Every seat was taken in the East Palestine high school auditorium on Friday night as America’s most famous environmentalist took to the stage to address a community left traumatised, angry and confused by a railroad disaster that has upended their sleepy little town.
“Good evening, thank you for being here. My name is Erin Brockovich, not Julia Roberts,” she said, triggering a collective roar of laughter.
There has been little to laugh about in the three weeks since a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying vast quantities of toxic chemicals partially derailed and caught fire just a mile away in this small Ohio town close to the Pennsylvania border.
Residents continue to suffer an array of acute medical complaints and mounting anxieties about the long-term risks posed by the contaminated air, soil and water. And despite the opening quip, the message from Brockovich was fiery and sobering.
“I feel your angst, I feel your frustration. You are not alone. Every community I’ve gone to has been given the runaround. You’ll be told that it’s fine, that you’re safe, but it’s not fine. I’ve never seen anything like this in 30 years,” she said to 400 or so people in the main hall, and hundreds more watching a livestream in the gym.
“Please be vigilant, hold your ground. We’re gonna give you as much information as we can, some of it you might not want to hear and could scare you. But the more you know, the better you can prepare as we move forward … There is no quick fix or sweet...
stage at the Ninth Circuit, where pharmaceutical companies say a momentous new ruling "illustrates perfectly" the constitutional concerns of U. S. Supreme Court justices regarding FCA enforcement. ...