East St. Louis Chemical Genocide Victims Cry Out To Dr. Randy Short for Help
Editor’s Note: The call to Dr. Randy Short for help from Jacqueline Everson of East St. Louis appears to fall in line with a constant pattern of injustices going on when it comes to Blacks that is coming straight from the United States government and its complicit affair with corporate America. The systematic depopulation of Black people through environmental racism is constantly being shown in the most diabolical ways such as the one whereby Ms. Everson has penned about her experience in watching the slow death or debilitating diseases of many of her people and fellow citizens in East St. Louis, Illinois. Other examples are Flint, Michigan, Jackson, Mississippi, and locally, Ujima Village in Watts.
Hello Dr. Short,
My name is Jacqueline Everson,
1st of all I want to thank GOD Almighty and his son the Messiah for this opportunity to be a voice for the East St. Louis chemical genocide victims. They still refuse to acknowledge our pain and suffering!
My husband (Brian) and I are disabled victims, but we are the fighters for justice for the chemical contaminated genocide victims in East St. Louis, Illinois. Originally more than 11,000 people were included in the lawsuits against Monsanto and Cerro Copper chemical companies. We have been fighting since 2008 (14 years). The lawsuit against these two companies should include all the citizens in ESTL to this present day because the city is still highly contaminated. Proof the govt. officials care nothing for the people!
The City of East St. Louis filed a case against Monsanto in federal court in 2021!
Case No. 3:21-cv-232-DWD (this proves the gov’t is only concerned about the land).
- Factual Background “Monsanto manufactured PCBs at the plant in Sauget, Illinois from 1936 to 1977. (Doc. 29 at 3).” “About 1.1 acres of the plant fall within the corporate limits of East St. Louis, and “hundreds of East St. Louis-owned lots and right-of-way..are immediately adjacent to the Monsanto Plant PCB contaminated site and industrial area..” (Doc. 29 at 3 & 5).” “Monsanto produced about 390,000 metric tons of PCB’s at its plant from 1936 to 1977, and deposited PCB waste in toxic dumps in Sauget from the 1940’s to the 1980s. (Doc. 29 at 3-4)” “Monsanto also knew or should have known that PCBs persist in the natural environment instead of breaking down over time. (Doc. 29 at 7)” “Monsanto also knew or should have known that PCBs disposed of in landfills, incinerators, and other waste facilities in or near East St. Louis “regularly leached, leaked, and escaped their disposal sites, entering and contaminating vast swaths of land in East St. Louis.” (Doc. 29 at 7)” The government here is only concerned about money for the city.
This current on-going chemical GENOCIDE has been killing the citizens of East St. Louis, like flies since 1936. By keeping silent, the government is still hiding it and protecting the rich- merciless chemical companies that are still committing genocide and contaminating the citizens and the community of East St. Louis.
The largest Monsanto Chemical Company in the United Sates is in our backyard poisoning East St. Louis citizens for more than 90 years.
– We are being treated like throw away people (disposable) and exterminated like rats!
My house is less than 2 miles from Monsanto and Cerro Flow chemical companies.
Cerro Flow is also known as Cerro Copper. We did not find out until 2008!
- The EPA, Monsanto, and Cerro Copper never warned (us) the citizens of ESTL!
- PCB was banned by the World Health Organization in 1979.
- PCB is a known cancer agent that causes all kinds of health problems (deadly)
- Dioxins is a known cancer agent that causes all kinds of health problems (deadly)
In 2008 my husband and I attended a meeting at Mt. Zion church. Some Alabama/local lawyers told us they had conducted tests throughout the city of ESTL, and that we are still living in super contamination to this day.
We are the lead Plaintiff’s in two current lawsuits in St. Clair County; involving
- Environmental Litigation Group (Alabama) lawyers/local lawyers for fraud and
- Cerro Copper chemical company for contamination.
- We thought we had a lawsuit against Monsanto too, but the lawyers settled the case in 2014, with Monsanto for a measley $21 million for more than 11,000+ people and we didn’t find out until 2018 (4 years later). These ELG lawyers settled but denied us the opportunity to make an informed decision and did not give us the details. In 2018, we also found out the lawyers had not even filed most of our cases against Monsanto and they hid it by identifying all of us as Plaintiff’s. They tried to end Monsanto’s liability but GOD had me and my husband actively watching from the beginning. The records we kept is how we are able to prove the fraud the lawyers committed against the citizens in East St. Louis.
In 2018, the Appeals court vacated the Monsanto settlement. The lawyers tried to push the settlement through anyway.
– They mailed us $200 checks, some people received less. We voided the checks and
mailed them back to the lawyers. The so called settlement did not include any cleanup.
– We are currently waiting for an answer from the Appeals court to see if we will be
allowed to sue the lawyers for fraud.
– Since 2008 My husband and I mailed several letters, faxes, and petitions to the lawyers requesting transparency, to no avail.
Monsanto is still committing genocide on the citizens of East St. Louis to this day!
These chemical companies use this small 4 mile area called Sauget, IL for deregulation and tax breaks and to protect their personal wealth at the expense of our lives. The city officials have not and do not stand with us!
- East St. Louis does not have one hospital.
- East St. Louis does not have one park with a swimming pool for the children to go to in the summer time. (it is too contaminated)!
The citizens are riddled with cancers, and all types of sickness directly linked to Monsanto PCB and Cerro Copper Dioxins (released in the environment and leaked in our water). Everyone knew we were being poisoned accept us. So, we have been fighting this legal battle 14 years. Enough is Enough!
The contamination still has not been cleaned up and it does not break down in the environment. Therefore we the citizens of ESTL are still being poisoned everyday
while enduring the lost of our loved ones continuously.
The sicknesses are not few and are very significant; Cancers, heart disease, kidney failure, diabetes, misscarrages, autism, birth defects, still births, learning
disabilities, asthma and you name it.
I have lost three brothers, my grandmother, my niece, and my father-in law and neighbors to cancer.
I have several living family members who have been diagnosed with cancer.
I have seen my family/community suffer from all kinds of sicknesses and death.
I personally have a son with autism, another son diagnosed with learning disabilities, asthma and skin problems. My daughter had a tumor removed from the top of her head and it couldn’t even be classified. My baby brother had a large tumor removed from the back of his neck this year and one removed from his leg. We buried our brother, our sister in law and her daughter (our niece) in East St. Louis this year.
There are young mothers dying from cancer, and other chemical related illnesses.
My niece: Rasheanna age 41; died from cancer in 2019; she left 4 small children
The youngest child was age 2 when she died.
My niece: Brandy age 42; died from Lupus/heart failure in 2015; left 2 small kids.
The youngest child was age 1 when she died.
My niece: Kiara age 32; died from diabetes complications in 2022; left 4 children
The youngest child is age 3. They all went through great suffering and pain.
My Mother died from congestive heart failure and my husband’s Mother died from congestive heart failure/M.S.
My Dad died from Kidney renal failure
My husband’s Dad died from cancer, his brother and sister has cancer.
This is what motivates us; GOD and all the pain, suffering and injustice we have witnessed and endured. They do anything to our people and give us a $200 check and a smile.
I remember when my brother Ralph said to me “Jacci, they do not treat our people right.
(The government allowed the super rich companies to profit off our blood.) He was heartbroken. He knew he was dying. He told me that a few days before he died from lung cancer after having his leg amputated from a vascular disease less than six months prior.
Monsanto and Cerro Copper owes the victims of East St. Louis billions of dollars and they know it: This is more proof of deliberate silent chemical genocide on the poor Black people in East St. Louis for more than 90 years!
A report by Belt Magazine.
https://beltmag.com/a-short-way-to-hell-in-sauget-illinois-poisons-mean-profit/
Belt Magazine’s September 23, 2015 article: (3 pages attached)
Article name: “A short way to Hell: In Sauget, Illinois, Poisons Mean Profit”
“Sauget was created to be a dumping ground.” “We were basically incorporated to be a sewer”
According to the EPA in this report dated 09/23/2015; “PCB literally just sit there, hurting every living thing that comes into their proximity.” “PCB levels in Sauget have been measured at 25 million times the level acceptable for human contact”
We are still being poisoned everyday! Our pain and suffering is still unanswered!
East St. Louis has hidden genocide and gentrification
Since 2008, we found out there are 14 hazardous waste sites reported around East St. Louis ( Dr. Short I sent you this map )
– one is behind Alta Sita Elementary school; where I attended as a child (it is closed down) And
– Dunbar Elementary school; where my husband attended (is also closed down)
I believe these schools and others are not being used only because they are contaminated.
(The lights are on and the grass is being cut, but these schools are closed and children are being bused).
The old lawyers and Monsanto want the court to believe it is not a crime for Monsanto not to be held accountable for the chemical contamination of the people that literally live in Monsanto’s backyard. People Monsanto committed genocide on and did not even warn. (it is negligence). Even though we have the sicknesses/deaths to prove it.
The silent genocide of the people in East St. Louis has been belittled through
Environmental discrimination at the highest level of injustice.
The fraud lawyers we had; The Alabama/local lawyers never intended to make Monsanto pay. These lawyers did everything in their power to let them off the hook.
- Our new lawyer said our trials should start against Cerro Copper in early 2023.
- Cerro Copper will not repent either
Cerro has done just as much harm as Monsanto. They also knew we were contaminated and they hid it. They did not warn us either (it is negligence).
I have two websites you can look at concerning Cerro blamed for cancer deaths in Sauget.
– Jurors in Illinois awarded A $72 million cancer judgment against
Cerro Flow for 12 cancer victims equal to $6 million dollars for each victim. Quote:
“On October 15, 2021, after a 3-week trial in front of Illinois Circuit Judge Chris Kolker, the jury awarded the plaintiffs $24 million in compensatory damages and $48 million in punitive damages.”
- And: Metro East’s Cerro Flow blamed for cancer, deaths
We should have a hate crime law passed for Black people!
We are continuously attacked by this Silent War: Environmental chemical genocide!
We are still in this fight only because of GOD The Father and his Son the Messiah and the truth! Amen. Quote: “Justice delayed is justice denied” But not always!
I want you all to know, we had to put on the whole armor of GOD to fight this long. And I believe we will get justice, because I feel GOD is with us. This whole experience has been very spiritual and we know GOD is driving, it is why, my husband and I will never doubt GOD is in control. Amen
And we Thank GOD the Father and his son the Messiah for this revelation that has been brought to the light. And thank all of you.
End.
The Madison –St. Clair Record newspaper reported these horrific findings on April 6, 2022!
East St. Louis (St. Clair County) has the highest rate of lung cancer in the United States based on 2019, 2020 and 2021 filings listed on a Lung Cancer Top 10 Jurisdictions chart
That was posted in the Madison -St. Clair Record newspaper.
Between 2020 and 2021 the number of cancer cases has increased by 43.9%.
