Troubled Waters: Discussion with STEPS Coalition Director Roberta Avila on Miss. Port Expansion

Photo of Roberta Avila by Patrick Jackson.

Roberta Avila is the executive director of the STEPS Coalition, which includes 30 social justice organizations on the Mississippi Gulf Coast that came together after Hurricane Katrina.  Avila spoke with Bridge The Gulf and the Institute for Southern Studies for the report Troubled Waters: Two Years After the BP Oil Disaster, a Struggling Gulf Coast Calls for National Leadership for Recovery (download). She discussed coastal restoration problems, how the Port of Gulfport is impacting vulnerable communities, and how to create community benefits agreements.

Bridge the Gulf / Institute for Southern Studies: Tell us about the mission of the STEPS Coalition.

Roberta Avila:Our initial mission was really about ensuring that there was equity around the way the money that came into our state was distributed.  But about three years ago our coalition changed its mission to emphasize the importance of developing grassroots leadership, so that grassroots leadership could advocate for the issues that are important to them

Our coalition’s work is organized around what we call five social justice pillars – economic justice, environmental justice, affordable housing, preservation of historic neighborhoods and human rights.

BTG / ISS: How have things changed in Biloxi over the last 2 – 4 years?

Avila: Well, without a doubt, the oil drill disaster had a huge impact, particularly on the community that fishes, and that was largely the Asian American community. The loss of seafood and oysters and shrimping industry has impacted the restaurants.  I think people’s lives have been greatly impacted since the oil spill in many different ways, and we still haven’t recovered.

BTG / ISS: In what ways has your community stayed the same?

Avila: One of the things that’s pretty much stayed the same is that a big employer on the Mississippi Gulf Coast is the Casinos.  And the Casinos rebounded quickly after Katrina and have not really suffered greatly as a result of the oil drill disaster.

BTG / ISS: Tell us more about the main issues you’re working on.

Avila: One of the main concerns I should say is what’s going to happen around coastal restoration, and the NRDA process [an assessment of the damages to natural resources caused by the BP disaster], and how the funds are going to be used around BP’s Clean Water Act fines, and/or whatever settlement is made with BP.

BTG / ISS: Tell us about the port.

Avila: Well the Port Campaign really came out of the work that we did right after Katrina.  We knew that at some point the Port of Gulfport was going to be expanded.  But two years after Katrina, our governor took money [intended for housing and community development in low- and moderate-income communities, Community Development Block Grants] and had it redirected it to the port, to the tune of 600 million dollars, which was appalling to us.  Especially given the fact that there were thousands of people that had not recovered.  And so we, as strongly as we could, opposed the diversion of those funds.  We did everything we could to bring national attention to it.

Right after that we changed our port campaign to be “Partners for a Safe and Healthy Port.” The objective of that campaign was to help community members and the organizations in the impacted community to become part of the decision making process on how that money was going to be spent.

BTG / ISS: Draw out a little bit what an expanded port would mean for neighborhoods in Gulfport and why there’s opposition to it?

Avila: Number of one it means a new port connector road.  And the port connector road is gonna go right through some very vulnerable communities like Villa del Rey and Emerald Pines and Rolling Meadows. That port connector road means many more trucks going through their neighborhood. The port expansion means a faster rail system which will allow trains to move at 40 miles per hour through their neighborhood.

So it means more train traffic, more truck traffic, and as a result of that more noise pollution and more air pollution.  And so these communities, which are largely African American communities that are going to be impacted, will have to bear the brunt of the pollution from the port expansion.

You know when the money was redirected to the state Port of Gulfport, one of the promises by the port was that it’s going to bring 3,000 jobs.  But actually the best numbers we can come up with, using their facts and figures, is that it’ll be an increase of 300 jobs over what they had just prior to Katrina.  And so that isn’t a lot of jobs.

And then the other concern is that these jobs that are permanent jobs are going to require a high level of training, because the expanded port is going to be highly mechanized.  And so it isn’t the kind of jobs that right now the International Longshoremen’s Association, the ILA, largely does.  It’s going to be different.  It’s going to be different when the port is expanded.

BTG / ISS: What solutions are you working on?

Avila: One of the things we’ve been lifting up is the possibility of a Community Benefits Agreement.  It’s a legally binding agreement that would allow community to enter into a legal agreement with the state, and the port, to ensure jobs and to ensure different ways that the environmental impact of this expansion could be reduced.

We feel very fortunate in that we’ve been able to learn from the Port of Los Angeles, about what they’ve done to mitigate harm that the port there has incurred.  There’s green technologies, different kinds of fuel that can be used that are less polluting. We’ve learned about reduced noise barriers around roads. We understand that there’s different things that can be done to mitigate the diesel fumes, there are now trucks that have reduced emissions.  There are things that can be done to make sure that trucks aren’t idling, to reduce pollution in your community.

BTG / ISS: What is missing from the conversation about these issues?

Avila: The main thing that’s missing right now is something in writing that will address the communities’ concerns.  I feel like one of the good things that happened this past summer starting in July, is that we actually were at a discussion table, that was actually initiated by Governor Haley Barbour. So we had a lot of key influential community leaders, most from the African American community, and decision-makers at the table talking about both the problems and possible solutions.

BTG / ISS: What could the next President, Congress do to address some of these issues?

Avila: I think we have the ear of our Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) leaders and I feel like they’re doing a good job in monitoring whether or not the state Port is meeting the CDBG requirements for the money that they received.  So there recently was a finding by HUD that the state was not meeting the requirements to monitor and create a plan to ensure that low and medium income residents would have access to jobs that were created at the Port. So we were really pleased to, number one know that they did a monitoring, and then number two that they are requiring the port authority to comply with this requirement.

BTG / ISS: Aside from the port, what would you want the President to say, “this is our agenda for the Gulf Coast”?

Avila: Without a doubt, right now the pressing thing is ensuring that the money that comes from the Clean Water Act is actually used to restore our coast after the BP oil spill. Not only to restore, but to have a prevention plan in place.

Photo of Roberta Avila by Patrick Jackson.

Interview conducted by Karen Savage.  The transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

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We are diligently planning the next clinic. As promised, the pre-screening form is now available. Please take your time and complete the form. Once you submit it, the clinic coordinator will receive your information. Click to complete:  Pre-Screening Intake Form

Firm’s silence on gas plant has Moss Point residents wondering: Lease expiring on old IP mill property; Leucadia not responding to inquiries

Previous meetings primarily had dealt with residents’ questions regarding job prospects and environmental effects. The main concern of this public forum was a lack of answers from Leucadia.

Despite reassurances from Moss Point Mayor Aniece Liddell that Leucadia is not giving up on the project, doubts were raised about the corporation’s lack of commitment in renewing its lease.

Gulfport council wants port connector pushed west

Posted: Jan 16, 2012 10:52 PM CSTUpdated: Jan 17, 2012 7:13 AM CST

GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) -The proposed port connector road in Gulfport has sparked a lot of debate over the past few months.

On Wednesday, the Gulfport City Council will consider a resolution that deals specifically with the south end of the new road.  The council’s resolution will tell MDOT to build the port connector road along 30th Avenue, so it doesn’t divide the downtown business district. The resolution also urges engineers to keep the new road at ground level.  

In the past, MDOT has proposed building the south end of the port connector along 28th Avenue.  And engineers favor an elevated roadway.

Members of the Steps Coalition are urging those who will be directly impacted by this project to let their voices be heard.

Since it’s initial presentation, there have been many changes made to the new port connector road project. Nonetheless, for people like Roberta Avila and Howard Page of the Steps Coalition, there are still many more changes that need to be made.

“There’s definitely still more that needs to be done and I think that the community is coming together now to reach an agreement on what it is exactly that they want,” Avila said.

The city has already voiced it’s concerns with an elevated roadway concept designed by MDOT engineers.

Steps Coalition members say that’s only scratching the surface.  “These effects are going to be permanent. There’s going to be a loss of wetlands, which raises concerns about flooding. There’s going to be air pollution, noise pollution, traffic congestion by moving all this heavy truck traffic into residential neighborhoods,” Page said.

There’s also a concern that the area of north Gulfport in question has had to bare the brunt of development in the city.

That’s why the coalition wants residents to rise up and say not again.

Gulfport councilman Kenneth ‘Truck’ Casey also wants to hear from those residents.  Casey represents the ward where the south end of the port connector will be built.

“I would like for more people to show up this Wednesday at the city council meeting so they can be more informed about the connector road and what’s going on here in the city of Gulfport. Instead of getting here say (they should) show up themselves. Numbers mean a lot,” Casey said.

The Council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at 2:30.

STEPS Coalition asks HUD to pull Port funding – WLOX-TV and WLOX.com – The News for South Mississippi.

The expungement application must be submitted in the city/county where the crime occurred.

Documents to bring:
Valid State I.D.
Court Case Records per Charge
Arrest Records per Charge
Criminal History
Sentencing Orders
Indictments

Offenses that can be expunged:
Misdemeanors (Traffic Violations such as DUIs cannot be expunged.)

After five years and completion of all sentencing conditions, the following felonies can be expunged once:
Possession of a controlled substance or drug paraphanelia
Larceny
Malicious mischief
Passing a bad check
False pretense
Shoplifting

Even though the attorneys are pro bono, you must pay filing fees unless you qualify for free filing with the courts.

The Steps Coalition, a social justice coalition,is partnering with Mississippi Center for Justice and Kingdom CDC, to offer an Expungement Clinic that will provide support in completing an expungement application to past offenders.

Port Restoration an Economic Disappointment and Likely Environmental Burden for Mississippi 

Restoration Will Produce a Net Gain of Only 330 Direct Jobs over Pre-Storm Workforce and Have Significant Negative Environmental Impacts

Gulfport MS December 9, 2011 – At a community event today, the Steps Coalition and its partners in the recently formed Port Campaign Coalition demonstrated that the $480 million federally-funded restoration of theStatePort will produce an approximate net increase of only 330 direct jobs to the Port’s pre-Katrina workforce.

Citing a recent HUD investigation, the Steps Coalition stressed that the Port cannot be trusted to meet its job creation promises without significant oversight and supervision. HUD found that the Port failed to put contracts and tracking mechanisms in place to meet the job creation goals required by federal law. When the nearly $500 million in public funds were diverted from Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts, the Barbour administration and the State Port promised that the expansion would create more than 3,300 jobs, primarily for low- and moderate-income residents. Six years after Katrina, these jobs can’t be found, and according to the Port, direct jobs won’t be available for another six years.

Furthermore, the Steps Coalition’s review of the Port’s data indicates that the Port’s figures are grossly inflated and that no permanent direct jobs have yet been created. At the event, the groups renewed their call on Governor Haley Barbour and Governor-elect Phil Bryant to develop a system to accurately track and improve the number of jobs created.

“Just check the math,” said Roberta Avila, executive director, Steps Coalition. “When you adjust the Port’s analysis to fit the real facts, the Port is expected to add 1,144 direct jobs to a current workforce of 1,286. This will take the port to 2,430 direct jobs when the port restoration is complete in 2016, which is only 330 more than we had on the day before Katrina struck. We deserve better jobs creation than that for half a billion dollars.”

The Port Campaign Coalition also called on the state to address the environmental impact of the port expansion. The port’s access roadway and railroad will bring thousands of additional trucks and rail cars in and out ofGulfportand will cut through heavily populated low-income and predominantly African-American communities. Diesel soot from this traffic is a major contributor to air pollution and can lead to serious health consequences such as asthma, cardiovascular and lung disease. The dramatic traffic and rail increase will also concentrate noise, public safety hazards and congestion problems into historically neglected neighborhoods.

“The port expansion in Mississippi cannot come at the expense of our most vulnerable populations,” said Reilly Morse, attorney for the Steps Coalition.

To advance the campaign for a community benefits agreement with theStatePort, several organizations have officially formed the Port Campaign Coalition. Members include the Steps Coalition, North Gulfport Civic Club, North Gulfport Community Land Trust, Gulfport NAACP and Soria City Civic Organization.

Click to Download the Fact Sheet on the Port

This statement was written by:

Roberta Avila, Steps Coalition
Reilly Morse, MississippiCenterfor Justice
Diane Glauber, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

The Steps Coalition is a nonprofit advocacy organization that organizes its work under five social justice pillars: economic and environmental justice, affordable housing, preservation of historic communities and human rights. The Steps Coalition started the Port Campaign Coalition to educate and advocate for sustainable job creation, environmental justice and positive outcomes in the communities affected by the port expansion. The Steps Coalition is represented by the Mississippi Center for Justice, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Dewey & LeBoeuf. For more information, please go online to www.stepscoalition.org.

Mississippi Centerfor Justice is a nonprofit, public interest law firm committed to advancing racial and economic justice. Supported and staffed by attorneys, community leaders and volunteers, the Center develops and pursues strategies to combat discrimination and poverty statewide. More information about the Center’s campaigns to advance racial and economic justice is available online at www.mscenterforjustice.org.

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice under law. For more information, visit www.lawyerscommittee.org.