Johnnie Cochran told a crowd of at least 5,000 Anniston residents Tuesday night that he wants to help them clean up PCB and heavy metal pollution.
The lawyer who successfully defended O.J Simpson said he is considering legal action against Monsanto. The chemical company manufactured PCBs in Anniston until 1972. More than 13,000 Anniston residents have already filled out health surveys that are under review by Cochran's legal team.
Cochran told The Star he is not sure yet what he will do.
"There are already other lawyers involved. We want to find out what they are doing," he said, adding that he will also review the activities of the health and environmental agencies.
"This is a community that is crying out for some assistance. And we hope there is some way we can participate and be involved in that. You need to have clients to start with. So tonight we want to listen to the people in Anniston and assess the problem and come back," Cochran said.
"The corporate side is very powerful and what they do is bring jobs to the community. It's very tough to fight the employer in a community. It's tough to deal with that," Cochran told the Star.
The 6 p.m. meeting was organized by Community Against Pollution, a local group that advocates on behalf of polluted western Anniston neighborhoods.
The meeting was held at the Anniston Entertainment Complex in the 22nd Street vicinity. Many who attended the meeting said they had never seen such a large crowd assembled in Anniston.
Members of Cochran's legal team said they had never seen such a large crowd, either.
"This shows how much concern there is in the city. It's citywide," said Shirley Williams, health coordinator for Community Against Pollution.
"I think we quite possibly are going to get something done now," commented Wanda Champion, a member of the Citizens for Environmental Justice, another local activist group.
During the meeting, local residents walked to a microphone in the center of the 5,000-seat hall and complained of cancer, kidney problems, diabetes and mental illness.
Beverly Carmichael told Cochran that she developed a rare lung disease when she was eighteen. She said her son was diagnosed with leukemia and her daughter was born with a serious skin problem.
Marquis Mason told Cochran he was diagnosed with diabetes and his sister was diagnosed with cancer while both were teen-agers.
Others said they are raising multiple children with disabilities.
Cochran told the crowd, " I don't think you realize how much power you have. You can change this country, this state, and this city."
"There can be a day when this community looks different."
More about Monsanto's contamination of Anniston in the
Chemical Industry
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source: http://www.annistonstar.com/news/2001/as-anniston-0815-ebluemink-1h14w4516.htm
15aug01
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