Alsen, Louisiana

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Alsen, Louisiana
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Alsen, Louisiana
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Alsen, Louisiana
Coordinates: 30°34′17″N91°12′15″W / 30.57139°N 91.20417°W / 30.57139; -91.20417
Country United States
State Louisiana
Parish East Baton Rouge
Elevation
[1]
72 ft (22 m)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
70807
Area code 225
GNIS feature ID542924 [1]
FIPS code 22-01605

Alsen is an unincorporated community in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established for freedmen, the community has been plagued by industrial pollution. The community is located less than 2 miles (3.2 kilometres) west of Baker and 6 miles (9.7 kilometres) southwest of Zachary and 2 miles (3.2 kilometres) east of the Mississippi River.

Contents

History

The community was founded in 1872 by an agency of the United States Department of War known as the Freedmen's Bureau designed to help freedmen in the aftermath of the American Civil War. [2]

Robaldson Field landfill is next to the community. [3] The polluted Devil's Swamp is adjacent to the community. [4] Stacy Kranitz made a documentary photographic series titled Fulcrum of Malice addressing the community and the industrial pollution surrounding it. [5]

Notable people

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McCastle v. Rollins is a case that was filed on behalf of the residents of Alsen, Louisiana against Rollins Environmental Services, Inc., and. Although the decision in this case allowed the plaintiffs within this community to be certified as a class, and allowed them to be viewed as a unit when filing their lawsuit, and thereby reversing the decision that had been made at the trial and appellate level, the case was not reheard in the lower courts. Instead, Rollins Environmental Services, Inc. settled with the plaintiffs outside of court in 1987. Although this case is primarily cited for what a group of people need to do in order to obtain class certification, it is also often cited as one of the pivotal moments in the Environmental justice grass roots movement that has been occurring within communities of color. The people involved in the suit look at the way in which their community was disproportionately impacted by toxic waste polluters in light of their race and class, in comparison to communities that are composed of people who are racially and economically privileged and advocated for more considerate treatment by state regulators and operators of waste disposal plants. Through looking at the development of the McCastle v. Rollins lawsuit, one can see the way in which class, race, legal claims, community activism, public health and environmentalism can be viewed and used in conjunction with one another to protect the rights of people living within a given community.

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References

  1. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Alsen, Louisiana
  2. Romke Hoogwaerts. "DEEP DOWN, CANCER ALLEY". thereservoir.net. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  3. "Alsen landfill seeks renewal of permit amid complaints about odors, inadequate monitoring". February 17, 2018.
  4. "Pollution concerns about this Louisiana swamp were raised decades ago. A new plan could help". September 19, 2022.
  5. "Fulcrum of Malice".