A row of waist-high concrete road barriers topped by chain link fencing is all that separates the Ramona Gardens low-income housing complex from the I-10 freeway on Los Angeles’ Eastside. Residents there know the freeway endangers their health, and they’re taking action, organizing to build a higher wall to better deflect noise and particulates, and a park with rows of trees and shrubs whose leaves and stems can capture more of the harmful particles that blow over from the freeway.
“This park isn’t a luxury,” explained 16-year-old Josie Macias. “The park should be the bare minimum for us.”
