Interconnecting Spaces: Truck Drivers, Diesel Pollution, and Networking in the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles

Through public networking, people with a variety of positionalities are able to come together within interconnecting spaces to navigate through similar goals toward equality and fairness. This article assesses the position of port truck drivers (predominantly Latino, immigrant, male, and economically marginalized) who are caught between their regulatory misclassification as independent contractors and the consumerist fantasies of a neoliberal citizenry, impeding their efforts to receive better treatment and obtain cleaner-burning trucks. We examine how a community coalition endeavors to enable people with a variety of positionalities to come together in and across the dynamic spaces of Long Beach and Los Angeles to fight against diesel pollution emitted by the ports, creating a potent combination that politicians and city officials cannot ignore. Employing feminist and geographical analyses, we argue that within such contentious politics, such coalitions offer a critical means to interconnect diverse spaces, making space for emotion, fostering collaboration, and offering alternative imaginaries to challenge environmental and civil rights violations from industrial exploitation.