What Else Happened? Intentional, Deadly Negligence in Orlando

Regina and Kat discuss the pollution crisis in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Orlando, Florida; a fight over installing elevators in New York subways; and how a Portland-based clothing company is taking abortion funding into its own hands. Also, Regina chats with Rewire editor Ali Stine about how snow days can cause major problems for Appalachian parents.

This week on What Else Happened, Rewire managing editors Regina Mahone and Kat Jercich discuss the pollution crisis in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Orlando, a fight over installing elevators in New York subways, and how a Portland-based clothing company is taking abortion funding into its own hands. Also, Regina chats with Rewire editor Ali Stine about how snow days can cause major problems for Appalachian parents.

An edited excerpt:

Kat: As a city, Orlando is planning to do its own air quality studies to compare with an air quality index done by the county last year. That quality index, by the way, said the ozone and particulate matter levels were “good” and “moderate.” But local scientists say that’s not actually a good indicator of the air these folks are breathing every day. And some activists, like Lawanna Gelzer, have organized rallies and taken the issue before Orlando City Council in an effort to see some change.

Regina: But as we’ve seen around the country, fighting environmental racism like this takes so much time and resources, especially considering how the Trump administration has proposed slashing the EPA’s budget and doing away with federal regulations that are supposed to keep folks safe from pollution.

Kat: Right. And I think it’s important, too, to note that this IS a national epidemic. The HuffPost piece reported this week that Black people are about three times more likely to die of air pollutants than white people. This is intentional, and deadly, negligence.

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Transcript (PDF)