Tropical wasteland: A fort Lauderdale community’s battle for justice

Type :

Term papers

Pages :

5 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

05/19/2009

Category :

Social studies

Sub category :

Sociology

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Summary :

Introduction
The possible link between the dump and cancer
Studies that indicated no connection between the high cancer rates and the incinerator emissions
The governments attempts to limit its liability
Conclusions
Sources

Abstract

On the surface, Sunny South Florida may seem like an ideal resort area with abundant affluence and beautiful scenery. Once one heads away from the beach and toward I-95, however, a different story emerges. Densely packed neighborhoods populated mostly by minority citizens are the norm, and it is in this area that a pattern of environmental racism has emerged. One particularly notorious site, the Wingate Road Municipal Incinerator and Landfill, was responsible for releasing toxics, including dioxin, into the predominately African American neighborhood that surrounded it from 1954-1978. The local community, spurred to action by the late Leola McCoy, continues to question the safety of this area.

In 1994, McCoy discovered a Florida Department of Health Report which said that there was a higher risk for 5 kinds of cancer in the one mile radius around the site. Her subsequent efforts were geared toward increasing public awareness of the health risks (one in three homes was supposedly affected) that were faced by local residents, despite later statements from public officials, who suggested that there was no link between the toxic emissions and cancer risk. Numerous activists have cited suspicious motivations behind the government denial of accusations of environmental racism at Wingate. Examining this case within a sociological framework may provide some insight into the issue of environmental racism and the role of activism and community mobilization in putting an end to such inequality.