Family with young children forced to live in the cold and without power for refusing a LADWP Smart Meter

LOS ANGELES- Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has terminated electricity to the family of a middle school teacher, her husband, and their six children for refusing to have a smart meter on their home, which they say caused their family serious health problems.

In July 2012, LADWP installed a Smart Meter on Derek and Anura Lawson’s home without notice or consent.  Their house was part of a smart meter pilot program. Other houses in the neighborhood still have their analog meters.

That same month their four youngest children started to have serious health problems. The mother, Anura Lawson writes they had fevers “out of nowhere”, “as high as 105”, and they “began to have problems controlling their bodily fluids, our five year old began peeing and pooping herself, our four year began to display the same problems…” The mother also struggled with migraines, insomnia, concentration problems and other health symptoms.

The family requested LADWP restore the analog meter.  LADWP then gave them what they said was an analog meter, but the health symptoms persisted.  The family objected.  According to Anura, LADWP ridiculed them.  She says, “When I called customer service, “Jennifer” laughed at me, telling me they would not remove the meter.”

When an agent of LADWP met with the family he said, “This isn’t one of those ‘SmartMeters’ that have been making all those people sick.  These are RF meters. Totally different.”  He talked about how safe radio was and that it had been used for years.  Meanwhile the children’s health problems persisted.

Clearly something had to be done.

In January 2013, after repeated, unfulfilled requests to LADWP for help, the family restored a true analog meter obtained from Jerry Day.   The mother wrote that after the analog meter was restored the children’s symptoms “diminished greatly, they no longer get high fevers, or suffer from loss of their bodily function.”

Two weeks later, LADWP disconnected their electricity.  Anura saw the workers scale a neighbor’s wall, climb the power pole in their backyard and literally cut the wire to their home.   Since February 11th the Lawsons have been living without electricity, without heat, without use of their appliances and without lights.

Joshua Hart, director of Stop Smart Meters! says, “Pilot programs are supposed to be a test to see how a new system operates.  When problems crop up, you don’t punish customers for reporting them- you fix the problem.”

The family has been using candles and battery powered lanterns to see at night.  They are cooking on a camping stove outdoors, and keeping their food cold in ice chests. The family says the incident has been extremely stressful.

This incident echoes other bullying incidents around the country, where people have been cut off after having had their smart meters removed due to health issues.

Sandi Maurer, director of the EMF Safety Network states, “Federal law states customers should be offered smart meters, not be forced to have them on their homes.  LADWP is exceeding its authority by mandating these devices.”

Jerry Day, a video producer on the forefront of empowering customers to stand up for their constitutional rights states, “This is inexcusable.  This is not responsible power company management. This is senseless abuse of utility customers.”

We agree. The Lawsons need their power switched on and an analog utility meter restored on their home.  NOW.

IMPORTANT FOLLOW UP!  Anura Lawson took this issue to the Los Angeles City Council meeting and their power was restored that same day.

In extreme contrast to this situation, Liz Barris of the People’s Initiative Foundation today reports LADWP has removed a smart meter from a property in Hollywood Hills Ca. She says it took two weeks of wrangling with them until a senior manager Vincent Zabukovec 213-367-2725 agreed to the switch.  Here’s her video of the meter swap.

Article written by Sandi Maurer, EMF Safety Network and Joshua Hart, Stop Smart Meters!

4 thoughts on “Family with young children forced to live in the cold and without power for refusing a LADWP Smart Meter”

  1. So now it’s March 2017 and most People have complied with Smart Meter Installation…mm…..Hmm mm…..has never stopped since installations in the whole Neighborhood…The Hum mmmmmmmmmmmm is now a permanent link for The 4% Estimated Electro sensitive Population….never just quietness anymore but just the Humming…..I drown it out with my TV or other Sounds….but after that The Hum mmmmmm!!

  2. I had one installed in February. They said it’s not a smart meter but an RF meter (radio frequency) and my life has been hell ever since. It’s been increasingly affecting my sleep and the insomnia has been getting worse and worse over time to the point where maybe I get 3 hours now. I also have been getting headaches increasing in severity and frequency. Now my period has stopped coming and I’ve been irritable, edgy, and spinny. I wake up feeling hungover and sick. The DWP says they won’t remove it and is charging me $30 to have someone come investigate. I was not warned about anything and also was told to get this meter because I had received a $900 bill (I live alone) for the reason that they couldn’t get to my meter to read it and that’s why I needed a digital meter so my bills would be more accurate. My bills have gone up by over $100 since they installed it. I used to live in a bigger house and had a much smaller bill prior to this. Something needs to be done!

  3. Wow…..Similar things are happening in the Cariboo Country in Northern British Columbia…..People are being sent Notice that they have an Option to have a Smart Meter installed somewhere else on their Property at their Own Expense…..or by December 2013 everybody has to comply……Rich Coleman is the Minister of Energy and Resources of the Present Liberal Government which backs B.C.Hydro also A Province Owned Tax Payer funded Corporation which states under the Green Energy Act they have the Right to Do this our Co-alition of Defendants was allready thrown out of Court in Favor of the Mega Corporation……….To Date Several Hundred Thousand Residents are holding up against the Mega Corporation B.C.Hydro…Seven Thousand have complied accordingly…….I have been told that If I Do not Comply R.C.M.P. would be present to install Meter etc…..To Date 3 attampts have been Made to install Meters……with No Avail…..They have also threatened to pass the cost on To Me…….In the Meantime I have had to deal with 11 Emergency Visits and finally Major Surgery Choleosectomy/Gallstone Surgery…which came Right after my Neighbours had 4 Meters installed only 15 Feet from My Home……I wake up at 3AM for unknown Reasons ……Contingency Problems for Family Members etc which never happened before etc……. A Doctor /Chiropractor Friend of Mine said he was President of the Radiology Association in B.C. in the 60s and 70s and claims there is very litlle Radiation from these Smart Meters……Yet I AM getting confusing Information from the WHO……there is a risk of known Carcigon in other Words Cancer causing Risk Level 2……No Wonder the Risk is Going Higher for Quiet Pollution such as wireless Wave etc…A Telephone/Wireless Wave Installer for Telus told me there is an increased Risk in all Things we consume or Breathe seen or unseen…………………………………………………….Installing These New Smart Meter Devices would mean increased Level of Radiation at what Level as it would be Right beside My Childrens Bedrooms?…….Also there are several New Microwave Towers installed only a KM on A Hill nearby our House …Where does it stop all the Radiation our Kids are being Exposed to? Please Kindly Reply to My Request for Assistance in this Matter ……Yours truly P.T.

Comments are closed.