Why are people dying during heat wave in world's richest
country
By the WW Baltimore bureau
Why have 25 people in this state died from heat-related
causes--in the richest country in the world? This is what
community activists here with the All Peoples Congress are
asking. And the organization is already scheduling protests to
demand answers as well as solutions.
The majority of the deaths have been elderly people in
Baltimore City.
Edward Eades found his companion, Gloria Turner, 67,
trembling in her 104-degree row house in East Baltimore. He
called an ambulance but she was already too close to death to
be saved. He misses her and still cannot believe what
happened.
Haden Skinner, an 86-year-old former railroad worker, lived
in the downstairs apartment of a flat-roof row house. He was
found dead in his recliner as the indoor temperature soared to
95 degrees. His neighbors recall him as a strong and robust
man.
Sharon Ceci, a volunteer community organizer with the APC,
told Workers World, "This is outrageous. I am a home-care
nurse. Many of my patients live in public housing managed by
the City Housing Authority. This is where the most vulnerable
live--the elderly, sick and poor. Not one unit is
air-conditioned. These concrete units are like brick
ovens."
Ceci continued, "Just recently Baltimore Gas & Electric
Company was cited for overcharging the city of Baltimore
$200,000 on its utility bill. BGE had charged for unoccupied
city buildings where gas and electric had already been turned
off. This alone could pay for 2,000 air-conditioning units.
Shouldn't BGE be forced to pay something back to the
community?" she demanded.
"The City Housing Authority, Health Department and the mayor
must develop a comprehensive program to protect all of the
people," she concluded. "This means free air-conditioning to
everyone in need--especially our seniors and those with health
problems. The banks and big businesses have the money. They
must be made to pay. Everyone has the right to live in comfort
with dignity."
Renee Washington, a state employee and member of the public
employees' union AFSCME, is helping to spearhead this campaign.
She vowed, "We will organize block by block for justice. This
is the richest country in the world. But workers and the poor
are forced to live in the worst possible conditions. We are
planning to protest on July 30, 5 p.m. at City Hall, 100
Holiday St.
"We will also be attending the City Council meeting on Aug.
12 at 5 p.m. to call for special hearings on this issue as we
develop a comprehensive program to meet people's needs."
For more information contact the All Peoples Congress at 426
E. 31st Street at (410) 235-7040. The group meets every
Thursday at 7 p.m.
Reprinted from the Aug. 1, 2002, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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