The Fires in LA

Twenty-four people dead. Over 40,000 acres burned. 150,000 people forced to leave their homes. And the fires over Los Angeles still blaze. A red-flag warning has been issued for parts of the city and county as the Santa Ana winds kick up again – threatening wind gusts of up to 70 mph that can send embers in search of more destruction.

The images have been heartbreaking. Entire communities turned to ash. People have lost everything. They barely have time, amid the grief and shock, to imagine how to rebuild their lives as the fires continue to burn and threaten other parts of the city.

I find it indecent that politics would intrude at this moment. We want people to be safe. The nation should rally to do everything in its power, collectively, to contain the fires and to muster the resources to help rebuild the nation’s second largest city. But people have used the moment for partisan ends.

President-elect Donald Trump claimed that Governor Gavin Newsome “refused to sign a ‘water restoration declaration’ that would have brought additional water to the Los Angeles area.” That’s a lie. No matter. Elon Musk repeated the lie to his 212 million followers on X.

Alex Jones, the man who claimed that Sandy Hook was a hoax and that the children were still alive, posted that the Los Angeles firefighters “were battling the blazes using ladies’ handbags because officials had donated equipment to Ukraine.” Another lie.

Other right-wing partisans blame the scale of the destruction on DEI. Musk posted screenshots of the LA Fire Department’s racial equity action plan and said, “They prioritize DEI over saving lives and homes.” Kristen Crowley, the LA Fire chief who is the first openly gay woman to hold the position, has found herself in the crosshairs because she made diversity a priority. Conservative commentator, Scott Jennings, said on CNN, “We have DEI, we have budget cuts and yet I’m wondering now, if your house was burning down, how much do you care what the color of the firefighters are?”

And the fires still burn while these people make political hay out of what is clearly an historic tragedy. Imagine, for example, pundits and oligarchs posting something about guns in the middle of a mass shooting while the guns are still blazing! The standard conservative practice is to say that it is too soon for political debate. We should extend our prayers to the families, etc. But here, as the fires rage, we find ourselves drowning in mean-spirited, callous talk meant to deflect and distract.

Care and concern shouldn’t be cast to the wind, because we disagree politically.

Empathy shouldn’t be limited to one’s tribe.

Decency should not be a partisan affair.

But it seems ours is a time where some people feed on ashes.

In the coming days, we will have much to do as Americans. Los Angeles must be rebuilt immediately and not in a way that feeds only the interests of the wealthy. Let’s be clear there are greedy people already mobilizing to reimagine the city in light of their interests. We will have that fight, but not today.

Instead, we must do everything to contain these fires and secure the lives of people who are in harms way. Partisanship be damned. Let us dare to do something revolutionary for our times. Let us love our neighbors who face the fires in word and in deed.