Fight Environmental Racism in Buffalo

Act Now

New York State has a long history of constructing highways that divide and damage Black communities, from I-81 in Syracuse to the Inner Loop in Rochester. The Kensington Expressway in Buffalo is no exception. In the 1960s, the construction of the highway tore through a Black neighborhood and, decades later, the neighborhoods impacted by the project still face heightened segregation, economic disparity, and air pollution.

As the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) considers the redevelopment of the highway, it must take action to protect Black Buffalo residents from further harm and displacement.

TELL THE DOT: Protect Black Buffalo residents from further harm.

Message Recipients:
NYS Department of Transportation

Buffalo Expressway
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New York State has a long history of constructing highways that divide and damage Black communities, from I-81 in Syracuse to the Inner Loop in Rochester. The Kensington Expressway in Buffalo is no exception. In the 1960s, the construction of the highway tore through a central Buffalo neighborhood, where 94% of the residents were Black. The expressway drove a barrier through parks and neighborhoods and demolished homes and businesses, forcing thousands of Black community members out of their homes and neighborhoods. The lasting impacts are felt decades later. Property values in the neighborhood plummeted and remain among of the lowest in the city, and Black residents have some of the highest rates of asthma and respiratory disease.

Now, as the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) considers the redevelopment of the highway, it must take action to protect Black Buffalo residents. Considering the litany of harms endured by this Black neighborhood, any project redevelopment must ensure not only that residents are not further harmed, but that residents also reap the benefits of the project.

In the environmental assessment for this project, the NYSDOT recognized that the work would cause a decrease in air quality in the areas where majority Black residents live, work, and attend school. In a community that already suffers increased rates of asthma, cardiovascular disease, and premature death, the need to curtail environmental racism is all the more evident.

In compliance with the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), we urge the NYSDOT to:
1. Conduct an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to fully assess the impacts of this proposed project
2. Create a meaningful public participation process that targets and elevates the concerns of the majority Black residents that live adjacent to the project and who will again shoulder the impacts for generations to come, and
3. Prioritize the reduction of environmental harms in this community.

Buffalo residents are counting on you not to repeat history, and to stop further harm and displacement to the communities near the expressway.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]

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