Metal recycling plant accused of putting Watts students in danger

A metal recycling plant was charged in a 25-count indictment Thursday for allegedly exposing students at Jordan High School in Watts to thunderous explosions, hazardous waste and lead levels 75 times higher than levels considered safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency , authorities said.

S&W Atlas Metal & Iron and its owners, Matthew Weisenberg and Gary Weisenberg, were charged in Los Angeles County Superior Court with 23 felonies related to hazardous waste disposal and two misdemeanors related to failure to minimize the risk of explosion or fire. The defendants pleaded not guilty.

“No child should be exposed to these dangers while trying to learn,” said LA County Dist. Atty. George Gascón said at a press conference. “By prosecuting Atlas Metals, we are sending the message that corporate disregard for environmental laws will not be tolerated.”

Gascón initially announced two dozen charges against Atlas in June 2023.

A company spokesman described Gascón's Thursday conference as “tactical gamesmanship.”

“Today's indictment repeats 24 counts of the complaint filed more than a year ago and adds a single offense,” the spokesman said in a statement. “In court, Atlas explained to the judge the measures they had taken over the years to protect the neighboring school, and the court was satisfied with those protective measures.”

Atlas has continued to operate since the charges were filed.

When students arrived on campus for the first day of school this fall, they were greeted with a deafening bang and a cloud of Atlas smoke. The indictment announced Thursday includes an additional count for the Aug. 12 explosion.

“The explosion that occurred on the first day of school makes it clear to me that only the worst environmental criminals would be forced to carry on business as usual while students are exposed to toxins,” said Genesis Cruz, a 2023 Jordan University graduate High. “It must be closed immediately and removed from our community.”

Cruz recalled breathing “brown, dirty air” while studying at Jordan High and said she often found it difficult to concentrate because of the loud banging noises from the metal recycling plant.

She was among the first community members to raise the alarm about dangerous conditions at the facility and helped organize protests and contact the school district and elected officials.

Jordan High School students and community members protest outside the Atlas recycling facility in January 2023.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

For years, Cruz's cries fell on deaf ears.

Now she and other community organizers say they feel like progress is finally being made.

“As a lifelong resident of the Watts community, 71 years, it really gives me hope to see the end of a project we have been working on for nearly 15 years,” said Tim Watkins, director and executive director of the Watts Community Watts Labor Community Action Committee. “We’re finally seeing a step toward justice.”

Atlas has operated alongside Jordan High School for over 70 years and has a long history of explosions.

In May 2002, an explosion sent shards of metal onto Jordan's campus while workers were cutting up an oil drum. A few months later, in December 2002, the facility was dismantling naval ammunition when a large grenade exploded, sending a chunk of metal flying onto campus.

In 2020, the Los Angeles Unified School District filed a lawsuit against Atlas, claiming the company endangered students and teachers by releasing sharp metal objects, smoke, fumes and other hazards onto school grounds.

Authorities say soil samples taken from the Jordanian campus show excessive levels of lead and zinc.

According to the LA County Department of Public Health, exposure to high levels of lead can damage children's nervous systems and lead to problems such as hearing loss, seizures, learning difficulties and reduced intelligence.

The defendants are scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on October 28.