Protesters & mayor spotlight environment at Fort Worth's 2023 State of the City

Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker began her 2023 State of the City address by touting her city's massive growth.

She said her team is trying to meet the needs of one of America's fastest-growing cities by expanding the police and fire departments.

Parker also said Fort Worth is still only half-developed, and she sees that as an opportunity to protect land and water across the city.

She announced the Good Natured Green Space Initiative, to preserve, improve, and create green spaces.

“Making sure every family in Fort Worth, regardless of ZIP code or neighborhood, has access and close proximity to parks and to green space across our city," Parker said.

It comes on the heels of new data from the Trust for Public Land, indicating that Fort Worth lags behind other major cities in park investment per capita and percent of residents living within a 10-minute walk to a park.

But Teena James of the Echo Heights / Stop Six Environmental Coalition said she's skeptical that East Fort Worth communities, especially Black and Brown ones, will see any of those benefits.

She said they're still waiting on other environmental grievances to be addressed, like a better system of checks on industrial companies in their neighborhood that she said are causing pollution sickness.

"Most of them aren’t being held accountable for whatever it is they’re bringing over there,” James said at a protest ahead of the mayor's address outside the Fort Worth Convention Center.

James' coalition was among others making up the Fort Worth Environmental Coalition of Communities (FWECC), which also includes Fort Worth Sierra Club, Sunrise Tarrant County, Tarrant4Change, Downwinders at Risk, and NorthSide Fort Worth Air.

“We’ve reported to them, we’ve taken pictures, we’ve documented, we’ve been down to the council," James said.

Parker said they are doing their due diligence with companies.

“Much of it is state law, also the way they brief council," she told NBC 5's Tahera Rahman. “I think maybe there may be a little bit of ignorance around our process, and maybe that’s something we need to work on communicating as a city, to make sure every neighborhood really understands what opportunity looks like.”

James said they're still waiting on things like health studies to measure environmental impact.

“We have begged, we have pleaded, we have asked them for air monitors," she said.

Mayor Parker said the city is listening to neighbors in East Fort Worth and will continue to do so. She pointed to another Echo Heights meeting later this month.

 “[I] respect their position, we have heard them," Parker said. “These conversations need to continue.”

The FWECC said they're trying to highlight Echo Heights' challenges ahead of Nov. 14, when they say city council members will vote on revisions to the 2023 Echo Heights Comprehensive Plan.

Activists want "protection against industrial encroachment into their neighborhood and a rollback of racist zoning that places homes next to industry."

Mayor Parker acknowledged that there needs to be a separation between homes and industrial-use businesses.

“Some of the grievances that a neighborhood like Echo Heights in particular has, we can prevent these types of things from happening. You need barriers between our residences and any industrial use, and we’re responding to that," she told NBC 5's Tahera Rahman.

James said they're waiting for their changes.

“Lives depend on this. Our children’s health is not for sale. Our community is not for sale. Our children’s safety is not for sale. We are not for sale," James said. “We are here, we are not going anywhere."

Other State of the City highlights

• Mayor Mattie Parker reported that homicides in the city are down 18% so far in 2023, compared to this time last year.
• She pointed to the city's budget for FY2023-2024, which includes an $2 million more in the Priority Repair Program. She said that money will will allow them to tackle 200 more homes, nearly doubling capacity.
• A new project with Community Land Trust to support affordable homeownership.