The LANCER PROJECT was to be built in a vacant lot, near Jefferson High School and a public recreation center in a residential area of 16,000 people. LANCER was estimated to cost $170 million to construct. According to The Los Angeles Times, the facility would employ highly trained and specialized personnel that would mostly live outside of the community so its construction would not provide jobs for those living near LANCER.
The waste facility would burn millions of tons of waste during its operation causing concern for citizens of the pollutants that would be emitted. Cannon and Bullock were concerned South Central Los Angeles was chosen for the incinerators location because of the community's high unemployment rate, low average income, and high population of people of color.
Mothers in the community explain that they and their children already face pre-existing health conditions unable to be addressed because of the cost and accessibility of the current healthcare system conditions such as asthma, influenza, cancer, heart disease, and/or pneumonia.
Ailments of community members are magnified through added health problems caused by pollution in the environment of south-central inhabitants (such as trash-burning from incinerators, chemical exposure from power plants, etc. )
After defeating the LANCER project, CCSCLA members realized that there is more to the environment than just hazardous waste, chemicals, and air quality control our environment is also the quality of our housing stock, the conditions of our schools and the safety of our neighborhoods.
CCSCLA continued to work on environmental issues such as recycling, the cleaning of alleyways and streets, childhood lead poisoning prevention, storm drain protection, used motor oil recycling, teen worker rights, among others affecting community members' quality of life. CCSCLA conducted further environmental awareness workshops within communities as the need and topics for them presented themselves.
In June 1987, Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley announced that the LANCER project would not be completed.
Healthcare for community members affected by pollution created from LANCER Pollution created from LANCER and like projects has severely affected the health of members of South Central Los Angeles communities. Inhabitants of these communities are largely racial and/or ethnic minorities of low-income.
At its heart, CCSCLA is an environmental justice organization where justice is pursued in every area of community life.
