Environmental Racism in Hunters Point

In lecture we watched a bit of the documentary Straight Outta Hunters Point. At first I was completely confused as to why we were watching this documentary. But then understood that this community in San Francisco suffers fro environmental racism. During the fifteen minutes or so that we watched in class, I was left with a curiosity of why Hunters Point suffered from marginalization and discrimination. I decided to watch the entire documentary in order to get a deeper understanding of the types of issues that Hunters point residents undergo. Through raw footage and personal interviews I got to be inside the community of Hunters Point. 

I decided to some research and found out that Hunters Point has been one of the most neglected and poorest communities since the late nineteenth century.  Bayview- Hunters point, or simply Hunters Point, is referred to as  San Francisco radioactive basement with dirty and dangerous shipyards considering it a industrial wasteland. During the 1860s it was a meatpacking district then after the ban of slaughterhouses in San Francisco shipbuilders then sought Hunters Point bringing African Americas during great migration for cheap labor, thus establishing a black working class. After years passed the U.S. Navy then saw it as a good spot be to decommissioned radioactive ships.

However these decommissioned ships are not the only things that are contributing to the pollution in Hunters Point. There is a PG and E plant that was established in1929, and has proven to be one of the most polluting in the state of California exuding harsh chemicals like nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide contributing to ozone depletion and smog. This polluting has had an effect on respiratory diseases and cancer, and has had negative effect on health and air in bay area.

Extreme poverty and racial discrimination has been deeply enrooted through years of constant oppression. Hunter point is one of the most economically disadvantaged communities in San Francisco. Efforts of cleanup must me done in order to prevent further pollution and health risks. There are efforts of a cleanup in Hunters Point which is  is estimated at 1.1 billion. However these efforts want to be done by the U.S Navy for the sake of their own benefit. 

Prison style Housing

Hunters Point Shipyard