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Via Workers World News Service
Reprinted from the June 8, 2000
issue of Workers World newspaper
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San Francisco rally targets toxic racism

Scores of protesters demonstrated in front of the San Francisco Federal Building May 25 to demand a thorough and extensive clean-up of a naval toxic dump in a predominantly African American district of this city.

For decades the Navy has dumped toxic substances in the Bayview Hunters Point area. It is the only federal superfund site in San Francisco and the most contaminated property in the city.

In February the Navy estimated that it would cost $266 million to clean up the site. Officials are now proposing allocating just $105 million to simply cover the site with asphalt--in other words, not clean it up at all, just let the community continue to be exposed to significant levels of toxic poisons.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town near the rich Marina district, millions of dollars keep pouring in to clean up and upgrade the former Presidio Army area.

The May 25 protest signifies a growing opposition to the government's handling of the clean-up in Bayview Hunters Point. It was called by the Community 1st Coalition and includes a number of environmental groups, including Communities for a Better Envi ronment, Greenaction, and Literacy for Environmental Justice.

--Bill Hackwell

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