'Cancer Alley' residents sue parish over cramming industrial plants into Black communities

Residents in one of Louisiana’s most heavily-industrialized parishes sued their local government in federal court on Tuesday, accusing officials of cramming petrochemical plants into Black communities.

In the scathing lawsuit, two local groups and one church alleged that the St. James Parish Council and Planning Commission have used the parish’s land use plan and zoning to encourage the plants to build in predominantly Black areas in the parish. At the same time, they argued the land use plan has prevented those plants from being built in St. James’ white communities.

“Lacking the imagination to develop safer, smaller and more durable forms of economic development, the Parish continues thus to trade in the health and safety of Black residents in exchange for the financial largess and tax benefits industrialization purportedly provides for the rest of the Parish,” stated the lawsuit.

Neither the St. James Parish Council nor the planning commission responded to a request for comment.