A Community Organizing Case Study: An Analysis of Cap-It's Strategy to Prevent the Location of a Toxic Waste Incinerator in Their Community

Abstract

With the great proliferation of chemical manufacturing in the past half-century, the dilemma of dealing with the waste produced has become an increasing problem facing communities. One method that is gaining increased acceptance by both government and industry is incineration. Many citizens have formed groups to protest these facilities because of their concerns about health risks, especially exposure to carcinogens. This case study profiles one such group, CAP-IT, a collection of middle-class residents living in a small working-class town and their successful battle to prevent the siting of a hazardous waste incinerator. CAP-IT's strategy will be critiqued using methods advanced by Lee Staples, Nicholas Freudenburg and Kurt Lewin to demonstrate the power of community organizing activities.