Corpus Christi (Latin) for "The Body of Christ." Ironically, in a city that bears such a holy name, race-zoning restrictions applied, forcing people of color and low-income to live by the most polluted areas.

In 2003, Corpus Christi received the "All American City" Award. In its application for the award, Corpus Christi wrote that the city wished "to preserve and protect our envious position of being an industrial community with clean air." (emphasis added). A local paper (The Corpus Christi Caller-Times) noted that "clean air" played a role in the city's receipt of the award, and published an article entitled, "Clean Air Was Factor in City Title." The city justified their claim of having clean air by the fact that they were "in attainment"—that is, they were not in violation of legal limits for a few select pollutants. But being in attainment does not equate to having clean air. Declaring that we have "clean air" simply because we're in attainment is, at best, misleading.

CITGO GUILTY OF VIOLATING CLEAN AIR ACT

Our "All American City" has hosted, thanks to CITGO, the first federal criminal trial in US history on violations of the Clean Air Act by a refinery. All other refiners have settled out of court, making Citgo the first refiner in US history to be criminally convicted of envrionmental crimes. (indictments)

On June 27, 2007 a federal jury handed down the first guilty verdicts in the history of the U.S. to a refinery, Citgo. Citgo responded by taking out a full-page ad in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times which contained misinformation and half-truths.

Backing Up The Criminal

Immediately after Citgo Refinery and Citgo Corporation were found Guilty of criminal charges, the president of the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, Terry Carter, released a disturbing newsletter publicly backing the criminal (Citgo) and rallying support for them, a slap in the face to the impacted community.

Carter took the misinformation contained in Citgo's Press Release and, adding insult to injury, asked for the community to support Citgo, during these "hard times."
Totally void of any concern for the people that were impacted by Citgo's crimes, Carter's newsletter was a startling wake-up call for anyone in Corpus Christi who is not in the elite good-ol' boy's club. His newsletter callously reflected his views, and evidently the views of many others: so long as you provide jobs and donate money, it's okay to break the law, it's okay to gas a whole community with cancer causing chemicals.

What's equally as shocking as Carter's newsletter is the fact than no one in the business community (or any community for that matter) stood up to disagree with it. Along the same line, The Corpus Christi Caller-Times Editorial staff did not see the need to write an editorial on this unprecedented trial or on Cater's newsletter. Instead the Caller-Times profited by placing Citgo's full-page ad full of misinformation and half-truths.

In the spring of 2007, while the prosecution was hard at work preparing for the start of this unprecedented trial, a trial that involved tons of benzene and other toxic chemicals being dumped on low-income people of color, Bishop Carmody was photographed, all smiles, with the CEO of Citgo, as the Bishop accepted a donation for $2,000,000 for a school on the south-side.

Education is of course a good thing; however, the message this sends, like the letter from Carter (above), is that: so long as you give us money, it's okay to pollute the air and gas a poor community with toxic chemicals. Even the Bishop was not above this public relations ploy by Citgo. Shame on you Bishop Carmody.

How's that for a city that bears such a holy name.

Visit CFEJ's USA vs Citgo blog for a comprehensive look at witness testimony and commentary on both trials as well as updates. In addition, visit Dr. Melissa Jarrell's blog which examines environmental crime and the media including several entries closely examining media coverage around the Citgo trial.