Bayview-Hunters Point Residents Call on S.F. Mayor to Halt Shipyard Development

A group of Bayview-Hunters Point residents are calling on San Francisco city officials to halt all future development at the Hunters Point Shipyard until the soil at the former naval base is retested, and "all the land is certifiably remediated."

Their demands come after Hunters Point homeowners filed a $27 billion lawsuit on Wednesday against property owner Lennar, developer FivePoint and Tetra Tech, the firm accused of falsifying data related to the toxic cleanup at the former nuclear weapons research facility.

The shipyard was designated a Superfund site in 1989. An Environmental Protection Agency report, revealed in April by a scientific advocacy organization, found that the Navy understated the scope of the decades-old cleanup of the contaminated site.

A group of women and children led by activist Elaine Brown made their way to Mayor London Breed's office on Thursday to hand-deliver their demands, after holding a brief press conference outside City Hall.

The group attempted to schedule a meeting with Breed and Board of Supervisors President and District 10 Supervisor Malia Cohen, who herself recently called for a hearing looking into problems plaguing the cleanup of the site.

The group's list of demands includes a call to halt all government-sponsored retesting of the soil, and for at least one public hearing per month regarding the cleanup.

"We want the city of San Francisco to pay and fund a testing of the entire shipyard, but we will provide the technicians and scientists," said Brown, emphasizing residents' mistrust following the accusations of falsification against Tetra Tech.

The group also demanded the city allocate funds for medical testing of Hunters Point residents.

Alamelu Rao, a resident of Hunters Point since 2013, said she is fearful for her life and her child's life after developing respiratory issues.

"We are very decent people, we are parents, we are mothers, wives, grandmothers who are genuinely worried about our health and our children's well-being," she said.

In a written statement, Mayor Breed said, "The health and safety of all San Franciscans, including the residents of the Bayview-Hunters Point community, is my highest concern."

Breed said there is currently no construction taking place at Hunters Point, and that testing the soil on Parcel A has already begun.

"I want to be clear, San Francisco is committed to a comprehensive and transparent retesting process of the Hunters Point Shipyard and to working closely with local, state, and federal regulators," said Breed.

Tetra Tech spokesman Sam Singer said in a written statement the company stands by the work it has done and met all standards set by the Navy.