Tensions in Boyle Heights reached fever pitch Thursday evening as residents — who voiced exposure to toxic fumes, the smell of rotting food, and a lack of answers after the Lineage warehouse fire — made their frustrations known at a tense town hall meeting.
The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, struggled to open the meeting amid loud cries and screams from members of the public, actions that were repeated as other elected officials took the microphone. The crowd went wild when Chief of Staff Jeff Rivera took the stage and was met with chants of “Liar!”
Dozens of protesters marched miles from the site of the deadly fire to a rally at Stevenson Middle School, chanting that the warehouse has poisoned their community and calling for it to be removed forever.
More than 200 people were turned away from the door as the area reached the area, with several protesters briefly pushing security and forcing their way into the room. They came out when the meeting started and gathered the crowd outside, united with drums, whistles and signs that read “Lineage out” and “We see your selfish side.”
“We are one community and one city and we are making sure we get the necessary solutions,” said protest leader Jazmine Garcia. “This is about quality of life. This is about not being ignored anymore.”
Firefighters battled for several days to put down a fire that broke out in the roof of the Lineage cold storage warehouse in Boyle Heights on June 17.
Air quality has been a public concern since the incident began. Aside from the health risks of breathing in the smoke from the building fire, there was a brief scare when an ammonia line that helped keep the building refrigerated was disrupted, although Lineage said the chemical was not detected in the air. Additionally, 85 million pounds of food melted, burned and spoiled inside, creating a foul smell emanating from the area.
“I know the last few weeks have been very difficult,” Rivera said at the meeting. “I understand the uncertainty, frustration, and inconvenience caused, and I apologize.”
As part of the directive signed by Bass last week, city officials are requiring Lineage and the building’s owner, Chill Build, to submit a comprehensive cleanup plan to the city. The orders also require companies to remove, within 45 days, millions of pounds of perishable food inside the warehouse.
Rivera said the cleanup began Monday and that the company is moving as quickly as possible with the goal of shortening the city’s 45-day time frame to complete the process.
So far, 1.4 million pounds of solid waste has been removed, and another 3.2 million pounds will be removed in the coming days, said Brian Martin, a representative of Clean Harbors, a company helping with the cleanup. Removal of the building began on Tuesday and is now 6.5% complete.
About 200 people work at the site day and night, and about 150 trucks are used to carry the waste, said Martin.
Protesters forced their way into Stevenson Middle School where a meeting was being held about the state of recovery efforts after the Lineage cold storage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights.
(Etienne Laurent / For the Times)
The line wrapped parts of the building with a temporary material intended to contain debris, reduce odors and dampen noise during the repair process. Digestion systems are also used outside to reduce odors from rotting food, while air quality monitoring continues at eight locations.
Rivera told residents that air quality test results show that the air is currently safe for the public. He also outlined the services that Lineage will provide to residents living near the site during the cleanup. These include grocery vouchers, housing vouchers for those who choose to relocate during the cleanup, air purifiers, cash assistance and utility bill support.
In the end, reassurances about public utilities and air quality failed to quell the anger inside the room as residents took the microphone during the Q&A session and repeatedly expressed feelings of betrayal and mistrust.
“It really upsets me how this response played out in real time,” said the Boyle Heights resident, who did not want to be named. “I feel that leadership at all levels – from Lineage, city, state, even the organization – has failed us.”
Elected leaders have tried to account for the lack of clarity for citizens who have experienced public health hazards and evacuation orders during the incident.
“I apologize for the confusion, miscommunication and missing information, especially at the beginning when the fire was still going on, especially whatever I said. [about] whether the smoke was dangerous or not,” Bass said. “I’m very clear that all smoke, under all circumstances, is dangerous.”
Bass said the Lineage issue is an environmental justice issue and highlights the health risks that communities of color are disproportionately exposed to.
“There are hundreds, if not thousands, of warehouses in East LA, the San Fernando Valley and South LA,” he said, “and my commitment is to check each one of those facilities to find out what’s going on in those facilities.”
County Supervisor Hilda Solis said she recognizes the situation is “intolerable” for residents who live near the storage facility.
“You are right to mention the areas where the failure has been worst,” he said. “So I’m here to listen and try to do a better job starting tomorrow.”
Rivera said Lineage is working to launch a community support line on Monday so residents can express their needs to the company.
When Antonia Montes, 57, left the town hall, she said she felt frustrated, and that the meeting did not solve the problems facing the Boyle Heights community.
“I think it proved that the politicians, Karen Bass, the company Lineage, do not know what they are doing,” he said. “They don’t know how to handle this situation, they don’t know how to clean up this mess.”
Last week, a group of about 50 residents rose up and asked the company to clean up the debris from the fire and then pack up and leave.
Ancestry “needs to be cleansed and never [come] back,” said Alma Laugnas at last week’s meeting.” “It is really difficult for us to live this way.”
The crowds sang in Spanish, “Thank you!” (“They have to go!”) and said their daily lives continued to be affected, with children and older residents unwilling to be outside because of the smell.
“It’s scary,” Montes said of the smell Thursday evening. “You can’t even breathe.”
