The Forgotten Community
The Hillcrest neighborhood in Corpus Christi, Texas has a long history. As the documentary describes, Hillcrest was a segregated African-American neighborhood during the Jim Crow era. Companies started building refineries next to Hillcrest, and in the 1960s, Texas built Interstate 37 which isolated Hillcrest and the refineries from the rest of Corpus Christi.
Then, the industrial facilities expanded. More and more storage tanks, flares, and stacks barraged residents with pollution and safety hazards. These facilities cause explosions, toxic chemical releases, and fires. Unsurprisingly, Hillcrest residents experience cancer, birth defects, asthma, and other respiratory problems more than other Texas residents.
Starting in 2003, Texas started evaluating routes for the Harbor Bridge project to replace the old bridge. Even though it was not the least expensive option, Texas chose a route that completely surrounded Hillcrest with industrial facilities, the interstate, and the new bridge.
Hillcrest residents opposed the project because it would completely separate Hillcrest from the rest of Corpus Christi. It was the last straw. Hillcrest residents had been asked for too long to sacrifice for Corpus Christi’s “progress.”
Hillcrest neighbors came together to stand up for what was right.
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Texas Housers, and the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law worked closely with people in the neighborhood for many years.
In addition to filing comments, they also filed a civil rights complaint with the Office of Civil Rights at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on behalf of two long-time Hillcrest residents.
The civil rights complaint showed that the planners had chosen a bridge route that would disproportionately harm the African American population.
“Transparency is very important. Community members were often in a better position than government officials to communicate with their neighbors.”
The residents of Hillcrest were promised community improvements as part of the Harbor Bridge civil rights complaint settlement, including new and improved parks with historic preservation, but these improvements have still not been made.
Hillcrest residents know that nothing happens without organized collective action. They plan to keep forging ahead, together.