Fascists Are Trying to Co-Opt Mutual Aid Organizing in East Palestine, Ohio

After canvassing, phone-banking and holding public meetings, Columbiana County, Ohio, organizers with River Valley Organizing (RVO) released a set of demands from residents of East Palestine and surrounding areas in the wake of Norfolk Southern’s train derailment disaster that led to a controlled burn of toxic chemicals and mandatory evacuations of residents within one mile of the crash site last month.

Thirty-eight of 151 cars on Norfolk Southern’s 32N train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 3 after a wheel bearing overheated, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The derailment also caused a fire that damaged 12 more cars. Eleven of the cars were carrying hazardous materials, including vinyl chloride and ethylhexyl acrylate that were later intentionally burned off, sending a toxic mushroom cloud billowing over the town.

The bill for East Palestine community’s demands, organizers say, should be footed by Norfolk Southern. Demands include relocation for any resident who wants it; independent soil and water testing that includes testing for the presence of dioxins; guaranteed health coverage for East Palestine residents alongside Federal Health and Human Services-provided health monitoring; and safe and responsible disposal of Norfolk Southern’s toxic waste.