Thread by @NBCNews

Residents of Chicago's Southeast Side, a mostly Latino neighborhood, are pushing back against a proposed scrap metal plant that could further pollute the banks of the Calumet River. nbcnews.to/2MhTJ4Z (1/8) #NBCNewsThreads

The proposal has reignited criticism that access to a cleaner environment for vulnerable communities of color is being sacrificed in favor of industry. (2/8)

“They’re thinking, ‘this place is already contaminated, so what’s a little more?’” said Peggy Salazar, a resident for nearly 70 years.

“We’re not going to accept it anymore like we did for so long. We are going to fight for the transformation of our community.” (3/8)

The stakes for the proposal are especially high, community activists say, after the Chicago area last summer experienced its longest streak of high-pollution days in more than a decade. nbcnews.to/2MhTJ4Z (4/8)

And the mostly Latino residents on the Southeast Side suffer from a disproportionate share of health problems compared to other areas of the city. (5/8)

The proposed site is a half-mile away from an elementary school, high school and several little league baseball fields.

“If it wasn’t good enough for Lincoln Park, why wasn’t it not good enough for us?” one educator asked. (6/8)

As residents continue to protest and fight a legal battle with the city over the proposal, the federal government on Monday said it was opening an environmental justice investigation into the state’s approval of a permit for the project. (7/8)

“I don’t consider myself an environmentalist,” said Richard Martinez. “But as a pastor and a father, whatever we allow in our community has to be a blessing to the land and to our health and to future generations.” nbcnews.to/2MhTJ4Z (8/8)