Goal:
USD $25,000
Raised:
USD $1,300
Campaign funds will be received by Rachael Collins
Rachael Collins has been struggling for over 2 years since being exposed to wind blown mining waste (slag) particulate from renting an office near the slag pile in Cottonwood, AZ in March 2022. She was getting back to work as a business consultant and counselor after severe injuries from a car accident many years ago and was excited to resume a normal life in the occupation she had been very successful at for decades (www.transformurbusiness.com). But within two months of taking an office lease, the interior of her office and everything in it become covered in a black powder. The landlord refused to admit it was happening but Rachael knew she could trust her own eyes. She decided not to risk exposing anyone else to the unknown substance, thereby abandoning the business or occupying the office. However, she had 2 storage units on the same property and in the process of attempting to move all of her slag covered items out of them, despite wearing gloves and a mask, she was unable to avoid breathing in what she learned was fine toxic metal particulate from the slag operation and she immediately became very ill. Over months, her landlords, Cottonwood city officials, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and the Minerals Research operations executive who refines the slag pile, told her it was "just dust" and not harmful. She knew those were lies and began a private investigation to learn the truth. You can view the pictures of this hazardous contamination in her office and in nearby homes, businesses and public spaces at www.cottonwoodcontamination.com. In the meantime, Rachael's health deteriorated seriously as the toxic particulate circulated through her body. After not being helped by other providers she ended up being referred to my practice. I helped Rachael with her medical needs pro-bono because she's been tirelessly fighting for the health of the Cottonwood Community alone with no financial support for her own living expenses, the costs of acquiring legally defensible evidence and the thousands of unpaid hours of investigation and work she has accomplished to expose the truth and fight for the health of our community.
Due to liability issues and the collusion of many parties allowing the pollution, Rachael spent over 4,000 hours of unpaid work quietly developing the evidence that provides proof of the source of the air borne contamination and the extensive cover up by public officials and private entities who are profiting significantly from the slag refining operation. Her dedicated mission has been to save the residents of Cottonwood from continued contamination, to determine if they have been injured or damaged by it and if so, to be able to pursue resources for remediation. Rachael had the knowledge and skills from her previous work experience as a corporate consultant and investigator to know that identifying business and government corruption takes courage, intelligence and patience. Unfortunately, due to the breach of a confidentiality agreement, several other people in the community stole much of Rachael's evidence, interfered in and hijacked her investigation, claiming it was their own, made it public and greatly distorted the truth of the situation and evidence to enrich themselves. This left Rachael very traumatized, needing expensive mental health care she had to pay for herself on top of her other injuries and damages. Ultimately, with full knowledge of the government officials who refused to assist or hold the perpetrators accountable, Rachael lost her housing, became HOMELESS and has been living in her car for 7 months. The sabotage and re-direction of HER private investigation and the hijacking of all resources to assist the saboteurs rather than the victims of contamination in the community has been devastating to Rachael physically, psychologically, emotionally and financially. She has had to watch other victims suffer terribly, become more ill and even DIE while they are ignored by everyone. Why is this allowed to happen in America?
Rachael got results. She complained to and communicated with ADEQ (Arizona Department of Environmental Quality) officials for TWO YEARS. She met with them and provided irrefutable evidence from her research that Minerals Research Inc. (MRI) was operating without required environmental permits - and ADEQ acknowleged they were letting them! Rachael met with ADEQ officials in person in August 2023 laying out all of her evidence of ADEQ's protection on the contaminating mining company, MRI. Concerned about media exposure, MRI immediately began to excavate the highest slag particulate stock pile to a much lower level which Rachael wanted to mitigate the amount of fine metallic slag particulate blowing into the community, so fine it penetrates duct work and window and door seals contaminating habitable spaces. MRI thought lowering the tallest refined slag stock pile might prevent public scrutiny but that has now increased and more people in the community are aware of what has been happening.
In order to accomplish this monumental investigation, Rachael sacrificed everything in her life. She started and ended every 10 hour plus day pursuing this case for the community while she herself was even more disabled than previously due to the exacerbation of her accident injuries and on top of that being permanently contaminated. She was severely overwhelmed, exhausted and stressed much of the past two years and could not share this investigation with anyone but her doctor, the perpetrators enabling the contamination and God. There were only roadblocks to overcome, continual betrayal, abandonment and sabotage by corrupt people who live for greed and glory no matter what price is paid in human lives. Most of them are Arizona government officials and all of them have to power to end the contamination immediately but refuse to do it. A massive amount of money is being made and shared by those working with the mining operation. Only a few trusted residents and victims have helped Rachael as they could since they were all also poor and relatively powerless. They also recognize the importance of our right to health, life and justice and they have persisted tirelessly for the community's benefit although no one knows it yet. Not one single city, county or state official has assisted Rachael or any of the other victims. They have been ignored continually and left to suffer and die. This OUTRAGEOUS corruption must be revealed, stopped and the prosecuted. Rachael knows that the perpetrators must be held accountable. Rachael never gives up and still pursues the case all day every day! She credits her ability to take on and stick with this investigation 100% to God. She says her focus and energy came from PRAYING her way through every day. She was divinely led on this long journey because we have the Right to Life, health and happiness and the corruption of America's protected values are being erased by those who don't care.
Despite the small victory of the results from her investigation so far, Rachael incurred ten thousand dollars in personal debt in order to pursue this investigation. She paid these expenses out of her own pocket by taking out loans. She has run out of all resources and the ability to get more loans. Rachael currently does not have sufficient money for her own living expenses, uncovered health resources and desperately needs to replace her 2005 car with 280,000 miles that needs constant repairs. I would also like her to have enough to restore her lost income and be able to afford a trauma recovery program so she can live to tell about what she has done for us.
Believers in Jesus have a directive: "But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother [or sister] in need, and shuts up his heart from him [or her], how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and truth." - 1 John 3:17-18
Also, please pray for Rachael, for deep physical and inner-healing from all the trauma she has been through laying her life down for the community of Cottonwood, AZ.
Thank you Rachel for fighting for the poorly represented residents of Cottonwood and providing a good example for other communities, facing an assault on their health and prosperity.
You are amazing, inspiring and we are so grateful for your advocacy!
May The Most High bless and keep you, Rachael. Thank you for your tireless research. I found your website when researching 'slag' after my mechanic (who is next door to MRI) mentioned it in response to my discussion with him about my belongings in two storage units at Aspen Mini Storage being covered with black ash. Been studying/researching big time since. Wished I could give more.
Follow this campaign to get email notifications when the campaign owner posts an update.
Click the Pray button to let the campaign owner know you are praying for them.