Local leaders urge students to support communities harmed by I-81 at Connect 315 panel

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In an effort to urge Syracuse University students to support communities harmed by the Interstate 81 project, Connect 315, a student-run club, hosted local leaders to share their perspectives on the viaduct project Wednesday evening.

Around 50 people gathered in SU’s Lyman Auditorium for the club’s panel. The six panelists, including I-81 Project Director Joe Driscoll, spoke about the importance of student involvement in efforts to mitigate the harms caused by I-81. Panelists attributed the low quality of life for Black families in the 15th Ward to developments SU has made alongside the construction of I-81.

“That old neighborhood that we’re talking about that was erased by Interstate 81, Syracuse (University) was a part of that. West Campus, BBB, that used to be Black people’s homes,” said panelist Deka Dancil, the president of the Urban Jobs Task Force.

The development of the I-81 viaduct project and community grid runs through the 15th Ward, a historically Black neighborhood. I-81 has harmed Syracuse’s Black population “for generations” and “still physically separates (the city’s) poorest and wealthiest communities,” according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

After years of legal dispute, the city of Syracuse will proceed with the demolition of the I-81 viaduct and the construction of the community grid — a greener alternative featuring improved public transportation, sidewalk space and bike lanes.

Tara Harris, the lead neighborhood navigator for the nonprofit organization Blueprint 15, is a resident of the 15th Ward and has experienced the harms of the I-81 viaduct, she said. The Renew 81 For All lawsuit — which initially halted progress on the project — claimed that the New York State Department of Transportation did not consider that new traffic patterns brought by the project would degrade air quality.

Mayor Ben Walsh has acknowledged that the city is concerned about I-81’s construction worsening air quality for those who live by the viaduct but believes that the long-term impact of the grid will result in a “net positive impact.”

“I live on a street that has a steam plant, a railroad track. I live right by the highway, the hospital. I just got sick all of a sudden,” Harris said.

Dancil said she defined the conditions that residents of the 15th Ward face as “environmental racism” and encouraged students to “push back on Syracuse University.”

“(Tara) got sick from all the toxins in the air … so that y’all could have a hot shower in university housing,” Dancil said.

The city must earn the trust of the residents of the 15th Ward, Driscoll said, as it works to improve citizens’ quality of life.

“I’d say the scale (of responses) ranges from not believing anything that we’re saying, to, kind of like ‘Yeah, we’ll see,’” Driscoll said.

Kiara Van Brackle, a Ph.D. student at SU and clinical neuroscientist for Upstate University Hospital, said she often treats health conditions caused by lead poisoning that Syracuse’s young Black children disproportionately face.

“The young babies, the kids that you might see if you venture off this hill, in the malls and the playgrounds and the streets downtown … I treat them. I have treated them for lead poisoning,” she said.

Van Brackle said she could have attended another “private white institution,” but decided to stay at SU to pursue further education because of the “environmental injustices” in the city.

Student attendees asked panelists how to be involved in racial equity work related to the I-81 viaduct project. Sarah Walton, the director of East Adams Neighborhood Redevelopment, said the most effective way for students to aid their cause was to join and help out with campaigns already in motion, such as Blueprint15.

Walton encouraged students to demand a local community focus in their coursework. Students don’t have many opportunities to engage with the Syracuse community, she said.

“I would encourage students to use the immense power that you have to hold (SU) accountable to not further harm the residents of this neighborhood,” Dancil said. “You are the most powerful constituency on this entire campus.”

Stephanie Moon, an SU sophomore who attended the panel, said the event showed her the importance of utilizing her power as a student in the Syracuse community.

“I feel a lot about being aware of our responsibility to give back to the city,” Moon said. “You know, we’re sucking up a lot of the resources in this town and not giving back at all.”

Connect 315 became a registered student organization with the university this semester. As the club continues to develop, it will continue to focus on civic discourse, sophomore founding member Anna Mirer said. She said while the organization plans to continue focusing on I-81, it may expand to addressing other Syracuse community issues.

“We want to encourage students to learn in community and really push past just what their curriculum offers,” Mirer said. “We want to make sure that students are not only pushing for something, but having an informed stance, becoming informed volunteers.”

Van Brackle is one student pushing for change, and cited the student body’s responsibility to the rest of the city as Syracuse residents.

“We have the power. Put it in motion … we’ve got stuff to do,” Van Brackle said. “I don’t want to continue to examine children or teach people how to look for lead paint.”