A month of suffering: The frustrations of Carson residents

Residents of Carson have been clamoring for relief and have grown more & more frustrated

Last Wednesday a Town Hall held by LA County sparked a reaction from the community who believe that Elected and Public health officials have not gone far enough to support them. Claire Fogarty spoke to residents about the town hall and how the community has been impacted.

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Boyon: The stink still comes in in the house, especially at nighttime when you’re asleep. It wakes you up from your deep sleep.

That was Josephine Boy, a 13-year resident of Carson. She is one of the many residents affected by strong odors and hydrogen sulfide gas that have been emanating from the Dominguez Channel since early October. The county has taken some action to stop the odors. County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis shared at the town hall last week. But Boyon, along with others, had been frustrated with the amount of help from the county and how long the issue has dragged on.

Boyon: It took us like three weeks of suffering.

Carson-based state assembly candidate and community organizer Fatima Iqbal Zubair describes how she notices how the community’s reaction has been different than similar instances in different places.

Iqbal Zubair: I mean, if you even think about what happened with the leak in Huntington Beach, how soon did you figure out who did that? And it was like a swift response. In Carson, I think it’s been more than three weeks now.

Iqbal Zubair points out how when it comes to natural hazards, low-income communities tend to get the short end of the stick.

Iqbal Zubair: This has been going on for so long, whether it was hydrogen sulfide, whether you know, other toxic chemicals in the air, whether it’s on clean water. I mean, South L.A. low-income communities, whether it’s in Oakland or Richmond or Kern County, you know, have been overlooked and frankly like it is by design.

The town hall included a panel of experts to answer questions. The first and most pressing question was, “When should we expect the odors to subside?” But instead of offering a timeline, Mark Pestrella, director of L.A. County Department of Public Works, gave this vague answer instead.

Pestrella: We expect the orders to subside when the hydrogen sulfide that’s emanating from the channel is reduced to a level that no longer affects human smell, and we’re making great progress and have a great downward trend going currently within the channel.

Community members in the town hall live stream chat sounded off, that they were frustrated by the response. Boyon adds that she did not appreciate how they only answered pre-submitted questions.

Boyon: There’s no voices of people. We are the one who’s living and affected by this Dominguez channel odor. They don’t want to hear it from the crying people. They just want to hear what they want to hear.

In addition to fielding the curated questions, the experts offered the same advice several times throughout the town hall.

Holly Mitchell: But again, if you can just remember 211. They are here to provide you with support.

The intention of the number is to help connect residents with reimbursement for money they spend on protecting themselves. But Boyon, who spent $800 on the advised protective equipment to outfit her home, called the number to no avail.

Boyon: And even the 211, they don’t have an answer for us. I called second week of this incident almost every day I call. I don’t see any reimbursement. I don’t even see a cent that’s coming from them.

While residents wait on their reimbursements, they are also waiting for answers. Iqbal Zubair shares:

Iqbal Zubair: See I hope that they really do a thorough, independent investigation and like just are really transparent with the community about like how this happened and why, why it won’t happen again.

As the odor in the Dominguez Channel continues to wreak, the Carson residents are faced with how to persevere with or without help from the government.

Iqbal Zubair: Kind of crowdfunding, you know, for the filters, which is really sad, right? Because they’re like trying to just pay for clean air.

In Carson, residents continue to live in the stench, and for Boyon, her biggest worry is her children.

Boyon: My kids are like complaining that they don’t have a normal life. They don’t have fresh air to breathe in.

And though she is angry and frustrated, Boyon still looks forward.

Boyon: I just want to take care of my future and my kids and their future.

And for now, what that future is is pretty uncertain.