One West Dallas resident and four other environmental activists protesting outside the GAF shingle factory along Singleton Boulevard were cited on Monday for blocking the roadway leading to the front entrance.
Some West Dallas residents have said for years the emissions from the shingle plant have harmed their health.
The demonstrators were officially cited for "pedestrians in [the] roadway." What they described as an act of civil disobedience comes after other scheduled Earth Day events to raise awareness over the West Dallas shingle plant.
But in addition to the citations, the protesters also got an apology from a state representative who voted to approve legislation that effectively blocked a way to force the plant to close.
GAF’s executives have maintained the plant meets local, state and federal emissions standards. They say the West Dallas plant will be shuttered in 2029, when the company opens a new plant in rural Kansas. That facility will start operation earlier than that, in 2027.
The planned action by environmental groups led by Downwinders at Risk — a 30-year-old advocacy group focused on clean air in Dallas — has been in the works for weeks. Community organizers advertised their plans on social media and sent letters to local and state officials about their weekend of events.
Recipients included the entire Dallas City Council and some state legislators.
One letter went to Venton Jones, who represents Texas House District 100. Jones, a Democrat, voted to approve a piece of controversial legislation that changed the way municipalities can process scheduled closures of businesses that may not conform with the surrounding area.
That process is called amortization and some West Dallas residents have said it was one of few avenues left for them to close down the GAF facility.
But that option seems to be in limbo while Dallas officials figure out how to comply with the new law. For now, the city is refusing to accept any application for a forced closure — including two petitions by Singleton United/Unidos leader Janie Cisneros.
Supporters of SB929 said the legislation was needed because cities never have "to pay the landowner a dime for taking away the right to use their property" if it was deemed nonconforming, according to the bill's text. It was signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott last year.
"The passing of this bill has undermined the amortization process in the City of Dallas. It has effectively blocked the right to pursue closure of GAF and TAMKO by Dallas residents, which we have been actively pursuing," leaders from Singleton United/Unidos and Justice For Joppa, two community groups focused on environmental justice, wrote in their letter to Jones.
"We are disappointed that you voted in favor of the bill. This disappointment is amplified given your knowledge and familiarity of Singleton United/Unidos' attempt to use amortization as a tool for environmental justice and to achieve clean air to breathe for your constituents in West Dallas."
The leaders invited Jones to their Earth Day plans and at a rally held at Fish Trap Lake — across from the GAF facility — the day before Monday's citations, Jones said voting for SB929 was a mistake.
“As a state representative you don’t always make the right votes, and there was a vote that took place that made it even harder for organizations to get out of communities when they don’t need to be in communities,” Jones said during the event.
“For that reason…I want to come to you and say that was an error in my office and I apologize for that and I want to continue to work with you as we go into the 89th [Legislative] Session to fix that issue.”
BREAKING Rep. Venton Jones becomes the first Dallas area Democrat state elected official to apologize for voting for Senate Bill 929, the GAF/TAMKO bill. He showed up in W. Dallas at the Earth Day Action rally and promised to work for its repeal. Thank you Representative. pic.twitter.com/UaGFdCBjq0
— Downwinders at Risk (@cleanerair) April 22, 2024
Jones elaborated more in a statement to KERA on Monday.
"As a lawmaker, sometimes you make mistakes. My vote for SB 929 is an example of legislation that had unintended consequences," Jones said in the statement. "I will continue working to improve the health of my constituents and reduce the harm caused by the historic presence of industrial pollutants too close to the homes of Texas families."
Attendance at civil disobedience trainings — that were closed to the press — were mandatory for anyone who wanted to participate in Monday’s event, according to the group.
The group of community leaders and environmental advocates marched down to the plant with signs condemning the plant and the company that operates it — and sat down in the roadway.
“The longer this plant stays in operation the sooner we get to our graves,” Cisneros said.
Cisneros, who lives within eyesight of the shingle factory, has been leading a years-long campaign to see the plant closed. Some West Dallas residents say the facility’s emissions have been harming their health for decades.
The five organizers who were cited by the police were joined in the protest by a handful of other community members and environmental advocates Monday morning.
The group was met by some of the West Dallas plant’s leadership and Tommy Richardson, GAF’s vice president of operations, along with several security team members — who filmed the interaction from behind the facility’s front fence — and Dallas police officers.
The facility’s front entrance was blocked by orange barricades and collapsing gates. GAF officials put out coffee and donuts for the demonstrators.
GAF's leadership and media partners on site declined to comment. A GAF spokesperson supplied a written statement after the demonstration had ended.
“We appreciate the rights of our neighbors to voice their opinions but today our priority is the safety of our staff and people in West Dallas,” the GAF spokesperson said in the statement.
“We take this opportunity to reiterate the fact that GAF is a good operator and has complied with the terms of its air permits. GAF has been inspected numerous times by various agencies (City of Dallas, TCEQ, and EPA) in recent years and there have been no notices of violation issued.”
Civil disobedience may be a new tactic for the West Dallas community, but the message is the same. They want the plant closed — before 2029. Cisneros and other advocates have been trying to gain support from Dallas City Hall for their cause.
“Be leaders take action, you know what’s happening, don’t turn a blind eye,” Cisneros said when asked for comment addressing the Dallas City Council. “If you really care about the city, if you really care about the people, if you care about this Superfund neighborhood, take action and do something. Shut GAF down.”
The battle that led to Monday’s citations has been ongoing for years. It began after negotiations between community members, Dallas elected officials and the plant’s operators fell through.
Theprotesters cited on Monday will have about 20 days to set a trial date. The charge of blocking the roadway is a Class C misdemeanor.
Along with Cisneros, Downwinders at Risk leader Jim Schermbeck, Justice for Joppa Co-Chair Emmanuel Davis, Southern Sector Rising Chair Allen McGill and Ruth Alhilali also received citations.
The protesters said they accomplished their mission — and could be back for more demonstrations.
When asked if she thought these types of events felt like a last avenue for getting Dallas officials to listen, Cisneros had this to say:
“No, not at all. This is just the beginning,” she said.
Got a tip? Email Nathan Collins at ncollins@kera.org. You can follow Nathan on Twitter @nathannotforyou.
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