Missouri: Action Against the West Lake Landfill

On Friday, efforts continued on for accountability and a permanent and safe solution at West Lake Landfill. Activists put their mind, bodies, and spirits on the line to bring the community’s demands to the forefront of international news and Republic Services’ front door, in a format that Missouri’s elected officials could not ignore.

“The truth is this has been a toxic situation since the federal government decided to create and drop the atomic bomb. It has been a toxic situation for over 44 years since this waste was illegally dumped at the landfill. It has only become more toxic to this city as a fire as hot as 300 degrees Fahrenheit at depths of as little as 13 feet has erupted beside the waste. The contaminated ground water is on track to hit the Missouri river, and Manhattan Project nuclear weapons waste is being found inside people’s kitchens. It is time the federal government end WWII in our city too and do it immediately, with no excuses.” said Alex Cohen

The protest began before the sun came up as 10 activists chained themselves inside of 500 pound cement barrels and put their bodies in front of Republic’s truck storage yard and transfer station to disrupt business as usual.

Activists demand immediate action from Senators and Representatives Roy Blunt, Clare McCaskill, Lacy Clay, and Ann Wagner in rewriting and reintroducing legislation to transfer purview of the landfill to the Army Corps of Engineers’ FUSRAP remediation program. This time, they demand that their elected officials fight hard on the House and Senate floor to ensure failure is not an option.

“While this legislation has been introduced once, it did not pass. Losing is not an option, people that live by this landfill are losing everyday,” Cohen said. “Activists ask that everyone call Roy Blunt, Clare McCaskill, Lacy Clay, and Ann Wagner’s office and demand the transfer to FUSRAP now.”

Activists demand a voluntary buyout of all residents one Mile from the Landfill and property assurance 5 Miles from the Landfill.

Activists also demand that Republic Services stop their false slander campaign with the “Coalition To Keep Us Safe”, as well as cough up the $55 million it owes the state in fines for its mismanagement of the landfill. “While the police may have made the decision to arrest us for our action, we know who the real criminals are, those that are poising our community and spending millions lobbying against a permanent and safe solution while refusing to pay its fines to the state,” Cohen added. Activists ask that people across the country divest from Republic Services by asking their local governments, universities, or businesses to terminate contracts with the corporation. “Not another penny of our tax dollars to the corporate bully that is poisoning our land, homes, water, and soil.”

“While our actions may have come across as crazy to some, there is nothing more crazy than what has been allowed to happen at the radioactive landfill that was burning behind our blockade. There is nothing more crazy than the fact that 44 years later this community still does not have peace of mind and a solution. The time for talk and playing by the rules are over. Our nonviolent civil disobedience campaign has just launched and we will not stop until the rightful demands of our community are met. We ask that all humans of our community frightened by the situation in Bridgeton join our campaign,” Cohen said.