'Reckless' scrap yard with history of endangering a Watts high school is shuttered

A Los Angeles County justice ordered the owners of a troubled metallic recycling installation to wage $2 cardinal successful penalties and permanently cease operations adjacent doorway to a Watts precocious school, ending decades-long fears implicit concern contamination and unsafe mishaps.

S&W Atlas Iron & Metal had processed scrap metallic successful Watts since 1949, shredding and baling aluminum cans, alloy rims and copper wire. Over that time, students and unit astatine Jordan High School complained that the facility’s operations coated their field successful toxic dust, occasionally pelted outdoor areas with shrapnel and disrupted classes with explosions.

Atlas, on with its father-and-son owners Gary and Matthew Weisenberg, were arraigned 2 years agone connected galore transgression charges successful transportation with amerciable dumping and handling of hazardous discarded from July 2020 and August 2022. A small much than a twelvemonth later, a compressed state canister ignited astatine the scrap yard, causing a fiery detonation connected the archetypal time of school, aft which the territory attorney’s bureau filed further charges against the defendants.

The institution and the Weisenbergs yet pleaded nary contention to respective charges.

During sentencing connected Oct. 21, L.A. County Superior Court Judge Terry Bork directed the institution to unopen down the scrap gait for bully and motion a onshore covenant that would prohibit aboriginal recycling connected the site. The owners were besides placed connected 2 years of probation and indispensable execute 200 hours of assemblage service.

Bork besides ordered Atlas to wage $2 cardinal successful fines and penalties, including $1 cardinal successful restitution to Los Angeles Unified School District. In addition, Atlas volition beryllium required to springiness the schoolhouse territory and metropolis of L.A. the archetypal accidental to acquisition the property, if it decides to sell.

“This sentencing delivers long-overdue justness to a assemblage that has lived successful the shadiness of this unsafe installation for generations,” L.A. County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said successful a statement. “For excessively long, children astatine Jordan High School and families successful Watts were enactment astatine hazard by a institution that placed profits implicit safety. My bureau volition proceed to clasp accountable immoderate concern that endangers our children oregon our communities.”

When asked by The Times astir plans for the property, the owners offered nary specifics.

“We’ve lived successful Los Angeles and worked successful Watts for generations, and we attraction profoundly astir the assemblage and its future,” Matthew Weisenberg said successful a statement. “We’re arrogant of the contributions Atlas Iron and Metal made implicit the years and of the relationships we built with our employees and customers. While this section is closing, we’re focused connected moving guardant arsenic a family.”

The condemnation concludes a long-running saga of unsafe mishaps and adjacent calls successful and astir schoolhouse grounds.

In 2002, successful possibly 1 of the astir ignominious episodes, the recycling halfway was dismantling Navy artillery shells — that were supposedly inert — erstwhile 1 exploded and a chunk of metallic launched onto Jordan High’s campus. No 1 astatine the schoolhouse was hurt, but 1 idiosyncratic visiting the Atlas gait suffered a insignificant injury.

L.A. Unified School officials urged the tribunal to enforce “a beardown and appropriate” condemnation that would deter aboriginal biology hazards.

“For decades, Jordan High School students and educators person borne the consequences of Atlas’ reckless disregard for safety,” an L.A. Unified School District spokesperson said successful a statement. Accountability is indispensable to guarantee this assemblage is not subjected to immoderate further harm.”

Earlier this week, Supt. Alberto Carlvaho echoed those sentiments.

“For acold excessively long, our students and educators successful Watts person carried the load of others’ negligence, yet they person met each situation with strength, grace and unity,” Carvalho said successful a connection connected societal media. “Schools indispensable ever beryllium sanctuaries, escaped from biology harm. Environmental justness is acquisition justice, and Los Angeles Unified remains unwavering successful our committedness to a safer, healthier aboriginal for each student.”

As an further request of the sentence, Atlas indispensable behaviour an biology cleanup of the tract arsenic mandated by the Department of Toxic Substances Control. School territory officials expect the grounds to incorporate elevated levels of lead, which tin origin imperishable cognitive impairments successful children.

Timothy Watkins, president of Watts Labor Community Action Committee, had mixed emotions erstwhile proceeding of the tribunal decision. On 1 hand, helium said, he’s gladsome that Atlas is yet closing. But, helium worries the devastating effects of pb from Atlas whitethorn person inflicted a lasting harm to generations of children that cannot beryllium undone.

“Atlas Metal created a coiled successful the community, and brackish goes into that coiled each time it remains contaminated,” Watkins said. “Who says they are going to cleanable it to the grade that it needs to beryllium clean? And adjacent if they do, they inactive person profited from the exploitation of our community.”

For the past respective months, the vicinity has been overmuch quieter. The scrap gait ceased operating successful May. Atlas workers dismantled a makeshift partition of shipping containers betwixt the scrap gait and school, which was intended to forestall crisp metallic shards and different debris from flying onto the schoolhouse yard.

Watkins said the assemblage volition proceed to beryllium progressive until the biology risks are gone.

“We’re not done,” helium said. “By nary means are we finished.”