The Poisoned Ink Well

Thursday, April 01, 2004


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Baton Rouge is getting fooled by the Big Business representatives of the Chemical Industry, again and our emergency federal planning officials (the guys who are supposed to save us from the terrorist are helping them. No we are not safe)

Honeywell and our local Department of Homeland Insecurity met with the residents of the Chemical Corridor, better known as the CC (not to be confused with the OC. The CC is where the poor people have to raise their children) in Baton Rouge two nights ago and no one came away feeling any safer or less toxic.

My friend Renea (who lives in the neighborhood) called me and told me that the Feds and Honeywell hosted a neighborhood meeting about the CC and the recent chemical spills and they are claiming that they warned the residents as soon as the spills occurred, but those of you who have followed this domestic act of terror with me will remember that as it was happening we were discussing it here and here and the residents were not given adequate notice or even medical treatment.

This was an impromptu meeting and instead of discussing real safety concerns the industry and government reps ended up talking about boarding up old houses in the neighborhood that surrounds the chemical plants and planting flowers or something. They seemed to think that once a CC Lockdown was called that the people were allowed to evacuate, but this has never been the case. Police cars seal off the interstate ramps. Nobody is allowed to leave this area once they call for a lockdown. CC Lockdown means evacuate in place and like I discussed in my above links as this crisis was happening it is not enough to tell women and children to do this.

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