The powers-that-be in New Mexico should take note: The people of Mesquite are becoming a force that can’t be ignored.
Were there any doubt, their growing level of activity and organization was apparent on Thursday evening, when more than 65 people showed up to a community meeting to discuss the possibility of suing Helena Chemical Company in an apparent attempt to chase it out of town.
That’s 65 people in a community that, as of the 2000 census, had a population of 948 – 95 percent of them Hispanic and speaking primarily Spanish in their homes, and 43 percent of them living below the poverty level.
Mesquite is a community that has historically allowed itself to be ignored by government. That began to change a few years ago when a handful of educated individuals in the area decided to stand up to perceived problems with Helena.
Fair or not (there’s a strong possibility that a lawsuit will eventually determine that), many residents believe the company’s pollution has led to all sorts of health problems, including high instances of cancer, asthma and babies being born with extra fingers and toes. The movement to do something about it began several years ago when a teacher at Mesquite Elementary heard from students that their eyes burned when they passed, on the school bus, by the Helena plant.
He talked to another man. They got a third on board. Over time, they formed the Mesquite Community Action Committee. They also uncovered the fact that Helena was operating without an air-quality permit, leading to a $238,000 fine from the state in 2004.
Community leaders wanted more action. Local legislators told residents of Mesquite they had to show up at the polls if they wanted to be heard.
So real organization began, and it spread beyond Mesquite. The community’s leaders partnered with people in other rural communities south of Las Cruces, and voter turnout in those areas was up in 2006. At the same time, community organizers cried foul when Helena failed to report a chemical fertilizer spill in a resident’s front yard in the time required, and the state fined the company another $36,000.
Then, in April, leaders in Mesquite and surrounding areas led the opposition to the proposed gross-receipts tax increase to help fund Spaceport America. Doña Ana County voters approved the tax, but only narrowly despite a massive and well-funded campaign for its OK.
That really got people’s attention. The south county nearly took down the plan to construct the world’s first purpose-built spaceport in Southern New Mexico.
South valley community leaders were further motivated by the strong opposition to the spaceport tax. They recently helped push two public officials – Doña Ana County Commissioner Oscar Vásquez Butler and Mesilla Mayor Pro Tem Jesus Caro – to run in Democratic primaries against veteran legislators next year.
State officials are listening
Now the state and its elected officials are listening. In November, the Environment Department cited Helena for 15 air-quality violations at the Mesquite facility. The company could be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Helena Chemical has a history of noncompliance with the department and a bad record with many residents in Doña Ana County,” Environment Department Deputy Secretary Cindy Padilla said in a news release at the time. “Helena potentially put residents at risk by failing to monitor pollutants from the plant. We consider this to be a serious disregard for residents and the environment.”
Mesquite residents met on Thursday with high-powered Houston attorneys who have sued Helena in the past to determine whether a lawsuit is an appropriate step. One of the attorneys told them at Thursday’s meeting that Helena’s actions in Mesquite appeared to be “pretty egregious.”
Helena officials were at the meeting but didn’t respond. I’m not going to speak to the truthfulness of the claims of residents – that’s for a court to decide – but I will say that I felt like I was watching Erin Brockivich as I sat in the Mesquite parish hall and listened to an endless stream of serious health complaints.
This is an encouraging example of a community becoming empowered. Though it started with concerns about a chemical plant, residents of Mesquite and other south-valley communities are learning what can happen when they stand up and make themselves heard. Expect their voices to grow louder in the future.