About this episode
This episode explores the struggles and resilience of the Barrio Logan community in San Diego against military and industrial pressures.
San Diego’s Barrio Logan is a place defined by both proximity and resistance — pressed against naval shipyards, fenced in by freeways, and crowned by the Coronado Bridge. For decades, the community has lived with the noise, the pollution, and the promises that never quite came true. When the USS Bonhomme Richard went up in flames in 2020, the Navy said there was “nothing toxic in the smoke.” Residents knew better. It was just the latest chapter in a long story of damage left unresolved — one that began when the waterfront was seized for the war effort and continued through decades of rezoning fights, health crises, and a ballot-box battle that pitted neighbors against the city’s most powerful industry. In this episode, Things That Go Boom travels to San Diego to ask: what does it mean to live — and keep fighting — in the shadow of the military’s hometown? Featuring voices from across the neighborhood, we trace how a community beneath the bridge built its own language of survival. GUESTS: Dr. Alberto López Pulido, Professor of Ethnic Studies, University of San Diego; Brent Beltrán, Publisher, Calaca Press; community activist; Ramón “Mr. Ray” Fino, Vietnam veteran, lifelong Barrio…
People in this episode
Guests: Dr. Alberto López Pulido, Brent Beltrán, Ramón “Mr. Ray” Fino, Angel Garcia
Topics covered
- community resistance
- military impact
- environmental health
- local activism
- urban development
Keywords
- Barrio Logan
- USS Bonhomme Richard
- community activism
- environmental issues
- military presence
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of San Diego, Environmental Health Coalition, Chicano Park Museum, Intersectional Health Project San Diego
Places: San Diego, Barrio Logan
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