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Health and Justice For Midway Village Background The State Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has just given the cities of Daly City and Brisbane permission to proceed with a drainage project which will involve the digging up of toxic contaminated soils just feet from homes in Midway Village. This poses a very real threat to the health of the people of Midway Village. Midway Village is a low-income housing project with approximately 1200 people of color residents, built next to and on top of soils contaminated with cancer-causing Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons and other toxics. The toxics are from the adjacent PG&E facility. Residents were never told about the severe contamination when they moved into the housing project, and they have suffered terrible illnesses and deaths which many believe are caused by exposure to the chemicals. Now, adding insult to injury, the State DTSC has approved this dangerous project without providing for relocation of residents during the dangerous work that will occur just feet from homes. Greenaction joins the Midway Village residents in calling on DTSC to immediately arrange permanent relocation for residents of this poisoned community, before any digging up of toxic chemicals takes place. We also support community demands for PG&E and responsible government agencies to provide adequate compensation and health care to the residents who have been exposed to deadly toxic chemicals. No human being should be forced to live next to and on top of toxic waste. It is time for this environmental racism and toxic nightmare to end. For more information, contact:
Check out the Midway Village Campaign Home Page!
Email Ed Lowry, Director of the State Department of Toxic Substances Control, and tell him to stop the Midway Village excavation project! |
August 1999 Update The following email was recently sent to Ed Lowry, Director of the State Department of Toxic Substances Control From: Lula Bishop, Midway resident, Date: Tuesday, 10 Aug 1999 Subject: Midway Village [Stop The Project at Bayshore & PG&E] To: elowry@dtsc.ca.gov[Ed.Lowry] Dear Mr. Lowry, We want DTSC to protect the Midway community. In the past our community has had meetings on top of meetings just to find solutions to protect our families. Residents, past and present, are still struggling with prior and present exposure. After the meeting on August 7th, we are still in the same place we were before this meeting. DTSC can and must delay these projects until the residents are moved out of this hell that we find ourselves in. Permanent Relocation must be offered to the Midway residents before this project starts. To relocate we must have adequate compensation. Finally, medical care is a must for the families, past and present, that continue to suffer, due to on-going exposure of dangerous toxins. Mr. Lowry, you have the power to stop Daly City and Brisbane from starting the scheduled project that will surely expose this community to more exposure. This is not a game, we are talking about the lives of children that never had a chance to develop normally. Will you please stop these projects before more exposure. School starts very soon, and these children will be in the middle of the dust, mud, and more exposure. This cannot happen again. What we have asked for is not unreasonable, we are fighting for the lives of our families. Please, help our community, and please don't side with the polluters. This community of color is counting on you to do the right thing. Sincerely, Lula Bishop The following letter was emailed by Greenaction to Ed Lowry, State Department of Toxic Substances Control on August 18, 1999: Dear Mr. Lowry, In a few days excavation of toxic chemicals will begin at the PG&E facility next door to Midway Village as part of the drainage project. The excavation work will then move to directly in front of homes. Despite demands of residents and support from EPA and ATSDR for relocation during the work near homes, your agency has given the green light for work with no provisions for any relocation. This is completely unacceptable and shocking. How could DTSC in good conscience allow toxic chemicals to be dug up just feet from homes where residents already suffer from years of exposure to dangerous toxics? This is yet another act of injustice and racism on the part of DTSC towards low-income people of color who do not have the financial ability to move away either temporarily or permanently from their toxic homes. DTSC's approval to allow the work to move forward as planned demonstrates a callous disregard for health and justice. Mr. Lowry, we remain hopeful that you are sincere about protecting public health and upholding environmental justice. You seem genuinely concerned about this problem, and we request you intervene immediately before it is too late. Now is the time for you to demonstrate leadership and take action to finally bring justice to Midway Village. Now is the time to permanently relocate Midway Village residents away from their toxic community, and away from any further exposure to chemicals that we believe have already taken a deadly toll in this impacted community. Midway Village is a litmus test for your agency. Will we see a continuation of DTSC's past environmental racism, or will we see action for health and justice by DTSC? The answer is in your hands. Please respond to the residents and Greenaction about DTSC's intentions, before any excavation work begins. Thank you. Sincerely, Bradley Angel |