While this story is a little off-topic for this blog, it certainly is an important story of how a large energy concern, Westar Energy, along with the complicity of elected and regulatory officials is destroying a Kansas family and the neighborhood in which they live. Over the past couple days I have been in contact with Joanne Evans about her family’s struggles with Westar Energy and how the powers that be are ignoring their family’s ill health and destroying their home. This disturbing story can best be told by the family suffering the consequences of harmful noise pollution and environmental contamination. The following was posted to Mark Crispin Miller’s News From Underground:
A family poisoned and oppressed in Kansas
Here is a horrific story that cries out for our attention.
It’s about the long ordeal of a Kansas
family tortured–that is not too strong a word for it–by Westar Energy, abetted by the
local powers, both municipal and state.
So where’s Kathleen Sebelius been throughout this nightmare? She was the governor of
Kansas until recently–and now, ironically, she’s Obama’s Secretary of Health.I know we all have bigger fish to fry, but this is an abomination. Since no one in Kansas
seems inclined to help these people, maybe Sec. Sebelius can be pressured into paying
some attention. Here’s the contact information page for HHS:http://www.hhs.gov/ContactUs.html
…. and if anyone has better contact info for Sebelius herself, please send it.
Also, here’s the URL for contacting the White House, since Sebelius was, of course,
Obama’s pick:http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
This has been going on since 2005. (And there is more, much more, about the Evans’
worsening state of health, and the bureaucratic/legal dead ends that they keep on
running into. I will send out what I can.)This being the Christmas season, how can we not do something to bring this horror
to an end?MCM
From Joanne Evans:
Here is a horrific story that cries out for our attention. It’s about the long ordeal of a Kansas
family tortured–that is not too strong a word for it–by Westar Energy, abetted by the
local powers, both municipal and state.
So where’s Kathleen Sebelius been throughout this nightmare? She was the governor of
Kansas until recently–and now, ironically, she’s Obama’s Secretary of Health.I know we all have bigger fish to fry, but this is an abomination. Since no one in Kansas
seems inclined to help these people, maybe Sec. Sebelius can be pressured into paying
some attention. Here’s the contact information page for HHS:http://www.hhs.gov/ContactUs.html
…. and if anyone has better contact info for Sebelius herself, please send it.
Also, here’s the URL for contacting the White House, since Sebelius was, of course,
Obama’s pick:http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
This has been going on since 2005. (And there is more, much more, about the Evans’
worsening state of health, and the bureaucratic/legal dead ends that they keep on
running into. I will send out what I can.)This being the Christmas season, how can we not do something to bring this horror
to an end?MCM
From Joanne Evans:
Hi Mark,
I have been reading your blog for some time, and thought I would tell you a bit about our struggle and disenfranchisement.
These videos will tell you part of our story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qQ8BZwmVhc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EHbDNfBgLk&feature=relatedWe have tried to get help since 2005. While in the hospital with our youngest son, who was in critical care (we believe that Westar’s substation caused his illness), we decided to go public. We are non-violent American citizens seeking protection from Westar Energy Inc., which has invaded our private home.
In essence, Westar Energy Inc–the largest utility in the State of Kansas–has been allowed by the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) and the City of Emporia, Kansas, to use our private home (with us in it), and our private land, without our consent. Westar is operating one of their largest industrial substations in a residentially zoned neighborhood; and they cannot stay within their property lines.
Simply put, ours is a story of exploitation by corporate greed.
We finally decided to hire an attorney, to write Westar a letter asking them to buy us out since, they have been using our property, making it impossible, and morally wrong, to sell this home to another family. We have a 30-year history with this home. Not only did Westar refused–they expanded their plant, and sued us, under Eminent Domain, to take another ten feet of our land (just as their lobbyist had threatened to do, as the video shows).
Westar and their shareholders are untroubled that they have destroying our home, our health and our well-being. After all, we are only an American family, and the writing’s on the wall: Americans have no protection unless corporate heads bestow it on them.
Westar can get away with this because the City of Emporia is in their pocket. Nothing illustrates this better than what happened after our Youtubes came to the attention of both Westar and the city–whose attorney, Blaze Plummer, filed a Motion for Protection Order against us, asking a judge to quash our 1st Amendment Rights. This demonstrates the fascist mentality of our local government and Westar Energy. (The judge denied their motion.)
Folks in Kansas like to bellyache about electricity rate hikes, but as far as I’m concerned it’s all hot air. When Westar grabbed $20 million of federal stimulus money, we were the only ones who protested. It feels like our family is in a tornado and no one hears us scream–yet we still exercised our right to question authority, and filed a request with the DOE, asking them to investigate Westar’s accountability as a federal grantee. That the Department heard from no one but my family– people forced to live ten feet from a toxic Westar plant–is very sad. Such complacency will be the death of the midwestern way of life.
I hope your readers will help spread the word about what’s happened to us. If anyone is interested, I have copied documents that prove that Westar and the KCC are both in need of oversight.
Joanne Evans
A follow-up article was posted today at OpEdNews.com Let’s get the Evans family out of hell:
For OpEdNews: Mark Crispin Miller – Writer
Here is an exchange between Mike Thornton, an activist who runs layofflist.org, and Joanne Evans, whose family has been tortured for four years by Westar Energy, with the complicity of the authorities–municipal, state and federal.For more background about how the Evans family has been poisoned and oppressed:
http://markcrispinmiller.com/2009/12/a-family-poisoned-and-oppressed-in-kansas/
Mike’s email to Joanne is at the bottom here, and Joanne’s reply is just below. Read hers first, both to get a fuller sense of the nightmare that her family has been put through, and, second, to get–and USE–the contact info she’s provided.
I don’t have to tell you that this situation is horrific, and completely unacceptable. Soplease make every effort to protest what’s happened, what is happening now–and whatwill happen if we don’t all act: Westar plans to spray that property again. And no-one will do anything to stop it, unless we put the fear of God into these monsters.
MCM
Michael,
Thank you so much for writing. I will take you up on your offer to speak up against what’s happening to us.
Here are a couple of thoughts: Could you write, or call, the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC), and protest Westar’s conduct?
http://www.kcc.state.ks.us/about/index.htm
Sent: Saturday, December 26, 2009 4:56 PM
Subject: How can I help?
Dear Mrs. Evans,
I was sickened to see how your family and neighborhood is being ruined by corporate greed and municipal malfescence. It’s disheartening that you have to live with a corporate neighbor that thinks more of power than the people it’s harming. Your city is also to blame for playing the corporate game with no regard for its citizens.
I belong to a small noise group called http://www.noiseoff.org/that is involved with noise issues. I sent them a link to the story that I read on Mark Crispin Miller’s site.
Your situation reminds me of the Erin Brockovich movie where she finds out how a local utility was polluting the well water of many local residents.In fact, I see that Ms. Brockovich has a web site where you can try and contact her: http://www.brockovich.com/contact/general.htm
If there is something I can do to help, such as writing a letter or calling a local official, I’d be glad to help. It’s time that we start standing up to the powers that be, so we can get a fair shake.
I read an article recently where it’s discussed how both corporations and government act to suppress any type of civil action of disobedience. It’s a telling tale of how we have stopped fighting for what is right:http://www.alternet.org/story/144529/are_americans_a_broken_people_why_we’ve_stopped_fighting_back_against_the_forces_of_oppression?page=entire
I was once an ardent Democrat, but I have seen over the past 20 years that both major political parties are in the hip pocket of the rich and the corporations. We need third and fourth political parties that are designed to help the citizen and not just the corporation. Until that time, I will be fighting the good fight for individual justice. I try to do my part at a blog I created about unemployment: http://www.layofflist.org/
I wish you and your family good fortune with your fight and don’t give up, since there are many more on your side than you might think.
Michael Thornton
Rochester, NY
If you are able to write the people and organizations that Mrs. Evans mentioned, I’m sure the family would greatly appreciate your support. I will post updates to this story as they are available.
