In the wake of the SMB Products plant disaster on September 5th, the Akron community needs to reckon with its dangerous practices of placing toxic industry directly in residential areas. These factories get to pollute neighborhoods with no knowledge to neighborhood residents affecting their quality of life and potentially causing early death. Many of these facilities pay little to nothing in local property taxes while neighborhoods like East Akron struggle with sever health disparities and lack the resources to clean up the damage caused by polluters. With these industries often right next to one another not only do residents get exposed to a strange concoction of chemicals but there is currently no plan for emergency preparedness if any of these volatile substances explodes taking out one or more facilities as seen September 5, 2024. There is also no disaster relief funds or plans in site for this ticking time bomb.

People Over Polymers and our partners at The Big Love Network, Buckeye Environmental Network, and People Over Petro are asking people to send emails to Akron Mayor Malik, Director of Sustainability and Resiliency Casey Shevlin, and Akron City Council to create the following policies for East Akron and the city at large:

1) Community Benefit Agreements that would create a fund for offsetting pollution caused by local industry. This can assist with our tree canopy needs as well as help move the Akron air monitors to areas that will actually monitor our main industrial area in Akron.

2) Draft Industrial Emergency Plans with all local stakeholders (especially residents) to ensure maximum safety protocols.

3) Create an Industrial Emergency Relief fund that centers the needs of those directly impacted for such things as lost wages, medical expenses, and property and crop damage.

Akron is working on up lifting our community "together." In order for this to be a reality we are asking for our local factories and corporations to be good neighbors. We are asking for those who have been dumped on for a century to be supported and lifted out of disease. We are asking for Akron to take care of Akron. Please do your part and send these letters today!