Life Inside a Toxic Superfund Site | The Halaco Story Episode 3

Watch episode 4 here: https://tinyurl.com/5n99tyus

After Halaco Engineering Co. filed bankruptcy, ceased operations, and moved to Tennessee to start over, the government stepped in, fencing off the site from the public. The now-designated EPA Superfund Site became an unlikely bastion of hope for a growing unhoused population with nowhere left to go.

As we approach the tall barbed wire fences peppered with EPA warning signs telling passersby to steer clear, one kind resident leads us through a small break in the fence to show us the place she calls home. We are given a glimpse of the community that has formed within the fences and the circumstances that brought its members there. The Superfund site was estimated to house over 100 people at its peak.[1]

Faced with the decision between getting ticketed on the streets and the consequences from exposure to contaminants at the site, Halaco residents opt for the less imminent.

According to the EPA, the site may not pose a health risk to someone walking down the beach, but individuals with chronic exposure to the site could develop serious health problems.[2]

An eviction has long been looming, and residents fear where life will take them next.

1) Document 9: https://tinyurl.com/mr2h428u
2) Document 10: https://tinyurl.com/4shf7dzn

In-Video References:

Oxnard’s homeless weigh next move as encampment eviction nears: https://tinyurl.com/mr2h428u

Click the link below to access the Google Drive library containing reference documents and additional resources. If any links in this description are broken, saved PDF files are available in the document library.

https://tinyurl.com/3bpm8rx9

Click the link below to watch the entire Halaco series.

https://tinyurl.com/yc3xknwb



This series is dedicated to Carmen Ramirez who passed away on August 12, 2022. She was a beloved community leader and champion for environmental justice in Oxnard.