Page 10 - Florida Sentinel 4-23-21

Local
Atty. Ben Crump In Town To Bring Awareness To Communities About Lead Poisoning
Atty. Ben Crump was in Tampa two weekends ago to visit some of the commu- nities that have been hit the hardest by what has been happening at Gopher Re- source. Atty. Crump is working with local attorneys Norman Harris and Sean Shaw to bring awareness to the communities affected.
These communities are in East Tampa as well as East Lake-Orient Park where the plant is located. It has been learned locally, that over the years, most of the workers have been Black and Haitian men. Attorney Crump, along with Attorney Shaw and Attorney Harris are engaged in a legal effort to
ATTY. BEN CRUMP
raise awareness about the environmental catastrophe and bring justice to the vic- tims and their families.
“Gopher Resource has
ATTY. NORMAN HARRIS
been Tampa Bay’s only bat- tery recycling plant since 2006. Batteries contain toxic metals that need to be man- aged properly, and a com-
ATTY. SEAN SHAW
pany that deals in battery re- cycling would know that bet- ter than anyone,” Atty. Shaw said.
Hillsborough County has recorded more cases of lead poisoning in the last ten years than any other county, including Miami-Dade, which has almost twice as many residents. Lead, as some know and many are learning, is a key ingredient in most batteries. Lead dust is easily airborne and diffi-
cult to contain. Once air- borne, lead dust can be in- haled, absorbed, and accumulated in the body with repeated exposure. It isn’t always obvious when lead dust is in the air, but employees claim that the layer of dust that coats the factory floor is hard to miss.
As reported in the Tampa Bay Times, many employees of Gopher Resource have recorded alarmingly high levels of lead in their blood and have experienced the medical problems associated with such exposure (heart problems, strokes, reduced kidney function, etc...).
Unfortunately, the health problems have also affected the employees' fami- lies. Lead, when tracked into the home and inhaled by children, can lead to a host of health problems. These in- clude respiratory complica- tions and developmental disabilities.
To learn more, call 833-
435-4333.
Meeting
East Tampa Roundabouts Public Art Meeting
This East Tampa Roundabouts Public Art meeting is being held during the COVID-19 State of Emergency on Wednes- day, April 21, 2021, 6 p. m. at Ragan Park Community Center, 1200 E. Lake Avenue, Tampa, FL 33610.
Sculptors Ayokunle Odeleye and Kyle & Kelly Phelps have developed proposals for artwork in the round- abouts along 34th Street.
Those interested in participating in the meeting may do so with the option of remote or virtual participation using what is referred to by State of Florida statutes and rules as “communications media technology” (“CMT”). Artists will present artistic concepts for the roundabouts via Microsoft Teams.
This means that members of the public may attend this meeting either:
In person at the Ragan Park Community Center, 1200 E. Lake Avenue, Tampa (use of masks and social distancing inside the building are required); or
Virtually with the use of CMT by following these direc- tions:
Join on your computer or mobile app
Or call in (audio only)
+1 941-263-1615,,170902618# United States, Sarasota, Phone Conference ID: 170 902 618#.
PAGE 10-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2021