Have you heard about the wildfires that are currently affecting Los Angeles? Have you been seeing celebrities post about evacuation shelters or that they have been affected? If you were wondering what’s going on, then this is the article for you. The greater Los Angeles area, including neighborhoods such as Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Malibu, Pasadena and so many others have been hit with a wildfire that has done so much damage in these neighborhoods.
The fires were started after a power line fell to the ground and the sparks that came from that interacted with the surrounding dry brush, causing the start to the wildfires. Normally, a fire wouldn’t spread so quickly or largely, but because there were also very high winds when the fire started, it was easy for the fire to spread to the rest of the surrounding area and to continue spreading from there. By the time firefighters had arrived to the scene and were able to put out the original fire, it had already spread down to neighborhoods such as Pacific Palisades and Malibu, causing houses to be burned to the ground and people getting hurt. Naturally, because celebrities were some of the first to be affected, the wildfires had gone viral on social media and had reached people from all over the country.
Just as social media is a good thing, it is also tends to draw some backlash. As of late, there have been many Pro-Palestinian influencers on both TikTok and Instagram posting about how the wildfires currently occurring in LA are “karma” for the United States government’s involvement in the genocide of the Palestinian people. There have also been many who argue that at least the wealthy are the ones being most affected by the fires.
As someone originally from the city of Los Angeles, specifically from the neighborhood of Watts, these kinds of responses further divide the American people, including causing people to stop their support for the Palestinian people. Personally, I have so many friends who currently live in the city of LA and are seeing that the cause that they have advocated for so effortlessly and passionately would not return that same level of advocacy for them, especially at a time when they need it the most. As for the arguments of “at least it’s the rich” or “eat the rich,” although they advocate for the wealthy to have less power, they forget about the people who are not rich, who are at the very bottom of the social ladder. These fires affect every single group of people in Los Angeles from the undocumented populations who are to scared to reach out for help, to the African American populations who have been subjected to unfair and unjust political practices such as redlining, as well as the rich who brought this issue to social media so that it would not go unnoticed.
If you are looking for ways to help the people of Los Angeles who have lost their homes, there are many opportunities to volunteer or to give to the community. You are able to foster dogs/animals that have been left homeless after shelters or their owners homes were burned down, you can donate clothes/hygiene products/anything you can to donation sites in LA, you’re able to volunteer your time at these donation sites, or you can donate money to families with GoFundMe pages. Listed below are some resources for fire victims that may offer an opportunity to volunteer:
LA Times – A list of free and discounted resources for victims of Los Angeles-area fires
NBC Los Angeles -Where can evacuated people in LA find supplies, resources and aid?
USA Today – Wildfires continue to ravage Los Angeles: Here’s how you can help