Residents of Boyle are ready to go on a hunger strike to stop the project to install a tower of 5G technology, which arose from a lease of land for $ 30, 000 annually during 25 years between East LA Community Corporation (ELACC) and Verizon Wireless company.
Neighbors fear being affected by contamination due to the alleged radiation emanating from the built tower or by radio frequency (RF) waves that are used to transmit information without cables and that the giant of communications.
”The failure to examine the effects of these projects forces us to later we have to clean up the neighborhoods as happened with Exide ”. “We are not going to stop fighting for our people until every injustice that has happened in our communities is defeated. We’re not going to crack, ”said State Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, who represents Boyle Heights.
Since May 2014 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization classified radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RFR) as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”
In fact, a study conducted a year earlier by the US National Toxicology Program (NTP) found “clear evidence” that two years of exposure to cell phone RFR increased cancer in rats. male and damaged DNA in rats and mice.
Questionable approval e
The Verizon 5G Tower in Boyle Heights is an unmanned wireless telecommunications facility consisting of 12 satellite dishes, 12 remote radio units (RRU), a satellite dish and 2 ray capsules mounted on a clock tower of 5 inches tall, plus a communications management unit (CMU) with five cabinets, three GPS antennas, and a standby generator.
“This problem will be another Exide because not only did they approve this tower, but the permit it’s questionable, ”Brenda Martínez, a mother and anti-5G activist, told Real America News. “They did not inform the community of their plans.”
The comparison with Exide Technologies arose because this Vernon’s battery recycling plant contaminated the soil and subsoil of several cities – including Boyle Heights – for more than three decades and caused serious health problems for people.
Martínez reported that, since 2014, Verizon began the process to obtain the permit through the influential Planning and Land Use Committee, chaired by former councilman José Huizar .
During hearing before the City Council media on August 2015, nails 20 people presented their testimony and three letters in opposition to the 5G tower construction project and a request with 529 community member signatures.
Messages expressed at the meeting:
- “I asked my neighbors and they said they did not receive the notification; many said they didn’t have it and that it was written only in English. ”
- One resident wrote that, “coverage [para una mejor red de telefonía inalámbrica] is important, but health is more important. Why do companies always focus on Boyle Heights to install their towers? Why not do it where there is less population? There is radiation caused by this and we do not want our children to be affected. ”
- Another person stated that “I thought this was a preliminary hearing, but I realize this was a hearing for to decide [la concesión a Verizon]”.
- One more said that: “I am against radiation in place. There are many children and pregnant women; I don’t think this is a good idea. ”
However, the statements and opposition of the people to It seems they were not enough and the grant to Verizon was approved on 13 April 2017.
Currently, residents of the area continue to fight to revert the permit to Verizon,
through a request on Change.org that has collected 4, 0215 signatures of a goal of 5, 000.
Threats from armed agents
This week, during a resident lockdown at the entrance to the site where construction of Verizon’s 5G tower would begin, a A private company worker physically pushed a woman who intervened to open the padlock.
They covered with wood the vision towards the interior of the land located on Sixth Street, next to the Casa del Mexicano.
Subsequently, LAPD agents responded to the call to disperse the people and Verizon hired the Black Night Patrol, a private security company to guard the area.
“Verizon is the one who called the police because they needed to get in,” said Monica Mejía, president of the East Los Angeles Community Corporation (ELACC). “People were protesting and it’s fine; I welcome free expression, but you have to let the people in, imagine if there were a fire. ”
But intimidating people with private and armed guards?
“At Verizon they made their decisions; I saw the photos and when they called the police they did it peacefully because [las personas] they were preventing entry ”, he replied.
With and without Answers
Heidi Flato, spokesperson from Verizon responded in a letter that Verizon has been working since 2014 to improve network performance in Boyle Heights. The City of Los Angeles approved the construction of a clock tower of ‘5 “in the parking lot of Casa del Mexicano at 529 Euclid Ave, 2900 Calle Pedro Infante y 2900 E. 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA, to meet this demand ”
He added that, After a process of almost 5 years that involved public hearings, comments community and an assembly with the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council, Verizon is committed to preserving and making improvements to the community garden area [local]. Ultimately, making the garden a better place for fresh grown vegetables and fruits.
Also emphasized that this new cell site will improve communications for everyday life, business, educational and remote learning options, emergency services (fire and ambulance) and telemedicine options, the importance of which has been highlighted by the current covid pandemic – 19.
He added that “safety is our priority. All Verizon facilities meet all federal radio frequency (RF) health and safety standards. Federal standards have wide margins of safety and are designed to protect all residents, including children. ”
For their part, the offices of the Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, of the Councilor for the District 13, Kevin de León and Congressman Jimmy Gómez ( District 50 of California) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) did not respond to questions from Real America News, as of press time.
Interview
“The contract cannot be broken”: ELACC
Mónica Mejía, president of East Los Angeles Community Corporation (ELACC) highlighted that the contract signed with Verizon Wireless “cannot be broken.”
LO: Do you think ELACC made the best decision in favor of the community?
MM: “We are with this contract that cannot be broken.”
LO: But was it the best for the community?
MM: “The decision was made five years ago ; At that time the Neighborhood Council was asked and there was unanimous approval… at that time we gave the OK, but now there are people who have changed their minds. ”
LO: The community says you sold them for money. What’s true?
MM: “We at ELACC…, it is not the truth for us. What happened is that five years ago, when Verizon came and asked us if they could do [la torre], Verizon went to the community and asked them what they think and in the Neighborhood Council nobody objected. ”
LO: Who approved the lease to Verizon?
MM: “The Neighborhood Council approved it, and when that happened we said that the rent can be signed and we signed it; then the years went by and Verizon did other things to warn them [a los residentes] what was happening in the public process to get the permit; they also had to go to the City Planning Committee. ”
LO: Do residents know about the lease price? MM: “Everyone knows that there is a lease and it is for 25 years. Yes, what they pay us is $ 30, . I consulted with four lawyers if we could finish that rental … What happened was that people’s opinion changed …, we wanted to see If we could cancel the lease, but it is already signed and we can do nothing; if we cancel it there is a lot of responsibility [legal]… ”.
MM: “ Actually, the permission to build that tower comes from several places and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) intervenes; It is a federal agency that gives the permits, because they have evaluated that it is something safe; is a tower of 51 feet high because they want the radiation to be as far away from the people … We trust the permits that the federal government gives. ”
LO: But Are residents going to suffer the consequences?
MM: “It is a tower that received permission from the government; they have the opinion based on science because they have scientifically evaluated that that tower is okay. Your question does not make sense, everywhere there is radiation, we all live with radiation and the government has made determinations. ”
LO: Was there an environmental report for this project?
MM : “You have to ask Verizon; they took three or four years to get the permit. ”
LO: Why did you ignore the community?
“Oh my God. This permission is relatively new; it took three or four years to get that permit … then, the government is the one that approves it …, it is the local and federal government that take into account the science that exists at this time to admit or not the permits, to block or not [la construcción de] a tower and they determined that a tower of or not [la construcción de] feet was fine. ”
LO: Is this a new case contamination similar to the Exide case?
MM: “That is different from Exide, which started 50 years and where there was no kind of research. ”
LO: If the children of the families get sick or the elderly suffer from disorders due to radiation waves. Who is going to pay for people’s medical expenses? Who will respond if there are lawsuits?
MM: “If someone sues ELACC we will respond, and if it is against Verizon, they also have to respond, but the person who gets sick has to prove that that tower caused him a disease … If those tests existed, the permit for the tower is not given, because then the federal government has to change the permits it has given; for now they do not exist [esos casos] and that is why the permissions are being given; There is no report that says that this tower is going to pollute…, we all trust the permission given by the federal government. ”
LO: Did you guys cheat on a community?
MM: “I think people had the opportunity to see this situation and when Verizon came, there was a process … These towers exist because everyone uses a cell phone, in schools, housewives, in internet education.”
LO: Did they take advantage of the ignorance of people who do not know how to defend their rights?
Mm no. There are different opinions and there are those who say I don’t care, while others say I do. When they went to the Neighborhood Council they showed no lack of education; people had the opportunity to look at the project and the city is responsible for verifying the tower, the building permit… We all have to trust the engineers and scientists… ”
Are Boyle Heights willing to go on a hunger strike to stop this project?
MM: “I don’t want them to go on a hunger strike… I don’t want that; that makes me feel bad … I want them to have their voice and their freedom of expression, but the problem is that the contract [con Verizon] I cannot break. If the government and Verizon hears their voice it is important that the science be reviewed, which is part of that permit for the tower. ”
“It is important to collect scientific information and for scientists to review it… I don’t want the neighbors to feel bad about that tower; It saddens me that the thoughts of some go the other way in what they think and are not in accordance with science (SIC).