In burned Altadena, volunteers did a lot of real work
A volunteer cleans up, Ariana Raygoza, said: “Many of the people we spoke to were very emotional or shocked because we were asking for help and it was clear they had never been asked for it before. Law enforcement officers were posted in every corner, sitting only in their cars. It’s best for them to just stand back and stare while we help. Worst of all, they treat residents in distress like criminals.” Volunteer Ashli Buts adding, “I am also disappointed by the lack of official updates. People want answers but don’t know where to find them.”
Social media has provided instant information and networking to a large population, but it has also brought out the worst in people. I met a woman who was distraught because someone took a video of her grandson helping his family move furniture out of the burned down house. The video was shared on social media with a caption claiming that black children were looting. The woman told us that she did not know what to do now that her nephew had been publicly labeled a criminal.
Profiteers attack community members almost immediately. People, all of whom told me they wanted to remain anonymous, said they received calls from real estate speculators before they knew the status of their homes. A displaced family, the Figueroas, are staying in a hotel chain full of displaced families when the hotels begin to raise prices. Missi Figueroa explains: “The first week, the price is $116 per night. We wanted to extend and the amount went up to $186 per night, then four hours later it was $242 per night. I was angry because the hotel was full of people who had lost everything, just like me.”
Another fire victim I spoke with snuck into the neighborhood and found their house burned to the ground. She posted a photo on Instagram—which a company then illegally used for advertising. “People started sending it to me and friends started calling them,” she told me. “[The owner] told us he outsourced his social media to a company and was embarrassed. He fired them, then paused all advertising and turned off his Instagram. He quickly resolved the problem.”
