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Indybay Feature

Celebration: Victory Over Environmental Racism!

by Raging Grannies
Victory over the toxic waste recycler Romic Technologies sparked a celebration with speakers, food and fun in East Palo Alto on Sunday August 12, 2007.
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Romic Environmental Technologies Corporation is a toxic waste handler that has polluted the city of East Palo Alto for decades. Last week Romic accepted its last shipment of waste.

On Sunday activists celebrated with a BBQ that included many individuals and groups that have spent long years in the fight against Romic.

East Palo Alto Council Member Peter Evans and Keisha Evans are two community elders who started the struggle then turned it over to members of Youth United for Community Action (YUCA). Some YUCA members started working on the campaign against Romic when they were pre-teens and have spent most of their life now working on the issue of toxic waste in East Palo Alto.

"Never let anyone tell you that something CAN'T be done" was a sentiment echoed by many YUCA members who spoke of growing up surrounded by Romic's pollution but gaining a strength that came from their commitment to combatting environmental racism.

The Palo Alto Daily News recently reported that, "Romic has racked up a series of violations in recent years, including a 4,000-gallon tanker-truck spill last summer that resulted in a two-acre-wide toxic cloud, and two cases in which employees were severely burned. In 2005, the state Department of Toxic Substances Control collected $849,500 in fines from the waste handler for a series of violations at the plant.

More recently, the state agency slapped Romic with an enforcement order that restricted its waste-handling storage to 85-gallon drums, a move that Romic was already considering under mounting operating costs. The enforcement order will transfer with the land on any future sale."

http://paloaltodailynews.com/article/2007-8-13-epa-romic

http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/summer2007/youthgroup/default_html

§Annie Loya and Charisse Domingo
by Raging Grannies
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YUCA members interview with the Palo Alto Daily
§Raging Grannies 4 Food and Fun
by Raging Grannies
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§YUCA speakers
by Raging Grannies
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§All Eyes and Ears on the Speakers
by Raging Grannies
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§Gabriel
by Raging Grannies
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Youth as young as 12 years old spoke of their commitment and the strength they received from being in the nurturing and empowering environment of a group like YUCA
§Keisha Evans adresses the group
by Raging Grannies
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§Anna is 23
by Raging Grannies
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She was just 14 when she first started working on the fight against Romic with YUCA
§East Palo Alto Council Member Peter Evans
by Raging Grannies
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On the right.
§William Webster
by Raging Grannies
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Long a supporter of YUCA, William congratulated the youth
§more speakers
by Raging Grannies
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Congratulations came from many folks who spoke out in appreciation
§Raging Grannies
by Raging Grannies
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Members of the Raging Grannies Action League were present to celebrate
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