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Red State, Red Tape: How to Fight for a Highway Teardown in Louisiana

Summary

Amy Stelly, a third-generation resident of New Orleans’ Treme neighborhood, is leading the fight to dismantle the Claiborne Expressway, a highway that devastated a thriving Black business district in the 1960s. Despite facing political resistance, she advocates for environmental justice, challenging the Louisiana Department of Transportation’s plans to repurpose the highway with a festival marketplace instead of tearing it down. Supported by data from LSU’s environmental studies, Stelly argues that the highway exacerbates air and noise pollution, worsening health conditions for local residents. Her fight underscores the broader struggle against infrastructure projects that harm marginalized communities.

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