When residents of Wichita’s 29th and Grove neighborhood were told their groundwater was contaminated by carcinogens, it wasn’t just an environmental disaster — it was a breach of trust. It shook the foundation that communities are built on: the right to live safely, the right to breathe freely, the right to know the truth.
After tireless advocacy, $3.5 million has been secured to fund health screenings for those affected. It is a needed and important step. But we must be honest: Screenings alone are not justice.
If we are serious about restoring what has been broken, we have to look deeper. We have to ask hard questions:
• How will these funds be distributed?
• Who will be prioritized?
• Will the process be transparent?
• Will the people most harmed lead the solutions?
We’ve seen how mishandled recovery funds deepen harm. The national opioid settlements taught us that when money is moved without community voices, it’s often spent inefficiently, unevenly, and inequitably.
Those closest to the crisis must be closest to the power.
That’s why the response to 29th and Grove must be guided by clear, community-centered best practices:
• Center the people most harmed. Focus all abatement efforts around their needs, leadership, and healing.
• Prioritize free culturally responsive, and evidence-informed care rooted in best practices.
• Establish an independent advisory board made up of affected residents.
• Require public reporting of all grant distributions and health outcomes.
• Invest in long-term monitoring, not one-time fixes.
• Minimize administrative waste so that the majority of dollars reach people directly.
The urgency we face cannot be overstated. Every day that passes without real action is another day families live with fear, uncertainty, and preventable harm.
That’s why we didn’t wait. Members of the Safe Streets Wichita Coalition, mutual aid groups, and other local community-based groups came together and moved.
While officials debated and delayed, we organized free air purifier workshops — providing real tools to our elders, children, teachers, and neighbors in northeast Wichita to help reduce exposure and create healthier indoor spaces.
