Darin Rosas, a local of San Francisco and a computer network security engineer unknowingly began a journey into the leader of a huge cleanup movement. He was frustrated by how slow the government was taking to clean up this catastrophe that was polluting his beloved coastlines, so he and his surfer buddies risked arrest and hit the sand.
"It was all very hush-hush at first, under the radar," said Rosas, 33. "We were worried about getting arrested."
Officials could arrest them because they said it is unsafe for unprofessionals, but after they were sorounded by volunteers from all over the Bay Area they admitted that they couldn't clean up the spill alone and accepted their help.
"This groundswell has been unprecedented," said Steve Edinger of the California Department of Fish and Game. "We've never seen people who wanted to clean oil off a beach."
Companies from all over donated supplies, and even breakfast for all the volunteers. People even donated their old running shoes for the locals who showed up in flip flops. Four hour seminars are being held to teach them how to be safe when cleaning the beach and animal control started gathering up all the oily birds that were almost dead.
Another man who lives close to an affected beach said he was trying to do the right thing, and is now facing federal charges because he "entered an emergency area and did not obey an order to leave."
So the Kill the Spill volunteers when a step farther, they started where white Tyvek suits and latex glove there were donated, not only to keep safe, but look more professional and less likely to be bothered by authorities. They are using "hair mats" to mop up the mess, which is hair collected from barbers and sewn into 1-foot square pads.
They are still in the process of cleaning up but have made remarkable progress, some of the beaches they have cleaned are even on the verge of re-opening.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-killspill18nov18,1,6301968.story?page=2&track=rss
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