hist197

            A Neglected History In Los Angeles: The Environmental Crisis of Lead-Based Paint Degradation          INTRODUCTION             Ever walk around the residential streets of urban Los Angeles and paid attention to the homes around the area? You probably have or maybe not, but if you haven’t let me try to paint the picture for you. Urban LA consists of small and tight spaced homes with palm trees decorating them in the background because the building aren’t too big. There’s a liquor store on too many corners of its streets and if you were to walk around you would see kids playing outside their homes. South LA only has one acre of grassland per every thousand homes in the areas unlike other parts where its seventy acres. 1  After noticing the kids playing the next thing that will catch your attention is the chipped paint and paint-less spots all over the homes. Most of these homes ...

Stringfellow Acid Pits For those who live in the Inland Empire, the sight of a giant metal woolly mammoth looming over highway 60 is familiar. Dinosaurs and other extinct creatures adorn the hillside, serving as a teaching tool for school children. Many probably have memories from spent time at the Jurupa Cultural Center as kids, learning about Earth Science from founder, Ruth Kirkby. What is seemingly absent from cultural memory is the toxic waste that sits less than a mile away in the Stringfellow Acid Pits. The Acid Pits were once home to over 32 million gallons of toxic chemicals, dumped by numerous corporations and the United States military. The chemicals penetrated through the ground and into the water supply of thousands of residents. During multiple heavy rain events, the pits overflowed sending the waste into neighborhoods and the local elementary school. Residents recalled their children playing in the foaming waste, making beards and throwing snowballs.  Though now a...

The sign that greets visitors as they enter the park. Introduction I think it's safe to say that everyone has at least one fond memory of playing at their local public park. Whether it was a first soccer game, learning how to ride a bike, playing on the playground, flying a kite for the first time, or maybe even a first date . Public parks can be a beautiful dream for some and a nightmare for others depending on the are that the park is located. If the park is in a predominantly white, middle class neighborhood then said park will likely be a beautiful green space with with well-maintained facilities and fields. If said park is in a predominantly minority community then said park will likely be less modern and will feature a poorly maintained brownfield. No place was a greater example of this trend than the great city of Los Angeles. Parks and fields in communities of color looked like something one would see in an apocalypse movie compared to the pristine, gleaming parks in the up...