A predominantly Black neighborhood continued its calls for action months after filing a class action lawsuit against the city of Miami.
Some Coconut Grove residents were seen protesting at Miami City Hall, Wednesday morning. Demonstrators held up signs that read “Stop environmental racism,” and “Your pollution our health.”
Protesters believe a trash incinerator, nicknamed Old Smokey, is spewing ash and toxins into their community.
“Polluted soil, polluted system,” protestors chanted.
One resident said during a press conference outside Miami City Hall that people had been living on contaminated land from Old Smokey for years.
“It’s been gone since 1970, and the levels of the oxygen are so high that our quality of life continues to diminish,” said the resident.
Many people believe they are victims of Old Smokey and are suing the city for environmental racism.
“I experienced some of the effects from Old Smokey. My father passed away in 1961 from cancer,” said William Marshall, a resident of West Grove. “I’d seen almost a whole family wiped out from cancer.”
Marshall said he lived just a block away from 3425 Jefferson Street, where Old Smokey operated from 1926 until its closure in 1970.
“I lived 28 years in that apartment before we moved,” he said. “In the long run, I end up coming out with prostate cancer.”
But Marshall said he’s not alone.
Victims of the incinerator are now suing the city after a recent investigation conducted by The Downs Law Group revealed the land they live on is contaminated.
“Our law firm has conducted soil sampling of numerous properties that are within one mile of the farm incinerator site. That includes Coconut Grove properties, Coral Gables properties and other City of Miami properties,” said Jason Clark, an attorney at The Downs Law Group.
Clark said they tested different properties within a one-mile radius, and over 80% of the soil results they got back had dioxins.
“Dioxins are extremely harmful to human health. They are associated with numerous cancers,” he said.
The attorney said the city is now trying to silence them.
“Last week, the city tried to file a motion asking the court to exclude any additional sampling that we do for this case. They don’t want to know about it,” said Clark.
As for the victims, they want the city to take full responsibility.
“I have health issues, and maybe it did come from there, but who knows? They refuse to respond to our inquiries and helping us find out what is wrong with us,” said West Grove resident Thaddeus Scott. “How come there is a high rate of breast cancer deaths or cancer deaths?”
7News has reached out to the city for comment but has not received a response.
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