Midway Village Advisory Council

August 14, 2001

For more information, contact:

Paulette Landers	(415) 468-8075
Lula Bishop	(415) 467-4892
Bradley Angel Greenaction	(415) 248-5010

Midway Village Residents and Supporters Disrupt Work on Toxic Soil in Contaminated Housing Project

Residents demand permanent relocation, health care and compensation

Daly City, CA -- Midway Village residents and their supporters disrupted work this morning at the toxic-contaminated housing project, where work crews were beginning to dig in toxic soil and erect fences around the site.

Residents, joined by supporters from Greenaction and the West County Toxics Coalition, stopped work crews from cutting a large tree, and blocked a bulldozer, truck and other work at the site.

The State Department of Toxic Substances Control recently found high levels of toxic soil remaining at the site next to homes, a park and daycare center, contradicting their assurances during the last eight years that no contamination remained at or near the surface. The State has begun work to remove some toxic soil, but plans on leaving cancer-causing chemicals under homes. The State and Housing Authority continue to refuse to permanently relocate residents.

Nine families have refused to be relocated to other units in the housing project during the work, holding out for permanent relocation away from this toxic neighborhood.

"We are residents, taxpayers, voters, gardeners and workers, and many of us pay over $1100 rent as we are poisoned by toxins," said Paulette Landers, Midway resident. "We demand relocation, compensation and lifetime medical."

Residents vow to continue their protests in the coming days.