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Gordon Plaza Residents Suffer Second Highest Cancer Rate in LA

New Orleans, Louisiana– On September 8, tens of thousands of people gathered for a major climate mobilization across the U.S. and the world. People around the world joined more than 830 events in 91 countries under the “Rise for Climate” banner. In the U.S., over 300 events took place in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The “Rise for Climate Jobs, and Justice” events in the US highlighted the need for real climate leadership in the face of intensifying climate impacts and the ongoing assault on climate and communities from the Trump Administration. The actions took place just days before the Global Climate Action Summit in California, demanding a phase-out of fossil fuel extraction and a just transition to a 100% renewable energy economy. Event organizers emphasized community-led solutions, starting in places most impacted by pollution and climate change. Gordon Plaza is a house development that has been designated by the US government as a Superfund site where over 150 toxicities have been documented. Gordon Plaza residents’ only demand for Mayor LaToya Cantrell is: Fully Funded Relocation for all affected residents. Photo by Fernando Lopez | Survival Media Agency

Gordon Plaza residents are fighting for a fully funded relocation from the toxic site the city built their homes on decades ago.

A new report by the Louisiana Tumor Registry confirms the findings of previous studies: Gordon Plaza has the second consistent highest rate of cancer in Louisiana. The study consistently found between 125 and 406 more cases per 100,000 residents than the state average. Gordon Plaza homes were built on a city landfill containing arsenic, lead and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons—all known or probable carcinogens according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Mayor Cantrell:  the time to remedy this injustice is now!

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Gordon Plaza Residents Confront Mayor’s Office

Shannon Rainey, President of Gordon Plaza Residents committee, confronts Beau Tidwell, Cantrell’s PR mouthpiece.

By Star

On March 7 at 9 am, the Residents of Gordon Plaza went to City Hall to meet with Mayor LaToya Cantrell.  For 7 months residents have attempted to meet with Cantrell following a decades long struggle to be relocated off toxic soil.  They hoped she would honor her campaign promise to use city resources to ensure that residents have a safe and healthy environment to call home. Before going to City Hall, residents tried many times to get a meeting and were rebuffed. Despite the mayor never listening to the residents, she approved a statement from her office indicating that “due to pending litigation, the Mayor’s office is unable to make specific comment at this time. Mayor Cantrell has heard from the residents and will fully explore the possibilities in working toward a positive resolution.”

After that statement was issued, Cantrell texted the residents’ representative to say that if she needed anything, to call her office or e-mail to set up a meeting. As the mayor requested, the residents sent an e-mail in advance of their arrival. At the mayor’s office they were met with her communication director who made it clear that the mayor was not going to meet with the residents of Gordon Plaza.

Since being in office, white supremacists continually state that the mayor meets with them to discuss elevating monuments of white supremacy, and the mayor never denies it. It is not acceptable that the mayor refuses to meet with the residents of Gordon Plaza, while she listens to the cries of white supremacists as they mourn the loss of their monuments to oppression.

The fully funded relocation of the residents Gordon Plaza is long overdue and is the only acceptable resolution.  Residents will continue to organize until this is achieved.

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Dirt

By Jewell Prim

This dirt is rancid with tears
It stinks
Flowers were never meant to bloom here.
These lives were forced to give too much here.
Give up the right to a beautiful home,
One that is perfect for casting roots,
One that would let them
Plant seeds
And watch those little children go,
Watch them grow,

Run!
In this DIRT,
This dirt is sticking
In a way that’s different,
But recognize that it is the same in many, many places.
This dirt leaves the cancer in you.
You’re tracking around medical bills you can’t afford,
And smelling the taste of the death
That is dwelling over you,
You,
And your neighbor’s heads.

Why
Didn’t they tell you this was BAD dirt?
Why didn’t they tell us?
That this foundation
Was built to harvest thorns,
And not daisies.
That the happy home
You were promised
Would cost you the life that you have every right to?

Why aren’t you listening?
Why aren’t they listening?
Cant you see it?
LOOK
Look
This dirt…

Maybe this death is in a language
You’ve never heard.
I guess this would never
Be the insidious dirt
You were given to make a house a home.
Your dirt would never be my dirt.
Ain’t that something?
huh

Is it weird to say that all dirt
Should be equal?
That everyone deserves to live,
In a place where the land they stay on WONT
Kill them?
That just as you are important,
I too,
We too,
THEY too are equally important?
Is that a foreign language
Too?

What does it mean
When your government kills you,
With deathly dirt?
Do they not care?
Who do they care about more?
Why, maybe they’re mistaken!
Once again,
They think,
That this dark and deadly dirt
Is supposed to be matched,
With our dark and beautiful skin?

My ancestors didn’t die,
In this VERY LAND,
By the hands of slave masters
For my people,
To die today,
By the hands of this poisoned dirt.

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Rise for St. James AKA Cancer Alley! Environmental Racism is Real, Y’all

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.

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Gordon Plaza Residents Rally

Travis London, a volunteer organizer with 350.org and a resident of St. James Parish, addresses rally at Gordon Plaza.

By Shera Phillips

On September 8, the residents of Gordon Plaza opened their arms at a rally organized by the People’s Assembly, and welcomed people to explore the nightmare that has been their reality for the past 22 years, the nightmare that has caused them physical, financial, emotional and spiritual pain. This nightmare, that outsiders were only able to catch a small glimpse of means life on land so toxic it has caused more death and disease than can be accounted for.

Upon arrival, a few things were alarming. This community is less than three blocks from a public school and college. To the average passerby, there is NO SEPARATION between toxic and “non-toxic” land. The neighborhood makes one feels transported back in time and the abandoned infrastructure reeks of devastation. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I noticed a stench in the air that made me think of the lives lost and the constant battle the residents of Gordon Plaza continue to fight to be recognized as human, deserving of a life free of the 150+ toxins that currently plague their existence.

It is not only imperative that the people of New Orleans, Louisiana, the United States and the world get involved in this fight, but it is especially important for people who live, play, work and study in this community where there is NO POSSIBLE WAY of containing its toxins. The 9th ward IS Gordon Plaza and the Residents NEED a FULLY FUNDED, IMMEDIATE RELOCATION. We are ALL affected. We MUST DEMAND our government’s accountability for their negligence! NOW AND ALWAYS! #WeAreGordonPlaza #BlackLivesMatter

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Gordon Plaza Healing Circle

By Antranette Scott

On September 9th, The Peoples’ Assembly, The Congo Square Preservation Society, and Wendi Moore-O’Neal of Jaliyah Consulting came together to have a Healing Circle for the Ancestors and living members of the Gordon Plaza Community in the historic Congo Square. The Healing Circle centered on honoring the residents of Gordon Plaza who have lost their lives during the struggle demanding fully funded relocation and lifting up the residents who continue in the struggle.

Rev. Denise Graves opened the Healing Circle with the pouring of Libations and grounding the space by acknowledging the past and calling forth the power of possibility of the future. We spoke the names of the residents who have died from a variety of illnesses, honoring their lives. Up next Angela Kinlaw conveyed the story of the residents of Gordon Plaza and shared that community healing and community struggle go hand in hand.

While we must focus on the personal work of healing trauma inflicted upon us, gaining and using tools that help us relate to each other in healthy ways, and combat the effects of white supremacy on ourselves; we must also not lose sight of the battle we wage collectively against the systems and symbols that uphold white supremacy, environmental racism, and economic injustice that. We must work on inner change and collective liberation at the same time. Both are necessary components for true transformative change of the world we live in.

Then Mama Aya Fiyah Mganga and Brotha Shack from True Love Movement lead a guided meditation for the visualization of life after the battle is won. Taking us to the moment when the Residents are living in their new homes after Relocation. Mama Fiyah implored us to engulf all of our senses in that reality, to manifest that future and hold it closely while the residents engage in the struggle for their lives. Brotha Shack also offered the residents access to mental, physical, and emotional health services through True Love Moment’s network of Black health professionals.

Mr. Jesse, a Gordon Plaza resident, gave a testimony on how he has been able to stay in this struggle for over 20 years, and why engaging in activist work is important for not only yourself, but your children and the community at large. Mr. Jesse also talked about taking dedicated time for yourself when you are tired and weary when it is necessary, but jumping back into the fight when you are able again. Wendi Moore O’Neal lead us all in song, calling us to fight for freedom with every breathe in our body. Closing out the Circle, Baba Luther of the Congo Square Preservation Society, called the drummers to play as folks were invited to learn an African dance of healing. Drumming and dancing continued until dusk.

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Gordon Plaza Residents Demand “Fully Funded Relocation Now!”

Support Gordon Plaza Residents in their Fight

By Sanashihla

On August 23 residents of Gordon Plaza and community supporters held a press conference in front of city hall to demand a meeting with Mayor Latoya Cantrell. At the press conference the residents put on display 15 jars full of toxic soil dug up from Gordon Plaza. On each jar was the name of a Gordon Plaza resident that has died from cancer. Residents have reached out to Cantrell through multiple channels, but have yet to receive a response.

The horrific environmental racism in New Orleans by publicly elected officials, and the legal system, leads to the increased demand for a fair and just relocation for the Residents of Gordon Plaza.

In 2018, the Residents of Gordon Plaza CURRENTLY live on some of the most toxic soil in all of the United States of America. They live on land that the federal government has designated as a Superfund site, with nearly 150 toxicities, many of which are cancer causing. It is egregious and shameful that at least 4 mayors and their administrations have allowed this issue to continue, as residents of New Orleans lose their lives, get diagnosed with illness, and suffer financially due to their homes no longer being worth even what they bought them for. The “Workers Voice” asked residents to share their stories. Here is part of the struggle of one of the residents:

“My name is Jessie Perkins. I became a homeowner in a Gordon Plaza sub division on top of landfill in March 1988. I lived 7 blocks away in the Desire housing project, and I thought I had an opportunity to move my mother out of the housing project and put her in a home that she can call her own, a safe clean environment. I found out shortly after moving in, a year or two, of exactly what I got myself into and I thought to myself this was supposed to be my American dream, but like all of us, in Gordon Plaza, our American dream turned into a nightmare.

“Also, as an employee of New Orleans sewerage water broad, I had the first hand opportunity to see during the excavations, the nasty stuff that was down under the surface. It was mind blowing! I was like what is this stuff? It was stuff that you can’t even identify with bottles, broken glass, car fenders. The ground was even smoldering in some cases, and I knew it wasn’t good.

“Eventually we learned that the land fill that I used to play on as a child, when I left home my mother didn’t know where I was going. I thought it was just a landfill okay? As a kid playing on it, I had no clue whatsoever that I was playing on top of the landfill that contain over about 149 contaminants that was cancer causing, carcinogens, okay, some pretty nasty stuff.

“Me being the type of person that I am, an avid runner, I try to eat well, I take care of myself. I became very concerned about what the stuff was, the impact that it could have on not only my health, but the health of my mother, my neighbors, my family that visited often. It became a really big concern of mine. It was at that point we knew that we were in trouble, but what could we do?

“We went forward with our lawsuit, thinking that we had people that was going to act in our best interest, and maybe in the beginning that’s what supposed to have happened, but things didn’t turn out very good. We won the law suit. However, the compensation we received was literally a slap in a face. It was something you could do nothing with, so I really feel what the city did was exploitation of people of my community. Essentially what they did was they hid behind the laws so they legally knew we won this lawsuit claiming diplomatic immunity, okay, so they legally knew we won. We won this lawsuit but morally, physically, and economically, they didn’t stand up and do the right thing so here we are stuck with this thing.”

This is a horrific case of environmental racism in New Orleans! So here is what YOU can do to support the Residents of Gordon Plaza in their demand for a fair and just relocation:

  • Join the FIGHT for a fair and just relocation for the residents of Gordon Plaza. Call Mayor LaToya Cantrell at (504) 658-4900 OR (504) 658-4945 to demand a fair and just relocation for the residents of Gordon Plaza E-mail Mayor LaToya Cantrell at mayor@nola.gov to demand a fair and just relocation for the residents of Gordon Plaza.
  • Follow The New Orleans Peoples Assembly Phase 2 on social media to stay up to date on actions pertaining to this issue.
  • Join the Residents of Gordon Plaza on Sunday, September 9th at 3:00pm for a Healing Circle in Congo Square to do at least three things: honor the lives lost due to toxicity at Gordon Plaza, support the residents in their demand for a fair and just relocation, and learn about the organizing efforts to fight for this issue to be resolved. Get actively involved!

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Residents of Gordon Plaza Fight Decades of Environmental Racism

RELOCATION IS THE ONLY OPTION

By Sanashihla

Around the world, people are dealing with the impacts of environmental injustice. Of course, Black and Brown communities deal with it more, because these are the communities most vulnerable to being targeted for oil and other corporate plants. What used to be known as the plantation, is now too often the corporate plant, which come with their toxicity.

Whether dealing with climate change, or blatant disregard for the earth and communities across the United States, we never have to go far to come up close and personal with environmental injustice.

Let us examine the daily experience of the residents of Gordon Plaza, who are entire community of predominately Black residents who were sold homes built on a TOXIC dump. Periodically, they have seen trash work its way up from the depths of the soil, up through their grass into their yards. Their soil was tested, and over 100 high level TOXINS were found.

What is the story of the residents of Gordon Plaza?
“Residents of Gordon Plaza, Inc. is a group of neighbors that purchased houses in good faith only to find out that our houses were constructed on top of hazardous waste. We are New Orleans families, African American, trapped in homes built on the Agriculture Street Dump, a former city waste dump that was designated a Superfund site for high levels of contamination, including hazardous waste that can cause cancer. We suffer and some have died from cancer. We want to relocate.

From 1967 through 1984, city land use decisions approved residential developments on the Agriculture Street Dump. These developments included the Gordon Plaza single-family homes where we currently live, the abandoned Press Park townhomes built by the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO), and the abandoned Robert Moton Elementary School built by the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB). The fact that homes and a school were built on the Agriculture Street Dump was not a concern for city officials. Families who bought homes in Gordon Plaza were never told that the land was a former city waste dump. Again, our families are predominantly African American.

Beginning in 1999, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) dug up, piled, and hauled off a portion of the contaminated soil on the Agriculture Street Landfill Superfund Site, while our families still lived in our homes. Public health and environmental experts criticized the EPA for jeopardizing the health of residents and failing to provide an effective and humane solution. Although the EPA detected 17 feet of highly contaminated soil, the agency removed only two feet. Today, at least 15 feet of the contaminated soil remains beneath homes, yards, streets, and other areas of the former Agriculture Street Dump.

There was a class-action lawsuit that ended with a $14.2 million settlement award in which the lawyers and a court-appointed administrator were paid $7.1 million, one-half of the settlement award. The remaining half was distributed among the 5,053 people represented in the lawsuit, resulting in an average pay-out of less than $2,000. With a few thousand dollars, the families living in Gordon Plaza cannot relocate from this toxic neighborhood. We cannot purchase new homes, nor can we sell our current homes for what our homes would be worth if we were not on a toxic Superfund Site.”
The city of New Orleans is responsible for giving permission to developers to build these homes on the Agriculture Street Landfill, and now take no responsibility. THIS is an inhumane environmental injustice, Black Lives Matter, lack of equity issue. The New Orleans Peoples Assembly organizing committee stands with the residents of Gordon Plaza in their call for complete relocation.

This is a Complete Injustice

We Stand with the Residents of Gordon Plaza