In the Camden environmental racism text, low-income, lower class groups that are mostly African American or Latino were exposed to the waste facilities and heavy industry chemicals from two federal superfund sites. Due to the fact that the facility is situated on state land, the SLC would not have to pay property taxes and would not offer any benefits to Camden and its residents. As a former industrial center, the manufacturing businesses that once provided well-paying jobs went out of business leaving behind polluted land and abandoned factories. All the white populations moved to neighboring suburban communities leaving only a population of color. “Camden is the poorest city in New Jersey and one of the poorest in the nation, and it shows
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The citywide poverty rate is the highest in the state. Virtually every block in the city contains vacant and abandoned houses.” (Pomar, 128). This community was clearly devastated and deprived of essential means to live life and was then burdened further with environmental hazards such as soil, water and air contamination. According to relative deprivation theory, social movements are built upon people who are deficient of some good, service or comfort and are therefore more likely to organize a social movement to improve or rather defend their conditions. This theory can especially be applied to the Camden case because the community believed that the goal of achieving success against this big company was realistic due to the fact that their cause was valuable in society. Camden is surrounded by white neighborhoods that have the resources that they should have and are therefore more adamant on getting what they deserve in comparison. Because they are constantly reminded of their helplessness in …show more content…
Resource mobilization theory stresses the importance of resources in a social movement’s development and success. These resources usually include information, money, media, labor, legitimacy and support from intellectual or other elites. Social movements are only able to develop and in turn succeed when groups with grievances are able to gather enough of these resources in order to take action. In this Camden case, a small disadvantaged group was trying to battle the structure of New Jersey’s zoning laws and the victory seemed pretty much impossible. It was important for a change to take place in the structure because the success or failure of the fight was determined by the support or lack thereof from institutions such as the government, the media, NGO’s and other elites in society. In order to make their voices heard, they got the SCCIA to invest in a public interest lawyer. In the beginning they were being funded by a NGO. These two institutions played a huge role in letting the SCCIA to win their case. We must not also forget that their case was also very prominent in the media. I think that this shows that it is much easier to mobilize for a cause if you are privileged or connected to institutions that are privileged or
The citywide poverty rate is the highest in the state. Virtually every block in the city contains vacant and abandoned houses.” (Pomar, 128). This community was clearly devastated and deprived of essential means to live life and was then burdened further with environmental hazards such as soil, water and air contamination. According to relative deprivation theory, social movements are built upon people who are deficient of some good, service or comfort and are therefore more likely to organize a social movement to improve or rather defend their conditions. This theory can especially be applied to the Camden case because the community believed that the goal of achieving success against this big company was realistic due to the fact that their cause was valuable in society. Camden is surrounded by white neighborhoods that have the resources that they should have and are therefore more adamant on getting what they deserve in comparison. Because they are constantly reminded of their helplessness in …show more content…
Resource mobilization theory stresses the importance of resources in a social movement’s development and success. These resources usually include information, money, media, labor, legitimacy and support from intellectual or other elites. Social movements are only able to develop and in turn succeed when groups with grievances are able to gather enough of these resources in order to take action. In this Camden case, a small disadvantaged group was trying to battle the structure of New Jersey’s zoning laws and the victory seemed pretty much impossible. It was important for a change to take place in the structure because the success or failure of the fight was determined by the support or lack thereof from institutions such as the government, the media, NGO’s and other elites in society. In order to make their voices heard, they got the SCCIA to invest in a public interest lawyer. In the beginning they were being funded by a NGO. These two institutions played a huge role in letting the SCCIA to win their case. We must not also forget that their case was also very prominent in the media. I think that this shows that it is much easier to mobilize for a cause if you are privileged or connected to institutions that are privileged or