We Must Confront Our Transit Sins!

1. The Sins of the Past

Infrastructure has been a tool of oppression:

A. Highways Destroyed Black Neighborhoods (1950s-1970s):

Interstate Highway System: Deliberately routed through Black neighborhoods
Why: Black communities had less political power, land was "cheaper"
Result: Hundreds of neighborhoods destroyed

Examples:

I-81 through Syracuse: Destroyed 15th Ward (thriving Black neighborhood)
I-95 through Miami: Destroyed Overtown (the "Harlem of the South")
I-375 through Detroit: Destroyed Black Bottom and Paradise Valley
I-10 through New Orleans: Destroyed Tremé (historic Black neighborhood)
I-94 through St. Paul: Destroyed Rondo (Black middle-class community)

Impact:

1 million people displaced (mostly Black)
Wealth destroyed (homes, businesses confiscated with minimal compensation)
Communities severed (highway becomes barrier, divides neighborhoods)
Pollution (asthma, cancer from highway exhaust)
Economic devastation (business districts destroyed)

B. Water Infrastructure Racism:

Flint, Michigan: Majority-Black city, government poisoned water supply (lead), and lied for years
Jackson, Mississippi: 80% Black, water system failing (boil water notices constantly), government refused to fund repairs
Lowndes County, Alabama: Black Belt, 70% of residents have failing septic systems (raw sewage in yards), government refuses to fund sewers

Pattern: Black communities get poisoned, neglected infrastructure

C. Redlining & Infrastructure

Banks Refused Loans in Black neighborhoods (1930s-1960s)
Result: Cities didn't maintain infrastructure in redlined areas
- Streets unpaved or potholed
- Street lights broken
- Sewers failing
- No transit access
Compounding: Poor infrastructure → property values drop → less tax revenue → even less maintenance → spiral of decline

D. Transit Apartheid

Pre-Civil Rights: Segregated buses, trains (Rosa Parks, Montgomery)
Post-Civil Rights: "Urban renewal" (called "Negro removal") demolished Black neighborhoods for transit stations, but stations don't serve Black residents (they were displaced)
Current: Suburbs (whiter, wealthier) get new transit, while inner cities (Blacker, poorer) get neglected systems

E. Environmental Racism

Toxic Facilities sited in Black neighborhoods: Incinerators, landfills, chemical plants, and power plants
Superfund Sites: Disproportionately in Black communities
Air Quality: Black Americans exposed to 56% more air pollution than they create (white Americans 17% less)
Lead Exposure: Black children 2x more likely to have elevated blood lead (from old infrastructure, lead pipes)

2. Infrastructure Justice: Reparative Approach

Our Infrastructure Must:

Repair Past Harms (remove highways that destroyed Black neighborhoods)
Prioritize Historically Harmed Communities (investment goes to redlined areas first)
Community Control (residents decide what infrastructure they need)
No Displacement (infrastructure doesn't force people out via gentrification)
Green Infrastructure in Polluted Communities (clean air, water, and green space)
Jobs for Impacted Communities (infrastructure workers from neighborhoods being served)

A. Highway Removal & Community Restoration

Remove Highways that Destroyed Black Neighborhoods:

List of Highways to Remove (Partial - There Are Hundreds):

I-81 through Syracuse (replace with boulevard)
I-375 through Detroit (replace with surface streets)
I-980 through Oakland (replace with boulevard, reconnect neighborhoods)
Sheridan Expressway through Bronx (remove, restore Crotona Park)
Claiborne Expressway through New Orleans (remove, restore Claiborne Avenue)
I-70 through Denver (cap or reroute, restore Elyria-Swansea)

Cost per Highway:

Removal: $500 million (tear down, remove debris)
Replacement: $200 million (surface streets with bike lanes, trees, transit)
Total: $700 million per highway

50 Highways to Remove:

50 × $700M = $35 billion

But Also: RESTORE COMMUNITIES

Land Returned to Community:

Where highway was → green space, affordable housing, and local businesses
Community Land Trusts own land (residents control, can't be gentrified)
Original residents (or descendants) get first right to return
Reparations: Free homes for descendants of displaced families

Restoration Cost:

$5 billion per neighborhood × 50 = $250 billion
- Includes: Affordable housing, parks, community centers, and local business grants

Total Highway Removal & Restoration: $285 billion

B. Water Infrastructure - Black Communities First

Priority list for lead pipe replacement:

Flint, Michigan (every pipe)
Jackson, Mississippi (the entire system)
Newark, New Jersey (ongoing, accelerate)
Chicago (400,000 lead service lines - prioritize the South Side and the West Side)
Cleveland (80,000 lead service lines - prioritize the East Side)
All majority-Black communities (using racial dot map + lead pipe data)

Timeline: 3 years (not 5) for majority-Black communities

Double the workers
Federal oversight (no more local government sabotage like Flint)

Also: RURAL BLACK COMMUNITIES

Lowndes County, Alabama (and similar):

Build proper sewage systems (no more straight pipes, failing septics)
Federal government pays 100% (not the usual 50/50 match that poor communities can't afford)

Cost:

200 rural Black communities need sewers
$100 million per community
Total: $20 billion

C. Green Infrastructure in Polluted Communities

Principle: Communities harmed by pollution get green infrastructure first

Example: South Bronx, NYC

Highest asthma rate in US (20% of children)
Reason: 5 power plants, waste transfer stations, truck routes, and expressways
Solution:
- Close power plants (replace with renewables elsewhere)
- Move waste facilities (to industrial zones, not residential)
- Reroute truck traffic
- Plant 50,000 trees (absorb pollution)
- Build 100 acres of parks
- Green roofs on every building (absorb stormwater, cool neighborhoods)
- Urban farms (local food production)

Cost per Community: $1 billion 100 Most Polluted Communities: $100 billion

D. Transit Equity

Transit Planning Priorities:

Phase 1 (2026-2030): Historically Redlined Neighborhoods

Use HOLC redlining maps (1930s "D" grade areas)
Build transit to these areas first
Not: Build transit to wealthy suburbs first (current pattern)

Phase 2 (2030-2035): Connect Black Institutions

HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges/Universities)
Major Black churches
Black hospitals
Black business districts
(These are often transit deserts because of historical racism)

Phase 3 (2035-2040): Complete network

E. Community Control - Not Displacement

For Every Infrastructure Project in Historically Black/Brown Neighborhoods:

Community Review Board:

15 residents (selected by lottery + neighborhood vote)
Review power (can veto or modify project)
Paid $50/hour for meetings (compensation for labor)

No Displacement Clause:

If infrastructure increases property values → anti-gentrification protections
Rent control (existing tenants can't be priced out)
Property tax freeze (existing homeowners' taxes don't increase)
Community land trusts (acquire buildings, keep affordable forever)
Right to return (if anyone was displaced by old infrastructure, they can return)

Example: Light Rail Line through Historically Black Neighborhood

Community review board approves design
Station includes affordable housing (built by co-op)
Existing residents get first dibs on units
Rent capped at 25% of income (same as social housing)
Local business preference (grants to Black-owned businesses near stations)

F. Hiring from Impacted Communities

Infrastructure jobs go to residents of neighborhoods being served:

Hiring Mandate:

50% of workers on infrastructure projects must be from impacted communities
Apprenticeship programs (paid training, no experience required)
Formerly incarcerated people prioritized (undo mass incarceration harms)
Childcare provided (so parents can work)

Example: Water Pipe Replacement in Flint

40,000 workers needed (over 3 years)
20,000 must be Flint residents
Training program: 6 months, $50k salary during training
After training: $70k+ salary as union pipefitter
Result: Flint residents rebuild their own infrastructure + good jobs

3. Equity & Justice Budget

One-Time Investments:

Highway removal & restoration: $285 billion
Rural sewage systems: $20 billion
Green infrastructure (polluted communities): $100 billion
Community control structures: $5 billion

Total: $410 billion

Ongoing:

Community review boards: $500 million/year
Anti-displacement programs: $10 billion/year

Employment:

Construction: 150,000 workers (from impacted communities)
Community oversight: 50,000 (paid residents serving on boards)