Who Is Talking to the Residents Of Humboldt Pkwy.?

By Betty Jean Grant We Are Women Warriors

Betty Jean Grant

According to many families, Covington Associates Consulting and We Are Women Warriors visited on Humboldt Parkway over the past few months, a significant number of them have lost relatives to cancer, heart and kidney diseases, COPD, Asthma, Lupus and other respiratory condi- Betty Jean Grant tions that can be related to environmental issues.

Most of them attributed their families’ conditions and diseases to living next to the Route 33 Expressway that was erected on Humboldt Parkway in the mid 1960s. Whether that is true or not cannot be ascertained because the NYS DOT refuses to conduct an Environmental Impact Statement. The medical conditions of many who lived or used to live, before they moved or died, are so prevalent that a current homeowner has compiled a prominent list of names or addresses of families who have significant medical conditions now, or in the past.

Covington Associates Consulting, a local, M/WBE company, is currently putting together a documentary called, ‘In Our Own Words’. In the documentary, current and former residents of Humboldt Parkway talk about their life experiences living, for sometimes, several generations near an intrusive, transportation infrastructure that did more than divide a closeknit neighborhood; it possibly sickened them as well.

The NYSDOT stated that an Environmental Impact Statement is not needed because they conducted an Environmental Assessment. I am not sure what the Department Of Transportation was evaluating during their Assessment, but it was not the health or medical conditions of those residents who still live on Humboldt Parkway. The family members are saying that no one from a city, county, state or federal agency has contacted them for any kind of medical history, documentation or information.

Regardless of the outcome of which project is chosen to address the health and well-being of the residents of Humboldt Parkway, a Tunnel under the Expressway or the Removal of the 33 and Restoration of Humboldt Parkway: meaningful, indepth, and inclusive dialogue must be initiated now.

If you or a family member reside or have lived on Humboldt Parkway between 1965 and this current year and wish to be included in the documentary, ‘In Our Own Words’, please contact We Are Women Warriors or Betty Jean Grant, 716-602-5877.