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NAACP “No More Tanks On Our Banks” Week of Action! October 18-24, 2015!

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Environmental Justice is on the move next week here in Mobile, Alabama! Share this post with your friends so everyone knows what’s up in Mobtown!

NAACP Direct Action Event Plan

Click for the full-sized image!

NAACP “No More Tanks On Our Banks” Important Dates:

* RALLY – SUNDAY, October 18 – 3-5pm
Robert Hope Community Center
850 Edwards St. Mobile AL, 36610

* PICKET – TUESDAY, October 20 – 9:30a-12:30p
Government Plaza
205 Government St. Mobile, AL 36644

* MARCH – FRIDAY, October 23 – 5:30p-6:30p
Start: Holiday Inn Downtown
301 Government St. Mobile, AL 36602
End: Stone Street Baptist Church
311 Tunstall St. Mobile, AL 36610

* TOXIC DUMPING IN DIXIE PANEL DISCUSSION – SATURDAY, October 24 – 4pm
The “Father of Environmental Justice” Dr. Robert Bullard speaking with regional environmental scientists Dr. M.A. Baheth and Dr. Raoul Richardson at the Vigor High School Auditorium
Vigor High School Auditorium
913 N Wilson Ave. Mobile, AL 36610 Continue reading →

Mobile NAACP Welcomes “Father of Environmental Justice” Dr. Robert Bullard

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Mobile NAACP Welcomes “Father of Environmental Justice” Dr. Robert Bullard
Regional advocates welcome attention brought to revitalizing communities like Africatown

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2015 MOBILE, AL – The Mobile Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) welcomes the esteemed “Father of Environmental Justice” Dr. Robert Bullard to a panel discussion about how environmental justice fits into local revitalization projects. Dr. Robert Bullard brings three decades of scientific research and experience to the intersections of racial equity and environmental protection. This year, he is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his seminal book Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class and Environmental Quality.

Bullard Vigor Poster

FREE Dr. Bullard panel discussion with Dr. M.A. Baheth and Dr. Raoul Richardson at the Vigor High School Auditorium

Dr. Robert Bullard will speak at the Vigor High School auditorium on Saturday, October 24, 2015 at 4:00PM. Admittance for this event is free of charge. He will also be speaking in multiple venues around the Mobile region including at the Alabama NAACP’s State Conference at the Holiday Inn Downtown Historic District at 301 Government St. early that day on Saturday, October 24 at 10:00AM. Continue reading →

Africatown Boat Safari Highlights Hog Bayou’s Mobile-wide Connections

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Africatown Boat Safari Highlights Hog Bayou’s Mobile-wide Connections
Its rich heritage and ecosystem holds possibilities, perils

July 13, 2015 Mobile, Alabama – Hog Bayou rests atop Mobile to the north of Africatown’s residential neighborhood. The wetland backwaters have been used as a source of food and recreation by Africatown residents since the community’s founding by former African slaves in 1870. Major Joe Womack and other Africatown elders often recount how their relationship to the wetland ecosystem shaped their youth.

Major Womack telling stories on the water

Major Womack telling stories on the water; image by Carol Adams-Davis

Major Womack took such an opportunity last Friday afternoon on a first-of-its-kind boat tour of the Hog Bayou wetlands area. Organized by Africatown Community Development Corporation (Africatown CDC) in partnership with the Mobile County Training School Alumni Association, Mobile Branch of the NAACP, Mobile Bay Sierra Club, and Mobile Environmental Justice Action Coalition (MEJAC) through a generous in-kind donation by Five Rivers Delta Safari, the tour saw 40 participants from partner organizations, Mobile City Planning staff, and press obtain a fresh look at Mobile’s too-long abused wetland ecosystems in its North. Continue reading →

Mobile City Council Delays Vote on Arc Terminals’ Sulfuric Acid Tank Expansion

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Mobile City Council Delays Vote on Arc Terminals’ Sulfuric Acid Tank Expansion
Questions Linger over Risk Mitigation and Long-Term Plans at their Tar Sands Tank Farm
by Ramsey Sprague for MEJACoalition.org

JUNE 30, 2015 12:30pm – In a 5-2 vote, Mobile City Council approved District 2 Councilman Levon C. Manzie’s motion to delay an appeal vote on the Planning Commission’s approval of Arc Terminal’s sulfuric acid expansion at their tar sands tank farm by six weeks.

Aerial Map of Port of Mobile Petrochemical Bulk Storage Facilities in Relation to Residential Historical Districts and Downtown

Aerial Map of Port of Mobile Petrochemical Bulk Storage Facilities in Relation to Residential Historical Districts and Downtown

Fourteen people testified strongly against the approval including President of the Church Street East Neighborhood Association Greg Vaughn who called for Arc Terminals to host a public information session about their long-term business plans, a sentiment echoed by De Tonti Square Neighborhood Association President Kelly Baker, several MEJAC speakers, and ultimately by Councilman Manzie. Continue reading →

No Petrochemical Storage Tanks on Our West Bank, A Compendium of Citizen Concerns

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CompendiumMEJAC organizers participated in the creation of a comprehensive compendium of resident concerns over expanding the petrochemical complex along the Mobile River into historic neighborhoods like Africatown. At 66 pages, its size alone sets the tone for how deeply-held Mobile-area residents’ convictions are against such quality-of-life-wrecking “development”.

The statements compiled within come in direct response to the City of Mobile’s Planning Commission Subcommittee on Above Ground Storage Tanks’ recommendations that would permit petrochemical tanks too close to homes, schools, and churches.

Medical doctors, business leaders, University professors, residents, neighborhood advocates, among many others present compelling analyses for why we must not continue expanding petrochemical facilities on the west bank of the Mobile River. Continue reading →