Citizens protest asbestos contamination at California shipyard

Jul 13, 2009

Protestors gathered in front of the main entrance to the former site of Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, California in June over concerns with plans for Lennar to develop 770 acres of land at the shipyard and at candlestick Point. The protest was sponsored by Greenaction for Health & Environmental Justice, POWER and the San Francisco Green Party, and it was attended by Mothers Against Crime and followers of the Nation of Islam.

Environmental activists worry about asbestos and radiological contamination at the shipyard site, located near where Lennar is proposing to build thousands of condominiums. “We know that pollution doesn’t know property lines,” the President of the Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association commented.

Greenaction wants the shipyard site to be cleaned up, rather than just capped as the U.S. Navy has proposed. The director of the San Francisco Bay chapter of the Sierra Club said that, “Clean air is a right… What we have over there is poison air.”

Lennar Corp. was already fined $500,000 back in 2008 for failing to protect residents, particularly children, from asbestos exposure. Citizens worry about the effect of asbestos dust from the construction site, as they may be put at risk of developing asbestos-related illnesses like mesothelioma and asbestosis. Lennar is currently readying the shipyard site to begin construction on 1,600 new condos.

None of the protestors were taken into police custody, but four of them were given citations that stated they had been detained by the San Francisco Police Department.

For the full story, go to San Francisco Bay Guardian.

Latest News Stories