Residents in some south Dekalb neighborhoods are protesting a number of environmental issues. In unincorporated Decatur, there are claims of toxic industrial waste, polluted waterways, frequent sewer spills, poorly maintained sewer lines, scores of menacing vultures, and methane emissions from the nearby landfill (JusticeOnChapelHill, Inc. n.d.). The racial make-up of Dekalb county includes a majority (54.8%) population of Black/African American residents (United States Census 2019) and south Dekalb contains predominantly Black communities. As a resident, I have experienced many of these claims, including nuisance odors, similar to the smell of sulfur, that diminishes air quality. In 2010, a United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) complaint and investigation found the county in violation of the Clean Water Act and the Georgia Water Quality Control Act for repeated sanitary sewer overflows (Harris-Young 2020). The proposed remedies have yet to be completed.
Chronotopic discourses locate and connect contemporary and historical experiences of racism that conspired to construct the built environment of south Dekalb. A chronotope is spatiotemporal fusion inwhich space becomes a response to historical events (Blanton 2011, 3). These conversations are had often among residents, especially in reference to the landfill. I witnessed the discussion at a community meeting opposing the incorporation of a new city and regularly on the social media application, NextDoor. The discriminatory environmental practices that community members of south Dekalb are having can be compared to those of the residents of east Ardmore, Oklahoma that Blanton analyzes. South Dekalb is often compared to the City of Decatur, which has a much smaller population of Black residents. There is less blight, fewer industrial plants, fresher food options, more walkable solutions, and no large waste disposal such as a landfill. Additionally, south Dekalb residents are now fighting to stop a concrete
recycling plant from being built in their community.
South Dekalb residents are working together to protest the construction of a Metro Green Recycling processing center in the new city of Stonecrest. Citing health and environmental concerns, citizens protesting the recycling plant expressed their dissatisfaction with Metro Green and the city’s mayor. In a news reporting of the protest, residents are seen holding signs and chanting:
Metro Green has obtained appropriate permits and has prepared the land for construction of the new facility, however, community members and legislators are uniting to ask the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to reverse its approval of Metro Green’s permit (Estep 2020). The audio/visual media and partial transcript featured here are examples of a community’s concern of environmental racism that will ultimately affect their health and surroundings. In the video, reporter Valencia Jones interviews residents Pyper Bunch and Kamala Gonzales. The video also shows Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary reacting to the protest during two separate city council meetings.
TRANSCRIPT
1 Valencia Jones: People living in Windsor Downs and Miller Woods in DeKalb County, say
2 they’ve been fighting against plans for the construction of a Metro Green recycling center in
3 their neighborhoods, since they found out about it in May. They protested yesterday. And
4 again today.
5 Protestors: Jason La::ry must go. Jason La::ry must go.
6 Valencia Jones: Saying city of Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary and Metro Green officials,
7 have not addressed their concerns, about recycling concrete near their mostly minority
8 communities.
9 Pyper Bunch: When I researched it and found out that silica is the main compound that will
10 be released, it’s a known carcinogen which causes lung disease, it causes lung cancer.
11 Kamala Gonzales: Our concerns are lower property value, health concerns. A lot of our
12 children have asthma. We have an older population within the community,
13 Valencia Jones: This was Lary’s reaction to some of their accusations, during a July council
14 meeting.
15 Jason Lary: I want to dispel the idiotic notion, that the uh city of Stonecrest was created uh
15 as a dumping ground. You gotta be a complete ((censor beep)) to think that.
Bibliography
Blanton, Ryan. 2011. “Chronotopic Landscapes of Environmental Racism.” Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 21 (S1): E76-E93.
CW69 News. 2020. DeKalb Co. Residents Continue Fight To Stop Recycling Center Construction. Dekalb County: CBS Local.
Estep, Tyler. 2020. “DeKalb legislators join push against Stonecrest recycling plant.” AJC: Atlanta. News. Now.
Harris-Young, Dawn. 2020. “DeKalb County, Georgia Clean Water Act Settlement Modified to Further Address Sanitary Sewer Overflows.” News Releases.
JusticeOnChapelHill, Inc. n.d. “Justice on Chapel Hill: Smelling corruption. Demanding
solutions.” Justice on Chapel Hill.
United States Census. 2019. “Quick Facts Dekalb County, Georgia.” United States Census Bureau.