Located in South Los Angeles between the 110 and the 105, the Watts neighborhood faces disproportionate environmental harm.
Megan Wong: It has a lot to do with, just, like, racism and prejudice to begin with. There have been multiple uprisings, rebellions. One in 65, one in 92, where the community has rebelled against the powers that be, that continually hold them down with an iron fist
That was Megan Wong, the volunteer coordinator at the Watts Labor Community Action Committee.
Wong explained how the people of Watts have experienced environmental racism, referring to the disproportionate harm people of color face from environmental issues.
According to 2020 Census data, the neighborhood is 78% Hispanic and 19% Black. Watts native, former Jordan High School student and current USC student Genesis Cruz, saw environmental racism every day.
Genesis Cruz: In like the streets of Watts, you’ll see, like, there’s just a lot of trash. There’s a lack of all those, like, resources that we will see in affluent communities.
Near her high school, there is a metal recycling plant that plagues the area with loud noise, hazardous fumes and metal scraps
Cruz: Going to high school all four years, I was able to see them in work. I was able hear them and I was able to smell. Jordan High School is right on Alameda Street and all down Alameda streets like an industrial corridor. There was actually a program manager at Jordan, where arriving at the parking lot, her tire was popped due to a metal that flew over to the parking lot.
This mistreatment is seen in other parts of L.A.
Cynthia Babich is the Founder and Director of Del Amo Action Committee. She has encountered similar neglect to Watts.
Babich: The redlining that’s happened here is still in effect and until you really flip that and are willing to get rid of the industrial zones that are embedded right next to communities, the change is going to be slow.
To end this injustice, Wong is leading the Committee’s campaign to stop dumping in Watts.
Illegal dumping is caused when anyone, often contractors or truck drivers, leave waste behind to avoid fees.
Wong: It’s an eyesore to the community. The trash, it attracts like fleas, it attracts bugs, it attracts rodents that, you know, carry all of these different diseases. It not only affects, like, the environment, but also mental health, physical health. It’s just like malign neglect.
Health disparities are seen by research done by Ph.D. student in the UCLA Environment and Sustainability program, Danielle Hoague.
She’s the research director for the Better Watts nonprofit and led research to see how environmental racism is harming the Watts communities’ health.
Danielle Hoague: For people who have existing heart problems, pulmonary problems they can be subject to hospitalizations. We’ve heard reports of people developing cancers as a result of being exposed to these volatile organic chemicals.
Many of Cruz’s friends and family members have asthma and other disabilities.
Cruz: A teacher in Jordan High School, she developed bronchitis and many other, like, respiratory issues. And when she went to the doctor, you know, she was asked questions, like, okay, where do you work? Or how is the environment you live in? The doctor told her like, okay, well, you working next to that recycling plant is likely the reason why you developed these issues.
To prevent further harm, Hoague hopes the research can grant access to funding for lead pipe replacement through Biden’s 2021 infrastructure bill.
Hoague: “By doing this study it can be a framework for other communities that have aging pipes to assess the danger of those pipes in their communities and hopefully apply for funding.”
Ultimately, there is a necessity to have better living conditions in Watts.
Danielle Hoague: “Everyone deserves clean water and peace of mind that they’re living in a safe environment”
For Annenberg Media, I’m AC Shick.