‘5G Free Topanga and Beyond’ Gathers Momentum

Cell antennas are already part of the Saddlepeak microwave array above Topanga.

Campaigns against 5G small cell tower technology are cropping up worldwide as the 5G Free Topanga and Beyond coalition gains support in Topanga and neighboring communities.

Proving that the movement is growing rapidly, more than 75 people attended a 5G Free Topanga and Beyond meeting at the Inn of the Seventh Ray on July 29 to learn about the issue and what the dangers are with the new small cell tower 5G internet and cell phone technologies.

The meeting also welcomed people from different neighborhoods fighting 5G towers in Boyle Heights, West L.A., and Santa Monica. 

“5G is an unmitigated disaster; [they] haven’t tested it and there are more than 10,000 scientifically valid studies, including those by the U.S. Navy and the National Institute of Health,” said Julie Levine of the Topanga Peace Alliance (TPA) and an organizer of 5G Free Topanga and Beyond. “This is exactly our concern, to get out ahead of the issue instead of it being too late; this movement is on fire.”

According to Levine, TPA began organizing “5G Free Topanga and Beyond” 10 months ago “in an effort to stop what is now a global rollout of 5G wireless infrastructure, based on health and privacy concerns.” She and others in Topanga who are electrosensitive to wireless technologies have been sounding the alarm for years.

“Once you start giving them the written information, every single person gets very concerned,” Levine said. “It is a whole infrastructure with antennas every 200 feet across the world. Satellites will blanket the world, there is no way out.”

WHAT IS 5G?

According to an article in the Los Angeles Times (October 2018), “Small cell 5G technology relies on higher-frequency radio waves than current wireless services [in order] to deliver faster speeds—but at shorter ranges. Those higher-frequency signals, which measure in millimeters, can be obstructed by objects of a similar size, such as leaves and raindrops.”

The article goes on to say that, “Lamp posts around downtown Los Angeles are being wired with fiber optic cable and shoebox-sized gadgets to beam the fifth and fastest generation of cellular data, known as 5G, into homes and mobile devices.”

Therefore, telecom companies are paying cities and municipalities to build out their high-tech 5G infrastructure every 100-200 feet.

The Times goes on to say, “This high-tech infrastructure build-out is the result of a deal between the city and Verizon—Los Angeles gave the wireless carrier a break on the fees for taking up space on streetlights in exchange for a package of amenities and services.”

5G FREE TOPANGA AND BEYOND MEETING

According to their July 29 meeting notes, the United States government and the FCC know how harmful this technology is with more than 2,000 studies proving harm, including the recently released National Toxicology Program report of the National Institute of Health (NIH) study showing clear evidence of seven types of cancers, DNA damage, and correlation to a host of auto-immune diseases.

The meeting notes state that “5G is 500 times more radiating than 4G and can include transmission between small cell towers every 200 feet with an additional 20,000 satellites blanketing the planet in radiation, which provides a final piece in the Internet of Things (IOT).

This FCC 5G Small Cell Order has begun here in California and the rest of the United States.”

A recent National Law Review Brief highlights the health concerns from 5G and calls for more local control. An important note: A considerable amount of 5G can be done “wired” using fiber optics, the safer alternative; which is something we consumers have already paid for but the industry profits more from wireless. 

“We think part of the solution now is to build a grassroots movement with legal support to halt the rollout of this dangerous technology,” the meeting notes stated. “With the mounting concerns and information, there may be other ways to hold off this FCC 5G Small Cell Order.”

 

This photo of the July 29 meeting of 5G Topanga and Beyond, was taken through a window because many of the 75 attendees requested their photos not be taken. Photo by Deja Cross

UPCOMING: 5G FREE TOPANGA AND BEYOND MEETING, AUGUST 22

The 5G Free Topanga group urges all concerned to attend their next meeting on Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. at the Inn of the Seventh Ray, where refreshments will be served.

5G Free Topanga and Beyond writes that, in addition to Topanga, the group currently includes Malibu, Santa Monica, the San Fernando Valley, and Los Angeles, which are working in coalition with the following groups: Stop 5G Thousand Oaks, Stop 5G Simi Valley, Stop 5G Chatsworth, Stop 5G Santa Barbara, Stop 5G Ojai, Stop 5G Westlake, Stop 5G Camarillo, Stop 5G Ventura, Stop 5G Boyle Heights, Stop 5G Moorpark, and Stop 5G Venice.

They are also arranging meetings with Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, California Governor Gavin Newsom, CA Attorney General Javier Becerra, State Senator Henry Stern, and all federal legislators. Topanga is also part of the national network, “5G Crisis,” and is working with “WorldShift Stop 5G” Internationally.

NEXT STEPS

“We will be announcing the launch of a statewide campaign and the forward-moving progress of our legal, legislation, outreach, media, and technology committees,” said Marin Lutz, one of the organizers of 5G Free Topanga and Beyond.

Lutz urged that the group needs people to set up and attend legislative meetings; help circulate information on email and social media; help with finding lawyers; help with funding for lawyers and handouts; guerrilla art; continued outreach to celebrities, media, schools, parents, realtors, medical professionals, and the public.  

WEBSITES & VIDEOS:

RESOURCES

 

Annemarie Donkin

Annemarie Donkin is a journalist who wrote for The Signal in Valencia, CA and was the Managing Editor for the Topanga Messenger from 2013 to 2016. She is thrilled to write for the Messenger Mountain News to continue the tradition of excellent community newspapers. When she’s not writing, she loves to travel throughout California, read, watch movies and keep bees.

No Comments Yet

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.