The Riverside Park located directly next to the Ambassador bridge that connects the United States and Canada through Detroit, has been a site of continued tension. Following the September 11th attacks the Detroit International Bridge Company who owns the Ambassador bridge tried to restrict access to the park for security reasons. The community took the issue to court and then won. Despite being successful in gaining access to the park it was short lived. In 2012 the Detroit International Bridge Company reported to the city that the soil and groundwater in the park was contaminated with hydrocarbons, nickel, chrome and lead and the park was closed for cleanup. However, residents continue to push for swift action for clean up and a complete reopening of the park. Detroiters continue to use portions of the park for recreation and fishing despite the contamination. |
Description:
Basic Data
| Name of conflict: | Riverside Park, Detroit MI, USA |
| Country: | United States of America |
| State or province: | Michigan |
| Location of conflict: | Detroit |
| Accuracy of location | HIGH (Local level) |
Source of Conflict
| Type of conflict. 1st level: | Biomass and Land Conflicts (Forests, Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock Management) |
| Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Water access rights and entitlements |
| Specific commodities: | Land Manufactured Products |
Project Details and Actors
| Project details | Park had been unavailable to Detroiters for 10 years |
| Project area: | 8.09 |
| Type of population | Urban |
| Affected Population: | 43,000 |
| Start of the conflict: | 2001 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | Detroit International Bridge Company from United States of America |
| Relevant government actors: | City of Detroit Michigan Department of Environmental Quality |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | Friends of Riverside Park |
Conflict & Mobilization
| Intensity | MEDIUM (street protests, visible mobilization) |
| Reaction stage | In REACTION to the implementation (during construction or operation) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Local ejos Local government/political parties Neighbours/citizens/communities Social movements |
| Forms of mobilization: | Boycotts of official procedures/non-participation in official processes Lawsuits, court cases, judicial activism Property damage/arson |
Impacts
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Soil contamination |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Land dispossession, Loss of landscape/sense of place, Other socio-economic impacts |
Outcome
| Project Status | Planned (decision to go ahead eg EIA undertaken, etc) |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Environmental improvements, rehabilitation/restoration of area Court decision (victory for environmental justice) |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | Not Sure |
| Briefly explain: | While there was a strong community presence that resulted in a successful litigation for the local community organizations, the Detroit International Bridge Company forced the continued blockade of the area by reporting an area of contamination. This resulted in the area being unavailable to residents until a full clean up can be preformed. The city of Detroit and local EJOs have been searching for grants to continue the clean up of the Riverside Park. |
Sources & Materials
| References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
| ||
| Related media links to videos, campaigns, social network |
| ||
| Other documents |
|
Meta information
| Contributor: | Sara Orvis, University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment, [email protected] |
| Last update | 04/01/2016 |
Comments