------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the March 6, 2003 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
UNNATURAL DISASTERS The tragedies in Chicago and Rhode Island nightclubs. The gasoline explosion off Staten Island. These are not "natural" disasters. Capitalist greed fueled these catastrophes. In Chicago, at least 21 people were trampled or crushed to death and 57 injured on Feb. 17 after security guards reportedly sprayed either Mace or pepper spray in an overcrowded African American nightclub. Bush and Ashcroft's "Code Orange" campaign has created great potential for panic if people fear they might be under attack. The building was in violation of fire codes and had a past history of code violations. The club, E2, was supposed to have been shuttered last July for safety violations. City officials said the owners knew they were not allowed to open. One of the reasons was the club's failure to provide enough exits. Panicked club goers reportedly found many exits locked. Club owners often do this to make sure that everyone pays admission. A similar use of pepper spray at a nightclub in Pullman, Wash., last September also set off a panic. But hundreds escaped unharmed through an unlocked back door. A fire at The Station in Rhode Island on Feb. 20 claimed the lives of 97 people and left many others critically burned. It was ignited by an indoor pyrotechnic display. Since insurance companies charge an estimated $2 million in liability insurance, many smaller clubs or venues don't take out policies. They don't adhere to basic safety regulations that would save many lives: ample and accessible exits commensurate with crowd size, sprinkler systems, up-to-date inspections, specified distance between performer and audience, flame-retardant materials, a trained pyrotechnic expert, a trained medic and stand-by fire engines. These safety requirements cost money, so out they go. In this era of deregulation, the chase for the almighty dollar is relatively unimpeded. And the capitalist profit motive connects these needless tragedies to the Feb. 22 explosion that rocked Staten Island. A barge unloading 118,000 barrels of gasoline at ExxonMobil Corp.'s Port Mobil terminal detonated, killing two Bouchard Transportation Co. Inc. workers and injuring one ExxonMobil employee. The huge explosion sent shock waves of fear through the population of New York and New Jersey. The facility, the largest in the country, can store up to 125 million gallons of oil. It sits adjacent to several residential communities. Bouchard, the country's largest independent tug and barge operator, has a history of oil and gasoline spills in recent years. And last March, ExxonMobil paid $11.2 million in an out-of-court settlement for allegedly mishandling benzene-contaminated waste at Port Mobil. Benzene is a dangerous carcinogen. Deregulation and a sluggish economy are incentives to cut corners on safety to rake in profits. And profits are what capitalism is all about. The barge explosion sent heating oil futures soaring to a near all-time high and natural gas futures to their highest price level in two years on the New York Mercantile Exchange. - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe wwnews- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Support the voice of resistance http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php) ------------------ This message is sent to you by Workers World News Service. To subscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
