The situation at Greensboro’s Barber Park appears to be a classic case of environmental racism. The only problem is two of Greensboro’s prominent black leaders, Guilford County Commissioner Skip Alston and Rep. Earl Jones, pushed for the site, knowing the site’s history as a former dumping ground:
Alston said he was active in the push to create Southeast Park, as it was first known, and in the movement to rename it for Jimmie I. Barber. Barber, who died in 1985, was Greensboro’s longest-serving black member of the City Council at the time.
“When the issue about the environment came up, there were tests and we were assured there would be no more problems,” Alston said. “Obviously, the community was misled about the extent of the problem then.”
…..”The concern was definitely there, and I called for the testing,” Jones said. “There was a feeling that there needed to be something like that in southeast Greensboro, but we wanted to do it the right way.”
The site’s history wasn’t ideal, he said, but when tests came back showing low levels of heavy metals, he supported the construction.
“It was a tough decision,” Jones said. “Because you want to do it the right way, but you know this is what people want for the area.”
Meanwhile, city environmental services director Jeryl Covington says the toxin in the ground will continue to biodegrade. Remember Covington’s words from last week: “Mother Nature is an amazing remediator.” True, but that’s not the way people think these days.
