Amanda Garcia
Displacement is still happening & It’s sad. I’m from the Southeast Austin on McCall Ln neighborhood. We face environmental racism with the C.O.A permitting the airlines to build a 6 million gallon Jet fuel tank farm 430ft from my community. I worry about how my communities health will be effective over time and who will be held accountable if exposed to the admissions in the air that they say is toxic but has no scent or what if the fuel leaks into the ground going into our water system. As Saul said, the C.O.A protects trees more than they do a human right to a safe and healthy living environment. The dam animal shelter has better care, protection & rights than our human rights to live in a healthy environment without worry. I suffer from depression, anxiety, and PTSD with all of this. It is making my mental health worst.
Amanda Garcia, a resident of Southeast Austin, is speaking out about how her community is being forced to live near a Jet fuel tank farm that they fear will cause long-term health problems. The animal shelter nearby has better care and protection than the humans in the community. This is a heartbreaking situation that needs to be addressed.
Environmental racism is an issue that is often overlooked. It is the discrimination of certain races when it comes to environmental hazards. This could be anything from the placement of a landfill to the type of industry in the area. An example of this would be the infamous location known as “the Holly powerplant.” This is an area near a chemical plant where all the hazardous waste is dumped. The people who live here are primarily Latino and black, and they suffer from higher rates of cancer, asthma, and other illnesses.
Environmental racism is the intentional or unintentional discrimination of Latino and black people regarding environmental issues. This can be anything from where hazardous waste is disposed of to not being able to afford to live in a safe area. Latino People are already disadvantaged in many aspects of life, and environmental racism adds to the list.
Many health problems can come from living near a Jet fuel tank farm. These include respiratory, skin, cancer, and immune system damage. These health problems can be lifelong and even lead to death.
Mental health is also affected by environmental racism. Amanda Garcia mentioned how her mental health deteriorated after learning about the Jet fuel tank farm. She suffers from depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Many people in her community are likely feeling the same way.
This is an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed. Latino People should not have to live in fear for their health and safety. Instead, something needs to be done to protect us from environmental racism.
When something like this happens, it infuriates me because it feels like we’re constantly fighting an uphill battle against racism and disparity. I remember my mother fighting tooth and nail to get the Holly Powerplant out of East Austin – and people got sick because of it. Now, it feels like all that progress is being undone. It’s so unfair, and it makes me angry.
We must outsmart the system and demand fairness in our neighborhoods. This isn’t a new fight – for centuries, marginalized communities have had to struggle against those who would keep them down. But we cannot give up. Our voices must be heard. We must demand change and will not rest until we get it.
To outsmart the system, we need to demand equity in our neighborhoods. This means we must come together as a community and demand that our voices be heard. Too often, decisions about our neighborhoods are made without input, which has to change. We need to demand that our elected officials represent our interests and work to create equitable communities. Only then will we be able to thrive truly.
We are not animals. We are human beings. We are not disposable. We are not second-class citizens. We are not living in a third-world country. This should not be happening in America, the free land, and the brave’s home.
We work hard daily to make ends meet, but we are barely scraping by. We can’t afford to live in west Austin, where the air is clean, and the neighborhoods are safe. So instead, we are forced to live in the neighborhoods in which no one wants to live, full of pollution and despair in the air contaminating our body, mind, and spirit.
We are good, hard-working people who want to love, laugh, and sing. We are romantic people who believe in magic and love. We don’t deserve this treatment. This would not happen in west Austin. This only happens to us.
It’s time for us to come together and fight for environmental justice. We need to support organizations like PODER that focus on this issue and ask them how we can help. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. We have different talents and skills, and if we all come together, we will win this fight.
Thank you, Amanda Garcia, for having the courage to reach out to La Prensa and make us aware of this issue that is happening in our community. We must all work together to address the problems impacting our neighborhoods and families. We need to be vigilant in fighting for our community’s rights, and we appreciate your efforts to bring this issue to our attention.
By Diane Revilla
