A neighborhood's message to the city of Corpus Christi: 'Hillcrest will not yield.'

The message was loud, emblazoned on signs and shouted from the lips of more than 40 who marched: a desalination plant isn’t wanted.

Hillcrest is home, declared some of the signs carried by those who rallied Thursday evening – several participants characterizing plans to construct the proposed plant near the boundaries of the Northside neighborhood as making the historically Black community a target.

Led by the Rev. Henry Williams and Lamont Taylor of the Hillcrest Residents Association, the march spanned a little more than a mile from the intersection of W. Broadway Street and Nueces Bay Boulevard to the Brooks AME Worship Center on Port Avenue. Participants held signs, including “our home is not a sacrifice zone,” “take your desal and shove it,” and “Hillcrest will not yield.”

“We’re going to keep pushing and fighting back,” said the Rev. Claudia Rush, pastor of Brooks AME Worship Center, speaking before a packed sanctuary.

The location at W. Broadway Street and Nueces Bay Boulevard is the proposed site of a desalination plant.

Dubbed by local officials as the Inner Harbor site, some critics have said the name is misleading, indicating that the plant is in the Inner Harbor when it is actually adjacent to a neighborhood.

City officials have said the location was chosen "because of its immediate proximity to the residents and larger community of Corpus Christi,” and that the facility, once built, would “provide the entire community with safe, reliable drinking water.”

'Refinery Region'

Although the march in part acted as pushback specific to desalination issues, much of its purpose was in advocating for the preservation of the predominantly minority neighborhood that has seen growing industrial activity, past eras of segregation and anticipated impacts from construction of the new Harbor Bridge.

The subdivision is located off what is known as Refinery Row – a 10-mile stretch of heavy industry that lines the ship channel.

The area is no longer Refinery Row, said Isabel Araiza, For the Greater Good cofounder – it’s “Refinery Region.”

“You’re either on the right side of history or you’re on the wrong side of history − It’s time to be right,” she said. “This is a neighborhood. It is not just some empty lot.”

City officials were recently issued a draft discharge permit for the site, while a draft water rights permit was issued last year. A decision is pending on a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit.

The project proposal, if approved, calls for a facility capable of generating as much as 30 million gallons of water per day.

Plans include incorporating "state of the art technology with aesthetically-pleasing buildings that will enhance the neighborhood,” according to a recent message sent by city officials to the Caller-Times.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development opened an investigation into whether the city’s plans for a plant at the Inner Harbor site comply with the Civil Rights Act of 1968.

The status of the case was not immediately clear Friday.

Property questions

Many of the properties in Hillcrest are now vacant, sold to the Port of Corpus Christi as part of a voluntary relocation and acquisition program. The program was brokered as part of a settlement of a Civil Rights complaint, which contended the route of the new Harbor Bridge intentionally discriminated against people of color.

A threat now is eminent domain, attorney Matt Manning told the assembled crowd – an assertion city and port officials have denied.

Although there hasn’t been public discussion about exercising eminent domain, it’s the “prevalent belief here that it’s going to happen,” Manning told the Caller-Times.

“This is a life-or-death issue for this community,” he said, addressing the full sanctuary.

There are key ingredients in pursuing eminent domain – governmental entities must show public use purpose, and that taking ownership of a private property is needed to accomplish that purpose.

While Manning said he doesn’t believe either the port or city has the necessary justifications to pursue eminent domain proceedings, that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be an attempt – specifically for economic development purposes.

“I want you to know how to protect yourselves,” he told the crowd, as he explained the legal process of eminent domain proceedings. “They are coming for your land.”

Manning encouraged residents to prepare for the possibility, advising property owners to not discuss their land if contacted, and instead insist that all communications be in writing.

In messages to the Caller-Times, city and port officials denied plans for exercising eminent domain in the neighborhood.

“The Port of Corpus Christi has not considered – nor is it considering – the use of eminent domain to acquire properties in the Hillcrest neighborhood,” wrote Port of Corpus Christi Chief Executive Officer Kent Britton in an emailed statement.

The city also doesn’t have plans to exercise eminent domain related to the Inner Harbor site or “any other areas of Hillcrest or Washington-Coles,” wrote City Manager Peter Zanoni in a message to the Caller-Times.

“It is unfortunate leaders in our community are inciting fear saying as much,” he wrote.

Zanoni added that the land identified for the site is owned by Flint Hills – the property currently under contract with the city – “with the exception of a parcel already owned by the City and two parcels already owned by the Port of Corpus Christi.”

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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: hillcrest neighbors hold protest marches against desalination plant