. Contact 350 New Orleans and give support to 5th district HELP for St. James residents.