When Warnings Are Ignored

On April 24, 2013, an eight-story garment factory building in Bangladesh collapsed killing 1,129 and injuring more than 2,500. It is considered to be the deadliest structural failure in modern history. Like the molasses tank in Boston cracks in the Bangladesh structure were discovered and reported but the warnings were ignored.  Supervisors of the garment factory declared that the building was safe and demanded that their employees come to work even though the people in the shops and the bank on the bottom floors had evacuated.   Although the cracks had been discovered just the day before, for months architects had highlighted other potential risks associated with the structural integrity of the building. In addition, the top four floors had been constructed without a permit. The factory manufactured apparel for companies like The Children’s Place and Walmart.

It would be interesting to note the net worth of the USIA in 1919 and Walmart in 2013. It is even more interesting to know that most of the people in both the North End and in Bangladesh were living in poverty. If Isaac Gonzales were alive today he probably would not believe that companies are still sacrificing people for profit.