FUSE’s Post

Transcript

So CEO, former CEO Lee May, I'm going to give you a difficult one. Don't, don't beat me up after this. But one of the things that we've seen at the town halls that Commissioner Ted Terry's had throughout the district that I've had fortunate to be able to go and attend, it's people, you know, they keep asking what are the tangibles? We voted, we pay our our pennies plus taxes and we don't see, you know, the results that we want. So as a former CEO, someone who knows the whole, you know, grounds of everything that's going on in DeKalb, what would you tell the people they need to be doing in order? And what are some of the tangibles that you feel like are accessible that we can get to, to kind of, you know, address these systemic issues that we've seen in DeKalb County? Good question. I don't think it's that hard that that that question. I don't know if I have a good answer for it. And actually, I would reverse that. And so he said, what can the people do? I really think so I sit up here not as an expert. This is not my lane. I'm not here to tell you what we ought to be doing about environmental justice, but I do understand it's importance. I think it was wise that you gave a definitions up here for all of us, you know, and I read them, I had them before. I read them all through line by line and I read them and, and, and listen as you as you were reading them as well. I think the people just need to be empowered more. Just and, and I think that's a lot of the work that is reflected up here, that there has to be the building of community, the building of understanding of the relevance of environmental justice. Because if you want to be just really honest about this dialogue, most people, and I don't think I'm exaggerating by saying this, most people. Just don't see the direct impact on their lives. And, and so when I think about things at our church and our community, the people that we represent, people are just trying to survive, trying to keep their head above water. They're trying to keep or get into affordable housing. They're trying to make a livable wage. They're trying to get their kids educated in a quality school and in a safe neighborhood and things like that. And so a conversation like this. Even though we know it's important, it just doesn't raise as high on the list of the direct challenges. And so I do think and I again, like like I said, I don't know that I'd have the answers, but the building of community, the, the. Speaking in ways that I think the layperson. Can understand and see the direct impact. In, in our lives, you know, I do think, for example, there's been a lot of conversation about the landfill here and seeing how that the landfill and its impact on the community does have, you know, on, on, on the community, you know, and, and what can you do with that landfill? I, when I was a commissioner, the landfill was in my district and Commissioner Terry. My first meeting after I got elected, I got elected July 13th, I believe was the exact date, 2006. And maybe two weeks later I had a community meeting, didn't know anything about anything about government. All this bright ideas that I had on the campaign trail. Now it was time to see if these were really good ideas. And in Ellenwood, Alice Bussey. Some people, yeah, who grew up in that community who generation after generation, she came to me and said, this is nearly 20 years ago. We were promised that that landfill was going to be closed. That's what she said to me. Now here's the reality. And, and, and I tried to be as honest with them as possible. I said, Miss Busy. I don't know if this landfill is going to be closed. Because the reality is if you close the landfill now, we're going to put another one. What is now your? And the reality is, if you take, if you close that landfill. The likelihood of it being in another community, primarily of people of color, is very high. You know, and so now, now what do we do in terms of what is here now? How do we reduce the amount of methane gas that is being produced in the community? Another aspect of that is you look at all the houses around, around the landfill. Part of that is not just environmental justice or injustice, but it's a racial dynamic in terms of the Realtors. I let me tell you how many times people who live in that area tell me they bought their house, nice square footage, nice house. The Realtors took them away that they didn't go past the landfill. And some weeks after they closed on their house, they were in their house, they began to smell some things and they're like, what is that? And then then they found out that a landfill was around the corner. So you literally have thousands upon thousands of people who moved in that area not understanding what was what was impacting their community. And so really just kind of creating a conversation where people can see it's real impact on their lives. I think it's. It's gonna be absolutely critical. And let me also add this as well as a county commissioner, you know, the, the, the Board of Commissioners approved land use changes, zoning, things like that. I would just recommend that we began to think about the economy of the not the economic, the environmental impact on new development, redevelopment in areas as well. For example, you know, you come in and and you clear cut trees on the lot. You know, community residents, you have the opportunity to say, OK, we want to make sure that we're replacing those trees or whatever, or that you're only cutting certain number of whatever. I forget what the county code even requires, but that you're putting conditions in those those changes for development that comes. And and so there's power that you have as people are developing or redeveloping our community. But again, we just have to understand. How it impacts our day-to-day life.