Genesis Cruz first raised the alarm about flying metal scraps and nauseating fumes at her high school campus four years ago, but no one listened.
On Wednesday, June 21, her cries were finally answered as Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon announced charges against Atlas Iron & Metal Co. for the illegal dumping of hazardous waste at Jordan High School in Watts.
The company operates a metal recycling plant directly next to the school, which the D.A.’s Office alleges has contaminated the soil and groundwater, produced toxic fumes and spewed shrapnel onto the school campus during dangerous explosions. An investigation by the D.A.’s environmental crime division found that lead concentration in the campus’s soil was 75 times higher than the level deemed safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
After the investigation, 22 felonies and four misdemeanors were filed against the company and its two owners, Gary and Mark Weisenberg. The Los Angeles Unified School District is also pursuing civil charges against the company and filed a lawsuit in 2020, which Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said is now “in its final stages.”
“During my time at Jordan High School, me and my classmates were exposed to toxic fumes emanating from Atlas Metals on a regular basis,” said Cruz at a press conference on Wednesday. “Shrapnel raining down on our school from explosions at Atlas Metals became a terrifying routine.”
“This was our normal but it was not normal,” she added.
Cruz, who graduated this spring, worked to bring attention to the dangerous conditions by organizing protests and reaching out to school district and elected officials.
“Our pleas for help and attention were constantly and consistently ignored … it seemed as though our voices were being muffled and our concerns were dismissed as insignificant,” said Cruz at the press conference. “The criminal charges against Atlas Metal mark a significant turning point in our…
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