Outside the Slaughterhouse

6,000 pigs are slaughtered on a daily in the industrial city of Vernon

Many Angeleno residents would never guess that 6,000 pigs are slaughtered five days a week in one facility alone. This does not include Manning Beef in the City of Pico Rivera, where thousands of Kosher and non Kosher cows are slaughtered. However, Angeleno’s who live near the industrial City of Vernon will attest to the awful stench that clouds the air of dead pigs, many whom are killed range from four to six months old. For years, residents living near these rendering plants have complained of nausea and respiratory irritation. The Los Angeles Times reported this month about the pollution that residents have had to endure, and recent measures to address the poor air quality

Furthermore, those who enjoy attending Dodger stadium would have never guessed that their “Dodger Dog” comes from this very same facility, also known as the Clougherty Packaging Co.

Aside from the meat being produced and exported to Dodger stadium, a majority of the processing is sold to West Coast grocery store chains. These rendering plants are one of the many contributors to the environmental ills that affect Latino communities. Neighborhoods have suffered from high concentrations of diesel fumes, decades of lead contamination and polluting factories with high tow-trucking presence. Brian Manowitz, known as The Black Metal Vegan Chef on YouTube, quit eating meat 17 years ago and has since embraced his role in the culinary scene. “After watching the PETA videos in the early 2000s, I changed up my diet,” Manowitz explained. “It’s terrible what happens behind these walls. All of this just so people can eat their bacon.”

Recently, after years of enduring ill conditions, air quality officials adopted new and approved measures that will help relieve the odor being released from animal slaughterhouses such as the Farmer John factory. These approvals were followed by testimonials from local schoolchildren in the Boyle Heights community. The issues of having urban slaughterhouses is slowly coming to light. The inhumane conditions has for years spilled into the communities of Los Angeles. Sonia Mares and her husband are both part of The Save Movement which started in Dec. 2010 in Toronto, Canada by Anita Krajnc. The organization is made up of groups all over the world that bear witness to the conditions factory animals endure before they are slaughtered and packaged. Los Angeles Animal Save is one of 200 groups that have formed since 2010. Every Sunday evening, Mares takes part in a vigil outside of the Farmer John slaughterhouse. In a two hour time span, up to 20 -25 trucks loaded with stressed pigs are asked to stop, with the help of the Vernon PD, for two minutes so members of the movement can provide pigs with water. Several members live film the conditions in which they arrive. “

Among the activists on November 19, was Joaquin Phoenix and Moby, both vegans who fight for animal rights.

Some pigs arrive dead, some with tumors, others have feces all over their bodies and they are all piled on top of each other with hardly any room,” said Mares.

A court battle was won in favor of activists being able to practice their first amendment right and give water to the pigs every Sunday evening. It has since grown into a platform of awareness and progress. What these companies do not want the public to view for public opinion continues to seep into the Los Angeles spotlight.

Julius Soriao, a security guard from a beef factory in Pico Rivera, has attended three vigils, but insists eating meat is no harm and a cultural habit for millions of people.

“I don’t think we are meant to have a no-animal diet. I love meat, it’s on almost every dish from my Filipino background,” he said.

Activists admit that there is still a lot of progress needed to be made, but are optimistic of the work done so far.

Pablo Unzueta is a freelance photographer from the Los Angeles area and is available for assignments. For more of his work follow him on Instagram or click here.