There is a little community in California, 25 miles north of San
Francisco. This little community’s name is North
Richmond. We must know that this is the poorest area in Contra Costa
County. Approximately 3700 people try to live their lives there,
which is not always easy. In this community, a lot of people make
their living from crime. Nevertheless, another problem makes the
honorable people's life more difficult. The area is surrounded by oil
refineries and chemical companies. These oil refineries are one of
the biggest in the United States, owned by the Chevron Corporation.
Despite the city is just a few meters away from the sea, people can
not breath the sea's fresh and salty smell, instead of it they have
to accept the stinking smell of smoke.
The
refineries poison the food, even the imported fruits and meat. People
often complain because of that problem. As one of the city visitor
said “No grocery store to get fresh fruits and vegetables and meat.
The only things you can buy are drink and dope. There's nothing but
old nasty rotten food on the shelves and plenty of beer, wine and
whiskey.” The fishing is also impossible because the sea is still
polluted.
Numerous
studies showed that the people of North Richmond suffering from more
medical problems compared to other areas in Contra Costa County.
“Richmond’s estimated cancer risk is higher than nearby cities “
according to University of California environmental report, 2007.
The
toxins are everywhere, included the houses. Just imagine that your
child should
grow up in a place like this.
So
why is this an environmental racism case? Because 97% of the
population belongs to some minorities. The majority of them are
Afro-Americans and Latinos. The Blacks migrated to this area during
and little after the Word War II. It was their hope for a better
life.
B.J.
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