lacking is courage to do the right thing. so i wanted to bring you my daughter's beads of courage. my daughter's a two-time cancer survivor at 9 years old. >> can you do it? hachoo! you want to go to disney land today? >> yeah. >> okay. let's go to disneyland. >> oh, yeah! are you going to go too? >> oh, yeah! >> she earned all these beads through her cancer treatment program. each bead represents something different, for example, red represents when she had a blood transfusion. black when she got poked with a needle. yellow for in-patient stays. white for chemotherapy. this is what she earned the first month. i'd like to share with you what she has earned over the last two times fighting cancer. a few of the photos, i just want to fly through real quick of some of the children that we've met who are local. i went to camp with this little boy last weekend. he's about to lose his second eye. this little boy has t-cell leukemia. he's doing all right, he's in remission. we've had several who've passed away. we need to you step in and protect us and protect our children. do the right thing. thank you. >> thank you. ♪♪ ♪♪ >> hi. i love you. want to sit on my lap? i'm sorry. i know you're really sore right now. >> yeah. >> my daughter, grace ellen had just turned 4 years old, when we found bruises all over her body. took her to the pediatrician and quickly found out she had an incredibly rare and aggressive form of childhood leukemia. she had a 20% survival rate. she really endured a lot of suffering that first year. and then she had a year and a half of just wonderful cancer-free childhood. and then gracie's cancer relapsed, and it came back. >> it was april 2013, and my daughter hazel was 2. and i was noticing that she was not quite herself. i kept calling the doctors, and everybody was going, it's probably just the flu. and i turned to my husband, and i said my mommy instincts are telling me something's really wrong. i said i don't know why, but i think she has cancer. they performed some blood work tests and ultra sound. after several days of tests, we knew it was neuroblastoma. >> all right, hazel, are you ready to play simon says? >> yeah! >> simon says touch your nodes. simon says touch your head. simon says touch your moth. simon says touch your ears. simon says say "i love you." >> i love you. >> simon says sing "twinkle twinkle." ♪ [cheers and applause] >> hazel was in remission for two and a half years. in 2016 she relapsed. >> good job. >> first time grace had cancer, we lived over 100 days at children's hospital in los angeles. >> how cool is that? >> yeah? >> as we were meeting families, we would casually ask, where are you from? >> that's exactly what happened with the bumstead family. they were at the hospital the same time we were. and grace, her daughter and hazel immediately became friends. they're so similar in so many ways. so it felt great to have that connection. ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ ♪ happy birthday dear gracie ♪ >> and we found out that we lived within 20 minutes of each other. >> and i kept meeting other families, and they'd say how about that, we live around the corner, two blocks over. three miles, five miles. >> then several other moms and dads in west hills, thousand oaks, and we were really at the time just thankful for it. but i think, as time went on, we're going wait a second, how is it that so many of us live nearby. we're going to children's hospital los angeles. a world-renowned hospital. people are coming from all over the world to come for treatment, and yet we're meeting people who live on our street. >> i kept pushing back against my own mental red flags until i met a family that said oh, we live on your street, and granted, we live on a long boulevard. it's three miles, but they lived on our street, and they said my neighbor had the same exact brain cancer that my son had. and there were two of them, neighbors, plus my daughter. that's three on the same street. so i panicked. and i set up a facebook group for all the local cancer parents, and we started mapping ourselves out on google maps. and for a long time we couldn't find the connection. we couldn't see what was going on, but we could tell there were too many of us. and it was about a year after that that someone mentioned the santa susana field lab, and i had never heard of it. we'd already lived here for seven years. we had to live with the fact that maybe it could have been avoided. maybe our government hadn't protected us the way it should have, and maybe our whole community had been hiding this giant secret. sluggish or weighed down? 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(gasps) ♪ did it work? only pay for what you need ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ spider-man no way home in theaters december 17th ♪♪ awareness brings compassion, and compassion leads to right action. that is what we're missing. i'm daniel hirsch. i'm president of the committee to bridge the gap. and i'm recently retired as the director of the program on environmental and nuclear policy at the university of california santa cruz. >> my name is denise, i'm the associate director for positions for social responsibility los angeles. >> in the mid to late 1940s, the u.s. government was trying to find a location in southern california to do nuclear reactor developmental testing and also rocket testing. >> the field lab was originally selected as a location to be away from populated areas because they knew they were going to be doing research that could be potentially dangerous. >> they did a marvelous study to determine what would be the least dangerous place to put a reactor testing facility, and the santa susana facility ranked very poorly. they were concerned any radioactivity that was released could get to populated areas nearby. they chose to site it anyway. >> santa susana ranked fifth or sixth because of meteorological conditions but selected anyway because of the driving time to ucla. >> at the time the santa suzenna field was established there was relatively low population density around it. >> this is a quiet place. >> over the years they built ten nuclear reactors, a plutonium fuel fabrication facility which took plutonium, the most dangerous material on earth, and made nuclear fuel out of it. and a hot lab in which they shift in irradiated nuclear fuel to be cut apart. none of those reactors, by the way, had a containment structure. those domes associated nuclear power plants, they were just in regular rooms. >> the most well-known of those was a reactor called the sodium reactor experiment. >> sre, the sodium reactor experiment is radically different from other reactor concepts. >> created and built for industrial application, medical research and scientific exploration. >> on the first full power run of the reactor and steam plant, all systems operated smoothly, and full power was obtained with ease. >> for the first time in the united states an entire community was illuminated by electricity generated by an atomic reactor. >> when we lived here before we learned the news, it was just utopia. we had a rural atmosphere, close to the city. we had children who loved playing in the creeks. and i thought we'd found a dream place. >> you know, it's the '50s and '60s. it was magical. in those days we'd go out the door. mom would say come back before dinner, and it was totally safe. nobody locked their doors. we just played outdoors all day, all the time. >> this is how american families are living in their new homes. >> the valley was the ideal place to go. it was agriculture at that time. it was rural, and it would have been really the most idyllic place to raise a child but for the story that's unfolding now. >> i think i was 19 years old when i came to california. i started working at atomics international in santa susana in 1963. i felt a sense of pride to be there and be involved. and every worker felt a sense of pride. i didn't know anything about what they were doing where i worked except it was secret. the employees of santa susana field laboratory in cunoega and desoto facility changed the face of humanity. my father was employed by rocket dime between 1962 and 1969. he was the senior propulsion test director. i was never concerned about why dad did for a living as a young child. he didn't really elaborate on what his job duties were at the work site. they were sworn to secrecy. >> we did know know what we had really been dealing with all these years, what wez really going on up there. >> and it just changed because then we didn't know if we came and brought our children to a place that could be harmful to them. because how did we know? my girls loved playing in the creeks and getting frogs. and it was scary. it was scary. and so as time went on it was even worse than we could even imagine. my name is john pace. i was there at the time of the worst nuclear accident in the history of the united states. i was 19 when i was hired there in 1959. i didn't even know what a reactor was when i first went to work there. >> sitting at the control desk. you look young to me. are these young men in your organization? >> yes, all these operators are fairly young fellows. all they need is a high school education with some major in science. >> it was a cold wartime at that time, and i was trying to help the united states outdo the russians. >> on the one side the forces of freedom. on the other, the forces of communism. >> it was an honor to work there. so i was working with the very best scientists in the nuclear business. in fact, the person that overseen the sra reactor was dr. marvin j. fox. he's the one that helped invent the atomic bomb that was dropped on hiroshima. and july 13th it was probably about 11:00 when i got there on that particular graveyard shift, went in the building. i pulled up to the control room, looking through the door and i seen my crew was already there. then i looked even closer and i seen dr. marvin j. fox. and he had two others with him that i wasn't sure quite who they were. and i said, man, there's something that's just not right. so i got brave and opened the door real quiet. then as i stood there i heard the words coming out of dr. fox's mouth. i herd my supervisor ask, can we tell our families what happened today? the three looked at each other for a minute, and dr. fox, he turned around real quick and stared me in the eyes, almost nose to nose. nobody will say a word. from that point on, there was a coverup of what happened. >> it was the first step in a nuclear nightmare when a government official said that a break down in an atomic powerplant of pennsylvania today is probably the worst nuclear reactor accident to date. >> i was teaching at ucla in 1979. and there was a sent at a nuclear power plant in harrisburg, pennsylvania called three mile island, and my students wanted to research whether there were nuclear activities in the los angeles area, whether they had any problems. and i said sure, go ahead. i didn't think they'd find anything. and within a period of a few weeks they discovered there'd been a partial melt down at the nuclear reactor that we now call santa susana. they obtained footage. >> the fuel swelled in size and structural damage was sustained. >> the partial melt down occurred in a reactor that had no containment structure. the radioactivity was so high, they had to open this huge garage-type door to try to vent the radioactivity out toward seamy valley i and for that matter the rest of l.a. one scholar had estimated the radioactive being release from the melt down could have been 250 times greater than the amount released from the three-mile island accident. it was a much larger nuclear reactor but it had a containment structure. this was a smaller reactor but it had nothing to prevent the radioactivity from getting out. >> the radiation was clear off the scale. whichever way the wind was blowing, that's where the radiation travels, of course. it's like smoke from a fire. the men that was working there, they were so disturbed about it. >> five weeks later, the saturday morning papers, and the press release didn't say there was a partial melt down, didn't say there was a serious accident. they said just the opposite. at the very moment they issued that press release they were venting radioactive gases into the environment. >> despite the seriousness of the accident, the official news release claimed there was no indication of unsafe reactor conditions. >> they lied. and i couldn't say a word. 20 years i was silenced. silenc. no mess. just the soothing vicks' vapor for the whole family. introducing new vicks vapostick. like you, my hands are everything to me. but i was diagnosed with dupuytren's contracture. and it got to the point where things i took for granted got tougher to do. thought surgery was my only option. turns out i was wrong. so when a hand specialist told me about nonsurgical treatments, it was a total game changer. like you, my hands have a lot more to do. learn more at factsonhand.com today. 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of a smog in los angeles. >> the potential hazard of major release into the environment was just not there. >> and it's taken until this week, 20 years later for the details to be widely broadcast. >> we all have the idea, all of us who were involved in this project that it had been a cover-up. we knew that we had to approach this in a very, very careful way because we knew that we were looking at a very powerful industry that had not been challenged in the way that we were prepared to challenge it ever before. it was a scary proposition to take on the nuclear industry, a very scary proposition. >> so the accident at santa susana was serious, yet there's room for debate how well it was handled. >> we knew we had something that was really important particularly in the context of what was going at three mile island. i think what it reveals is that this great guarantee of the ultimate safety of the industry was a phony, was a fake, was wrong. >> it was one of the worst nuclear accidents in history to that point. no one knew until my students uncovered the documents 2 decades later. >> the material we got mostly came from an outfit in westwood called bridge the gap which is an anti-nuclear group. >> what happened in santa susana would not happen at a well-run facility. this was a case of tremendous environmental negligence. they cut corners over and over and over again. the risks continued for many decades. >> the nuclear work was over 4 decades, the other aerospace work didn't really cease until 2006. so over the course of decades, in the course of accidents, spills, releases, some intentional, the soil and the ground water and surface water runoff has become very contaminated. >> in the canyons of southern california, the engine sometimes called a rocket, sometimes called a power plant, sometimes the booster is born. >> we'd all lived knowing there were rocket tests. we used to have big booms, and we would see like mushroom clouds above the facility. >> i would play outside with my friends until it got dark. i'd be in the cul-de-sac, and we'd all look up, and we could hear those roars. >> in california santa susana mountains rocketdyne engineers had created america's largest prupulgz field laboratory. >> the whole of the valley would just shudder. >> launch is go. >> tens of thousands of rocket tests, and those would produce huge plumes of contamination that would be spreading a substantial distance. >> engines poured forth their pillars of flames. >> over 30,000 rocket engine tests, and a lot of the chemical contamination on the site is a result of that. >> they ended up flushing out rocket test engines with a very toxic solvent called tce, hundreds of thousands of gallons, leaving half a million gallons of tce in the ground water. >> it was a hot lab there where they would reprocess spent nuclear fuel that was shipped in from around the country. that lab had fires. >> gamma radiation is hard to work with sometimes. >> they also had an open burn pit. there they would take each month 100 or so 55 gallon drums filled with toxic chemicals and they would shoot at them with rifles and they would catch fire and huge plumes of toxic smoke. workers were killed because they were illegally disposing of hazardous materials by blowing them up on the property. >> ten nuke, reactors, three of which suffered accidents, these activities went on for decades. >> during that period the population just mushroomed around the field laboratory. >> i think anyone who has a fear of anything like that, they should be told and given a chance to say, no, i don't want to live here. >> it did not appear to be a hazard to the public or to our employees. potential hazard of major release into the environment was just not there. >> the santa savannah field lab hill is contaminated with a veritable who's who of toxic chemicals to vaulttle acids and multiradioactive nuclides and also numerous reactions over the years. we actually describe not the half life, which is the time after which it would be half as potent as it was when it degrades. we describe something called its hazardous life which is equated to 20 half lives. these are the most dangerous, which we have well studied and well high awareness of their health impacts that go on for these hundreds if not half million years. >> right now half a million people live within 10 miles of the site. >> i'm asked over and over again where is it safe, where would it be dangerous? and after studying this for almost 40 years, i'm afraid i can't answer that. people need to understand that the santa suzenna field laboratory is on a mountain. gravity wants to carry that contamination downhill. it's not a glass wall surrounding santa susana that prevents contaminates from being blown off-site by the wind. the wind will carry the contaminates. there is not some kind of a dam built around the site so that when it rains, the rainfall won't carry the contaminates. so when it rains, the surface water carries the radioactivity down intermittent streams. it's the head waters of the los angeles river. so in terms of l.a. county you contaminate everything along the l.a. river and the various streams that lead to it. there was a camp called the brandice bar dean institute. it is right beneath the santa susana laboratory. there has been some contamination found on the property. and there is concern about the health of the children who have been or are going to that facility. soil contamination goes down through the camp and into the royal seamy where that contaminated water then percolates into the ground water. >> this is in our back yards. >> is it like gel? >> ew, dude. hey h hey, get your own vapors relax with vicks vapobath or with vicks vaposhower. take a soothing vicks vapo moment wherever you chose. are you one of the millions of americans who experience occasional bloating, gas or abdominal discomfort? taking align every day can help. align contains a quality probiotic developed 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[ applause ] >> i don't know if you know but ph positive leukemia is extremely rare. can you tell me what the statistic is? do you remember? one in a million. and while we already know that gracie is one in a million, she shouldn't have that kind of diagnosis. you've taught all of us here how to keep going in the face of something difficult. and we'd like to present you with our award. [ cheers and applause ] ♪♪ ♪♪ >> my daughter's a fighter. she's incredibly strong. i could not be more proud of her. and yet part of me still grieves that she has to be that way. you know, i wish more than anything she could have just had a normal childhood. you know, she was diagnosed when she was 4. that's almost before anyone can have a memory. she was immediately limited from being around other kids because of the germ factor. but also my son was so emotionally impacted. both of my children lost a big part of their childhood, and that's not fair. we can never get that back. my husband and i are trying to heal our marriage from all the separation and pain that we went through. and then what's leftover is me. but i have a lot of friends whose kids are still suffering. she didn't get to make a choice if she wanted her child to live next to this radiation. she probably never heard of it before. i don't think any of us should have had to pick up this burden, but i can't unlearn what i know. >> so the -- we'll have to wait for the -- >> sorry it's for you for a meeting. >> i -- you know what? why don't you tell her i'm being interviewed for a documentary for santa susana and i'll call her when i'm done. put the fear of [ bleep ] god into her. there's the department of energy which leased part of its property from boeing. there's nasa and boeing itself, which owns most of the site. >> at some point rocketdyne was sold to rockwell international and it was sold to boeing. >> the ultimate regulator of the santa susana field site is california. and specifically the department of toxic substances control, which is a subdivision of the california epa. california is the one who gets to say this is how much gets cleaned up. >> we have the authority to shutdown a business when we feel like the health of the community is at risk and when we see evidence of harm to the environment or to human health. environment or to human health my hygienist personalizes my cleaning. so does my oral-b oral-b delivers the wow of a professional clean feel every day. wondering what actually goes into your multi-vitamin. at new chapter. its innovation organic ingredients and fermentation. fermentation? yes, formulated to help your body really truly absorb the natural goodness. new chapter. wellness well done. ♪ limu emu... & doug ♪ ♪ superpowers from a spider bite? i could use some help showing the world how liberty mutual customizes their car insurance so they only pay for what they need. (gasps) ♪ did it work? only pay for what you need ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ spider-man no way home in theaters december 17th switching wireless carriers is easy with xfinity. ♪ just lean on our helpful. switch squad to help you save with xfinity mobile. they can help break up with your current carrier for you and transfer your info to your new phone. giving you a fast and easy experience that can save you hundreds a year on your wireless bill. visit your nearest xfinity store and see how the switch squad can help you switch and save. it's the xfinity black friday sales event. learn how to save up to $1000 on select phones by visitng your local xfinity store today. there were a lot of people who had a stake in keeping this story under wraps. i had a lot of insiders tell me that people who run this agency have no interest in telling the truth about santa susana. my station broke a huge story back in 1979. a few years ago the producer of that 1979 report came to see me at knbc, and he said there's a lot more to the story that we broke back in '79. you have to continue our work. you have to dig deeper. >> you might be wondering why we should care about a nuclear accident that happened half a century ago. because as you're about to see thousands of people in the san fur nndo and seem ae valleys have been secretly exposed to dangerous radioactive fall out. >> it was pretty clear to me there were people inside certain government agencies like the dtsc who were very close with boeing. >> that was a very effective way for boeing to buy protection for themselves. i was looking into the department of toxic substances control, and i decided to look into how is it really regulating toxics. and we did get very revealing material that showed us that the dtsc is what i call a captured agency. it's captured by the polluters it's actually supposed to be regulating. >> insiders of the state department of toxic substance control told us they were often too lenient with polluters who often didn't cleanup contamination. >> boeing maintains there have been no adverse health impacts from the contamination at santa susana. they'll say it's not getting off-site at levels that are harmful to human health, and that's not true. >> polluters very adept at flattering regulators, at grooming them, taking them by the hand when they didn't know that much, kind of shows them the direction of what they wanted things to look like. >> i also as you know represent many private companies who were also found to be balanced, thorough and just as open as she claims to be. >> santa susana and is a committee textbook lesson on the way government works. people working on this issue and then they leave government and they can make a lot more money becoming a lobbyist for the company involved in this issue, in this case boeing. >> the flotilla of fixers that were hired by boeing, many of them had direct connections to jerry brown or had worked for him. >> it's been like a game of musical chairs. a former environmental aid to governor brown, a former head of the state epa, and the former chief lawyer of the dtsc have all switched sides and worked on behalf of boeing to kill a full cleanup of santa susana. >> the santa susana field laboratory is a really complex cleanup. it costs a lot of money. and any time it costs a lot of money, there's going to be politics at play. that leads to delay. >> in 2007 there was a consent order signed between the dtsc and the responsible parties that basically did not establish much of a cleanup standard. it was very weak, and it was exactly what boeing wanted. >> a recreational risk based cleanup which is what boeing is pushing is based off people being on the site very infrequently. people who live near santa susana do not live in >> all through the 2000s there was an effort to require a full cleanup. then state senator sheila kuehl who represented the area introduced bill after bill. >> workers and neighbors have become sick and too many have died. it's time to require full and complete cleanup. >> ask for your aye vote. >> in 2007, she finally got her legislation through. >> believe it or not, under schwarzenegger there was an actual serious effort to clean up that site. but after governor brown came to office, things shifted very dramatically. >> boeing, however, went to court and overturned the law and through some exceedingly troubling action by the administration, that lawsuit was lost. within five weeks of jerry brown being sworn in 2011, a secret stipulation was entered into between the state and boeing in that lawsuit. >> the state of california actually stipulated that they would not contest any material fact that boeing would put forward in the suit. and they actually agreed to that stipulation, it's my understanding, before having seen the material facts that boeing was going to put forward. the judge found it very easy to overturn the law. >> the state waived the right to dispute anything that boeing might say without knowing what those things would be. >> it was a major blow. and it was exactly what boeing wanted, and they got it. there are those who think your agency is too cozy with boeing. >> i haven't seen it, and i looked for it. >> nasa and the department of energy also signed 2010 agreements with the state of california. and these were actually really historic agreements. and what they do is they say the santa susana field laboratory has to be cleaned up to background levels. and essentially, what that means is if there is contamination on-site, it gets cleaned up. >> from your vantage point, what is the status of nasa's actions with respect to the cleanup? >> congresswoman, all that information you just related is my understanding as well as where we are. and nasa is committed to fulfilling our obligations under the afc. >> i'm tired of fighting. let's clean up the background. let's get this site closed. yes, things happen. yes, they are unfortunate. and we've made a commitment to clean it up. >> that cleanup was supposed to have already been concluded by 2017. and boeing and the federal agencies have ensured it hasn't even started. and i'm certain that these federal agencies do not want to set a precedent in terms of really cleaning up to a proper standard. and what happens when you cut your corners on safety is you kill people. and that's exactly what boeing did with the 737-max. that is their style. >> the department of energy, nasa, and boeing have made repeated promises to clean up, as has the state toxics agency that oversees them. and those promises have been broken again and again. >> anyone from your agency talk to us at all? >> my public people have talked to you. >> we've made a commitment to clean it up. >> i've said all i'm going to say. >> at the end of the day, it's the right thing to do. >> you've said nothing. >> and that means that there have been years and years of additional migration possible that wouldn't have been possible if they had lived up to the commitments. >> it's my commitment to the people of california that when i'm gone, i've left in place a system that is robust, defensible, and meaningful for the future. >> can you see how some people would think this is more lip service? >> i would hope they wouldn't. feeling sluggish or weighed down? it could be a sign that your digestive system isn't working at it's best taking metamucil everyday can help. metamucil psyllium fiber, gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. it also helps lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so you can feel lighter and more energetic metamucil. support your daily digestive health. and try metamucil fiber thins. a great tasting and easy way to start your day. you're going about your business, and all of the sudden a nightmare. everything is different. >> it is the biggest nightmare a parent could ever imagine. >> in 2006, there were a cluster of retinoblastoma, a rare eye cancer affecting children. there is just under 300 diagnosed in the united states, and there were 11 cases right near the site. we have very, very strong evidence that the first group of mothers whose children suffered from retinoblastoma did sue boeing and did settle and as part of that settlement were no longer allowed to talk to the media or get involved. if you have a child with cancer, it's very expensive. i know one mother in particular i talked to recently who their family is medically bankrupt now caring for their daughter. so i can understand if i was one of those mothers why they might have went with that agreement. and now several years later, we're seeing new cases of pediatric cancers that are near the site. >> exposes you to some background of cancer, particularly for pregnant women and children. >> the beer 7 report which came out in 2006, that landmark study ended up showing that there is no linear threshold, that any level, any level of radionucleide exposure above background had an inherent increased risk of cancer. there is a dramatic increase in very rare and bizarre cancers that typically may happen a few times across the nation. and what we've been noting over the years is we have children who are not one, but two or three or four children within the community surrounding the test lab have these unusual cancers. >> boeing itself did risk assessments of what the risk would be if someone were to live on the property, and their own estimate for some of the locations was that the cancer risk was as high as 96 out of 100. meaning if 100 people lived there, 96 would get cancer from the contamination. epa and dtsc normally require the risk be capped at 1 in a million. so you can see how serious the contamination is and how large the problem would be if they left it behind. >> we found documents that show the radiation has moved offsite, including at the brandeis bardin institute. >> i was the president of the brandeis bardin institute. from 2000 to 2003. prior to accepting the job, i asked the chair of the board if there was anything i needed to be worried about, and she said it's all good. we've had a settlement, and everything in that land has been cleaned up, and there is nothing to worry about. >> i think one of the most surprising documents we unearthed was an internal report commissioned by the camp that proved there was a lot of contamination from santa susana that ran down into this children's camp. and it was the basis for the camp suing the owners of the field lab and then secretly settling that lawsuit. >> so when i hear about a settlement, what comes to mind is that there is liability there. we don't often want to hear the dark side of things. well don't often want to hear that there is something wrong they have not been transparent in exactly what is going on up there, even now. >> how can one person be diagnosed with tie ride cancer at age 4, two recurrences and end up with an extremely rare uterine cancer with no family history of any kind? >> we were four women, we're all cancer-free, and now fast forward, we're only one cancer-free. >> i had stage 3 to 4 bladder cancer. i just was shocked. and then i was so angry. >> my mother was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2001. she passed away seven weeks later at the age of 58. and my father was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. he passed a away. in 2010. >> my daughter was diagnosed that turned into thyroid cancer. my father survived his cancer and my mother suffered with ovarian cancer and colon cancer and she couldn't take it. so my mom actually ended up committing suicide. my oldest sister was diagnosed with brain cancer and glioblastoma. and she was dying two years later, her own daughter was diagnosed with cancer too, and she passed about just eight months after my sister. >> to hear that your child has a life-threatening disease absolutely shakes you to your core. >> it was really, really devastating to the family. every day was like the rug was being taken out from under us. >> our world ended on that day. and this new reality had to come into existence. >> i thought she was going beat it. i really did. she didn't. i think we were just in denial. >> it's a beautiful thing to be in denial because you get to enjoy every moment, you know. so that's the best thing. >> i can't just leave. it's hard to give everything up, because somebody can't do the right thing. >> where do you go that you really know you're safe, you know? i mean, i moved here thinking i was safe. >> and why should we leave? we came here in good faith. why should we leave? they need to clean up their crap. >> you can't sit back and pretend it's not real. you have to do something. >> who is the person who could make a difference in all of this? who can make a difference? do you take aspirin? plain aspirin could be hurting your stomach. new vazalore is the first liquid-filled aspirin capsule clinically shown to cause fewer ulcers than plain 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from the big three. xfinity internet customers take the savings challenge at xfinitymobile.com/mysavings. or visit an xfinity store to learn how our switch squad makes it easy to switch and save hundreds. i'm never not thinking about it. and i'm never not thinking about how we can -- we can change things, because it's not only my community we're trying to protect, we live here. my kids live here. >> look both ways. good. let's cross. >> i do not. >> i never thought i was smart growing up. i never trusted myself, and i never really valued myself. i do feel incredibly small. and it's hard to say that, because with that comes the lack of control that i feel. when gracie got diagnosed, there was this one moment in the hospital where, you know, she had a port underneath her skin, and they had to pierce the port with a needle to get her chemo or blood transfusions or whatever it was she needed. but they had a very specific process of cleaning and sterilizing all the equipment before you attach the tube. two days earlier, i had had a huge lesson on how to do it properly because we had to do that at home. and we were in the operating room, and i saw the nurse wipe it twice, and they were supposed to do at least ten seconds of that. and then they're supposed to let it dry for 20 seconds. and in that one second, i realized i need to say something. i need to stop this woman because if she does that and there is bacteria, it can go straight into gracie's bloodstream through her heart. it can kill her. in that same exact second, i thought if i say something, she'll say what do you know? you're not trained. i'm an authority figure, you are not. i'm going to embarrass you for bringing this up and rocking the boat. and as she is going to get her, i didn't do anything. because i ended up being more afraid of what she would say than protecting my daughter. and thank god nothing happened. but i swore that moment, i will never, ever let my children be put in danger because i was too scared to speak up. and i think that was the day i decided i might as well make a difference. >> melissa bumstead. >> i hope i'm not talking too fast, but i'm pretty nervous. >> this is alarming, and we are concerned. the cancer moms in my community. on my street that had it. >> a group of seven mothers and i, not really understanding what we were doing came to our first dtse department of toxic control meeting to find out what is wrong. are we in danger? and that was the fist day i realized we are in danger. through the change.org petition, we started to get traction. and people started to care and i realized we weren't alone in this fight. >> i'm a teacher and i'm not irrational. >> we're here because of numerous failures of legislators to protect the people. >> this should not be happening. >> i got up there and i was shaking my hand. how dare you do this to my community? you're lying about this, trying to confuse all of us? why would you do all this? >> because it's cheaper for bowing to pay the relatively measly fees than to clean up your mess. you regulate boeing, not the other way around. >> we are a force to be reckoned with. ♪ papa was a rolling stone, wherever he laid his hat was his home ♪ >> i've really changed. i've really healed, and now i am willing to have confrontation not for confrontation's sake, but to protect people that i care about. i still wanted to throw up afterwards. >> she has always been fierce. her motivation to never stop just keeps getting stronger and stronger. >> melissa bumstead is a super hero. >> i've never met anyone like her. >> she is the face of this cleanup. >> she has to keep going. >> peep like melissa will change. i know she has changed it already. >> there is nothing like a mom wanting to protect her children. there is no force on earth that is more powerful. >> my daughter went through excruciating pain, and she buried two of her friends last year. we are praying to god that we finally get the cleanup, because sometimes i can't sleep at night, worrying that my children are in danger. and i know i'm not the only one. >> but what people maybe don't remember is that we're fitting a lifetime. >> yes. >> into a year or two or three or five. >> yes. >> and that's -- that's true. it's true for all of us. >> one of the things i wish we could have done, because she was in the process of getting a second wish granted. >> yeah. >> and her wish was to go to kleinfeld's in new york and try on wedding dresses because her favorite show was "say yes to the dress." we would watch it in the hospital all the time. and we got approved, and we were planning it in january of last year. >> right. >> and we were going to try to go in april. >> yeah. >> but -- but she didn't get to. and sometimes it's really hard because oh, gosh, she never got to try on a wedding dress. she'll never get to walk down the aisle. like you said, we're trying to fit in a lifetime. >> right. >> in just a small number of years. and that's -- that's so powerful. >> the day she passed away, my husband and i, we weren't -- we weren't ready to go home. we left her at the hospital, and that was the hardest thing we ever had to do was to leave there without her. it was so hard to trust in anything, because all you feel is that tangible loss. >> keep praying and stay strong. >> i tried to get to a protest the other day, but my body wouldn't let me. melissa and i tell each other all the time just do what you can, and that's okay and don't feel bad. but it was hard because i continued to feel guilty because i was like this fight doesn't stop just because i do. but watching what melissa has done over this last year has just been remarkable. being a mom is hard enough. being a mom of a child who has cancer makes it harder. and being a mom who is trying to protect all the kids in her community from some insidious exposure, the level of responsibility you end up taking on and feeling is daunting and draining and overwhelming. i've seen the toll that it's taken on her because it's frustrating when people don't listen. but she still gets up, and she still fights, and she still is pushing so hard. because she's watched her friends bury their children. >> melissa is the key to the cleanup. melissa is now leading the community in this effort, and her voice is critical in the leadership that she has shown in organizing her community is critical. and that will make or break everything. anything else that is worth putting a flag on. >> but i was thinking something like this may be good to put out to the community. we're trying to figure out how to message it. >> right. >> to the right target. and we don't really know what the right next target is. >> right. >> and then randomly -- >> i admire melissa more than i can begin to say. she has taken this personal tragedy and used that as motivation and energy to try to protect others. and i've been in meetings where melissa and grace have gone to meet with state senators, and they touched their hearts some. it becomes much easier to do what a polluter wants you to do if you don't see who gets hurt from it. >> to commit to us that the site will be fully cleaned up in a timely manner, and that they will make that a priority. >> how did you feel about the meeting, melissa? >> it sounds like she is talking like a human instead of a politician. i mean, it doesn't mean that they'll actually do it, like you said. >> the hundreds of thousands of signatures on the petition has turned things around quite a bit. the question is it enough? automotive donor to make-a-wish and meals on wheels. and the largest corporate donor to the aspca and national park foundation. get a new subaru during the share the love event and subaru will donate two hundred and fifty dollars to charity. well, it sounds like they're driving through the campaign trail, and we fit in it. he said they're going bring a lot of film cameras, national news. what if he is not ready to sign, like they know he is not ready to sign? but that's a conversation that he might go to immediately. because i'm going to call him. he asked that i would call. >> hi, hon. how you doing? >> right. yep, yep. yep. okay, okay. right. okay. okay. yeah. good, at least i -- okay. thank you so much, you guys. i so appreciate you. all right. all right. bye. hey, hon. >> i got a call from john cox's campaign manager. they weren't really making a huge effort. and now it's four days before the election, and all of the sudden they're like hounding me to come host this thing where cox can step in with all these, you know, crying cancer moms. and it was so much pressure and such a short amount of time to try to figure things out. you know, denise has been great and saying melissa, in the end this has to be your call because this is your community, and you need to do what you feel is right. and dan is going you can't do this. you're walking into a trap, essentially. and so when i got that word, i called them up and said i've been praying about it. i don't feel good about it. i'm sorry. i just can't do it. and so i canceled. i hate that. i hate that politics has to be a part of anything i do, to be honest. i just like to be honest and do what i feel is right and kind of always have my cards out. i don't even know if i made the right choice. and now people are mad at me, and i don't know if they're right or wrong. i don't know anything. i just feel like i don't know anything. and then dan is saying -- i know he is trying to be nice, but i kind of wish he hadn't. he is saying it's kind of on your shoulders now, melissa. you've got to make this happen or we're all going to lose. some people are trying to say these people are using you and these people are using you. i'm a very small person, you know. this is not what i thought my life would be. and i feel so little and i feel so powerless right now. and it doesn't stop. and then i have these little times of melting down, and then i pack it up and wash my face, and i go pick up the kids from school, and life just moves on. i think that's all i have to say. >> i've been dealing with the santa susana facility for 39 years. i tried to walk gray the santa susana issue several years ago after the aoc was signed. i thought there is no real need for me to continue. it was going get cleaned up. and then when the administration started to undo it, i failed at trying to stop them, but i have not been able to somehow break what i feel is a promise i made to those people, even though it was a promise i had no idea could take so long. >> santa susana is not for the faint-hearted. it's a long complicated struggle. i'm an adversary. we've been working for 30 years with other groups who have invested a similar amount of time. so it's hard to not also wonder, you know, what more -- is there anything more that could have been done. >> it's a fight between those who have conscience and those whose concern is primarily power and profit. these fights never end, and if you don't fight them, you always lose. circumstances right now this fire is still growing pretty quickly here, blowing out of the north-northeast. and still continuing at about 35 to 40 miles per hour. >> launch, we're looking at some of these hot spots out here, and it is very disheartening for any of the folks that are living nearby. >> the woolsey fire now over 30,000 acres. >> it's just a monster, a nightmare. >> this entire neighborhood has been obliterated. all the mountains around here are scorched. >> the wind here not really helping the situation. >> this fire is fast. it is fueled by the santa ana winds. flames continuing to burn. we have been seeing this really run down the hillside. you really can see how vast this wildfire is, direct affecting tens of thousands of homes. >> this fire here is still being very stubborn, working its way out of the rocketdyne complex over in the canyon. fire all the way around. and large fuel cells. and it is terrible the air quality sought here as well. we had to get to breathe around here. >> our worst fear for 15 years, that if a fire ever happened at the lab, it would be the easiest way for those contaminants to get to the public, and here it's happened. music playing] ♪ i had a dream that someday ♪ ♪ i would just fly, fly away ♪ that's a nice truck. yeah, it's the chevy silverado. check out this multi-flex tailgate. multi-flex, huh? wow. it becomes a step. mom, dad's flexing again. that's not all. you can extend the bed for longer stuff. is he still... still flexing. that's right! and, it becomes a workspace... you can put your laptop here. i'm sending an imaginay email. hey dad, dinner! hey! look who stopped by daddy's office. wait, you work here? the chevy silverado with the available multi-flex tailgate. find new flexibility. find new roads. chevrolet. ♪ i see trees of green ♪ find new flexibility. ♪ red roses too ♪ ♪ i see them bloom for me and you ♪ (music) ♪ so i think to myself ♪ ♪ oh what a wonderful world ♪ there are three questions that we're investigating about the devastating woolsey fire. where and how did the fire start? and is the smoke, the smoke that is still rising from the ground toxic? >> there is mounting evidence that the fire started at the santa susana field lab. >> there is growing concern over toxic fallout from the woolsey fire. >> government officials say testing shows the air is safe. some doctors and advocates call that a smoke screen. >> smoke from any brushfire is dangerous to inhale. in this case with these very hazardous element, it makes it far more dangerous. >> a statement today from the department of toxic substances control show -- >> initial news release show there is no -- >> no risk to people living nearby. >> it did not appear to be a hazard to the public. >> no discernible signs of radiation. >> the potential hazard of major release into the environment was just not there. >> what is significant about the woolsey fire is that it started on the property of the santa susana field laboratory. it's very distressing when you know how terribly polluted it is to then turn on the television and see it in flames. after the fire, 80% of the site burned. we have learned since then that nasa took down tanks and piping and removed a fire station that had they been in place could have put that fire out. regardless of what happens to the site, it's always going to be in a fire risk area. so why would we remove water tanks and piping? i don't know. >> to me that's a cardinal sin. not keeping fire systems up to date. i've worked in nuclear radiation, radiological cleanup. those sites have multiple fire crews, mull approximately trucks, tons of equipment because it's a legitimate concern. there is no secret surrounding the state of california and fires happen here. >> after the fire, dtsc releasing an interim report. for them to release a report that shows them doing air monitoring after the fire is silly. the greatest risk was during the fire. they have now admitted that the burned vegetation made the contaminants in the soil more mobile. and that's part of the reason why we have these 57 exceedences in storm water runoff after the fire. but the bottom line is if it had been cleaned up as it should have been by 2017, we wouldn't be having this conversation. >> the vegetation on-site is contaminated. and as the vegetation burned, it then aerosolized high up into the atmosphere and was able to spread across the basin. our concern, admit lid for the fire was that the contamination probably spread mainly the toxic chemicals which come from the burning of fuels and the rocket engine firings, the dangerous levels of exposure to chemical contaminants somewhat follow a similar par to the radio nucleotides. every level increases the risk. >> much like chernobyl, the burning of those things, you had ash and small pieces of what would be considered "nothing" falling on people and killed hundreds of people. the people on those bridges, the people in those cities didn't realize there was some massive level of misinformation given. boeing has come out and said yeah, absolutely, all of these exceedences came from the fire. >> can't deny that. what they're trying to deny is the impact that it could have. there are people close enough to that site that absolutely suffered the effects of it, and they will. >> my name is mike stenstrom. i'm a member of the expert panel. i'd like to say we've been involved in this, the panel has, since almost the inception of the fire. we're an independent panel. we are funded by boeing and we've been using geosyntec to assist us. but you see there is a trend of decreasing exceedences as we move forward in time. >> concentration over the course of the season are returning to prefire levels. >> what we have here is a lot of exceedences in areas where you don't see a lot of legacy contamination. >> so the system is already recovering, and we're happy about that. >> i'm the associate director of physicians for social responsibility los angeles. i feel like i'm living in an alternate universe, though, after this presentation. it's 57 exceedences in violation is astonishing. the expert panel is paid by boeing. that begs a lot of credulity on their inspection. >> it's an open seeping wound in our community that threatens our public health every time it rains or the wind blows or the fires burn. i live in simi valley. i have a 3-year-old. i'm a golden state water customer. i've got groundwater from below ssfl pumped in with every meal, every bath. it's your job to protect my water source. you regulate boeing, not the other way around. >> thank you. >> i'm a little disappointed today. i had actually assumed that it would be an independent panel, expert panel speaking today. i didn't know anything about politics until the last five years, and i've learned that you always have to follow the money. that's the basic understanding of how america works these days, unfortunately. i was very disappointed. i'm sure their intellect is better than mine, hands-down. however, that's not an independent panel. and the people of los angeles deserve better on such a critically important issue. we've got a lot of facts. we know the facts. we're all intelligent people here. but what i think is lacking is courage to do the right thing. and so i wanted to bring you my daughter's beads of courage. my daughter is a two-time cancer survivor at 9 years old. i heard a lot of good news about nominal exceedences, but you need to understand that these exceedences affect us. we've come to find 80 that our area is above the national average for childhood cancers. we've had several who have passed away, and this is the cost of exceedences. and i would really ask you to have the courage to do the right thing. thank you. >> thank you. >> this was part of what was so amazing about this story to me. i grew up near the field lab. thousands of people have lived near the field lab, and most people have never heard of it. the santa susana issue was almost dead, and that fire jump-started a whole new round of tension. -- attention. >> millions are learning about the toxic threat from the contaminated santa susana field lab, all because of tweets from the kardashians. >> when the woolsey fire hit, it blew up. >> without a doubt there is new life. people are paying attention. >> people are listening. >> the community support has radically changed. kim kardashian tweeted. all of the sudden we've got 100,000 shares on a tweet. >> kim kardashian telling her 58 million twitter followers she is shocked and furious to learn that woolsey fire started at santa susana and is potentially radioactive. >> the reporting we did brought some attention, but of course the kardashians can bring the issue way more attention. >> people are believing in this, you know. this is the real thing. we're not just playing games anymore. >> come on, guys. the other side of the sign, okay? these are all my other children here. >> and seeing enough happening that i am hopeful. it could be ripped out from underneath us in any minute. >> know what it's like to lose a child from cancer, and nobody should ever have to face that again. ♪ you can't break me down ♪ ♪ i got gas in the tank, i got money in the bank, i got news for you baby ♪ >> it happened so fast, i'm still out of breath. we're trying to put together a coalition with all of our elected officials. take leadership. ♪♪ ♪♪ >> they're counting on us not being able to see the bigger picture. >> you never know what domino we're setting into effect when we just do what we can. >> secretary, so you're supposed to be completed by 2017. you haven't started by 2019. will you come to the san fernando valley and explain to people when this site will be cleaned up? >> the cleanup timeline was 2017 back in 2010, and it's 2019 and we haven't gotten started. >> a history that is just depressing. it's a complete mess. >> and i got to say i'm the mom that started to change. we have 650,000 signatures. did you say 250,000? no. 650,000. all of the sudden they're oh, tell me more. what was your name again? where are you from? >> it's not about winning or being right. it's about children. it's about families. it's about quality of life. >> i know that there is a risk of a large segment of this community and maybe even the larger los angeles area looking at this and questioning our sanity, but i would urge anybody to put on your reading glasses and whip out that 13 pages. it's only 13 pages. 2007 epa report, preliminary report at the santa susana field lab. and then call me crazy. it is as if the officials have not read the data, as if they're completely unaware that the citizens could be at risk. and that was alarming to me because i felt like we weren't being taken seriously. it makes me sick that these women have given so selflessly of themselves and have fought and continue to fight. this is not what they want to talk about over dinner. they don't want to sit up and read epa documents. they want to have a good time. they want to have a barbecue, and they want to watch their kids play in the yard. and i want that too. sorry. i want that too. and i want that for my family. but i can read. i'm not going to pretend that i didn't read it. sorry. >> man: what's my safelite story? my truck...is my livelihood. so when my windshield cracked... the experts at safelite autoglass came right to me... with service i could trust. right, girl? >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ ♪ baby got back by sir mix-a-lot ♪ unlimited cashback match... only from discover. no one can deliver your mom's homemade short ribs. for starters, your mom doesn't have a restaurant. if she did, it would be impossible to get in. she'd become famous overnight. she'd get talked into franchising everything. and at that point, they wouldn't really taste like your mom's short ribs. no one can deliver your mom's homemade short ribs. that's why instacart helps deliver the ingredients. >> good boy, yeah. ♪♪ >> merry christmas, everyone! >> merry christmas. >> the time is now to get the bull moving. my goal has been to change and improve i would say the culture of the department of toxic substances control. they are the regulator. they set the cleanup standards. this is not an ongoing negotiation. the polluters have a role. they have to pay for it, and they have to adhere to the standards that we have. these entities, boeing in 2007, department of energy and nasa in 2010 entered into agreements. those are legally binding agreements. we will hold them to those agreements. >> we'll see. >> we'll see. >> i have no faith. >> given the length of time that the cleanup plans have been made and broken, it's always a concern that this will go into another administration. >> they signed a legal binding document in 2010 when we thought we had won the victory. >> additional studies performed after signing the aoc identified less contamination than previously projected. >> had no idea it was all going to get thrown apart. >> i am a two-time cancer survivor. it has turned my life upside down, and i never feel safe living here. i want to feel safe. >> this way. >> we're here at the nasa meeting right now. they're trying to justify why they should be able to leave contaminated waste in our community. >> i want to show you one of these justifications that i can't believe, and i've seen a lot of falsehoods. this one is amazing. >> oh, my gosh. >> found no discernible differences to health and safety across the action alternatives. that's absurd. >> nasa claims that under federal environmental law that they have to look at different alternative ways to clean up the santa susana field laboratory. they're wrong. california has been clear over the years that the level that the site has to be cleaned up to is to background. so if there is contamination, it gets cleaned up. >> we clearly signed an agreement for full cleanup, and they have proposed at least two meetings to break those and walk away from the contamination. >> if they found contamination on the surface, they're saying we're going have to dig 20 feet down to bedrock, and that's going moonscape the property. you don't have to dig 20 feet down to remove contamination that's on the surface. they're doing that to try to scare people about trucks and moonscaping and all of that stuff. >> what nasa and the department of energy have been doing in the past few years is looking at different levels of cleanup rather than different ways of reaching the standards that california has set. >> their stated thing is we did more work, we found more contamination. that would result in even more damage. so we want to do the recreational cleanup. >> recreational measures are just -- it's an absolute joke. that's almost doing nothing. >> it's not okay to just clean it up a little bit. it's kind of like you can't be just a little bit pregnant. either you're radioactive or you're not. >> nasa says that it will take 25 years to remove the soil that needs to be removed in order to comply with the administrative order on consent. >> and reaching out to larger contractors in the industry, all these guys agreed to the same level that they are likely inflating numbers to get an approval to not go that far. >> for the department of energy and nasa to be successful in walking away from santa susana field lab, all that has to happen is that nobody stands in their way. >> in order to make our informed public comment, we need to have some visuals. >> when you go the a public place and everybody says they have their exhibit set up, to come in and set another one. >> what we do during public comments is we give an opportunity, a platform, if they have a power point so they can show the power -- >> they have an opportunity. >> in public hearings, when they were done the way they used to do them, we would stand in front of the microphone, and people before the responsible party, before their community members speak for two minutes and give their input on a proposal before them. nasa just destroyed all of that. >> this whole thing was set up intentional to prevent people making informed public comment. no presentation. the community needs to hear the truth, and we're the ones who can do it. we're going to do it as part of our public comment. >> but they put the public on for their display. all the things -- >> this is maps they're not going to show people. >> they feel is going to take away -- >> it's a public hearing. >> everybody, nasa is preventing public comment on their eis that rates their cleanup fitness. people want to be able to show you lou they're violating the law, and physically is physically blocking you from seeing it. >> free speech, free speech! >> free speech! >> this is live right now, you guys. this is crazy. they set this up in this kind of a situation where we don't have a microphone like we normally do to say our problems. >> and as "the l.a. times" -- >> the court reporter is at a little table in the corner that's not marked, trying to limit public participation, prevent the media from knowing how much we disliked the proposal and prevent officials from knowing it too. there is a protocol for how public hearings are handled, and that's not it. >> the only option we have right now is to try to read our comments loudly. and that's just absurd. >> the majority of its contamination not cleaned up. this is illegal and a direct threat to public health and the environment. nasa is preparing the supplemental dis. >> they are trying to evict me before i can make my public comments. >> he should be able to give three minutes and then you can do what you want. >> free speech! >> trespassing. >> trespassing? this is a public meeting. [ cheering ] >> free speech, free speech! free speech! free speech! >> you willingly left. >> no, you ordered me to leave. >> i did say you have to leave. >> yes. you ordered me to leave. before i could submit my comment to the government, period. there is a lot at stake here that side is dangerous. it was a legal process that i was supposed to go before that and make comments and you stopped me from doing that. >> in 50 years of this kind of work, i have never experienced such a kind of thing. nasa knows what it is proposing to do is indefensible, and they took every measure that they could to prevent the public from hearing about it. >> for the responsible parties, this is a game. nasa and boeing continue to put forth a story line that their recommendations, their offerings of cleanup are adequate. and we know as we've alluded to that so many of the agents, there is absolutely no safe level. and again, if there is no safe level and you far exceed those levels on-site, and again, we know that those contaminants migrate offsite under the appropriate environmental conditions, there is no way that can protect the community around them. ho ho ho! not again. oh no. for the gifts you won't forget. the mercedes-benz winter event. get a credit toward your first month's payment on select models. small businesses like yours make gift-giving possible. now, comcast business has an exclusive gift for you. introducing the gift of savings sale. for a limited time, ask how to get a great deal for your business. and get up to a $500 prepaid card with select bundles when you switch to the network that can deliver gig speeds to the most businesses. or get started with internet and voice for $64.99 per month with a 2-year price guarantee. give your business the gift of savings today. comcast business. powering possibilities. an emergency has been declared at the hanford nuclear reservation. >> emergency response. >> potential exposure to people living near cold water creek in north st. louis county. >> enriched uranium was detected inside zahn's corner middle school. >> botched cleanup as san francisco's hunter's point has residents taking matters into their own hands. >> there are calls tonight into a new investigation into another possible cancer cluster in indiana. >> just sit and think that over and over again, this was brought to you, and over and other again we said our kids are sick. >> something that felt like a very isolated problem in my community, it's a little bit terrifying to realize this is happening all over the country. >> we sat in a room and listened to people from other areas list exact same issues -- poorly or unlined pits, massive dumping, open air tests. i was completely chilled to my core because i realized this isn't an accident. nor is it a mistake. there are many santa susanas all across this country. that remain highly contaminated in threatened communities and have not been cleaned up. >> it's all across america. it's the same players. different humans, but the same agencies, the same attitudes. >> let's face it. this community has been traumatized enough. >> if it wasn't for this group of moms that made this facebook page, i would have not known. >> there is an endemic problem with the whole system. you can have wonderful environmental laws and we have really powerful ones, but if they're not enforced, they're useless. and that has happened dozens and dozens of toxic sites in the state of california. and probably is emblematic of what goes on unfortunately all over the country. >> those stories are not -- we uncommon. we have entire towns having these similar issues and until it's completely undeniable, nothing is done. >> committee on oversight and investigations would now come to order. i would now like to introduce the honorable anne white who is the assistant secretary office of department of environmental energy. >> honored chair, the government's nuclear defense programs played an integral role in ending world war ii and the cold war. our nation has unified to end those wars. that kind of resolve and unity of purpose is needed today as we address the resulting environmental legacy. we remain committed to completing cleanups so our communities can envision a vibrant future. well can continue to live in the past or we can choose to understand the past, make course corrections and move forward with collaborative solutions. it's time to choose the latter. >> you know, i've been on this committee a long time. we've seen d.o.e. make these promises before with regards to cleanup operations. >> what exactly does it mean d.o.e.'s environmental management office does not follow management practices? >> anybody who has been on this job site should be fired. they're not doing their job right. >> where does hanford sit? it sits on the columbia river. it sits on the savannah river. these are areas that are environmentally sensitive. >> look, i'm not a nuclear engineer, but i'm a mom and a citizen, and i can tell you that leaving it out there longer, waiting for some type of accident is not making our constituents across this country safer. >> we need to do better in program and project management. and i think we can do better. i do not believe government has done enough to try and build that bridge of trust. my name is anne white, and my position was assistant secretary of energy for environmental management, referred to as em1. obviously when you've got portions of the public all over the country who are unhappy with what you're doing, you're probably not doing enough. especially for a site like santa susana. a small site. it doesn't even usually come to the radar of an em1. it's tough. those kind of big bureaucracies are very challenging. it kind of just felt sometimes like a culture of mall molasses. >> and yesterday we seem no closer to cleaning up the sites or reducing the department's environmental liabilities. >> em cleanup right now is the third biggest liability to the u.s. taxpayers. we throw $7 billion a year into that pot, and the liabilities don't go down. >> did the taxpayer get good value for the $6 billion spent last year on nuclear waste cleanup? >> i believe the taxpayer got good value for their money. we can do better, though. >> so many of these sites are in places where they are the only game in town in terms of employment. if the cleanup gets completed, the jobs go away. and so to some degree, em has become a jobs program. >> cleanup of these sites is critically important. we need to have it happen. and we can't be sitting here again in five, ten, or 20 years hoping that it will. >> the actions em needs to take involve significant cultural change at d.o.e. headquarters, the sites and the contractors. >> when it involves kids and moms and all of these things, maybe they've been heard, but not listened to. and there's a difference i suppose. there is a big difference. and at santa susana right now, honestly, the conversation, well, could be so poisoned that there is no reversed gear in terms of building that trust. you just maybe never come to common ground, and that's a pity. but that's maybe the nature of the beast there, unfortunately.y for i think. i don't know if daddy will me to do it this year. >> yeah, it is his garden. >> maybe a poster or something instead. >> you need to push down your cuticle back down. >> it is pretty. >> it is pretty. >> i feel more hopeful, even the right now things are looking pretty glum again for the cleanup. i'm more at peace with the thought that this could be the rest of my life. before, that thought was just too frightening. i feel like whether or not it's the santa susana field lab or maybe other sites, if this were to be the rest of my life, i would not fight it. i had my own plans for my life. i wanted to illustrate kids books and i wanted to be an author. and i wanted to garden. you know? i had a really simple life planned out and it sounded just fantastic. and the thought of not getting to have time to excel at any of those things was really hard. i was praying about it. i thought well, i'm allowed to have a hobby. i was like, all right, i can take my dreams and let them be healthy and doing this is more important than anything i had planned. i definitely feel like this is where i'm supposed to be in my life right now. it took grease a lot of time and hard work to really be irregular kid again. . she's not the kind of kid to just laid out and take it. she's really strong. but the health effects will follow her all the rest of her life. i've had some people accuse me of using grace's story. to some degree, that's really true. if i could've brought people hearts along without having tissue gracie's story, i wouldn't have. but if it helps other families not have to go through the same thing, you know, then i don't regret it. i don't think greece would regretted. i think she understands that were willing to do anything to protect other kids from what she's going through. >> seeing her name and her birthday and stuff, it's just so final. sorry. the santa susana field lab, i wouldn't say it's always in the front of my mind, but it's consistently in the back of my mind. in the back of my mind when i give my kids water, or give them a path. in the back of my mind when i see a new kid diagnosed. in the back of my mind when i see another kid who has passed away. it's a hard one. i know i can't put all of my energy there. i'm still working my way back to being fully present with everybody. my kids need their mom. i've been slowly putting pieces back together and i'm not as lost. i'm still lost, but not as lost. if that makes sense. for me, i know i can never give up trying to fight, but i also know that i have to use this brain sparingly, because it is focused on so many different things right now. i'm trying to heal. i'm trying to process. trying to grieve. trying to be mom. but it is always there. it's always this lingering question in my mind. it's always this idea that is there. and it can't be quieted until it's cleaned up, i think. >> i hope that there is an end to this story. given what's happening in our country, i worry about all of our efforts to protect public health. i worry that focusing on santa susana will seem like a luxury. that it will seem like days have passed when you actually could fight a fight and you might just win. and you could get a cleanup agreement. and you could do community organizing. and you could speak freely. . >> we are in a world of destruction and of self-centered-ness. we don't sense any connection to others, particularly to those who suffer. we don't connect to the damage week due to the planet. the everyday people who are affected by polluters are just being walked all over. the damage that is done will last for centuries. we simply have to keep fighting. i've been a reporter for 38 years. >> i've seen just about everything. i was still surprised that there were government officials who looked me in the eye and said, santa susana is not a problem. even when there were so many government documents that said otherwise. and i think the public is not so easily fooled. they know there's something here. the truth always comes out in the end. >> i think it takes an enormous amount of courage and a hell of a lot of work to see that there is accountability and that something is done. it's up to the mothers and others who have the courage, have that time, to make damn sure that something happens and there's change. it may be the only way -- >> who's gonna be the next? child who's gonna be the next person in your community? you don't ever give up on something like this. because, it's the right thing to do. when the people lead, the leaders will follow. >> being in a lull right now doesn't feel like to feed, it just feels like part of the journey. and the thing that's heartbreaking is that it's just going to continue. but it's kids who have to suffer and it's the parents who have to bury them. have to bury that for the rest of their lives. >> i'm not going to stop. so, we'll just have to find out who has more interference. me or then. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ my name is monique, i'm 41, and i'm a federal contract investigator. as a single parent, i would run from football games to work and trying to balance it all. so, what do you see when you look at yourself? i see a person that's caring. sometimes i care too much, and that's when i had to learn to put myself first, because i would care about everyone all the time but i'm just as important as they are. botox® cosmetic is fda approved to temporarily make frown line, crow's feet and forehead lines look better. the effects of botox® cosmetic may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness may be a sign of a life-threatening condition. do not receive botox® cosmetic if you have a skin infection. side effects may include allergic reactions, injection site pain, headache, eyebrow, eyelid drooping, and eyelid swelling. tell your doctor about your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions, and medications including botulinum toxins as these may increase the risk of serious side effects see for yourself at botoxcosmetic.com xfinity rewards are our way of thanking you just for being with us. enjoy rewards like movie night specials, xfinity mobile benefits, and the chance to win tickets to see watch what happens live. hey, it's me. plus, get holiday gifts for everyone on your list with great deals on fan favorites from today. join over a million members by signing up for free on the xfinity app. our thanks. your rewards. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> my name is tommy darius. from a distance river creamy. . >> big ole quarter pounder, all beef. >>. ,. >> but kind of a screen did you want? >> enjoy, baby. thank you. >> if i could rewind this whole situation, i would've never come to south carolina in the first place. maybe made a little ice cream shop to sell ice cream cone, and here i am in the middle of this crap. >> the battle over a confederate flag in orangeburg -- >> the flag flies atop this pull right next to the edisto creamery. >> but the flag is not owned by this ice cream parlor. >> the sons of confederate veterans on the tiny piece of property where the flag stands. >> that flag is not mine. >> it's a piece of property that the confederate veteran's own. >> initially, doris accepted the like, but that changed in the aftermath of the 2015 church shooting in charleston. >> breaking news, a mass shooting in downtown charleston. >> nine people have been killed in an african american church. >> dylan ruth. >> investigations uncovered a photo of him posing with a confederate flag. >> after the charleston shooting, the confederate veterans came down with a flag that was three times as large that the one that they've ever had on there. spare people screaming at me. calling me a racist. i said, something is going to happen. >> after nearly 20 years of flying, the confederate battle flag is being removed from an orangeburg business. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> he's going to be told not to take it down. >> that flag is coming down. >> no, it. and >> we have what we wanted on our property. why should we compromise? >> i would've never stead said, five, ten years ago that i thought that was the most racist thing in the world. >> standing here, i feel these peoples hearts. >> we want our flight left alone. >> we're going to let a judge decide that. >> are you still going to try to take it down? >> absolutely. there will be no stopping me at this point. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> we came down here because of the fishing and the nice people we met. and then, my wife debbie and i got bored of this little restaurant looked like a good opportunity. that went on to maurice's barbecue shop and it was in need of repair. it wasn't worried about the rebel flag. i never deemed that as races. i mean, it was history to me. and you know, it was cool because it was like a rebel flag. that meant to us in maryland that you were against the grain. you know? you were bad -- when i lived in maryland i was a race car driver. we had a rebel flag, not on the car, but a flagpole by the race car. especially when we go up north. we were the guys from down south. the guys to beat. i was cleaning out my closets and found in the closet. i would wear this in public anywhere i went without a problem. when it became what is today, my wife said, there was no place for that on a race team. [noise] >> i'm not a racist by any means, or a heater. the closet was probably the best place for it. >> my name is buzz braxton, and i'm lieutenant commander at rebels bridge, sons of confederate veterans. camp 842. this is general robert e. lee. probably the greatest man to ever walk the face of this earth. a lot of people don't understand the sense of confederate veterans. the confederate battle flag is the soldiers flag. our ancestors. that's why we're so proud of it. to you, sons of confederate veterans, it is your duty to see that the true history of that south is presented to future generations. and that's what we try to do. and that's a tough job. here's a picture of maurice. we were down there right where the flagpole is, selling confederate stuff. >> i'm maurice messenger, chairman of the enterprise incorporated. the social rise again. [laughs] >> mr. morris was a member of this camp. he owned and operated nine barbecue restaurants in south carolina. and -- >> after almost four decades and a bitter debate, south carolina removed the confederate flag from the -- >> after 38 years, the flag began its descent down the flagpole. >> july the 1st, 2000, the flag was taken off the pole. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i raised the flag here on the people to protest the taking down of our a heritage flag. >> it went up in orangeburg's. mr. morris called me one day and asked me if we would like to have the little piece of property where the flag is. that was one last thing he needed to worry about. >> after the incident in charleston, the whole emphasis changed to the flag. i said, if the flag is going to be under attack, the bigger the better. one hundred and fifty million meals to feeding america. and now through the subaru share the love event, we're helping even more. by the end of this year, subaru will have donated over two hundred and twenty five million dollars to charity. this is what it means to be more than a car company. this is what it means to be subaru. 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(judith) yep, we do better when our clients do better. at fisher investments we're clearly different. come here! i've got big news! now, nurtec odt can not only stop a migraine it can prevent a migraine as well. nurtec is the first and only option proven to treat and prevent migraines with one medication. onederful. one quick dissolve tablet can start fast and last. don't take if allergic to nurtec. the most common side effects were nausea, stomach pain, and indigestion. with nurtec, i treat migraine my way. what's your way? ask your doctor about nurtec to find out! >> you can give people information, but you can't give them courage. >> a, tell me. what's up, man? tommy reached out and said hey, i'm having some issues on my property. can you take a look? i remember as a kid driving to orangeburg with my grandparents. back then it was maurice's barbecue restaurant. maurice put a sign up in his restaurant that says the government says it is a say we have to serve -- but we're going to give that money to the kkk. when tommy and his wife brought that property, the flag was there. they knew it was there. what they didn't know was what the culture was like here in south carolina, more specifically in orangeburg. >> orangeburg is a majority african american town. >> a 60% black, according to the 2010 census. that makes me a minority. >> there's a racial divide in orangeburg, and i guess that's got a lot to do with that history. i feel like the sometimes feel like we've done something wrong to them, even though that's happened years ago. >> even though i do see whites and blacks all around, and they can be in the same vicinity, everybody knows what's going on. >> after that original showdown at the creamery, we said let's look at the law. the government, they can't regulate speech but they can regulate uses of the property. and it hit. look at zoning. this is the actual zoning map. you can zoom in and you'll see, that's us right here. that entire area is zoned business, commercial. that's it. this is the little piece that this fight is over. how is 0.003 acres he legitimate business, commercial piece of property? it's not. the sense of the confederate veterans want to use that piece of property to keep maurice bessinger's hateful legacy living on interpreted. >> in orangeburg, a battle to remove the confederate flag that flies next to an ice cream shop continues tonight. >> they took their concerns to the city with hopes that the zoning of where that flag sits can be challenged. >> what's up, man? >> it's you, man. >> what's happening with you? >> just clear the record -- >> i was contacted by camp 842. the issues that were being presented at the very foundation of what our american constitution is made up of. and the constitution is very important to me, being an attorney and being an american. >> good evening, ladies and gentlemen. will now call the board of zoning to order. >> this particular area was zoned be one, general, commercial. the moment that maurice bessinger sub divided that piece of property into two separate parcels, each parcel is then required to comply with you all's zoning ordinance. this property is intended to be used and it has been used for well over ten years as a historical marker. zero commercial use. and i would ask that you find that this piece of property, flag included, does violate the city of orangeburg's zoning ordinances. >> i can't keep up with that bill. >> with all due respect, that was a beautiful argument that was made, but this is not the forum to handle a piece of property that has been needed to a private entity with no problems. there are being some raised, but uniquely, they're being raised schematically all across the united states of america. this is first amendment speech. it would behoove the leadership of this group to not overturn a well founded decision by the zoning that falls in accordance with the law. thank you. >> i'm david, building administrator. the current use is flying the confederate flag and maintaining a monument. the city of orangeburg does not regulate the location of flags for the display of flags, they're of, by zoning or any other regulation. therefore, the property is in compliance. >> thank you. >> all in favor of upholding the motion of our zoning administrator, let it be known by showing your right hand. and he opposed? so, the zoning board has agreed upon the decision that the zoning administrators made. thank you. this meeting is adjourned. [applause] >> we lost. for an issue that is this contentious. i would be hesitant to rule against the sense of the confederate veterans. >> last word. already have it. >> love you too, man. >> they went to the path of least resistance. i >> think they got it wrong, personally. but we will deal with it. >> yeah. >> a confederate flag flying beside a south carolina ice cream parlor is igniting new concerns. the creamery receive this racially charged letter. >> his business has been vandalized multiple times. his employees have been harassed and riot nearly started outside his shop. >> keep that flag flying! >> this peg is where their property line is, and that paid their, when you stand out here for a moment they holler take it down, leave it alone. or -- you. >> my wife debbie thinks the sense of the confederacy are going to burn our house down. she's up all night. it's aggravating me. she's going through all this suffering. >> so, i guess you know in this big old world it's not perfect, these days, is it? >> no, ma'am. >> that miss debbie tells you that jesus what? >> loves you. >> like so much. >> i was in the doctor's office one day and the lady said to me, i heard you people be up black people. that's the kind of rumors that went around. she had some of her grandchildren with her. i said, you bring those babies to my bible study on wednesday night, and you'll know what we're about. you need to have what? faith. what's so stressful and so said, because i want to please everybody. i want to love everybody. i sometimes often wonder, god, why did you bring me to this place? why did you bring me to this town? why? >> affection, robinson undying devotion to the cause for which it stands. thank you, you may all be seating. for those of you who have not heard or no, we did have a wonderful victory in orangeburg. our flag will continue to fly. i hope it will continue to fly forever. >> can't pay a lot of attention to what you see in the news media. no real any modern books, because they're extremely slanted. but if you read the original accounts, you'll find the real reasons that both sides are faulted. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> the second coming of the klan use the battle flag. and then some groups now carry a swastikas and a battle flag. it got misappropriated, but that does not mean that it was not honorable and those men from 1861 to 1865 carried. >> this heritage, this symbol of the south, it's part of dixie. >> segregation has been over for a while and something like that to be appearing in a small town like this, it's still creating division. >> why take it down? >> the blacks ought to be proud of that flag that they fought under. just like the whites. >> it needs to come down along with all these other statues and symbols of supremacy. they need to come down. >> good morning, may i help you? >> good, how are you. right. >> i can remember more races barbecue. they portrayed an image of prejudice and making racial slurs towards us. i wouldn't dare go in there. when it changed to the creamery, we were glad, because we wanted a positive image there. the owner told us he was tried to -- we always decided to bring it down, but he didn't have the proper paperwork. that's nothing we can do. we're going to step outside of our store scope of authority. >> i think most people in orangeburg want to move forward. not everybody is willing to ruffle some feathers to try to make it happen. worries away♪♪ ♪♪as an old native-born californian would say♪♪ ♪♪it's a most unusual day♪♪ ♪♪it's a most unusual sky♪♪ ♪♪not a sign of a cloud passing by♪♪ ♪♪if my heart won't behave in the usual way♪♪ experience the power of sanctuary at the lincoln wish list event. 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(crowd cheering) therabreath, it's a better mouthwash. at walmart, target and other fine stores. feel stuck with credit card debt? move to sofi and feel what it's like to get your money right. >> today, we are actually going ♪ move your high-interest debt to a sofi personal loan. you could save with low rates and no fees. earn $10 just for viewing your rate and get your money right. ♪ to appeal the decision. and appeals go straight to circuit court. it removes that political element. that is realistically there on the local level. >> the world is very much changing around me and everybody else. it's just, you see a lot. that you don't really be comfortable with. i try not to use the word. but if there's somebody out there that's doing everything wrong in their behavior, their conduct, i might see that word. and i can't say i would apologize on it. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> the day i filed the zoning challenge, that next morning, my -- dogs are barking. i go look at my door and there's a pickup truck in my driveway. did somebody come to the wrong house that night, i don't know? that when you pair that with what was going on, it makes you a little nervous. those are my babies. i've had conversations with people that see the fight that we're in with a sense of confederate veterans over zoning. they literally are like, wait, is it orangeburg 60 to 70% black? why is bringing down that flag even a topic of discussion. he should have been down. and you just have to let them know that white supremacy has its roots everywhere. orangeburg is no different. ♪ ♪ ♪ orangeburg is home to the orangeburg massacre, one of the worst things that's ever happened in terms of civil rights in south carolina. >> students were protesting for the integration of the local bowling alley. very violent, the governor said in the south carolina highway patrol. one night, the patrol broke out gunfire, killing three students and injuring 28 others. it was 50 years ago, but that's not something that people in town have forgotten. >> it's kind of like the shadows of a dark era or constantly on you. and i think some people just want the want to think about the confederacy, or think about what it means, or what it meant. but you would have this expectation that when you do have black leaders in a city, on issues like this, they will be very bold. they will be very outspoken. and a lot of times they are. not everybody in government or in politics is comfortable with what comes with bucking the system that's been in place for 400 years. as long as they're confederate monuments everywhere, white supremacy will always be here. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i just don't know what to do. the community, the city council, the city administrator. none of them are helping to get this thing going. i think they've got someone on them to make sure doesn't come down, by don't know if i'll ever get to the bottom of that one. it sucks. >> the controversy over a confederate flag continues tonight. >> justin and i have tried to exhaust all reasonable avenues and it's just not working. >> tommy daras is now threatening to remove the flag and confederate marker himself. >> maurice bessinger planned it just so he could shove that flag up everybody -- 's in the city of orangeburg for eternity. >> the sense of the confederate and message telling them that if they want their flag and marker, they need to come and get it. >> wi-fi donate this whole property to the southern confederacy and they put flags, swastikas and whatever. as the city going to be okay with that? no. so they better get on board. >> i'm just getting ready for pick up. >> who's gonna pick it up? >> the sons of confederacy. i've donated it to them. >> no they schoolboy without something happening. okay, since we've were here last. you can see where he's been digging around the monument. he's undoubtedly trying to cause so much chaos that somebody will overreact. i just don't understand. i just don't understand. >> i want people to know that i our ancestors were good people. most of them didn't have slaves. i've told people all alone, that was the best thing that ever happened to folks that came over. they would not be driving bmw's today had their ancestors remained in africa, because they would have been eaten by other tribes. or eaten by lions and tigers. i know that ain't politically correct to say, but it's true. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> my father had a liquor store in washington d.c. in 1968, i was about 12. my father was working at his door and they were expecting a riot. about 10:00 at night, we got a phone call. the store was burned to the ground. i'll never forget that. my father stood in front of the store and cried. my father was a huge man. and in the meantime, i saw black people lining up over here and it was like, that, these guys are all lining up. my father said, i know those people. i'm not worried. so, the first one walk to my dad and said i'd like to pay. my father said, ma'am, i had no idea how much you owe me. it all burned in the store. she said, i think his $12 and some cents. she paid him within minutes. a line grew and the people paid my dad money. and my father never had a racist bone in his body. i want people to know that i'm not no racist -- standing there with that flag. mom, hurry! our show's gonna start soon! i promised i wouldn't miss the show and mommy always keeps her promises. oh, no! seriously? hmm! it's not the same if she's not here. oh. -what the. oh my goodness! i don't suppose you can sing, can you? ♪ the snow's comin' down ♪ -mommy? ♪ i'm watching it fall ♪ >> this morning, unity tails watch the full story at www.xfinity.com/sing2 over a dispute over the confederate flag flying near an orangeburg restaurant is unfolding before a circuit court judge. >> we are continuing here at an appellate hearing today. i'm standing before martin luther king junior quote, which says injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere. and i feel that, to, on my heart. there's a real assault on our traditions, our history, and particularly the confederacy. >> tommy daras, versus the city of orangeburg. >> when i arrive out there and i see that flag, i think about the fact that as a kid, i used to write by their and be afraid. this is not a challenge to just a flagpole. we're challenging the underlying use of the property. and now as a man, i get to right by their and thing i could play a role to make it go away. that's a pretty deep dream. >> so, the judge, she's going to review it. >> she's gonna go through the argument we made today. she's going to look at the record that's up on appeal, then she's going to reach her decision. so, we're going to have to wait. >> sometimes i wonder if old maurice was it up there chuckling. look at buzz. he's catching hell down there. he's doing all right. >> the sons of confederate veterans have staunch feelings about the fact that some of their ancestors fought in the civil war for the confederacy. but if you were to give half of those members the original documents of south carolina succeeding from union, most of them probably either haven't read it, refuse to read it, because they know what it says. or will read it and say, yeah, but that's not why my ancestors fought. >> i'm not going to say that slavery was not in any way shape or form involved in the decisions of our secession. but those men did not leave their families and their homes to go to fight so somebody could own a sleeve. that declaration of the immediate cause which induce and justify the secession of south carolina from the federal union. a geographical line has been drawn across the union, and all of the states north of that line have united in the remand to the high office of the president of united states, whose opinion and purposes are hostile to slavery. the sleeve holding states will no longer have the power of self government, and the federal government will have to become their enemy. if you want to come at me and say that the sole purpose was slavery, so be it, if that's your desire. but if we agree to disagree, that will be our right. you know? because i admit it, that slavery was playing a part in it. slavery was a fact, but there was other things involved. >> if you stand for an institution that's supported slavery, and you don't denounce that, and you choose to ignore, i think that implicitly means that some work in you you are okay with it. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> new developments tonight in the circuit court judge agrees that the confederate flag in front of the edisto river creamery, does not violate the city of orangeburg's zoning ordinance. the owner of the edisto creamery now says because it affects his business, he closed that shop and is now selling it. >> here's my closed down little store. it is all gone. it's just not comfortable here. >> i feel sorry for him. i think that people couldn't differentiate between his property being someone else, and this property being a creamery. i >> think it said, because nothing that plants there is going to be successful as long as that flag is outside. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i do feel like i've been pushed out, but we knew exactly what happened when they put that bigger flag up when the people were killed in charleston. we knew exactly what was going on. and that was and our heart. >> now that it's close and it's over, i'm fairly ye content. at the end of the day, get my family away from here and move back to familiar people and places is just a plus, plus. shop closed. the shop is closed. >> our success in orangeburg has inspired other people to stand up. >> everybody all buddy else is taking them down and we're putting them up, so -- >> today, we're raising the first confederate battle flag on i-95 in south carolina. [applause] >> when a liberal, also known as a lid tarred, comes down the road and in offense them to see a battle flag, that's what we want. because they don't have anything to do with out here. they can have their, we can keep ours. >> do you worry there will be a day when the confederate flag is not flying in orangeburg? [noise] >> yeah. how can you help but not to worry about it? i don't dwell on it, but there are times when i can foresee and i worry about there may not be a confederate flag flying in the city of orangeburg. or the majority of the united states. >> no justice, no peace. >> no justice, no peace. >> anger, frustration, poor into the streets of america. >> george floyd! >> huge numbers of people coming out in every single state of the country, standing together to say this is not acceptable anymore. black lives matter. >> black lives matter! >> african american, ahmaud arbery, is seen running. >> no justice, no peace! >> no justice, no peace! >> george floyd repeatedly cried, my neck hurts, i can't believe. >> i can't breathe! >> breonna taylor, shot eight times and killed by police. >> don't shoot! >> hands up! >> the shoot! >> here in south carolina, and all across the nation, community members have been challenging their local and state governments to take down confederate statues. >> what do we want? >> justice! >> when do we want it? >> now! >> today at noon, city council members in orangeburg vote on a resolution to remove a confederate statue. >> the protests outside city hall, members won 127 year old confederate statue removed. >> when people say, it's our heritage, it's not my heritage. when i think of confederate anything, i'm in fear. it's been one of those things that you can't talk about it, if you don't see anything about it. but we're now in a time when we have the voice. >> we are here today because of course, the mayor and city council are meeting on the resolution in regards to the statute. >> we just hope that the city will remove the statue from downtown square along with renaming john c calhoun drive. >> we were do you live? >> i live in or orangeburg. >> the symbols are part of the symbol of repression against my people. >> our first goal is to remove the racist statue and racist street names in orangeburg. and then of course, the confederate flag at the creamery. we've called the mayor's office, we've called the city council members. >> i'm excited to see what's going on in orangeburg. we are seeing people who want change. they're not asking for change, they're demanding it. as we continue, we're going to do a much better job collectively of being willing to fight the fight, when i ate the popular thing to do. and if we can keep doing that, keep pushing for change, and we can keep standing up to people who stand behind institutions of bigotry and hate and slavery, under the guise of heritage, we will get there. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> and i look forward to the day when i jump in my car and come into orangeburg, that can further flag is no longer flying there. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i know my sister would have fought. we used to tell each other that if someone ever tried to hurt us that we would do everything we can to leave something behind, so the other one can figure it out. i believe that she was murdered. >> this is a very bizarre death. >> it was baffling from the start. a young woman dead at her millionaire boyfriends mention. >> 9-1-1 what are you reporting? >> i got a girl, hung herself. >> my heart started racing.