A Toxic Legacy: Douglass Park Residents In Their Own Words

FOR PEOPLE LIVING IN THE DOUGLASS PARK neighborhood, the
vacant lot at 5th and Hill has a distinctively toxic legacy.
People with a connection to the neighborhood have long
suspected that the site was a source of problems. As they
have come to lean more about the site’s history, they have
found it difficult to get answers from Ameren, the company
responsible for the site. For many residents, the
absence of a meaningful community relations program
from Ameren or its predecessor Illinois Power is a part of
the site’s toxic legacy. So are the health concerns, such as
several reports of cancer, that have arisen based on the
shared experiences among neighbors.
That’s why many neighbors have formed a coalition
with C-U Citizens for Peace and Justice and Champaign
County Heath Care Consumers to form the 5th and hill
Neighborhood Rights Campaign. This coalition also
involves U of I graduate students who have formed the CU
Political Action Project and conducted a systematic
study asking residents a series of questions. These are
some of their responses in their own words.
ALVIA DYSON, DOUGLASS PARK
When did you first become
aware of the situation with
the 5th and Hill Site?
Last year I saw Ameren
trucks and stuff digging
holes over there; taking
dirt out and replacing
dirt. That was around
2006. I didn’t know
what’s going on until [CUCPJ and CCHCC] started going
around letting people know what is going on over there on
that site.
How would you evaluate the efforts of Ameren and its
predecessor company, Illinois Power, when it comes to
informing the neighborhood? Do you feel the companies
have done a good job helping people become informed over
the years? Do you think there is anything they could or
should have done differently?
Poorly, very poorly. They ain’t done nothing and they
should have told us something when they started digging
over there. They should have let everybody know. I’m sitting
on my porch watching them do things over there.
They should have came over while I was sitting there
watching them and let me know what’s going on and why
they were doing whatever they were doing. They should
have let everyone know in this neighborhood what’s going
on over there at that site.
You’re part of the coalition between people in the Douglass
Park Neighborhood, C-U Citizens for Peace and Justice,
and Champaign County Health Care Consumers.
Some have argued that the coalition is about the concerns
of people outside the neighborhood, rather than about the
concerns of people in the neighborhood. What is your
reaction to that?
You all are outsiders, …[but the people who] own the
site don’t let us know what’s going on… It’s the “outsiders”
that have come out to let us know what is going on. [Contamination
from the site] is under my house, and I didn’t
know it was under my house till you came out and told
me. So [the coalition] is excellent, but I’d like to see everybody
[in the neighborhood] pull together more to fight
this thing and get everything going.
M. D. PELMORE, DOUGLASS PARK
When did you first become
aware of the situation with
the 5th and Hill Site?
When [CUCPJ and
CHCC] mentioned it to
us —told us about it,
passed out pamphlets, set
up a meeting with us [at
Douglass Center]…
[Ameren] never mentioned anything about that. No letters.
No mail. Nothing.
How would you evaluate the efforts of Ameren and its
predecessor company, Illinois Power, when it comes to
informing the neighborhood? Do you feel the companies
have done a good job helping people become informed over
the years? Do you think there is anything they could or
should have done differently?
Poor. Not very good at all. They did have a meeting, but
that was not very informative to me. They sort of said this
is not important or this is not dangerous and all that kind
of stuff. Now, you know all this stuff can be dangerous so
it wasn’t very helpful at all… [Ameren and Illinois Power]
could have [done things differently]. They knew about this
stuff when they first pulled out of there a long time ago,
and they should have taken care of it then. And they
should have either sent everybody letters… then everybody
would have been aware of it.
KENYATTA CHAMBERS, DOUGLASS PARK
What concerns do you
have about how the site
may have affected people
over the years? What
concerns, if any, do you
have about living near
the site today?
Well, from what I’m
hearing, it could cause
cancer and rare diseases in, in people, and I’m one to say
that, growing up in this neighborhood, I have been hearing
of rare cancers that I had never heard of…my mother
being my biggest concern, ‘cause I had never heard of multiple
myeloma until her case. After her case, I started hearing
more about it; people having it. When I found out she
had that type of cancer, I researched a little bit, and was
told that it was a rare cancer, but it’s become more widespread
now. So that tells me right there that there’s something
going on—even if it’s not just that site. We also had a
neighbor that was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. My
grandfather was diagnosed with leukemia.
You’re part of the coalition between people in the Douglass
Park Neighborhood, C-U Citizens for Peace and Justice,
and Champaign County Health Care Consumers.
Some have argued that the coalition is about the concerns
of people outside the neighborhood, rather than about the
concerns of people in the neighborhood. What is your
reaction to that?
Well, I’m concerned. I live in the neighborhood and I
mean, why would anybody outside the neighborhood be
concerned unless they’re just trying to inform us? So by
their informing us of this, it should make all of us concerned.
You know, this was something we weren’t aware of.
For a full list of questions and answers from residents
see ucimc.org. There will be a part two of interviews in the
April issue of the Public i.