Comment of the Day: Home Is Where the Chemical Waste Is

COMMENT OF THE DAY: HOME IS WHERE THE CHEMICAL WASTE IS Southbend, Houston“I lived there from 1984-1990, from 2nd to 7th grade. I remember there being a ton of empty houses by the end. They never finished the neighborhood either, given that the problems occurred and people knew about it by the end. You’d have entire streets with 4 or 5 houses on it. My friends and I would play baseball, or football in those empty lots. We’d hit baseballs through windows of abandoned homes, and it’d be a dare to ‘go into that ghost house’ to get the ball back. I remember going back in 1993 or so, and the entire place was empty, boarded up. It was sad. My dad and I hopped the fence and walked back to where our house was. We were there for about 5 minutes when the police came and wanted to know what the hell we were doing. Apparently, it’d become a place for squatters. By 1995 the entire neighborhood was bulldozed to the ground. Now just an empty field. Yes, my dad lost a ton on that house. But we were part of that settlement that is mentioned. Paid for a small portion of my college, will pay for a tiny portion of my kids’ college. We were lucky in that I didn’t have any defects (that I know of), and my sister seems alright as well, though she had severe migraines at the time. It was a weird situation, especially for a 7-12 year old. But, I didn’t know it was ‘odd’ at the time. I just thought that it was cool, that I could break a window, or climb into a back yard to get a ball back, at a house that sat empty for 4 years. I thought it was ‘normal.’” [Matt, commenting on My Toxic Houston Childhood] Illustration: Lulu

2 Comment

  • I too grew up in that neighborhood. And I am haunted by the home it visits me in my lowest parts of my life in dreams. I went to school in that neighborhood Weber, I didn’t know about any lawsuit until the end of 1991. We had moved due to my parents divorce and moved out of state. I was given pennies on the dollar to shut up. Less than 10 gran not even enough to buy a car. I have had so many health problems but not sure if they are or are not related. Would love to talk to someone who can share with me. My address I still remember was 11607 S. Brush Ln.

  • I lived on South Mill… spent day after day outsidr and never knew of any toxic leak until we were forced out of our home in 92. Sad, i went there earlier today and nothing is left of my Childhood memories. Yet, there are new neighborhoods at the adjacent area of South Bend. Who in their right kind would live that close upon choice??