Intersectional Environmentalism on the Homeless River
River cleanup tools and debris on the dry Tule River bed. (Photo by Art Rodriguez)
One of the many loads taken away during the event to clean up a portion of the Tule River
Three organizations teamed up to clean up an area of the Tule River on Saturday as part of an Earth Day event.
Much of the stretch of the Tule River that was cleaned up included where many live on the river. Three local community organizations, Central Valley Empowerment Alliance, WildPlaces and BRAVE teamed up to hold Saturday's event.
“We must not allow ourselves to be willfully blind to the realities happening today on the Tule River,” said Arturo Rodriguez, comunications/organizing director for Central Valley Empowerment Alliance. More importantly, our own conscience must be motivation enough to address the needs of the humans who call the river home.”
“Remember this, you can’t address quality of life issues such as mental health and substance abuse if you haven’t taken care of the essentials such as and in this order: Air to breath, water to drink, food to eat, and shelter for safety and security. These are basics in human psychology, if you convince yourself otherwise then I will continue to pray.”
“I am grateful and humbled to participate in community service events that bring residents together to care for our planet,” he said. “The connection that one can draw when we take care of the lands around us can leave a deep imprint. Acts of service are priceless and I hope that we continue to do our part to make Earth a better place.”
Mehmet McMillan, who initiated WildPlaces which is a group of diverse volunteers who work to restore and improve local habitats said,
WildPlaces founder Mehmet McMillan is seen here with his newest addition to his land. www.wildplaces.net for more information
"Keeping the river in good shape whether in the mountains or in the cities is everyone's responsibility. Responsibility is kept by the best of our abilities, whether it is an encampment, or the social services provided by tax dollars. It simply must be done."
Nicole Wynd of BRAVE also talked about helping those who live on the river to help themselves.
BRAVE founder Nicole Wynd is seen here with her infectious attitude while taking on one battle at a time. (Photo by Art Rodriguez)
“My goal is to show humans how to connect and work together,” Wynd said. “For humans to understand exactly how they impact one another, to embrace empathy, help with out expectations or judgments.
Tule River resident Rosendo Hernandez and Nicole Wynd discuss life on the river while cleaning the river. (Photo by Mari Perez-Ruiz)
“Cleaning water ways and educating the inhabitants on how their inability to clean or their lack of access to resources to clean is just one piece of this battle. If we move from one battle to the next, we can win this war, together.”
