East St. Louis Action Research Project- September 27-28, 2002

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East St. Louis Action Research Project- September
27-28, 2002
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We begin our trip on the open road.
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A peek into the Missouri Side of the River
The Arch surrounds us, dominating the skyline, an
example of St. Louis Economic Prosperity.
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A World of Difference
A comparison of the two sides of the Mississippi
St. Louis Side
East St. Louis Side
A thriving and prosperous riverfront overlooking
a scenic view on the St. Louis side, contrasted
with the bleakness of a levied, undeveloped East
St. Louis side. While both sides have casinos,
the Queen Casino in East St. Louis serves as the
main source of economic stability. The
unattractiveness of the levied side prevents
economic growth.
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STOP Nothing past here
Taken on the old Route 66, which runs over the
site on Tudor Ave. where we were working. The
bridge crosses the Mississippi, but it was
intentionally destroyed to prevent people from
injuring themselves. The intentional separation
is a powerful symbol of physical, economic and
political differences between St. Louis and East
St. Louis.
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DAY 1- Clean-up site, 10th and Tudor
The overgrowth of Poison Ivy was the biggest fear
on the first day. The large amounts of overgrown
trees and garbage were daunting for a group of
12. The abandoned lot, filled with trash and left
over asbestos was a source of anxiety and fear
for the woman living next door.
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DAY 2- The cutting down continues
By mid-day we had cut through the dense brush and
hauled away unwanted remains, increasing the
safety and open space available for everyones
use.
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At last we are finished!
We spent two days hauling brush, picking up
garbage, removing asbestos, rocks and poison ivy.
The end result was that we completed a project
the South End community had asked us to help
with. We ended up with a lot that no longer
represented a dumping ground with unsafe
materials and waste. Instead it is now an
opportunity for the community to transform an
abandoned lot into a space they can use.
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There is much more than garbage in East St. Louis
The Katherine Dunham Museum was representative of
the rich cultural history of East St. Louis that
is often overlooked by outsiders. This is an
amazing example of re-enforcing the existing
culture within the community, while
simultaneously giving back to the community
through a variety of workshops and classes for
children.
While the picture doesnt do him justice, Nate
Harper fascinated all of us with his stories of
living in St. Louis and East St. Louis working
as a truck driver. He worked harder than any of
us to clean up his community and was a wonderful
man.
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We couldnt have done it without her!
As president of SENDO Mrs. Watts exerts
extraordinary amounts of time and effort to help
improve her community. She was nice enough to
give us an interview and allow us to gain a
better understanding of the environment she lives
in, and we were working in. She greatly
contributes to the community and we thank her and
the rest of SENDO for giving us the opportunity
to experience East St. Louis.
the 10am discussion
Adam, Bob, Sam, Beth, Judie, Zakia, Nicki,
Emily, Will, Gareth, and Marchant