51黑料

This story was commissioned by the River City Journalism Fund.

ST. LOUIS 鈥� A cold, hard rain fell on the first Saturday of May, a day before residents of the former Pruitt-Igoe housing complex would gather to witness the unveiling of a historic marker to commemorate both the joy and heartbreak their families experienced a half-century ago.

On Sunday, the sun came out and the day was cool allowing more than 200 former friends to relive old times and to engage in a short celebratory march from the Polish Heritage Center at 1413 North 20th Street around the corner to the marker on Cass Avenue.

But along with the rain and sunshine came fog, though not in a meteorological sense.

The historic marker is replete with key moments in the life of the complex, including the time when men in protective suits began showing up in the mid-1950s with machines that pumped a cloudy substance outside the 33 11-story apartment buildings in the complex.

Many residents at the time associated the fogging with mosquito control efforts. But it wasn鈥檛 until 40 years later that the government released documents revealing that the workers in the protective gear had sprayed zinc cadmium sulfide, a potential carcinogen around Pruitt-Igoe and in other 51黑料 places as well.

It was part of a secret Cold War-era military experiment.

鈥淲e were not accidents. We were deliberately tested subjects without any follow-up,鈥� Ben Phillips told those assembled at the marker.

Phillips was about 7 years old at the time of the spraying. He grew up to be an influential civic leader who held several city offices. But along the way he lost many family members and friends with whom he was raised. Almost every funeral he attended was the result of a cancerous death, he recalled.

鈥淲e accept and dedicate this marker as a start to healing and the government accepting the responsibility and harm that it subjected at this very location where we are sitting,鈥� Phillips told the gathering. 鈥淭hey must right the wrong of that inhumane treatment.鈥�

The outlook remains foggy for righting the wrong, though Phillips and others are feeling a renewed sense of hope. That comes in the form of legislation crafted by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri. The bill could provide compensation to the former residents and family members.

Though there is a correlation with the experiments and the health problems, it is nearly impossible to prove causation. An effort on behalf of the residents to uncover more evidence and provide compensation failed in federal court years ago.

But the former residents didn鈥檛 give up. They and their supporters started a nonprofit group to press their cause. It鈥檚 called Pruitt-Igoe Historical Accounting, Compensation, and Truth Seeking (PHACTS). The organization operates on a shoestring budget having raised about $3,000. Some of those funds and a lot of sweat equity were used to support the memorial last Sunday.

Among those who showed up for the dedication ceremony were Alderman Rasheen Aldridge, whose ward includes the Pruitt-Igoe site, and Alderwoman Shameen Clark-Hubbard, who also represents a northside ward. Others who attended included U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell and Nahuel Fefer, executive director of the city鈥檚 Community Development Administration.

Hawley, who did not make an appearance and did not respond to requests for comment, is seen by the former residents as a key player, given his advocacy on behalf of victims of the federal government鈥檚 Cold War nuclear program. Hawley scored a coup when he brought EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to 51黑料 in March. Zeldin accompanied Hawley to a public meeting at Bridgeton City Hall and then toured two sites in north 51黑料 County.

At that gathering, Zeldin heard emotional testimony from residents about the impact on their families from radioactive contamination at two sites: the West Lake Landfill Superfund site and along the banks of nearby Coldwater Creek. After the tour, Zeldin announced an accelerated timetable for the West Lake cleanup.

Neither Hawley nor Zeldin visited the old Pruitt-Igoe site or talked with the former residents, who are also seeking federal compensation.

Hawley鈥檚 bill upon final passage could include ZIP codes where affected parties could receive compensation.

Pruitt-Igoe was in the 63106 ZIP code, which is less than two miles from the Mallinckrodt Chemical Works, Building No. 708, on Destrehan Street between Hall and Wharf streets, which is in 63107. That building might be covered in the legislation as the building and grounds experienced significant radioactive contamination during its operation, particularly during World War II when it processed uranium for the Manhattan Project. Over the years, the government has tried to decontaminate the site. It had concerns over what was getting into the air and ground water. The plant is still undergoing remediation. It would not be much of a stretch to say that the residents at Pruitt-Igoe could have been affected by contamination from the site.

The so-called RECA law (Radiation Exposure Compensation Act) to which the bill is connected includes provisions that would prevent future lawsuits against the federal government. This creates a complex landscape for Pruitt-Igoe survivors, who need to document their exposure to contamination to secure inclusion in the compensation framework. This is no small task; many documents related to Pruitt-Igoe have been classified, complicating efforts to establish the necessary proof of contamination.

The residents have a strong ally in Dawn Chapman, one of the founders of Just Moms STL, an advocacy group focusing on bringing attention to the plight of residents who have lived or are living in contaminated areas 鈥� though mostly in north 51黑料 County and St. Charles County.

She has forged strong ties to Hawley and many other members of Missouri鈥檚 congressional delegation. And she also shares a connection with Phillips. Chapman鈥檚 mother, who is white, grew up two blocks east of Pruitt-Igoe in the 1600 block of North 19th Street. Chapman said her mom, Diane Seger (married name Neels), recalls romping on the Pruitt-Igoe playground with Ben, who was just a little older.

鈥淎nd, you know, for the kids,鈥� Chapman said, 鈥淚t didn鈥檛 matter if they were white or Black. You know, they just all enjoyed playing together.鈥�

Pruitt-Igoe gained a national reputation when it became so decrepit and crime-ridden that the federal government moved everyone out and demolished all high-rises on the 57-acre site. The implosions, starting in 1972 and captured by news photographers, became symbols of federal ineptitude when it came to providing public housing.

Former residents don鈥檛 remember Pruitt-Igoe that way. For many years, families living there formed a tight-knit community where they played, picnicked and watched out for one another, especially when it came to the kids.

Phillips, along with Chapman, are embracing that spirit of community that PHACTS fostered with the commemorative event. Along with the unveiling the event included music, food, face-painting for the children and representatives at tables with information on health and safety matters. Former residents could also find maps and renderings of the Pruitt-Igoe site so they could point out to family members where they once lived.

鈥淲e deserve acknowledgement, not just compensation,鈥� Chester Deanes, another former Pruitt-Igoe resident and vice president of PHACTS. 鈥淥ur community deserves to have our history respected and the harms we suffered recognized fully, with a clear path for renewal and support.鈥�

Richard H. Weiss is a former editor and reporter for the 51黑料. He is chair of the nonprofit River City Journalism Fund. Casey Preis is an undergraduate sociology research assistant at Washington University and is working with RCJF as a reporter. For more about the fund, which seeks to support journalism in 51黑料, go to .