More than a year after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in rural Ohio, forcing thousands of residents to flee, Joe Biden finally arrived in the East Palestine village on Friday afternoon.
Locals made their feelings about the delay clear. His motorcade carried a gauntlet of banners reading: ‘Too Little, Too Late,” and the streets were filled with people shouting, “F*** you.”
They are furious that the president waited a year to see the impact of the crash, and think he is only coming now because of the November election.
Some were Trump supporters. Some had traveled from out of town.
But others were families whose homes were back near the railway line and the site of the disaster. They held signs that read: “Help. Our children are still sick.’
Trump supporters began gathering before 9 a.m. to await the president’s visit
President Joe Biden visited East Palestine Friday afternoon to see firsthand the site of last year’s derailment, which sent toxic chemicals flowing through the Ohio village.
They want financial assistance from his government to help them move and avoid any danger left by last year’s disaster.
Life was turned upside down when the 150-cargo freight train carrying toxic chemicals derailed. The cargo included 700,000 pounds of vinyl chloride, a carcinogen used in the production of pipes, furniture and other plastic goods.
Emergency workers made the decision to use a ‘controlled burn’ to avert the danger of a massive explosion, sending up a thick, black plume of smoke.
Biden was shown the disaster site and then gave a speech in which he promised that aid would continue as long as it was needed.
He reserved his particular anger for Norfolk Southern, whose train derailed.
“There are acts of God,” he said. “This was an act of greed that was 100 percent preventable.”
The visit took him deep into Trump country, a county won by the former president in 2020 with more than 70 percent of votes cast.
Biden said none of that mattered.
“It’s about we’re all Americans, everyone, everyone, we take care of each other,” he said. ‘We leave no one behind.’
But his welcoming committee included streets packed with protesters, including Trump supporters who had traveled to vent their anger.
Chris Solis, 58, who drove an hour from Pittsburgh to participate in the protest, accused Biden of making a “token” appearance.
“Eastern Palestine has been neglected and that is a trademark of his government,” he said.
“He speaks in demeaning and condescending tones to ordinary people.”
Before arriving in East Palestine, Biden met with first responders tackling the disaster at the Darlington Municipal Complex, just across the state line in Pennsylvania.
Protesters expressed their anger as Biden’s motorcade rolled into eastern Palestine
Mike Young, rally organizer, said Trump supporters came from all over to join the protest
“Eastern Palestine has been neglected and that was a trademark of his administration,” said Chris Solis, who was on Main Street as part of the protest against Biden’s visit
The White House defended the timing.
“The president has always said he would go when the time is right and when it made sense for him to go,” his press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “And so that’s what he does.”
This left residents wondering about the deadly toxins being released into the air, soil and water.
Since then, federal authorities insist they have taken action to ensure the environment and homes are safe.
So says the Environmental Protection Agency more than 176,000 tons of hazardous waste removed. More than 100 million gallons of water, rainfall and snowmelt were removed or treated.
Norfolk Southern, the railroad that operates the freight train that derailed on Feb. 3 last year, said it has spent about $1.1 billion on its response.
That wasn’t enough to stop Trump supporters from gathering on Main Street, across from the mayor’s office, and accusing the Biden administration of abandoning the people of eastern Palestine.
They flew flags that read, “Even my dogs hate Biden,” and held banners demanding the president be jailed.
Mike Young, who organized the protest, said: “It’s not enough. These people are in pain here. They are afraid. I think they’re scared.
“They don’t want to move into their homes.”
And they lined Biden’s route to the village. One man raised his middle fingers in greeting as the president passed by, and others chanted, “F*** Joe Biden.”
Trump supporters pointed to the former president’s visit last year, less than three weeks after the derailment, as evidence of his support for economically marginalized communities.
And many residents agree that more needs to be done to get their communities back on their feet. But the protest irritated many who said they were tired of being a political backgrounder.
Ferguson’s parents moved into the house in 1970. Today it stands empty, like the neighboring houses
A large plume of smoke rises over East Palestine, Ohio, last year after a controlled explosion of part of a derailed Norfolk Southern train to burn hazardous chemicals
A customer at the Sprinklz restaurant next to the protest said, “A lot of them aren’t even from East Palestine.”
The staff fought an ongoing battle to keep expletive-filled signs at the front of their store.
Krissy Ferguson, a 49-year-old mother, said she was hoping for a chance to meet Biden. And she told DailyMail.com on Thursday that she could never return to her home and needed help moving.
“I can’t live here anymore,” she said, with tears in her eyes. ‘It is not safe.’
Community activists sent a letter to Biden demanding he issue a major disaster declaration, provide long-term health monitoring and care, and offer relocation financing to people like Ferguson who want to leave.
One of the authors, Jess Conard, said it was time to put politics aside and work with Biden to help the community.
“We are Americans, and he is our leader,” she said. “And I think that’s a really important distinction, no matter which side of the line you’re on.
“President Biden is coming to my community because he recognizes the need.”