Letters to the Editor: Port pollution sickens my whole neighborhood. That’s violence

To the editor: The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are not doing enough to address their contamination. (“Port pollution is choking Southern California,” editorial, Aug. 16)

I am an immigrant who has lived for the last 24 years in a neighborhood plagued by port pollution. My body is a product of the inadequacy of the actions taken by the ports to mitigate the violence that their pollution has inflicted on the Black, brown and immigrant communities living nearby.

I have asthma. My brother has asthma. At the beginning of the pandemic, my mother was diagnosed with asthma. Yes, this may have multiple causes, but the ports are the largest sources of pollution in our region.

The ports’ investment in natural gas shows they are not truly trying to address the harmful pollution they are causing. They need to move to zero-emissions operations, and they need to take strong action now. Agencies also need to better regulate and hold the ports accountable.

Jan Victor Andasan, Carson

The writer is a community organizer for the group East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice.

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