Tell-It Report: Black Louisiana Community Covered In Toxins After Oil Plant Explosion
Five lawsuits have been filed against Smitty’s Supply Facility since the fiery incident.
In Gullah Geechee communities, a "tell-it" was a designated lookout, community warning system and the most trusted source for news and information. The Tell-It Report is ContrabandCamp’s weekly roundup of the Black stories that deserve more attention — from politics to entertainment.
Roseland, La., residents are dealing with the fallout from an Aug. 22 explosion that left many jobless and at-risk of health issues.
The University of Cincinnati may have ended its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, but Black students and alumni vow to keep traditions going.
A white woman who called a disabled Black child a racist slur at a park in April has nearly reached her $1 million goal after being indicted on three counts of disorderly conduct.
Read the full stories below:
Black Louisiana community left covered in toxins after oil plant explosion
It rained oil on a Black community in Roseland, La., on Aug. 22 when an explosion at an auto plant erupted.
The explosion at Smitty’s Supply Facility, 60 miles northeast of Baton Rouge, caused a massive fire to burn at the plant, which stored half a million gallons of flammable materials, according to KPEL. Clouds of dark smoke, from which chemicals fell, billowed over the facility and the neighboring homes and businesses. Officials called for a mandatory evacuation — 250 residents slept in a small community center— for those within a one-mile radius of the plant, which has since been lifted.
Though no injuries were reported, the mostly Black community is left to deal with the aftermath’s toxic mess. According to Capital B News, an oily film covered homes, cars, front lawns and more as the fallout reached as far as 20 miles away.
Patricia Thomas, 65, told the outlet that residents are left to clean up the chemicals even though they aren’t responsible for it. She’s concerned that she’ll have to choose between breathing in dangerous toxins or going further into debt to take care of it herself.
“This stuff could kill me if I touch it,” she said of the potential carcinogens in her front yard, “but what about if I keep tracking it in my house, too?”
On Aug. 27, the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Environmental Quality and Louisiana Department of Health put out a statement saying that environmental sampling and analysis found that “there is no indication of any imminent threat to public health from the soot or smoke residue deposited in the surrounding area.” The statement advised affected residents to wash outside surfaces and avoid coming into direct contact with “areas of concentrated residue.”
The EPA has taken over the cleanup efforts. However, with the Trump administration in charge, many residents don’t have much faith that the system has their best interests in mind. In a statement issued last week, Smitty’s said that it would be helping the EPA with cleanup. The company also apologized for the explosion.
"These last few days have created a great deal of upheaval for our entire community and our company," the company said. "We are sorry for the uncertainty our neighbors, employees and friends have experienced." However, Bethany Tate, daughter of a plant executive, said in a since-deleted Facebook post that the explosion was nobody’s fault.
Nearly 450 employees worked at Smitty’s, and all of them have been laid off since the explosion.
Since the explosion, the company has been sued five times. One lawsuit was filed by a Roseland resident. Smitty’s is also at the center of several lawsuits unrelated to the explosion.
Black students and alumni at University of Cincinnati take matters into their own hands after school ends DEI programs
The University of Cincinnati removed its African American Cultural and Resource Center in June in response to a new bill that bans universities from supporting diversity, equity and inclusion, WVXU reports. But Black UC students and alumni have created their own solution: Uphold their traditions without the center.
The center, founded in 1991, served multiple communities within the institution’s network, including Black students, LGBTQ+ students and women. Students and faculty opposed the removal, protesting throughout the last school year into the summer. However, with the passage of Senate Bill 1, known as the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, they weren’t able to reverse the school’s decision.
Student and chair of the United Black Student Association Ife Oshunniyi told WVXU that they’ve already hosted long-standing ceremonies, including the Black graduation celebration and the welcome party for incoming Black students without the help of UC.
Oshunniyi also noted that the staff who formerly worked in the AACRC have been reassigned to other offices at the university. Though they have new jobs now, she’s confident that the faculty that they once leaned on will continue to encourage them.
Black alumni launched the Cincy Cultural Resource Center Foundation earlier this year to independently fund programs that were previously run under the AACRC. Through donations, the non-profit will be able to help students continue participating in mentorship programs, the student choir and various events.
"Every time they decide to do a program and they need money to help pull it off, for it to feel professional, we're going to support them," Alum Byron Stallworth told the NPR affiliate.
Harlan Jackson, a foundation leader and alum, said that the current political climate shows that "there needed to be a change that really moved from public to private support and funding for valuable programs and valuable services that the current political climate on the state of Ohio has turned its back on."
Oshunniyi is hopeful that through community support, Black students will continue to receive empowerment and upliftment.
"While they may be taking these letters down, this building is still here. And this space is still ours if we want it to be ours,” she said. “So, we want people to still come in here and to take up the space because at the end of the day, we are a community more than we're a building.”
A racist white woman charged for calling a disabled Black child a slur raises more than $800K
A white Rochester, Minn., woman was indicted last Tuesday on misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges after she was accused of using a racist slur against a Black child with a disability at a playground. Now, she’s raised more than $800,000 in donations after asking the public for help, according to the Associated Press.
In a video shared widely on social media in April, a man confronted Shiloh Marie Hendrix for calling the child a slur. While holding her own child, she said the slur again and held up her middle finger to the man.
The child’s father told police that his son is autistic and requires intensive parental supervision, the AP reports. His son took an applesauce pouch from someone else’s diaper bag while at the park.
Hendrix has been charged with three counts of disorderly conduct, with the city attorney’s office claiming the incident took “a large amount of evidence and required careful consideration of potential charging options across multiple offices,” KTTC reports. Hendrix faces 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine for each charge.
“Defendant wrongfully and unlawfully engaged in offensive, obscene, abusive, boisterous, or noisy conduct, or in offensive, obscene, or abusive language that would reasonably tend to arouse alarm, anger or resentment in others,” the criminal complaint states.
After the video went viral, Hendrix started crowdfunding on the Christian fundraising platform GiveSendGo. As of Aug. 31, she’s raised $825,763. Her goal is to raise $1 million. Supporters commented with racist and ableist language. One commenter wrote, “‘Thank you for unapologetically dropping the hard R.”
In an update on the page, Hendrix shared that she was able to buy a new home for her family using the donations. She said the second round of fundraising will help with her legal fees. On the page, Hendrix said she “called the kid out for what he was.”
Jacob Wells, co-founder and CFO of GiveSendGo, defended Hendrix’s campaign.
The NAACP has been supportive of the Black child and his family since the video went viral. They launched a GoFundMe, which raised $340,000 before the family asked that it be closed in May. The organization called the charges “an important and meaningful first step toward accountability and justice” in a statement on Tuesday.
Rochester NAACP President Dr. Walé Elegbede told KTTC of the child’s disability, “Shiloh Hendrix also saw the state of this child, and instead of bringing compassion, she inflicted hatred, harm, racism, and trauma upon him. She has shown no remorse for her actions.”
Hendrix’s arraignment is set for Oct. 29.
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