Click to watch video

What if your family lived right across the street from a refinery? What if you watched as friends and neighbors got sick?

KHOU-TV

Students did a documentary on pollution in the East End.

These are stories from the East End that students are sharing in a new documentary.

The few who came must have felt like islands of concern in a sea of apathy.

It would be depressing, except this is the very apathy that six high school students set out to change with stories from the East End.

“And they go to the doctor and find out they’ve got cancer, or their heart isn’t working, or they have lumps in their throat. And I can’t help but think it’s because of living here,” said Elizabeth Salgado.

For 15 years, her family has lived across the street from Valero’s refinery which, on this day, was burning flares overhead. 

“Nobody ever does anything about it,” she said.          

“People who grew up in these neighborhoods, they get used to it,” said another student.

Brian Parras taught the students how to shoot and report and edit this 38-minute documentary, the hope being that young faces could better reach young minds.

They titled the documentary “Wish you were here”. Some preferred the alternative, “Wish we weren’t”.

“You know, Elizabeth had a great quote in the film, ‘the best thing would be if everyone just packed up and left’,” said Parras.

They told not just their own stories, but the stories of those who’d already enlisted in the battle to clean up the East End.

They were not paid.

“I, didn’t get paid money, but I got paid here. (beats on chest) Helping people know what’s going on,” said Carlos.

And so they should have expected that apathy would attend their premiere last night.

Still, they found hope.