I Can't Breathe: Choking in Minneapolis' "Arsenic Triangle"

On July 17th, the Minneapolis City Council declared racism a public health emergency. The approved resolution calls for city leadership to take real action and dedicate resources to racial equity work in Minneapolis.

“racism in all its forms causes persistent discrimination and disparate outcomes in many areas of life, including housing, education, health, employment, public safety, and criminal justice exacerbated further by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis… a multitude of studies connect racism to inequitable health outcomes for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), including cancer, coronary heart failure, diabetes, hypertension, high infant and maternal mortality rates demonstrating that racism is the root cause of social determinants of health.” Minnesota City Council, 2020.

This resolution comes weeks after George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officers , motivating the largest civil rights movement in history. Just a few blocks away from the scene, a community of 20,000+ people have also been struggling to breathe; caught in a convergence of institutional environmental racism and public health emergency known as “The Arsenic Triangle”.

The Arsenic Triangle sits on the corner of 28th Street and Hiawatha Avenue in the East Phillips community of Minneapolis, a 5-acre area of land that was declared a public health hazard and residential arsenic superfund site in 2000 . The city found high levels of contamination in 1994 during reconstruction of a major road; exposing the presence of arsenic in soil and groundwater . The contaminants originated from a chemical plant that operated in the vicinity from 1939-1963 producing arsenic and lead-based grasshopper pesticides . The EPA found more than 600 properties in the surrounding neighborhood had unsafe levels of arsenic in their soil- resulting in the removal of 50,000 tons of contaminated soil by 2011.

“Race continues to be a major factor in determining where one lives; and further, where one lives has an impact on one’s health…where you live matters, and neighborhoods with different socio-economic characteristics but only 3 miles geographically apart could equal up to 13 years difference in life expectancy.” - Health Impact Assessment for the East Phillips Community, Green Zones in the City of Minneapolis

This 5-acre area is situated in a vibrantly diverse community, 4/5 of whom are Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and it is home to the largest urban Native housing project- The Little Earth United Tribes. It is also a socioeconomically oppressed community struggling against institutionalized racism . Arsenic present in the soil and groundwater of this community is not the only critical health concern in this neighborhood. In this same triangle exists the Bituminous Roadways Asphalt Plant towers and the Smith Foundry- producing an amalgamation of smoke, metal dust, and fly ash that is pumped out over the densely populated community. Residents of this community have alarming rates of asthma and high levels of lead concentrated in their blood; even more concerning is that 1/3 of this population in East Phillips falls under the “at-risk” portion of the population- children and seniors 65 years and older.

The community developed plans to use an abandoned, and newly renovated, Sears-Roebucks warehouse locally known as “The Roof Depot” building to house the East Phillips Indoor Urban Farm project ; a plan to utilize 7.5 acres of the Roof Depot to foster a community-run indoor urban farm, an aquaponics system, green jobs training, a youth-run café, a bicycle repair shop, and affordable housing units. The indoor urban farm was crafted for the community, by the community; a practice in self-determination and reclamation of land, health, and opportunities by the EP community.

“What research also has shown is that there are persistent, significant, and socially-determined differences in the conditions that create health and the opportunity to be healthy for certain populations in Minnesota. ‘Socially-determined’ means that these conditions are created by decisions that affect community or society at large (e.g., policies of governments, corporate decisions, neighborhood action, media tactics, etc.)” - Minnesota Department of Health, 2014 .

Though the project brought significant buy-in from community members, business owners of the community, and even the local school system, the East Phillips community plan was hijacked by the Minneapolis City Council. Instead of creating a year-round indoor urban farm, the city has taken ownership of this land in order to not only demolish the Roof Depot building entirely, but to then use the 7.5 acres as storage for manhole covers, ballot machines, and heavy equipment for the Department of Public Works. This indicates 5 problems:

1. If the Roof Depot building is demolished, the arsenic that is sealed underneath the building will be released into the neighborhood causing a significant amount of harmful and long-term public health effects.

2. The construction of the site will require a significant increase in traffic and presence of heavy machinery, adding to the air pollution already present in the community.

3. By deliberately preventing the people of East Phillips from using this community space to empower themselves and advocate for a healthier community (in terms of both the local economy and public health outcomes), the Minneapolis City Council is in direct violation of their own proclamations for enhancing health equity across Minnesota.

4. Increasing the pollution and presence of chemical contaminants in this community also puts the Minneapolis City Council in contradiction of cumulative impacts and environmental justice measures passed by East Phillips resident and former State Representative, Karen Clark.

5. The community of East Phillips falls within a Minneapolis Green Zone Initiative site , placing the City Council in violation of their own edicts and protections for environmental justice and fenceline communities.

The East Phillips community has a long history of advocating for the health of people over the presence of heavy polluters- the David to every heavy polluter, Goliath battle they have encountered. The loss of the East Phillips Indoor Urban Farm would be devastating, not only because of the incredible amount of work the community has done to bring wealth and health to their neighborhood, but because it is yet another confirmation, one of thousands, that opportunity is rigged in a systemic and institutionally racist society- one where only the white and wealthy breathe freely. One in which your city council declares racism to a be a public health emergency while simultaneously choking you out.

“For equity in the health outcomes of persons to be possible, systems need to be in place to assure every person has:

• Access to economic, educational and political opportunity.

• The capacity to make decisions and effect change for themselves, their families and their communities.

• Social and environmental safety in the places they live, learn, work, worship and play.

• Culturally-competent and appropriate health care when the need arises.”

-Minnesota Department of Health, 2014.

Kayhla Cornell, 2020.