MIAMI — A group of Miami residents is taking legal action against the city, claiming they were sickened by a notorious incinerator in the city’s Coconut Grove neighborhood.
A Miami-Dade court hearing on Wednesday marked day one of five in the case.
The lawsuit alleges that residents in the historically-Black West Grove section were exposed to cancer-causing ash from an incinerator that operated there for more than 40 years, known infamously as “Old Smokey.”
For many, the battle was personal.
“An injustice was done by the City of Miami to my community,” resident Thaddeus Scott said. “In the burning of the garbage, toxins, we believe, were dispersed throughout my community.”
The residents’ attorney, Jason Clark, said they are “entitled to justice.”
“Because they haven’t had it for 100 years,” he said. “For those who have been exposed for decades, they are entitled to monitoring for people who are not sick yet.”
Day one in court included residents testifying about their experiences and how “old smokey” impacted their lives.
“There has been an exorbitant amount of cancers and young people dying who should have had a better quality of life,” Scott said.
The residents said the city of Miami continues to prioritize running away from them, rather than taking care of them.
Clark says his team is representing about 800 people who claim they’ve been affected.
“People who are already sick are entitled to compensation for that sickness,” he said. “And people whose properties need to be cleaned up should not have to pay out of pocket to do that.”
Many residents said this case is about finally getting answers after generations of living next to the incinerator.
“According to the city of Miami, they have addressed some of the concerns of some of the surrounding areas, but they keep telling us, who are at the center of all of these toxins, that there is no adverse issues with you guys,” Scott said.
After the judge hears testimony from residents, expert witnesses are expected to take the stand, before the defendant in the case, the city, presents its argument.
Local 10 News offered attorneys representing the city an opportunity to respond to these allegations, but they declined.
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