African American Neighborhood Built On Toxic Lead Contamination

Part 1 of our ongoing series: "Thank God for Flint," that's what one resident of the West Calumet Complex in northern Indiana said, speaking of another lead poisoning catastrophe that also fell under the jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5. Of course, no one is grateful or glad that the people of Flint, Michigan were poisoned by lead pipes after a cost-cutting measure was implemented by the state government. But some of the long time residents of the West Calumet, an affordable housing complex built in 1972 on the site of lead smelting factories, believe that the "justice deferred" for 4 decades might have been "justice denied" if not for the increased awareness.

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Three weeks ago, West Calumet residents received a letter from the Anthony Copeland, the first African American mayor of East Chicago, Indiana, telling them that they would be forcibly removed from their homes due to lead contamination. Soon after, the EPA arrived with four trailers and set up camp, informing residents that they would soon be offering in-home clean-up operations. They put down mulch as a stop-gap measure to protect children from the lead particles embedded in the soil, put up signs, and passed out flyers about living with contamination.

TYT Politics' reporters Jordan Chariton and Eric Byler investigate an inter-generational tragedy decades in the making.

NOTE: CAMU stands for Corrective Action Management Unit

From a fact sheet being provided to residents:

WHAT ARE THE RESIDENTS’ RIGHTS DURING RELOCATION?

By law, residents are entitled to the following:

Notice of relocation. This is normally a 90 day notice. In your case, due to the lead and arsenic contamination, HUD is not requiring the 90 day notice, citing “exigent health circumstances”;

Relocation assistance;

Comparable housing.

WHAT DOES THE RIGHT TO COMPARABLE HOUSING MEAN?

This means that ECHA has to make sure that the residents will move to an apartment that is the same or better than where you live now. The new neighborhoods residents move to must also be in the same or better condition than the neighborhood you live in now.

WHAT TYPE OF HOUSING CAN THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OFFER RESIDENTS?

ECHA can offer residents a Housing Choice “Section 8” Voucher, another public housing unit owned by ECHA, or a public housing unit owned by another housing authority.

ECHA has said it will offer residents Housing Choice “Section 8” vouchers. For those residents not eligible for a voucher or who cannot find a unit in time to use their voucher, ECHA will offer other public housing.

WHAT DOES RELOCATION ASSISTANCE MEAN?

Relocation assistance means that:

ECHA is required to provide residents with housing counseling, so they have help finding a new place to live with their Housing Choice “Section 8” Voucher.

ECHA is required to pay for all actual and reasonable moving expenses. Costs include things like renting a moving van, security deposits, and transfer or hook-up fees for landline phones and utilities.

ECHA may cover your moving expenses by actually moving you rather than paying you to move. This is allowed.

Read the rest of the fact sheet here

Special thanks to Daniel Luepker and Kit Cabello of Veracity In Defiance who attended our TYT Meetup in Chicago and the very next morning accompanied us to Indiana to help us shoot this story. Thanks also to Mia Park who helped Eric Byler with additional filming.