Environmental Justice
By William Schroeder, Ethan Rogers, Maximillian Biernacki, and Kyler
Naquin

Gordon Plaza

A Toxic Nightmare
• Orleans Parish School Board built a school after being told the land
was dangerous.
• “Recommended installing a six-to-12-inch clay barrier to separate the
topsoil and contaminated soil, and said testing should be routine
(however, they did not in order to cut costs).”
• NOLA built 67 houses on a former garbage dump in the 1970s
without letting low-income black residents know.

Racial Disparity
• Breast cancer cluster with 57% excess risk for black women in
1997 according to ATSDR, LTR has Gordon Plaza as second
highest breast cancer rate in LA
• Joan Virgil Davis grew up in Press Park, fought breast, brain,
lung and rectal cancer. Got 4,843.15 in return, died a year later.
• Government refused to relocate the black families and homes
lost all of their values
• People too poor or ill to move, no options but to be poisoned.

Poisoning of a Community
• Waste containers with skull/crossbones and vapor from ground were discovered.
The poisons were linked to Alzheimer's and other neurological disorders, memory
loss, and stomach ailments.
• Area had 149 toxic contaminants, 49 linked to cancer according to EPA.
• When the homes were built, the foundations were poured onto land with elevated
levels of lead, dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and arsenic. (All causes of
cancer, heart problems, reduced lung function and developmental problems in
children.)

Richmond Virginia
• Redlining
• The zip codes of formerly redlined neighborhoods in Richmond have the
highest rate of ambulances responding to heat emergencies.
• Redlined neighborhoods inhabited by many black families were advertised
as cheap land.
• Concrete means HEAT

Green-Positive Efforts
• Richmond is launching a project to make sure every resident can be within a
10 minute walk from a park, with other cities launching similar green-positive
projects around disadvantaged communities.
• Flood protection program in Houston
• Tree planting intensive in Richmond and other hot, polluted areas.
• Affordable green-roofing

Racial and Environmental
Hazards Percentile
https://ejscreen.epa.gov/mapper/
What is the correlation between race and environmental hazards?

Orleans Parish
Max, Emma, Mia, Jorge, Isabel
Ozone:
Diesel Matter:
Air Toxics Cancer Risk:
Air Toxics Respiratory Risk:
Lead Paint:
Hazardous Waste Proximity:
Underground Storage Tanks:
Wastewater Discharge:
Racial Percentile:

Lafayette Parish
Kyler, Emilio, Dara, Cyrus, Lilia
Ozone: 15%
Diesel Matter: 77%
Air Toxics Cancer Risk: 83%
Air Toxics Respiratory Risk: 95%
Lead Paint: 75%
Hazardous Waste Proximity: 85%
Underground Storage Tanks: 80%
Wastewater Discharge: 68%
Racial Percentile: 94%

Caddo Parish (Shreveport)
Ethan, Ray, Lucia, Ryan, Katelyn
Ozone:
Diesel Matter:
Air Toxics Cancer Risk:
Air Toxics Respiratory Risk:
Lead Paint:
Hazardous Waste Proximity:
Underground Storage Tanks:
Wastewater Discharge:
Racial Percentile:

Ouachita Parish (Monroe)
Will, Jackson, Kendall, Sophia, Abigail, Shelby
Ozone:
Diesel Matter:
Air Toxics Cancer Risk:
Air Toxics Respiratory Risk:
Lead Paint:
Hazardous Waste Proximity:
Underground Storage Tanks:
Wastewater Discharge:
Racial Percentile:

Questions
1. Does the definition of environmental justice, “a social movement to address the unfair
exposure of poor and marginalized communities to harms associated with resource
extraction, hazardous waste, and other land issues” miss any important aspect of the
movement? Are there any adjustments to be made, and how do these adjustments change
the way environmental justice is viewed and applied?
2. Is the government holding up its end to ensure equitable access to healthy living
environments? How or how not? What can it do better?
3. What are some examples of environmental misjustices other than those covered?
Consider things like climate change, deforestation, habitat fragmentation or offshore drilling.
4. Should individuals or companies be responsible for regulating environmental risk factors?
How would a utilitarian vs a libertarian answer this question?

Sources:
• Plumer, B., Popovich, N., & Palmer, B. (2020, August 24). How
decades of racist housing policy left neighborhoods sweltering. The
New York Times. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/24/climate/racism-
redlining-cities-global-warming.html
• Fears, D. (2022, April 6). Gordon Plaza was sold as a dream for black
home buyers. it was a toxic nightmare. The Washington Post.
Retrieved October 22, 2022, from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-
environment/2022/04/01/new-orleans-gordon-plaza-epa/

Sources:
• Plumer, B., Popovich, N., & Palmer, B. (2020, August 24). How
decades of racist housing policy left neighborhoods sweltering. The
New York Times. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/24/climate/racism-
redlining-cities-global-warming.html
• Fears, D. (2022, April 6). Gordon Plaza was sold as a dream for black
home buyers. it was a toxic nightmare. The Washington Post.
Retrieved October 22, 2022, from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-
environment/2022/04/01/new-orleans-gordon-plaza-epa/

Sources:
• Plumer, B., Popovich, N., & Palmer, B. (2020, August 24). How
decades of racist housing policy left neighborhoods sweltering. The
New York Times. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/24/climate/racism-
redlining-cities-global-warming.html
• Fears, D. (2022, April 6). Gordon Plaza was sold as a dream for black
home buyers. it was a toxic nightmare. The Washington Post.
Retrieved October 22, 2022, from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-
environment/2022/04/01/new-orleans-gordon-plaza-epa/