Entry 7: Problems in Community

The two main problems in the community are the health effects caused by the proximity to the refinery and the race-based spacial segregation, which are both somewhat connected. The lower-income historically African American community is referred to as Diamond. It is the closest of all the neighborhoods of Norco to the actual refinery. There is a 200 foot wide stretch of land which literally separates Diamond from the slightly more affluent white community. The African American community has taken many more steps to try and force the refinery to provide safer and cleaner living conditions for the members of the city. The fact that the two neighborhoods are so distinct from each other probably prevents them for working together for this cause, which would probably be very beneficial. Though segregated, the infrastructure of the city seems to be very well maintained. Each of the neighborhoods mind their own business and have made very decent ways of life for themselves. We visited Norco during a school fair where everything seemed to be well-organized and completely normal. Norco does not have any obvious problems with surrounding communities, if anything they seem to get along very well. Since the city is part of St. Charles Parish, it is run by a group of Parish officials who govern several near-by towns. Norco sends kids to school in Destrahan with no issues. But the presence of the racial problems within the community show that the city has not progressed as quickly as the rest of the country towards equality. There will continue to be conflicts between the low-income African American community and the refinery with little to no help from the white community as long as this division still exists.