Good News Katrina Survivors Won't be Evicted from FEMA Trailers

The New York Times reported today that Hurricane Katrina survivors living in trailers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency will not be evicted. In fact, those living in the trailers will be able to buy the trailers for five dollars or less! Also, The Department of Housing and Urban Development will give the 3,450 families still in trailers or temporary housing — including many elderly, poor and disabled people — priority for $50 million in permanent housing vouchers. The money for the vouchers was appropriated by Congress last year.

This story is a follow-up to the story we posted last week and to the several rallies that were held in support of the Katrina survivors.

Finally some good news to share! This post and tomorrow's full day of uplifting stories are dedicated to Dominique Grant, avid reader and dancehall queen. For more on Dominique and the hottest reggae events, news and gossip visit thewickedesttime.com!

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Helping M.I.A. Put People on The Map That Never Seen A Map

20 Dollar - M.I.A.

Today, the Weather Report is featuring Environmental Justice news from around the world. We thought 20 dollar by Sri Lankan musical phenom, M.I.A. would be a good fit to highlight today's focus. The song discusses economic disparities and cultural differences in developing nations around the world. The lyrics not only showcase the real issues going on in Sri Lanka and Africa but also the deep connection and respect hip-hop has across the world.

More recently, M.I.A. was honored as one of the 100 most influential people by Time Magazine along with Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey. After the awards ceremony, Metrolyrics.com reports that M.I.A. wrote on her Myspace page that she was courting support from Oprah and other high profile celebrities. M.I.A. hopes to use her growing profile to draw attention to the plight of refugees in Sri Lanka. Check this link for the lyrics to this song.

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Welcome to Toxic Village, China

By Reginald Larkin

Toxins from burning e-waste in the area cause birthing defects like this woman who's baby formed in her back

China is home to 1.3 billion people and is a nation that is on the cusp of becoming the world’s leading super power. Constantly developing and growing, China must find a means in which to support its vast populous and it appears that this budding nation may have found a means to and end. Electronic waste or "e-waste" as it is referred to with great disdain has been the cause of many health problems such as birth defects, miscarriages, and lowered IQ’s in children.

Recently I saw a video called Toxic Village that defined e-waste and also discussed it’s many health risks.


The villages of Nanyang and Guiyu are home to many migrant workers whose job it is to dismantle any electronics imported from America. After failing to sign the Basel Ban of 1994, America has continued to export electronics to villages in China. The streets on Nanyang are littered with stacks of dismembered electronics that are waiting to be burned or reused. For roughly twelve dollars a day the migrant workers are exposed to a number of poisons such as mercury and lead.

Prolonged exposure can cause a person to suffer a number of health afflictions such as learning disorders and cancer. It’s been stated that the air in these villages are foggy, dirty, and dusty, inducing headaches and respiratory issues for outsiders. the health defects may also be a bi-product of the fact that parts that cannot be "recycled" are burned in a local power plant. The Chinese government has made a point to keep the atrocious acts a secret from the rest of the world. People who carry video cameras are met with resistance on the part of the residents who appear protective of their communities.

The growing mass media in china has made it their mission to hold the Chinese government accountable for pollution they are pumping into these communities. The Chinese government has had little to no choice in the matter of cleaning of towns that piled to the brim with e waste. The news feed of Toxic Village was filmed in 2003 and as of 2005; the rate of which e-waste is being shipped to china is being regulated. The numbers of people with high lead blood problems in Nanyang and Guiyu has been reduced to 25 percent, however this is still higher than what normal people are living with. America should take heed from China’s efforts to reduces ewaste, after all America is the largest producers of ewaste yet fails to acknowledge the contribution. for more information and videos on this issue visit http://cnettv.cnet.com/60-minutes-walking-through-toxic-village/9742-1_53-50004404.html

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Over 30 Environmental Justice Activists Murdered while Protesting in the Amazon Rainforest!

Protests turned for the worst this past Friday in the Amazons of Peru. Al Jazeera reports that over thirty indigenous Amazonians were killed during clashes with Peruvian government over planned oil and gas exploration on ancestral land.
Last Friday, thousands of indigenous people gathered in Bagua, Peru and created a human road blockade keeping government and corporate officials out of the rainforests they call home. Police attempted to break up the blockade of people which led to a violent clash between the protesters and police. When on the ground troops could not contain the protesters, witnesses reported that police officers shot fire and dropped teargas from helicopters.

The video below is footage from the protests. Although it is in Spanish, you can here the victims screaming out for help and water for the wounded.

Indigenous rights activist, Ben Powless of Ontario, Canada was in Peru during this tragic event while attending the Indigenous People's Summit held in Puno, Peru. Powless reported back that this tragedy is government retaliation for 50 days of ongoing protests. Along with the road blockade protesters have shut down parts of the Amazon and the Andes. On May 8th the Peruvian government announced a 60-day state of emergency in areas of the Amazon, suspending constitutional guarantees in an attempt to suppress the protests, which have targeted airports, bridges and river traffic. Alberto Pizango, elected representative of the Amazonian Peoples and supporter of the recent protests now has a warrant out for his arrest because of his high profile and alleged organizing support with the ongoing protests.

International human rights and Environmental Justice advocates are standing in support of Pizango and the thousands of other indigenous Peruvians who have lost their constitutional rights due to the protests to save their land and traditions.

Powless and the Indigenous people of Peru have offered some suggestions on how people like you (yes you reading this) can support this fight:

Please go here to send a letter to the President of Peru, and show him that the international community is watching and is outraged: http://www.amazonwatch.org/peru-action-alert.php

You may also donate to the cause with the following bank information: account number is 395-11-35-338057 (in nuevos soles, Peruvian currency) of the "Banco de Crédito del Peru" The contact information is Nicanor Alvarado Carrasco, coordinator of the "Vicaría del Medio Ambiente de Jaén". Phone: +511 076 433948.

with the suspension of constitutional rights it is even more important to scream and shout because there is a good chance that Pizango and other protestors will be tortured or executed once apprehended.

Continue to checktheweather.net for more info! Correspondents will also live tweet and blog from the protests planned for today Monday June 8th at 12:30 at the Peruvian Embassy in Washington, DC. Follow us on twitter or come join us if you are in the DC area!

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Do you live in A Gritty City?

Yesterday, urban gossip blog, Mediatakeout.com posted a story on the Federal Bureau of Investigations recent data release of the top ten cities you just might get murked (translation killed) in. Here is the list:

1) New Orleans, La. – 57 0r 64 per 100,000 people
2) St. Louis, Mo. – 47 per 100,000 people
3) Baltimore, Md. – 37 per 100,000 people
4) Birmingham, Ala. – 36 per 100,000 people
5) Jackson, Miss. – 36 per 100,000 people
6) Detroit, Mich. – 34 per 100,000 people
7) Baton Rouge, La. – 30 per 100,000 people
8) Oakland, Calif. – 29 per 100,000 people
9) Flint, Mich. – 28 per 100,000 people
10) Richmond, Calif. – 27 per 100,000 people

The funny part about this list is that many of these cities are also cities that face huge environmental and economic justice issues. These are the cities that have been hit by the worst natural disasters, the collapse of blue-collar industries of automobile and steel and environmental degradation and public health risks from toxic sites like oil refineries, power plants and landfills.

Most of the residents of these cities are people of color and this triple edged sword of Crime, Joblessness and Environmental Injustice is what makes a city "Gritty".

But in the midst of grit, grime and crime are some diamond in the rough leaders, art, and new green businesses that are sprouting up and leading the way towards a new vision for American cities.

As part of our Gritty City Series we will highlight all ten of the cities mentioned above the good the bad and the plain "ol ugly. Subscribe to Checktheweather today so you can know what's up and who's in the know.

Oh and if you live in a Gritty City and got something we should know about give us a holla by commenting on this post.

The report media takeout referenced is City Crime Rankings 2008-2009: Crime in Metropolitan America. The Report was recently published by CQ press. Check out the listings and how your city ranks below or visit http://os.cqpress.com/citycrime2008/citycrime2008.htm

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"A dry roof over a toxic trailer beats no roof at all."- Katrina Survivors Rally at FEMA Headquarters to Stop Trailer Evictions

By MARIA RECIO
McClatchy Newspapers

With a FEMA trailer parked across the street, a coalition of Gulf Coast activists stood outside the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters Monday to mark the start of hurricane season, to demand Hurricane Katrina rebuilding and to protest the latest deadline for eviction of about 5,000 residents from FEMA trailers.

"The people of the Gulf Coast don't want FEMA trailers," Michele Roberts, of the Advocates for Environmental Human Rights, told a small crowd. "They want to rebuild homes."

FEMA, facing a public relations disaster of leaving Katrina victims homeless, again backed off a deadline - the most recent was May 30 - while activists said that even a trailer laced with toxic formaldehyde is better than no home.

"FEMA is continuing to work with federal, state and local partners to help area residents make the transition to long-term housing," said FEMA spokesman Clark Stevens. "New options are being finalized in the next few days, and no one will face eviction from a temporary unit while transition measures are implemented."

The coalition of housing and activist groups is challenging the Obama administration to make dramatic improvements by Aug. 29 - the fourth anniversary of Katrina.

"This is President Obama's Gulf Coast now, and nothing has been done yet to remedy the government's failures," Roberts said.

Trinh Le, a community development coordinator from Biloxi, Miss., said, "If you drive around Biloxi, you see vacant lots and empty buildings." Residents face high insurance rates, she said, and "Vietnamese shrimpers are having a hard time making ends meet."

Gulfport, Miss., resident Derrick Evans said he came to Washington out of solidarity with volunteers from Turkey Creek, a historic African American community.

"There is an affordable housing crisis of epic proportions," he said. "A dry roof over a toxic trailer beats no roof at all."

The groups support the Gulf Coast Civic Works Act, a bill co-sponsored by several members, including Reps. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., Charlie Melancon, D-La., and Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La., that would create 100,000 jobs in the region through construction and development projects.

The bill failed to get any traction in the last congressional session. It was re-introduced in the House in early May.

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"Can't Stand the Heat?" Lil Wayne takes a stand for Environmental Justice

Following up on the Rally to stop the evictions of Katrina Survivors check out this video made last August during a rally at FEMA headquarters for the 3rd Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The song featured in the video is "Tie My Hands" by Lil' Wayne and Robin Thicke. Along with the song that highlights the struggle of Katrina Survivors the video highlights pictures and facts on Climate Justice issues worldwide. Take a peek.

For more information go to krvexpress.org to follow Katrina Survivor and Environmental Justice Activist, Derick Evans as he travels the country in his FEMA trailer gathering support and creating awareness on what's really going on in the Gulf Coast.

Oh yeah and for those of you not up on Climate Justice check out EJCC.org!

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