The South Bronx Fights Air Pollution in “Asthma Alley”
Daily Kos
By Marcia G Yerman
Parents want the best for their children. Lois Gibbs said of her fight to clean up the poisonous dumpsite of Love Canal, "The government wouldn't help me, so I decided to do it myself." From necessity, activists are born.
In the South Bronx, a father who cares about his infant son and the other denizens of his community, has taken up the call to arms. A. Mychal Johnson, co-founder of South Bronx Unite, has squared off against a formidable foe — the food delivery service FreshDirect.
In a story with more twists and turns than a political thriller, Johnson's narrative of the facts pits him against the Bronx Democratic Machine, public officials, and big money. On his side are those who live in Mott Haven-Port Morris, where elevated death rates and children with high levels of respiratory disorders are the norm.
This area is not called Asthma Alley without reason.
