This Treehugger.com article entitled “Transition Initiative. Can Communities Tackle Peak Oil and Climate?” discusses a new movement called Transition Initiatives, which guides communities around the world on issues of community sustainability in a world threatened by disturbing physical- and social-environmental problems:

Transition is a process whereby communities work together to significantly increase local resilience or mitigate against the effects of Peak Oil and Climate Change…The reason for the rush of Transition publications (others on local money and local food are due out soon) is that its vision gives cohesive form to many disparate ideas. It brings together in one idea: buying local, organic food, social cohesion, low carbon transport, skills sharing, debt free living, self reliance, community spirit and much more.

This new movement provides individuals and communities with a manageable, though still experimental, solution to the often overwhelming and depressing reality of climate change and the problems surrounding fossil fuels. This movement stood out to me because it touches on a lot of the issues we’ve discussed at greenRELAY that inhibit the socioeconomic success and promote the poor health and high crime rates in low-income and minority communities. Minority communities notably lack access to affordable, fresh, local, organic produce and meats; social cohesion and community spirit, which probably have several definitions, are outshone by high crime rates, heavy participation in underground economies and disproportionate incarceration rates; skills sharing, debt-free living, low-carbon transport and self-reliance become more difficult when local jobs and ammenities are scarce.

I like that the article recognizes these diverse factors as equally important in maintaining resilient communities; if they were better incorporated into minority communities, we might see more empowered and healthier minorities and less environmental racism.

Cop cars

I waited for my friend at the bus stop on Crenshaw at Stocker (Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Mall) for about 45 minutes on Sunday. During my wait, I witnessed a living validation of the many theories we have discussed at greenRELAY this summer. Massey and Denton’s discussion of an oppositional Culture of Segregation and the cycle of poverty supported by residential segregation could not have stood out more. People at the bus stop spoke surprisingly loudly; young-looking mothers stood with strollers while saggy-jeaned men sat on the benches,  getting up occasionally to throw their trash away in the bushes behind the benches. These behaviors and styles, except for throwing trash in the bushes, are not inherently bad, but they clearly differ from the normative behaviors of the dominant groups in the US, namely wealthy white people. Massey and Denton would likely refer to loud speech in public, teen mothers, and baggy jeans as ‘oppositional’ because they don’t mesh with the behaviors of socioeconomic and political power, such as traditional families.

While I waited, I counted at least five cop cars that stayed within view for the entire time: one parked itself next to the curb with its lights flashing; another pulled over a car for a reason I could not discern; two others seemed to be circling the mall, and one pulled into the lot in which I parked. I found myself terrified that he would give me a ticket for nothing just because he could. I created stories and explanations in my head in preparation for the potential event, praying that he had no legitimate reason to come over to my car. Fortunately he left without exiting his car, but his very presence instilled fear in me, and I suddenly stopped judging people for making an effort to put trash in bushes. The constant surveillance overwhelmed me. I could leave. I have always been able to escape the gaze, but for people who endure that belittlement everyday, an oppositional culture demonstrates a righteous indignation, a way of asserting dignity in a city that has made legitimate means difficult to come by.

As I sat there, I thought ‘no wonder so many people have no interest in restoring the environment when the environment in which they have to live cannot possibly foster affection for the earth or the societies that attempt to organize its inhabitants’. The cops made me so frustrated that I found it easiest to give up hope, leave, and blame ‘the man’, ‘the system’. I think this is the mindset to which a lot of academics refer when they speak of cultures of poverty and segregation, ones in which people do the best they can with what they have and only fight it in ways that have few positive impacts. Massey and Denton argue that because of segregation, these oppositional values are passed between generations and their high concentration makes them the norm, preventing large-scale socioeconomic success. But we have seen throughout history that despite high concentrations of poverty and the prevalence of a culture that is not necessarily in sync with the powerful one, minorities have always fought for better and more just conditions. The necessary changes do come through structural revisions, but those almost always start with grassroots movements, like that of Environmental Justice. No doubt, minorities as a whole are still overwhelmingly disadvantaged, and segregation contributes greatly to it, but we have had our Sojourner Truth’s and Harriet Tubman’s, our W.E.B Dubois’, our Rosa Parks’, our Martin Luther King’s, Cesar Chavez’s and Jesse Jackson’s, and we will continue to have countless organizations who may not be as famous, but who work tirelessly to help people care about and fight for their environmental rights despite underprivileged situations.

Yesterday, my best friend came back to LA for a week after moving up to Norcal. I have used her visit as an excuse to explore LA in ways that I haven’t before because she, unlike most of my friends, is willing to cross LA’s segregative boundaries, to use public transportation, and to walk places! After discussing American Apartheid and my tendency to leave my neighborhood to get groceries, we decided to walk to the Leimert Park Village Community Farmer’s Market. The Market is set up in the parking lot of a community theatre and hosts vendors from organic and local farms, professional beekeepers who make their own honey, artisans who craft healthful alternatives to conventional beauty products and many more.

One informative sign posted at the market explained how eating more fruits and vegetables combats diabetes and high blood pressure, both of which are most prevalent amongst Blacks. In addition to the higher concentration of toxic industries in minority neighborhoods, another aspect of environmental injustice that negatively impacts minority health is the notable absence of affordable fresh produce and organic goods in our neighborhoods. At greenRELAY, we’ve discussed the harm caused by segregation, and one of those detriments is the relatively low concentration of amenities and, consequently, jobs. I couldn’t help but notice that attendance at this farmer’s market, compared to the one’s I have attended in Culver City, Westwood and Santa Monica, was low. However, the four year old market has stayed in business, which means that people are supporting it. If it becomes more popular, this sustainable market could serve as an important catalyst to the social greening of the Crenshaw area, which is notorious for its troubles. Just by walking to the market, my friend and I were drawn to other community stores and events, such as the reading hour with Griots at Eso Won Books, the Leimert Park Gallery, and AfroCuban drumming in the nearby park. More walking, more fresh produce, more support for locally and organically grown foods and for community artists and artisans will improve the health of urban Blacks, develop a stronger sense of community and social responsibility, and potentially increase awareness of a more sustainable lifestyle, which is understandably not the priority of many residents who find positive opportunities scarce.

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Imagine a city where everyone is allowed to access many resources (e.g. schools,hospitals, clinics, parks, libraries, etc.). Wouldn’t that be a great city to call home? The reality is that many people in Los Angeles can’t call their city “home.” I’m one of those persons who is still hoping to call LA my home. My recent disappointment is not having access to my public library. I have access to the public library just like any other person living near me (by the way my community is made up of Hispanic/ Latino people). Recently my library was closed for “remodeling” but really how long does it take to remodel a small library? My library has been closed for about four months now, which means that I’m forced to find another library. But I’m not the only one, there’s many people that need to rent a book or a place to study. What are we supposed to do? Stay home and try to concentrate while hearing helicopters flying above us. Teachers tell us that we need to develop our vocabulary and learn about our countries’ past, but how are we suppose to do learn if we don’t have access to books? I’m starting to see Fahrenheit 451 come true, but instead of burning books, we’re keeping them away from people. What is our country molding us to be for the future? Mindless ignorant human beings. I want to learn and not be kept in the dark while being fed lies from my government.  I think we all should have the privilege to have a place where we can learn and have access to books. I think my representative and my mayor can together to make sure that their residents have the access to many resources. If our government is going to put the word “public” before certain words, shouldn’t those words mean that the space/ place is available to everyone? It’s time that we have equality and access to resources.

I have lived in the eastern part of Whittier, California for my entire life.  The majority of my neighborhood is white and Hispanic.  There are practically no other Asians or other minorities.  This is not surprising because California used to be part of Mexico and Whittier was started by Quakers so it is only natural for there to be an abundance of Hispanics and whites.  Some observations in general about my neighborhood are there is no abundance of any one thing in particular other than houses.  The schools in the area are average at best.  Although I have not had much experience in the public school system the short experience I did have was not very good.  There is nothing outstanding about the neighborhood I live in.  The houses don’t have bars and they are painted regular and normal colors.  I live in a fairly average neighborhood near some very nice neighborhoods, such as Friendly Hills and Spy Glass Hill.  The houses are fairly well maintained unless it has become abandoned such as the house next door to my own which is rampant with weeds as tall as myself.  I have also noticed that there are three houses being sold within a couple blocks of my home meaning that maybe some people can no longer afford to live here.

Oppression, I believe is not as prominent in my neighborhood as it is in others. I can tell that recently Whittier has been trying to clean up it’s image.  Lately there have been new stores that have opened in the area, the hospital has expanded with a new building.  There has been a trail that has been built where there used to be a railroad.  Also within the last couple years the formerly indoor Whittwood Mall has been converted to an outdoor town center.  I don’t know enough about the quality of the public schools in my are to comment about them but I do know that the best high school in my area is La Serna which just happens to be located in one of the most affluent neighborhoods in and around Whittier.

As I mentioned earlier the city has built the “greenway trail” which runs behind my house quite literally and goes for about 5 miles.  Although this greenway is new and looks nice it is still subject to graffiti.  Because our back wall is right next to the greenway there are some kids that have defaced our wall, which not only looks bad for us it looks bad because it is visible to all the people that use that greenway every day.

Oppression in my community is seen in the lack of resources I have access to. Walking down my block, I see the same thing everyday. I see the same apartment buildings that look like they survive one too many earthquakes, I see men sitting on the pavement with sadness in their eyes, I see kids playing on the street with sticks and stones because they don’t have toys, and I see women pushing shopping carts with homemade food to sell in hopes that they make enough money to pay for rent, bills, and food. Some of the things I don’t see in my community are hospitals, schools, clinics, and parks. My first impression was that my mayor and my representative didn’t have enough money to provide the resources my community needs. I realized that I was wrong, the only reason why I don’t have the resources I need is because the color of my skin is not white. On the other side of town, rich people live their lives without the stress poor people have everyday. The rich don’t have to worry about anything because their community consists of hospitals, schools, clean parks, etc. I was sad to see that we don’t have any of those resources. The lack of resources in my community feels like a punishment for being a minority. For so long, the people in my community have been wearing a mask to hide the torment we go face everyday. I think its time that we receive the resources we deserve. The working class can’t be neglected anymore. We come to this country because we believe in the lie we are continually fed: “This is the land of opportunity.” So far the only opportunities we’ve had are having low paying jobs, a small place to live, and attending schools that look more like prisons. I can’t no longer sit with my arms crossed, waiting for something miraculous end oppression. It’s time that we all come together and remove the mask that has hidden our identity. We all need unite and fight against the oppressor. Only then we’ll have the opportunities that we always hear about.