Residents of East Palestine, Ohio were left seething after representatives from Norfolk Southern railway (NSR) failed to show up to a local town meeting meant to address the environmental aftermath of a train derailment earlier this month. On February 6th, a NSR train carrying toxic chemicals derailed, prompting a controlled release of vinyl chloride and causing a large-scale fire. Thick plumes of black smoke towered over the town, but officials assured locals that the process was proceeding as planned.

Despite such endorsements, the thousands of fish that have been found dead in local creeks, along with reports of chickens dying and pets falling ill, demonstrates the fear and mistrust among locals over the response to the disaster. At the town meeting, held in a local high school gymnasium, people were heard shouting and cursing at the officials while demanding answers. One resident, Jaime Cozza, vocalized the feelings of many when