S&W Atlas Iron & Metal Co., a recycling company in Watts, has been ordered to halt the reception and processing of new metals as it won controversy due to allegations of contamination affecting adjacent schools and neighbours.
The company had already been under scrutiny of incidents, one of which was a rattling explosion on August 12, 2024, 10 minutes before the school’s first day, rattling out Jordan High School, just next to the metal recycling facility.
Metals in Atlas also face suspicions of improper disposal of dangerous waste and putting high-ranking Jordanian officials at risk, with what Los Angeles Unified School District officials called “sharp metal projectiles, debris, metal dust and other objects that fire or release from other objects.”
Aerial photo of Sky5 shows Jordan High School (left) next to Atlas Iron and Metal Co. in Watts on June 21, 2023 (KTLA)
Such safety issues date back to 2017, prosecutors argued in June 2023 that then Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said that potential exposure to dangerous goods could go back decades since Jordan Hai opened in 1929 and metal recycling facilities opened 20 years later.
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Atlas Metals and their two owners, a father and son named Gary and Matthew Weisenberg, were charged in September 2024 with 25 counts and pleaded not guilty. They were released with their own perceptions. But prosecutors now want to jail them on bail set at $1 million, due to new allegations that the company continues to underestimate safety laws despite the charges they face.
“We also ask the court to order Atlas to be closed until it is proven that it can operate without continuing violation of the law,” the motion stated.
The pile of wreckage at Atlas Iron & Metal Co., a metal recycler adjacent to Jordan High School in South Los Angeles, can be seen in undated photos. (Allen J. Scheven/Los Angeles Times)
The Watts Labor Community Action Committee announced on Monday that exactly happened.
In a press release, the group said the decision by LA County Superior Court Judge Judge Terry Bolk would “effectively shutter” all operations at metal recycling facilities and “end the threat of dangerous rap shotguns” for students and nearby residents.
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Additionally, Gary and Matthew Weisenberg have set bails of $100,000 and $1 million respectively. The latter is already in custody. Atlas Metals must submit weekly tests from the Toxic Substances and Control Bureau, WLCAC said.
“This is unprecedented in Watts’ history… this is the first time a community has challenged and won a polluter,” said Tim Watkins, CEO of the Watts Labor Community Action Committee. “The writing of environmental offenders in our community is on the wall and we look forward to a cleaner and healthier future for Watts kids.”
The Atlas Iron & Metal Company, shown on August 17, 2022, has been accused of improperly handling materials that could pose environmental hazards, in many cases, by teachers, students and parents at Jordan High School. (KTLA)
“For years, Atlas Metals has put our community at risk without rethinking it,” added Genesis Cruz, a former student at Jordan High School. “Today, the judges have shown them that they are not above the law. As usual, there’s no more business… Watts has paid the price of their greed for too long.”
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman issued a statement celebrating the court’s ruling and picked up the baton of the work Guscon and his office had done.
Hochman called it “History Day for Watts, Jordan High School, Criminal Justice” on Monday.
“After decades of endangering children with metal projectiles and dangerous waste, Atlas Metals was ordered to stop accepting and processing new materials, essentially closing operations,” says Hochman. “As allegedly in court, Atlas metal has been launching deadly rap shotguns on Jordan High School property for decades, allowing schools to be contaminated with lead and other toxic chemicals. For 70 years, Atlas Metal has gathered all the benefits, and the children at Jordan High School are not in the environment. Those who threaten the law and public safety, especially those who hurt children, are accountable.”
The Monday ruling effectively halts operations at the facility, but community members and environmental advocates continue to push it to be shut down forever.
Atlas Metals will return to court on March 28th.
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