"The Invisible People: Even In Disaster": article draft by Roosevelt Fitzgerald

THE INVISIBLE PEOPLE: EVEN IN DISASTER BY ROOSEVELT FITZGERALD
Among the many residents of Henderson, Nevada, I count acquaintances, colleagues and friends. I have been there many, many times. During the early 1970s I participated in a coalition composed of different races of people in working toward the election of the town's first and only Hispanic mayor. Over the years I have delivered many talks at schools, churches and with other organizations. I have visited friends there and I have spent considerable time there researching and interviewing people concerning the beginning of Basic Magnesium Corporation in 1940/41. While I am not certain of the percentages, I do know that a good number of the population there are Hispanic, black, Asian American and Native American. I know this to be true because I've seen them with my own eyes as recently as April of this year.
The di aster which took place at the Pacific Engineering Plant on May 4, 1988, received extensive coverage by both local and national media. We were shown the site of the destruction even as it occurred. We saw the explosions and heard the resounding report it made time and time again. We saw the plume of smoke which some of us were certain was toxic, blow away from the valley and off toward the northeast and we were relieved. We remained relieved even as we discovered that it was heading toward Goodsprings, Moapa, Overton and on into Utah—after all, what do we care of those places and the people who 1ive there.
Shortly thereafter, we learned what had happened. First there was a fire and it spread and it got out of control before an employee of the plant could extinguish it. He ran for his life. An alarm was given and a mass evacuation of the plant took place. Some attempted to drive their cars but left them and ran into the desert. A first explosion, a second and a third--measuring 3.5 on the Richter Seale--each followed by shock wave which leveled some buildings, knocked out windows, blew doors off hinges, cracked some walls and ceilings
-2-
and caved-in others, buffeted people around in their homes and in the schools, overturned cars, snapped telephone poles like toothpicks and, in short, made a real mess of the town and lives.
Part of this I watched in the smoking room in the Student Union while five people--hopefully not students--three males and two females ranging in age from about twenty to about forty--reacted as though they were watching the "Tom and Jerry Cartoon Hour." Their behavior was far more disturbing than the comment made by some unseen person near the All American Auto Wrecking place in Henderson. We were told by a reporter with Channel Eight, following the third explosion, of the comment when he said: "Dead people over there and people are saying they should've brought a six-pak. Makes you wonder." Fortunately, this is not intended to be a conscience piece.
The purpose of this is to illustrate an absence of presence of certain groups in that which was indeed reported. Nothing is sacred. Even in disasters, minority people are overlooked or, worse, they were not at any of those places or with any of those groups. There was one black man in the back of a pickup truck wearing a white uniform and a cap with "PRE" imprinted thereon. There were no blacks or other minorities shown among the firemen on the scene. There were no blacks shown among the fleeing 65 workers of the Kidd Company. There were no minorities shown among those whose homes had been damaged. There were no blacks among the 30,000 school children. There were no blacks among the parents shown who were concerned about those black children who were not shown who lived in those unshown damaged black homes. There were no blacks seen in the shelters. There were no minorities shown or interviewed concerned with possible toxic fumes--they don't bother us. There were no minorities shown among those window repair people who were "cleaning up." There were no minorities shown among the employees with Mercy Ambulance--maybe they don't hire minorities, There were no blacks shown among those being taken to Rose de Lima Hospital--is there a black hospital in Henderson like we use to have back in Mississippi?
-3-
Maybe blacks just do not get hurt in these kinds of disasters. There were no blacks shown patrolling the streets during the curfew—we know why don't we? Born looters.
There was one man who appeared to be Hispanic in a blue security looking uniform being attended to by a woman in a white uniform who also appeared to be Hispanic. There was Charles Blake, thank goodness, a black man, representing the Red Cross and a Hispanic man named Joe Sandoval who is certain that he lost his job with Pacific Engineering because he blew the whistle one time too many to OSHA about safety violations at the plant.
Maybe there are no minority people—not really. Maybe we're merely illusions—figments of our own imaginations. The camera does not lie—it captures whatever it is pointed at. Either minority people do not exist or the camera does not point in our direction or go where we live unless there's a killing. The public obviously prefers to see us in the latter posture I We do not see minority people when we see commercials for that amusement park called "Wet and Wild" and I've actually seen many there. We do not see minorities in those Fats Domino and Nat King Cole album commercials. Glenn Ford isn't interested in selling insurance to minority veterans and, believe it or not, with two Super Bowl championships in Washington, D.C. we have yet to see blacks in the selected bars celebrating the victories.
We should not be dismayed, however, at how we are treated locally by the media. No blacks suffered as a result of the explosion at the Shell Refinery at Norco, Louisiana on that same date. In that towering inferno at the First Interstate building in Los Angeles, there was not a single black face among the workers who showed up for work on Thursday morning. Maybe no blacks work there or maybe they figured that since the place had burned down, there was no need to show up for work. Who knows. There has to be a reasonable explanation— there always is.
-4-
It is all in the camera and in the disposition of the entire news crew. Perhaps this year's graduating class of journalists across the United States might make some attempt to neutralize Ralph Ellinson's perception of how the nation views black/minority people. You remember Ellinson don't you? He
wrote The Invisible Man.
. f" ; ;___ _
Vmi ' cr imii «kT•.
i-w ■ The SENTINEL-VOICE, May 12,1988
THE INVISIBLE PEOPLE:
EVEN IN DISASTER , .%* '• ;. . -■■•.'•-'■*-■■;;7. Yt fc: ' *•
M ■ .< .<?•■': BY •>< ■’.
f ROOSEVELT FITZGERALD
' Among the many residents
: of Henderson, Nevada,- I
! count acquaintances, coli
leagues and friends. I have
: been there many, many
! times. During the early 1970s
’ I participated in a coalition
composed of different races
of people in working toward
the election Of the town’s
first and only Hispanic
■mayor;-Over the years I have
delivered many talks at
schools, churches and with
other organizations. I have
visited friends there adn 4
have spent considerable
time there researching and
interviewing people concernning
the beginning of Basic
Magnesium Corporation in
1940/41. White I am not
certin of the percentages, I
do know that a good number
of the population there are
Hispanic, blacky Asian American
and Native American. I
know this to be true because
I've seen them with my own
eyes as recently as April of
this year.
The disaster which took
place at the Pacific Engineering
Plant on May 4, 1988,
received extensive coverage
by both local and national
media; We were shown the
site of the destruction.even
as it occurred. We saw the
explosions and heard the resounding
report it made time
and time again. We saw the
plume of smoke which some
of us were certain was toxic,
plant could extinguish it. He
ran for his life. An alarm was
given and a mass evacuation
of the plant took place. Some
attempted to drive their cars
but left them and ran into the
desert. A first explosion, a
blow away from the valley second and a third — meas|
and off toward the northeast - uring 3.5 on the Richter
and we were relieved. We re- Scale — each followed by
Part of this I watched in
the smoking room in the Student
Union while five people
—hopefully not students—
three males and two females
ranging in age from about 20
to about 40 — reacted as
though they were watching
the "Tom and Jerry Cartoon
Hour.” Their behavior was
far more disturbing than the
comment made by some unseen
person near the All
American Auto Wrecking
place in Henderson. We were
told by a reporter with Channel
8, following the third explosion,
of the comment
when he said: “Dead people
over there and people are
sayirig they should’ve
brought a six-pak. Makes
you wonder.” Fortunately
this is not intended to be a
conscience piece.
mained relieved even as we
discovered that it was heading
towards Goodsprings,
Moapa, Overton and on into
Utah — after all, what do we
care of those places and the
epople who live there.
Shortly thereafter, we
learned what had happened.
First there was a fire and it
spread and it got out of control
before an employee of the
shock wave which leveled
some buildings, knocked out
windows, blew doors off
hinges, cracked some walls
and ceilings and caved in
others, buffeted people
around in their homes and in
the schools, overturned cars,
snapped telephone poles like
tookpicks and, in short,
made a real mess of the town
and lives.
- The purpsoe of this is to
- illustrate an absence of presence
of certain groups in
that which was indeed reported.
Nothing is sacred.
Even in disasters, minority
people are overlooked or,
worse, they were not at any
of those places or with any of
those groups. There was one
black man in the back of a
See FITZGERALD, Page 16
The SENTINEL-VOICE, May 12,1988
IS
FITZGERALD
among the workers who showed up for work on Thursday morning. Maybe no blacks work there on maybe they figured that since the place had burned down, there was no need to show up for work. Who knows. There has to be a reasonable explanation — there always is.
It is all in the camera and in the disposition of the entire news crew. Perhaps this year’s graduating class of journalists across the United States might make some attempt to neutralize Ralph E hnson’s perception of how the nation views black/minority people. You remember Ellinson, don’t you? He wrote The Invisible Man.
lie — it captures whatever it is pointed at.Either minority people do not exist or the camera does not point in our direction or go where we live unless there’s a killing. The public obviously prefers to see us in the latter posture. We do not see minority people when we see commercials for that amusement park called "Wet and Wild” and I’ve actually seen many there. We do not see minorities in those Fats Domino and Nat King Cole album commercials. Glenn Ford isn’t interested in selling insurance to minority veterans and, believe it or not, with two Super Bowl championships in Washington, D.C. we have yet to see blacks in the “selected” bars operating the victories.
We should not be dismayed, however, at how we are treated locally by the media. No blacks sufferd as a result of the explosion at the Shell Refinery at Norco, Louisiana on that same date. In that towering inferno at the First Interstate building in Los Angeles, there was not a single black face
ities. There were no blacks shown among those being taken to Rose de Lima Hospital — is there a blackhospital in Henderson like we used to have back in Mississippi?
Maybe blacks just do not get hurt in these kinds of disasters. There were no blacks shown patrolling the streets during the curfew— we know why don’t we? Born looters.
There was one man who appeared to be Hispanic in a blue security looking uniform being atended to by a woman in a white uniform who also appeared to be Hispanic. There was Charles Blake, thank goodness, a black man, representing the Red Cross and a Hispanic man named Joe Sandoval who is certain that he lost his job with Pacific Engineering because he blew the whistle one time too many to OSHA about safety violations at the plant.
Maybe there are no minority people — not really. Maybe we’re merely illusions — figments of our own imaginations. The camera does not
From Page 2
pickup truck wearing a white uniform and a cap with "PRE” imprinted thereon. There were no blacks or other minorities shown among the firemen on the scene. There were no blacks shown among the fleeing 65 workers of the Kidd Company. There were no minorities showp. among those whose homes had been damaged. There were no blacks among the 30,000 school children. There were no blacks among the parents shown who were concerned about those black children who were not shown who lived in those unshown damaged black homes. There were no blacks seen in the shelters. There were no minorities shown or interviewed concerned with possible toxic fumes — they don’t bother us. There were no minorities shown among those window, repair people who were "cleaning up.” There were nd minorities shown among the employees with Mercy .Ambulance — maybe they don’t hire minor-