Picketers in front of Exxon/Mobil refinery in Torrance Saurday morning Feb 21, 2015. Chuck Bennett — Staff Photographer
Protesters clad in hazmat suits protested over the weekend at the ExxonMobil refinery gates in Torrance in response to what they called the company’s “lackluster response” to community complaints in the aftermath of a plant explosion last week.
A Faceback post by the United Steel Workers union identified the protesters as “a squadron of USW Local 675 commandos” backed by Occupy Wall Street members. They dumped a pile of manure at the refinery to protest ExxonMobil’s delayed response to inquiries about whether the ash-like debris released from the refinery posed any health risks. The steelworkers claim the debris could be harmful to human health.