We are Tigers Against Pollution—T.A.P for short! We are a group of university students who have chosen to lead a fight against the evils of capitalistic greed, unscrupulous business practice, and systematic injustice. Starting from only a few, we have come together to create a coalition of determined individuals of all ethnicities, ages, genders, and backgrounds who see these evils, and choose to fight.
Elon Musk’s rise to prominence is deeply rooted in systems of exploitation and unchecked capitalism. From South Africa, to Texas, to Boca Chica, Elon musk and other like minded white-supremacist individuals have trampled over many underserved and indigenous communities as means to fill their pockets. In Austin, Texas, Tesla's Gigafactory has committed multiple environmental violations, including air pollution and improper hazardous waste disposal. Reports indicate that untreated wastewater entered the city's sewer system, and employees were allegedly instructed to mislead regulators during inspections. These actions have drawn scrutiny from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and Austin Water.
Similarly, in Boca Chica, SpaceX's Starbase facility has been discharging massive amounts of water. Up to 358,000 gallons per launch, into nearby wetlands using a deluge system to cool its launchpad. The EPA cited SpaceX for operating this system without the necessary permits, leading to a $148,378 fine. Despite warnings, the company continued its launches, prompting lawsuits from environmental groups and the Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe of Texas, who state that these actions violate the Clean Water Act and threaten local ecosystems and public health.
Lastly, The Apartheid in South Africa was a brutal regime that legally established racial hierarchy from 1940 to the early 1990s. The white minority descendants of Dutch and British colonizers built a regime where Black South Africans had almost no rights. They were forced into poor, overcrowded areas, denied quality education, jobs, and political power, and constantly monitored and brutalized by police. One form of labor they were forced into, was working in uranium mines, which are highly radioactive. They would work in these mines, not properly educated on the radioactivity and its adverse effects on their health, while the white minority lived on hills, to avoid the radioactivity from these areas. After the proposition of a land redistribution act (intended to heal the wage divide between white minority and Black South African neo-slaves), propaganda has been released by the United States government, calling the act "racism towards white people." Elon was born and raised in this environment, his family profiting off the discrimination in the area. Does this sound like someone Memphis can trust?
Memphis has a long legacy of environmental injustice, where historically Black and working-class communities have been exploited, underpayed, and overworked. From TVA, to Tennessee Sterilization services, to Nucor Steel. This has led to a drastic decrease in air quality, and increase in asthma, cancer, lung issues, etc.
This campaign is about more than a data center or environmental pollution—it is about demanding that our public officials uphold their duty to serve their community. We believe that there must be accountability, transparency, and the defense of our communities’ health, safety, and future rather than defense of billionaires and corporations. If you feel similarly: stand with us. Speak out. Organize. Let them know we’re watching and we will not back down.