14 DAY TRIAL // Environmental activists from Los Angeles are eager to celebrate a new victory. They have managed to win an eight-year fight with a polluting metal finishing plant located close to a school, which has been affecting the health of teachers and pupils.
After many deaths were linked to the environmental degradation triggered by the operations performed by Palace Plating, angry demonstrators decided to join efforts and drag the major polluter to court, Los Angeles Times informs.
A judge has decided the company is responsible for various environmental violations. One of the most important is the direct release of toxic compounds into the sewer system. The verdict of the civil lawsuit has pleased most of the activists behind this legal action.
Representatives from the power plant will have to pack their bags by December 31st and deal with the alarming amount of hazardous waste without putting people's safety at further risk.
Moreover, the company will have to offer compensations to the Los Angeles Unified School District, worth $750,000 (€576,302).
Authorities said cadmium, cyanide and chromium dumped just a few feet away from 28th Street Elementary School had threatened the lives of 800 pupils.
It is not the first time when authorities reach the conclusion that the metal finishing factory is disrupting the balance of local communities and putting the wellbeing of people at risk. By 2006, the enterprise was accused of illegally dumping hazardous waste and it had to pay a fine worth $60,000 (€46,104).
Students, teachers and parents kept filing lawsuits against the company. Two teachers claimed they had developed cancer because of toxic elements coming from the power plant. Since the verdict is now final, the activists are waiting for Palace Plating to relocate.
"I need to see every brick falling to the ground. That is the only thing that will make me feel safe," stated one of the participants.