This weeks Minneapolis Spokesman Recorder newspaper had in it an article written by Mr. Ron Edwards. The lead subject in his article was pollution at the "new" Heritage Park housing project. I was contacted by Mr. Edwards and Mr. Al Flowers regarding this issue before the release of the article. We all meet and toured the location. I was stunned to find black slug bubbling up between the sidewalks, standing black liquid in two of the playgrounds, sinkholes, erosion of landscape, sidewalks pushed up and broken from underneath, poor drainage (elevations) and a rain drainage pond that housed a black liquid with flouting pollutants. All of these locations were openly accessible to the residents and their children that live within feet of them. The stench that we smelled was almost unbearable. Upon leaving the new Heritage Park I developed a migraine headache and the runs.
I informed the two men that Rep Ellison was working on the formation of an environmental group that would be addressing pollution and its affects on the low income and minorities in their geographical areas. Mr. Al Flowers contacted Rep Ellison and was invited to attend the next meeting of the group. As Mr. Flowers told the group of activists and organizations about the issue, many of them stated "it was only a matter of time." After we told them what we had witnessed at Heritage and they had opportunity to read Mr. Edwards column we organized a tour after the meeting because many of the members present felt that this was an emergency situation.
Upon arriving many of the members immediately smelled the stench, in fact one member could not continue the tour and left in disbelief of her encounter. As we toured the location the members found exactly what we had told them we had witnessed weeks before. The melting pond of pollutants that had been drained two days before this tour was once again filled to the brim with toxicity. The side walks had been cleaned but the evidence that was left supported the fact that some type of oil based sludge had been on the sidewalks and left stains and a trail that went down the driveway.
One man that attended the tour, raked back a small amount of the wood chips in the playground and found the black liquid that we had described to them in the meeting. As he uncovered the pollutants a look of astonishment came over him. Then I seen what I interpret as a look of anger as he said "this is a playground." Fact is, the residents living in this area of the development are minorities. I have not seen one white person that lives there. Thus the statement made by Mr. Edwards in his column "Can you imagine the swift action if it were white children playing in that toxic waste" is directly on point.
While writing this e-mail, I received a phone call that the city of Minneapolis had several work crews at the location. I scrambled to leave my office to witness what could be considered a cover-up. As I did, I inadvertently sent an incomplete e-mail before I checked it.
When I arrived at the location in Heritage Park, I found several Minneapolis crews working in the areas described above. They were digging in the playground and pumping the black liquid into the "rain pond." Another city of Minneapolis work crew was removing dead plants and dead limbs from trees. A city of Minneapolis crew supervisor was having a conversation with a woman who later told me she worked for the property management. There was a back-hoe in the playground that had dug several feet down and a pool of black liquid was the result of its operation. The wood chips that have soaked in the playgrounds black liquid were still in the playground plied up as though they were being saved to be used in the playground after the work was completed.
Review of documents reveals that a contractor had been retained to complete the construction of the pond and the playground. Why then is the city spending all of this money to follow-up on their poor construction? I thought that we were in a funding crisis at the city level. How much did this cost the city. Please note that we also had crews at the same locations two days ago, pumping liquid from the playground to the pond.
Please note that there is not any safety factors in place for the "pond" that is only 16 feet from the playground. No fence. No signs, No supervision. This pond is about 6-8 feet deep.
Anyone approaching this location that is not a resident of the development, is met by management personnel and asked "can I help you" then "why are you here"? It is my understanding that this development is on city streets and that it is not a secured private housing development.
I will not name those that attended this impromptu tour. I leave it up to them to state what they witnessed. I commend Mr. Edwards and Mr. Flowers for their leadership and fully support their activist actions in this inhumane disservice to people of color.
Zachary Metoyer
8th ward
Central
