Palestine, Ohio

On February 3rd, a train traveling through East Palestine, Ohio had 50 of its tail cars derailed, igniting a massive fire in the town, along with leaking about 20 cars full of hazardous materials, such as vinyl chloride. For weeks now environmentalist activists, journalists, and community mobilizations have been leveraging the state to respond to the situation, but instead they have been met with censorship and repression.

“Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio issued an evacuation order on February 5, due to the possibility of a major explosion.” Along with a series of public statement releases and campaigns to stop the fire and perform clean ups, though their work is yet to be complete.

Videos have been leaked around the web showing river fish coming up dead, despite the state says they have no reports on any animal life being killed by the released materials. Still, Wildlife Officer Supervisor Scott Angelo, claims the fish “could have died due to toxic fumes dissolving oxygen in the water, although the causes have not been confirmed.” Even local Farmer Taylor Holzer “claims that his foxes have fallen mortally ill after the derailment.”

Despite there is a narrative the state is trying to swindle up is supposed to be true, critical questions and reports from local journalists are being shut down.

“A reporter with NewsNation was recently violently arrested while covering one of Governor DeWine’s news conferences regarding the derailment. Police officers claimed that the reporter, Evan Lambert, was being too loud while the governor was speaking and in response, tackled him to the ground and handcuffed him. Lambert was released from jail the same day. “No journalist expects to be arrested when you’re doing your job,” Lambert told NewsNation.”

The community is demanding for drastic health measures to be made, an evacuation and quarantine, but instead their gaslight, forced to live through an environmental disaster. Protesting to work until the situation is resolved has people being threatened with jail time. Now does that sound like a democracy?

Learn more about the political struggle and situation in People's Dispatch