Futureproof: Roadside Cleanup Crews
Future Narrative
I remember driving with my dad and occasionally passing by groups of those convicted of minor offenses serving their community service hours on a roadside cleanup crew. Back then, small groups wore hi-vis vests, carried trash bags, and picked up garbage along the roadways. A van or bus with a supervisor was somewhere nearby. That scene is very different today.
Things changed when we started to militarize law enforcement. It happened slowly yet intentionally. To save money, defense forces made obsolete MRAPS and other war vehicles available to police agencies at giveaway prices. These intimidating vehicles are now in our communities. Bakersfield looks like wartorn Baghdad from decades ago. Prisons are big business today, too. The prison is now the third largest employer in our county.
We also turned our back on the climate accords and eliminated many environmental regulations that held corporations and individuals responsible for polluting. As a result, over the last 20 years, temperatures and the piles of trash along our roadways have continued to rise. Outdoor work crews must now be outfitted with some sort of cooling apparatus during summer months. The trash they come into contact with is far more dangerous to handle too. So now the government spends the money we were supposed to have saved by purchasing MRAP vehicles to equip those convicted of minor infractions with expensive disposable protective equipment to carry out what was once a relatively easy yet meaningful task to set up and supervise. Oh yeah, last year, our local city council approved cooling tent attachments for some of the MRAPs, which, ironically, makes them more expensive and polluting as they burn even more diesel fuel.
Seeing these work crews is becoming more common. Every time I pass one of these outfits on the side of the road, I am filled with a bit of fear for the future. The worst thing about all this is that I see the same fear on my son’s face, too.
Implications
To save money spent on decommissioning thousands of mine-resistant armored vehicles produced for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the defense department provided police forces with the option of picking up MRAPS at bargain basement prices. This, and other up-armoring efforts, led to a distinct militarization effect for many police forces across America. In a quest for efficiency, cost savings, and force protection, long gone are the days of the cop on the beat who was well-known by neighborhood citizens. What will the long-term effects of depersonalizing and militarising America’s policing forces be?
Climate change will continue to accelerate without drastic action, making important outdoor tasks impossible without expensive environmental mitigation suits. What will the additional human and economic cost of heating and cooling clothing be, and how will this impact workers' quality of life? Will this just become an additional cause of climate change?
If we reduce or eliminate environmental protections, what will the consequences be for clean land, air, and water? How might we reinforce an era of personal and corporate environmental responsibility and accountability? Rather than stifling businesses, what new businesses and clean industries could be created to reverse global warming?
Signs and Signals
Futureproof is a series of occasional provocations illustrating possible future paths for technology and culture. Think postcards from the future.