More than 2,400 people live in Jordan Downs public housing community. Hundreds of students walk by Jordan Downs every day on their way to school. Today, April 16th, on the first day of school, the health of those children and families are being put at risk by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles and the Department of Toxic Substances Control. The demolition of 4 buildings of public housing will disturb dirt which has been found to be contaminated with lead, arsenic, and other heavy metals. There are no measures in place to protect the Jordan Downs community. We demand accountability from HACLA and DTSC and ask them to prioritize and #ProtectJDHealth. Further testing and mitigation must be done before any soil is disturbed by demolition. No development should come at the cost of community health and safety!
Tell Director Barbara Lee (DTSC) and President and CEO Douglas Guthrie (HACLA) that demolition should not go forward until sampling and analysis of the entire project area is complete and impacted soils have been mitigated.
In order to remove the public health risks due to the demolition, the Jordan Downs Environmental Justice Coalition (JDEJC) proposes that:
- The No-Further-Action (NFA) determination is reversed by DTSC and HACLA immediately tests all residential areas of Jordan Downs, in addition to creating a updated Remedial Action Plan (RAP) to remediate all toxic soils.
- HACLA proposes and implements a Health and Safety Plan in coordination with residents and advocates to protect the health of area residents.
- The demolition is postponed until all toxic soils are remediated in Jordan Downs, and until the toxic groundwater plume is addressed.
- Email Director Barbara Lee and President Douglas Guthrie today to protect the health and wellbeing of Jordan Downs residents!
Email Director Barbara Lee and President Douglas Guthrie today to protect the health and wellbeing of Jordan Downs residents!
To: Barbara Lee ([email protected]) and Douglas Guthrie ([email protected])
Email Message Template (Please personalize as you see fit!)
I am an advocate who is deeply concerned about the environmental injustice currently taking place at the Jordan Downs community in Watts.
More than 2,400 people live in Jordan Downs public housing community. Hundreds of students walk by Jordan Downs every day on their way to school. Today, April 16th, the health of those children and families are being put at risk by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles and the Department of Toxic Substances Control. The demolition of 4 units of public housing will disturb dirt which has been found to be contaminated with lead, arsenic, and other heavy metals. There are no measures in place to protect the Jordan Downs community.
I ask that you (1) reverse the No-Further-Action (NFA) determination and immediately test all residential areas of Jordan Downs, (2) create an updated Remedial Action Plan (RAP) to remediate all toxic soils, (3) implement a new Health and Safety Plan in coordination with residents and advocates, and (4) postpone the demolition until all toxic soils are remediated and until the toxic groundwater plume is addressed.
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