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Jesus People Against Pollution: 'People Should Not Still Be in Formaldehyde Trailers'

by Elizabeth Palmberg 07-07-2009 | 3:09pm
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090707-charlotte-keys1Charlotte Keys, of Jesus People Against Pollution in Columbia, Mississippi, who was interviewed in our March issue, updated us last week when she was in Washington, D.C., to meet with policymakers in the Environmental Protection Agency, Congress, and others about environmental injustice in rural Mississippi communities. "People should not still be living in FEMA formaldehyde trailers -- nor should those trailers be sold to them with the mass amount of contamination that has been proven to be in those trailers," she told Sojourners.

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090707-fema-trailer"The purpose of the Washington, D.C., meeting was for [advocates'] attorney, Ivan Burghard, and myself to bring to light the key issues that are impacting communities' quality of living: issues of injustice -- environmental health, housing, education, economic. I feel that the meetings were helpful and we're looking forward to collaborating with them on how to effect the changes needed to deal with the communities' outstanding housing and environmental health care issues. Some of the issues are related to the before-Katrina/Rita damage and [some to] after-Katrina/Rita problems and injustices. Mississippi rural communities have not been given the full attention of the government in relation to equal distribution of resources and assistance to correct these problems."

After a busy week of meetings and preaching in Washington, Evangelist Keys was flying home to a family funeral. "I feel that the cancer death of my cousin Juanita Maxwell -- and there are many more classmates of mine with cancer in our community -- is related to the environmental degradation of the community," she said.

Elizabeth Palmberg is an assistant editor of Sojourners.

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by: DHFabian

07-09-2009 @ 12:33am

Incidentally, this isn't a matter of "people complaining" about the trailers. Rather, the trailers were government-inspected and found to be dangerous, due to the materials used to construct that particular line of trailers. Of course the people were grateful for the trailers! The problem is that the materials used in making the trailers is causing some serious illnesses.

by: DHFabian

07-09-2009 @ 12:29am

This issue is more complex than many understand. Some of these people have a choice of staying in a trailer or being homeless. Your odds are better in a trailer. They don't have money to move on, an d without cars, many don't have access to jobs, child care, etc. In a nutshell, they're trapped. America is a uniquely hostile place to the poor, so the supports they need to be able to move ahead simply aren't there. Their former homes were destroyed, affordable apartments were often replaced with high-rent apartments,
there aren't enough jobs, etc. Resolving the problems would require comprehensive social services involvement, and the US no longer has that.

by: prk

07-08-2009 @ 3:26pm

Why is it that the people who have bought this homes over the years don't have all these problems, but the people who are given these house do?

I heard a report on NPR where they went to the factory in Ohio that made these homes. The workers there had been very proud of all the extra work they had done to get those homes to the gulf coast ASAP. They could not believe how this people were acting.

by: nuclearferret

07-08-2009 @ 7:10pm

Take the trailers back and destroy them. The residents should have moved on by now anyway.

by: DHFabian

07-08-2009 @ 10:29pm

This issue is more complex than many understand. Some of these people have a choice of staying in a trailer or being homeless. Your odds are better in a trailer. They don't have money to move on, an d without cars, many don't have access to jobs, child care, etc. In a nutshell, they're trapped. America is a uniquely hostile place to the poor, so the supports they need to be able to move ahead simply aren't there. Their former homes were destroyed, affordable apartments were often replaced with high-rent apartments,
there aren't enough jobs, etc. Resolving the problems would require comprehensive social services involvement, and the US no longer has that.

by: DHFabian

07-08-2009 @ 10:33pm

Incidentally, this isn't a matter of "people complaining" about the trailers. Rather, the trailers were government-inspected and found to be dangerous, due to the materials used to construct that particular line of trailers. Of course the people were grateful for the trailers! The problem is that the materials used in making the trailers is causing some serious illnesses.

by: prk

07-08-2009 @ 3:26pm

Why is it that the people who have bought this homes over the years don't have all these problems, but the people who are given these house do?

I heard a report on NPR where they went to the factory in Ohio that made these homes. The workers there had been very proud of all the extra work they had done to get those homes to the gulf coast ASAP. They could not believe how this people were acting.

by: nuclearferret

07-08-2009 @ 7:10pm

Take the trailers back and destroy them. The residents should have moved on by now anyway.

by: DHFabian

07-08-2009 @ 10:29pm

This issue is more complex than many understand. Some of these people have a choice of staying in a trailer or being homeless. Your odds are better in a trailer. They don't have money to move on, an d without cars, many don't have access to jobs, child care, etc. In a nutshell, they're trapped. America is a uniquely hostile place to the poor, so the supports they need to be able to move ahead simply aren't there. Their former homes were destroyed, affordable apartments were often replaced with high-rent apartments,
there aren't enough jobs, etc. Resolving the problems would require comprehensive social services involvement, and the US no longer has that.

by: DHFabian

07-08-2009 @ 10:33pm

Incidentally, this isn't a matter of "people complaining" about the trailers. Rather, the trailers were government-inspected and found to be dangerous, due to the materials used to construct that particular line of trailers. Of course the people were grateful for the trailers! The problem is that the materials used in making the trailers is causing some serious illnesses.

by: DHFabian

07-09-2009 @ 12:33am

Incidentally, this isn't a matter of "people complaining" about the trailers. Rather, the trailers were government-inspected and found to be dangerous, due to the materials used to construct that particular line of trailers. Of course the people were grateful for the trailers! The problem is that the materials used in making the trailers is causing some serious illnesses.

by: DHFabian

07-09-2009 @ 12:29am

This issue is more complex than many understand. Some of these people have a choice of staying in a trailer or being homeless. Your odds are better in a trailer. They don't have money to move on, an d without cars, many don't have access to jobs, child care, etc. In a nutshell, they're trapped. America is a uniquely hostile place to the poor, so the supports they need to be able to move ahead simply aren't there. Their former homes were destroyed, affordable apartments were often replaced with high-rent apartments,
there aren't enough jobs, etc. Resolving the problems would require comprehensive social services involvement, and the US no longer has that.

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by: prk

07-08-2009 @ 3:26pm

Why is it that the people who have bought this homes over the years don't have all these problems, but the people who are given these house do?

I heard a report on NPR where they went to the factory in Ohio that made these homes. The workers there had been very proud of all the extra work they had done to get those homes to the gulf coast ASAP. They could not believe how this people were acting.

by: prk

07-08-2009 @ 3:26pm

Why is it that the people who have bought this homes over the years don't have all these problems, but the people who are given these house do?

I heard a report on NPR where they went to the factory in Ohio that made these homes. The workers there had been very proud of all the extra work they had done to get those homes to the gulf coast ASAP. They could not believe how this people were acting.

by: nuclearferret

07-08-2009 @ 7:10pm

Take the trailers back and destroy them. The residents should have moved on by now anyway.

by: nuclearferret

07-08-2009 @ 7:10pm

Take the trailers back and destroy them. The residents should have moved on by now anyway.

by: DHFabian

07-08-2009 @ 10:29pm

This issue is more complex than many understand. Some of these people have a choice of staying in a trailer or being homeless. Your odds are better in a trailer. They don't have money to move on, an d without cars, many don't have access to jobs, child care, etc. In a nutshell, they're trapped. America is a uniquely hostile place to the poor, so the supports they need to be able to move ahead simply aren't there. Their former homes were destroyed, affordable apartments were often replaced with high-rent apartments,
there aren't enough jobs, etc. Resolving the problems would require comprehensive social services involvement, and the US no longer has that.

by: DHFabian

07-08-2009 @ 10:29pm

This issue is more complex than many understand. Some of these people have a choice of staying in a trailer or being homeless. Your odds are better in a trailer. They don't have money to move on, an d without cars, many don't have access to jobs, child care, etc. In a nutshell, they're trapped. America is a uniquely hostile place to the poor, so the supports they need to be able to move ahead simply aren't there. Their former homes were destroyed, affordable apartments were often replaced with high-rent apartments,
there aren't enough jobs, etc. Resolving the problems would require comprehensive social services involvement, and the US no longer has that.

by: DHFabian

07-08-2009 @ 10:33pm

Incidentally, this isn't a matter of "people complaining" about the trailers. Rather, the trailers were government-inspected and found to be dangerous, due to the materials used to construct that particular line of trailers. Of course the people were grateful for the trailers! The problem is that the materials used in making the trailers is causing some serious illnesses.

by: DHFabian

07-08-2009 @ 10:33pm

Incidentally, this isn't a matter of "people complaining" about the trailers. Rather, the trailers were government-inspected and found to be dangerous, due to the materials used to construct that particular line of trailers. Of course the people were grateful for the trailers! The problem is that the materials used in making the trailers is causing some serious illnesses.

by: DHFabian

07-09-2009 @ 12:29am

This issue is more complex than many understand. Some of these people have a choice of staying in a trailer or being homeless. Your odds are better in a trailer. They don't have money to move on, an d without cars, many don't have access to jobs, child care, etc. In a nutshell, they're trapped. America is a uniquely hostile place to the poor, so the supports they need to be able to move ahead simply aren't there. Their former homes were destroyed, affordable apartments were often replaced with high-rent apartments,
there aren't enough jobs, etc. Resolving the problems would require comprehensive social services involvement, and the US no longer has that.

by: DHFabian

07-09-2009 @ 12:29am

This issue is more complex than many understand. Some of these people have a choice of staying in a trailer or being homeless. Your odds are better in a trailer. They don't have money to move on, an d without cars, many don't have access to jobs, child care, etc. In a nutshell, they're trapped. America is a uniquely hostile place to the poor, so the supports they need to be able to move ahead simply aren't there. Their former homes were destroyed, affordable apartments were often replaced with high-rent apartments,
there aren't enough jobs, etc. Resolving the problems would require comprehensive social services involvement, and the US no longer has that.

by: DHFabian

07-09-2009 @ 12:33am

Incidentally, this isn't a matter of "people complaining" about the trailers. Rather, the trailers were government-inspected and found to be dangerous, due to the materials used to construct that particular line of trailers. Of course the people were grateful for the trailers! The problem is that the materials used in making the trailers is causing some serious illnesses.

by: DHFabian

07-09-2009 @ 12:33am

Incidentally, this isn't a matter of "people complaining" about the trailers. Rather, the trailers were government-inspected and found to be dangerous, due to the materials used to construct that particular line of trailers. Of course the people were grateful for the trailers! The problem is that the materials used in making the trailers is causing some serious illnesses.