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^orttani» OObserUer
August 13. 2014
New Prices
Effective
May 1,2010
Martin
Cleaning
Service
Carpet & Upholstery
Cleaning
Residential &
Commercial Services
Minimum Service CHG
$45.00
A small distance/travel charge
may be applied
CARPET CLEANING
2 Cleaning Areas or
more $30.00 Each Area
Pre-Spray Traffic Areas
(Includes: I small Hallway)
1 Cleaning Area (only)
$40.00
Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area
(Hallway Extra)
Stairs (12-16 stairs - With
O ther Services): $25.00
Area/Oriental Rugs:
$25.00 Minimum
Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool):
$40.00Minimum
Heavily Soiled Area:
Additional $ 10.00 each area
(Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying)
UPHOLSTERY
CLEANING
Sofa: $69.00
Loveseat: $49.00
Sectional: $109 - $139
Chair or Recliner:
$25 - $49
Throw Pillows (With
Other Services)'. $5.00
ADDITIONAL
SERVICES
• Area & Oriental Rug
Cleaning
• Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning
• Deodorizing & Pet
Odor Treatment
• Spot & Stain
Removal Service
• Scotchguard Protection
• Minor Water Damage
Services
SEE CURRENT FLYER
FOR ADDITIONAL
PRICES & SERVICES
Call for Appointment
(503) 281-3949
30 Years of Toxic Injustice for Bhopal Survivors
Dow-owned
Union Carbide
avoids
accountability
by
M arco S imons
The night of the
industrial disaster is
forever seared into
the memory of the
people of Bhopal,
India. Heavy clouds of methyl iso
cyanate — a deadly toxin — and
other gases engulfed crow ded
shantytowns, the railway station,
and surrounding settlements after a
runaway chain reaction at a pesti
cide plant. Thousands of people
died immediately and tens o f thou
sands more have died since from
illnesses related to the chemical ex
posure.
Nearly 30 years after the horrific
pre-dawn hours of Dec. 3,1984, resi
dents whose groundwater contin
ues to be contaminated by chemi
cals leaking from Union Carbide’s
abandoned industrial complex are
still getting sick and fighting for
justice.
Unfortunately, a U.S. court has
once again blocked their quest for
justice. A new ruling is again allow
ing Union Carbide, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Dow Chemical Co.
since 2001, to dodge accountability
in the United States.
New York federal judge John F.
Keenan ruled in late July that Union
Carbide wasn’t sufficiently involved
in the plant’s design and construc
tion. Seemingly undeniable evi
dence dem onstrates otherw ise:
John Couvaras, the project man
ager who directly oversaw the con
struction of the Bhopal plant, testi
fied that he worked for Union Car
bide at the time. A manager from
Union Carbide’s Indian subsidiary
confirmed this assertion.
Astonishingly, the court simply
didn’t care. Couvaras’s own testi
mony about the company he worked
for is “unsubstantiated,” Keenan
decided. Instead, Union Carbide’s
statements that Couvaras worked
for its subsidiary were “conclusive”
evidence. If you ever thought you
knew your own employer’s iden
tity, think again — your testimony
on that subject isn’t even really
evidence.
I lead the EarthRights Interna
tional legal team that has brought
multiple suits against Union Car
bide since 1999. So far, none of our
lawsuits have brought justice to the
people of Bhopal. To see yet an
other attempt be dismissed by U.S
courts is heartbreaking.
The victims haven’t fared much
better in their own courts. In 1989,
Union Carbide settled a lawsuit in
India, giving the victims and their
families about $500 each — scant
compensation for a loss of life or
lifelong illnesses.
In 2002, a few years after Dow
Chemical acquired Union Carbide, a
spokesperson for the chemical gi
ant infamously remarked, “$500 is
plenty good for an Indian.”
Earlier this summer, Dow refused
to appear before the District Court
in Bhopal to face charges related to
the new contamination at the site of
the pesticide plant’s ruins. Adding
insult to injury, Dow has tried to
sue Bhopal activists four differ
ent tim es in Indian courts over
their continued protests against
the com pany.
In 1999, EarthRights International
assisted Bhopal residents in filing
new class-action suits in U.S. courts
against Union Carbide over the re
maining contamination, seeking a
cleanup. One of those cases was
dismissed by the Second Circuit
Court of Appeals last year. The court
acknowledged that the plaintiffs
“may well have suffered terrible and
lasting injuries from a wholly pre
ventable disaster for which some
one is responsible” — but it refused
to place any of that responsibility
on Union Carbide.
After the Bhopal debacle, Union
Carbide packed up and left a mess
that’s still poisoning residents and
their environment, and its mess is
now D ow ’s problem. People living
near the plant continue to suffer
physical ailments, live on contami
nated property, and drink poisoned
water. Not only have the victims
been denied justice at every door
they’ve knocked on, they have also
been sued for seeking justice in the
first place.
But the fight for justice contin
ues — we aren’t about to give up.
W e w ill ag ain ap p eal Ju d g e
Keenan’s ruling to the Second Cir
cuit, hoping that that court will rec
ognize Union Carbide’s obvious role
in the tragedy at Bhopal. And we
will assist people in India who con
tinue to fight for accountability in
that country’s courts, taking the
fight to Dow in the United States if
necessary.
After 30 years, justice is long
overdue.
Marco Simons is the Legal Di
rector o f EarthRights Interna
tional. •