Rigged from the Start

By Anonymous / Spring 2022

To the Youthful Me,

Growing up, Coachella, Thermal, Mecca, and the rest of the southern towns in the Coachella Valley were always the poor, dirty, and gang-filled places, right? You knew this as a fact, and were always told to not stay out too late, avoid shady-looking individuals, and stay away from drugs. Throughout all your K-12, you notice the crumbling buildings, old school supplies, and the lack of bus transportation. Remember in fourth grade how your school lacked the funding for bus transportation, and you had to be walked to school by the recess ladies?  Remember the security security guards that would constantly monitor the entrances of your middle school because of the crime-filled area that surrounded it? Do you remember how you looked in awe at how clean and professional the northern school’s locker rooms were during your football games in high school? Their pristine uniforms in contrast to your tattered and stained ones were surprising, but an expected surprise because that's just how it was. Their matching Ridell helmets, and their huge stadium lights always seem to shine  as a beacon of superiority, and this is what was expected of you. Remember the beautiful streets of La Quinta and Palm Springs compared to the dilapidated and trash filled ones or your own community? Remember that feeling of not belonging when visiting the northern towns? I'm sure you're aware of all these past emotions and thoughts, but did you ever question why it was this way?

From my understanding, you did not. You knew that your school was to blame for being poor. The trash and crime in your neighborhoods and surrounding areas was a result of the bad people who lived there. The dry grass in your practice field was the fault of the poor management of its caretakers. This was your truth and there was no one to tell you otherwise. Heck, even those around you who helped form your environment and world shared the same truth. We were all just a bunch of poor Hispanics living in the same communities. This shallow understanding of the world around you began to take form at a very early age. There is a reason why all the golf courses, country clubs and mansions are located in the northern towns, and it is not directly related to the amount of effort and work those around you output into simply surviving. There is a system that was designed to keep you at your lowest because of the worth that was stamped onto your community long ago. Living in the same place your entire life created a bubble of complacency. What you saw was just the tip of the iceberg, and you were willing to accept the problem, but did not desire the reasoning behind it.

Remember the history you learned about the Coachella Valley and its early development? Back before your High School was anywhere near the age of 100 years old, it was the jewel of the desert. The farming community and towns which formed around the rich agricultural business in the fertile lands of the valley resulted in an influx of affluent individuals. My father told me about his early days in the Valley and how the northern cities were nothing but dust bowls and before this influx. It was the southern towns who saw proper development, until those in power decided otherwise. This is called redlining and it occurs when poor or minority communities are zoned as a low financial-gain areas, and are subsequently underdeveloped and left to rot over time. Notice how there are almost no White people living in the southern towns. Is it a coincidence that the towns in which they do inhabit are the more affluent, safe, and touristy locations in the valley? Well this is no coincidence and is a direct result of the systematic redlining that occurred in your town and the surrounding areas. Those in power realize that your community was filled with poor and minority groups, and, therefore, were left out of any investment into these regions. This issue is not isolated to the Coachella Valley. Countless towns have been impacted by the redlining. Redlining does not just impact one's financial needs. Because these regions are redlined, industrious and polluting infrastructure tends to be allocated to these zones. The factory off highway 86 and the black smoke that billows from its smoke stack was allowed by those in power. These types of buildings lead to increased pollutants and toxins in the air. Do you remember the foul smell that would appear seasonally? This odor resulted from years of pollution into the Salton Sea. Almost annually, there were talks about programs designed to clean up the Salton Sea, but none were ever taken seriously, because this region was redlined years ago and deemed a low importance for investors. Agriculture requires pesticides and the runoff fed into the Salton Sea. These same pesticides are sprayed yards away from our high school as most if not all southern towns are farming towns. I still remember how everyone was forced to stay inside during one high school day due to the reports of a foul odor hospitalizing students. These incidents are allowed to occur in our local communities because of the unjust decades of redlining that has impacted loved ones and neighbors alike.

The growers would not be allowed to spray if the community was deemed a high financial-gain opportunity. Getting to the roots of crime would be of a higher importance if the community was considered “worth the investment”. Our education system would be better funded if the children were expected to grow into future lawyers, doctors, and engineers. Instead, the system we entrusted was rigged from the start. Understanding these truths can be liberating and consuming, but know that you are not alone, and don't be so complacent about the situations you find yourself in. Next time you lay the blame on yourself for the hardships you’ve faced, understand that there is a far deeper reason behind the suffering you and millions of other minorities and have faced.