Nashville, TN—Keeda Haynes, Candidate for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional released the following statement on two tornadoes that rocked Nashville and Middle Tennessee on March 3.
“Today, our communities are waking up to destruction. Our communities are reeling as nine of our neighbors are confirmed dead and many more injured or missing. Hundreds, possibly thousands, will be displaced from their homes and small businesses across our communities have been destroyed, including many personal friends.
The hardest-hit neighborhoods are in communities already on the brink. In East Nashville, the steady push of gentrification is already pushing long-time residents from their homes and replacing local businesses with corporate chains.
As we work to recover from this tragedy, we must do so with leadership that sees and understands the communities most affected. It’s not enough to apply a one-size fits all solution. Our federal, state and local governments must work not just to rebuild quickly, but to ensure this does not become an opportunity for corporate developers to exploit vulnerable communities in an hour of need.
We must also recognize the truth: storms like these will only become fiercer and more frequent as our climate changes. Rebuilding today is not enough: we must work for a Green New Deal that fortifies our infrastructure and addresses the threat of a runaway climate emergency while providing good, union jobs to our communities.”