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COMMON GROUND
FINDING
The Power & Value of Capacity Building in anEnvironmental
Justice Community
RON RIENASPeace Bridge Authority
JOSEPH GOLOMBEK, JR.City of Buffalo Common Council
KATHY MECCA
Columbus Park Neighborhood Association
TERRY ROBINSON
Preservation Buffalo Niagara
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After NEJC 2013, Buffalos West Side community implemented a
newaction strategy using the principles of capacity building.
We invited major players to the table, identified common goals,
andaccepted the fact that we all occupy common ground.
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Niagara Falls
Buffalo, NY
Peace Bridge
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15,800 Total Population
69% Minority Population
45% Poverty Rate
72% Families Receive Public Assistance
33% Under Age 18
82% Adults w/o College Degree
30% Adults w/o High School Diploma
32% Unemployment Rate
2010 & 2013 Census Data, U.S. Census Bureau
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PUBLIC HEALTH
EPIDEMIC
The West Side asthma rate is 4times the national average.
The West Side asthmahospitalization rate for children is5 times
the state average.
It costs $110 million annually totreat West Side asthma
patients(hospitalization, doctor visits,medication, etc.).
One-in-three West Side children hasasthma.
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ROLE
FULFILLING OUR
The Peace Bridge is a major transportation and trade conduit
benefittingCanada and the U.S.
It is the 3rd
busiest commercial crossing, carrying approximately $40billion
in trade annually.
Each year, 5 million cars and 1.3 million trucks cross the Peace
Bridge.
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IMPACT
RECOGNIZING OUR
The West Side bears adisproportionate share of the burden.
Traffic
Emissions
Noise
Light
Quality of life issues
Uncertainty created by capacityexpansion and lengthy 11-yearlong
EIS process.
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GOVERNMENT
ROLE OF THE
Canadian and U.S. border agenciesdetermine border operation and
speedthroughput.
Commitment to border operations
Adequate staffing of inspection booths
Processing reforms:
E-manifest for empties
Eliminate cash collection
Update radiation detectortechnology
Pre-Inspection
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THE COMMUNITY
ENGAGING WITH
Public outreach has greatly improved our relationship with
thecommunity.
Better communications
Community speaking as one voice
Active participant with neighborhood Be a good neighbor
Invest in the community
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PAST
PAVING OUR
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FUTURE
SELLING OUR
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MATTERED
THIS PLACE
What was once a 19th Century place ofworship is now a parking
lot.
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CHOPPING BLOCK
ON THE
A 110 year-old landmark, purchased by New York State for the
futureexpansion of the Peace Bridge plaza and construction of a new
DutyFree Store.
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BEEN
WHAT COULD HAVE
A local developer expressedinterest in transforming theabandoned
Episcopal
Church Home site into LaToscana, a beautiful mixed-use
campus.
A local college also wanted todevelop the property.
New York State rejected bothproposals so that it could hold
ontothe land for future expansion of the
Peace Bridge plaza.
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HERITAGE?
CLEANSING OUR
Is Buffalos historic West Side no less deserving of preservation
thanother (wealthier and less diverse) communities, simply because
itsresidents cant afford to save it themselves?
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THE LAW
UPHOLDING
We expect government to upholdthe law and to serve in the
bestinterest of the public.
When government fails to upholdthe law, society has an
obligationto pursue corrective action.
The environmental injustice thatis harming West Side
residentscan be traced back to the abuseof power on the part
ofgovernment officials.
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ACTION
CALLING FOR
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ANSWERS
DEMANDING
When a media probe revealed questionable practices on the part
of thefederal government, we demanded answers.
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WITHOUT A VOICE
DEFENDING THOSE
The low-income, minorityresidents of the West Sidedeserve the
same quality of
life afforded in otherwealthier and less diverseareas of
Buffalo.
The West Sides public
health crisis is a product ofpolitics and the abuse ofpower.
We need your help to get theword out to a national
audience.
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AND BREATHWest Side residentssuffer from chronicand sometimes
fatal
illnesses, whichleading researchershave tied to dieselexhaust
from PeaceBridge truck traffic.
The West Side asthmarate is four times thenational average.
A MATTER OF LIFE
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THE SOLUTION
TO POLLUTIONIS CONFUSION
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TRUCKING?
KEEP ON
The Peace Bridge is the wrongbridge for international truck
trafficin Western New York.
The Lewiston-Queenston Bridgeis the right bridge, just 21
milesnorth.
Making the switch means
merging the bridgeauthorities and improvingroadway
infrastructure, buttheres a lack of political willfor both.
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Online: MoveThePlaza.com
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: Homes near the Peace Bridge
Twitter: @MoveThePlaza
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