LYNN — More than 40 demonstrators lined up on Lynn Shore Drive Wednesday, calling for action to tackle the century-long issue of pollution at King’s Beach.
“A growing number of people are aware of what’s going on here,” Andrea Amour, who runs the organization Save King’s Beach, said. “We just really want everyone to have access to this information.”
Demonstrators from both Lynn and Swampscott gathered on the sidewalk between Lynn Shore Drive and King’s Beach to hold signs and wave at passing cars on the border of the two municipalities during the evening’s rush hour.
The key to this effort, according to demonstrators like Liz Smith, of Swampscott, was visibility.
“We want to make sure this issue stays at the forefront of people’s minds,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of emotion around this issue.”
Smith said she has seen increased interest in learning about the beach and what is being done to tackle its problems with pollution.
“It feels like there’s momentum, we just have to keep it going,” Smith said. “The frustration is palpable. The time is now.”
Natasha Megie-Maddrey, who is a candidate for Ward 4 city councilor, was also in attendance at the event and said Lynn needs to further prioritize action to clean up the long-polluted beach.
“We needed to get this beach problem solved yesterday and not today,” Megie-Maddrey said. “We need to do better and we need to do more now.”
Other demonstrators reiterated Megie-Maddrey’s points, with Walter Kotkowski, who grew up in Lynn, noting how prevalent the beach’s issues have become in recent years compared to the lack of attention they were given in the previous decades.
“We keep dumping all of this sewage and unfiltered water into the beach,” Kotkowski said. “It’s about time it changes… We need this.”
Carmen Martinez, of Lynn, is one of the organizers of Lynn Environmental Volunteers, a group that seeks to preserve and improve the city’s environment. She stressed the need for long-term solutions to the issues at the beach, something she said is crucial for environmental-justice communities like Lynn.
“We’re overburdened by pollution,” Martinez said.
According to Amour, the larger mission of the demonstrator’s efforts was to show officials in both communities that her group and others will continue to call for action and environmental justice.
Amour added that Wednesday’s demonstration will be the first of many.
“The biggest thing is to let the Town of Swampscott and the City of Lynn know that we’re not going anywhere,” Amour said. “We’re going to put pressure on these leaders until our goal of a clean and safe beach has been met.”
