Murder, Pollution as Policy, and Two Women Who Won’t Give Up

7 snips

May 23, 2025

Guest

Abby Reyes

In this insightful conversation, Alexis Madrigal, Co-Host of KQED’s Forum and author, delves into the impact of global trade on pollution in West Oakland. He reveals how urban planning choices since the 1930s have oppressed marginalized communities. Margaret Gordon emphasizes grassroots activism against fossil fuel pollution, showcasing community resilience. Abby Reyes shares heart-wrenching stories from environmental defenders and their struggles with loss, blending themes of grief and joy. Together, they highlight the fight for environmental justice and collective action.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Pollution as Policy in Oakland

Oakland's redevelopment aimed to push marginalized communities out by ininflicting environmental harm purposefully.
Pollution was deliberately used as a policy tool to deteriorate housing and public health in West Oakland.

ANECDOTE

Margaret Gordon's Air Quality Fight

Margaret Gordon witnessed diesel trucks polluting West Oakland, causing asthma and other health problems in her community.
She helped organize air quality monitoring at the street level to expose these cumulative health impacts.

ADVICE

Use Local Data and Coalitions

Collect street-level air pollution data to reflect the real health impacts on communities.
Build coalitions of agencies, community groups, and health officials to hold polluters accountable effectively.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

“In the course of saying no with their bodies, they were met with more violence… including moms who were carrying babies on their backs and were pushed to the edge of the river — and had to choose the river.” That’s Abby Reyes, author of “Truth Demands: A Memoir of Murder, Oil Wars and the Rise of Climate Justice.” In today’s episode, she shares deeply emotional stories of the price paid by environmental defenders. And she also shares her own stories of resilience and joy in the aftermath of grief.

In many parts of the world, fossil fuel interests and their political allies have gone so far as to weaponize pollution as policy to push out marginalized communities. Alexis Madrigal, host of KQED’s Forum and author of “The Pacific Circuit,” describes how this happened in West Oakland, beginning as early as the 1930s: “You see them just saying it. We know this is gonna make housing worse. We know this is gonna make people's lives worse, but this is the plan.” And yet here, too, local communities stand up for environmental justice.

Guests:

Alexis Madrigal, Co-Host, Forum, KQED

Margaret Gordon, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project

Abby Reyes, Author; Director, Community Resilience Projects, UC Irvine

On June 4, Climate One is hosting a special screening of the documentary “Good Grief: The 10 Steps” followed by a climate anxiety workshop. Join us for this intimate conversation about the importance of mental health live at The Commonwealth Club. Tickets are available through our website.

Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today.

For show notes and related links, visit our website.

Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices