Building Healthy Communities held a large community action on Tuesday, May 13 calling for a prioritization of South Fresno transportation needs over new roads. Councilmen Xiong, Quintero and Baines committed to
1) Ensuring that our plan for the future includes plans for ensuring that all of the neighborhoods most in need (as defined by CalEnviroScreen) get sidewalks, streetlights, and bus shelters at the same levels that new developments are required to.
2) Ensuring that money is there to make that happen.
This is going to take a lot of money and will require a huge shift from business as usual. This means that anytime money is being spent to make commutes faster or more convenient in North Fresno, we have an opportunity to champion the basic infrastructure needs of the neighborhoods we care about.
The three council reps have committed to ensuring that our general plan will plan for the HEALTH and SAFETY of OUR neighborhoods with the MONEY behind it to ensure One Healthy Fresno for everyone.
Equity and justice means we need to prioritize the needs of the neighborhoods that have been neglected and left behind, not continuing the status quo of dividing money up equally. We want equity so that we can someday reach equality of neighborhoods and health outcomes between the north and South.
FIRM is so proud to be a part of the team that worked together with residents to organize May 13th. Thank you to everyone who helped along the way and everyone who attended. Thanks for your resilience, trust, support and hard work. We are blessed to have this network! We are Building Healthy Communities, one long hard push after another.
Si se puede. Peb Ua Tau. Men! Puark hao het dai!
Christine Barker
Building Healthy Communities FLARE Together Coordinator