This is the latest episode of Homegoings, a podcast that features fearless conversations about race, and YOU are welcome here. Follow the series here.
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From Myra Flynn:
We all know that the Santa Ana winds of climate change blew harder than ever on Jan. 7, but when it comes to Altadena, the small suburb of Los Angeles, nestled up against the backdrop of the hulking San Gabrielle mountains — something else was in the air.
So, I did it. I took my little press pass to the guy with the gun-as-big-as-my-body and asked if I could walk about a mile up Lake Avenue just above Woodbury, to snap some pictures and take a little video of the town I’d neighbored since 2017. He let me through, on foot, and before I began my walk I asked him, “Is it really as bad as what they keep showing ad nauseum on the news?” He said he didn’t know. Even he hadn’t made it up that far.
I guess I didn’t expect so much glass – shattered glass just coating the streets from the blowouts of windows in homes and cars. The smell is almost unrecognizable, like burnt groceries mixed with engine fuel and charcoaled leather. And the things left standing, seem bizarrely staged there. Like the slide at my daughter’s school – just perfectly intact in a sea of melted turf and tar.
The death here is palpable, of people, of homes, of that little wine shop that had the best happy hour, and the African store with dishekes that fit just right. There’s this sign, someone wore a mask long enough to put up, that says: Altadena strong, we will rebuild!
Who? Who will rebuild? Who exactly will be rebuilding this town financially? Physically? and how will they breathe? There’s no air here.
This little town has long been a home for Black families who migrated west in the 1960s and ‘70s, as red-lining laws had previously prevented them from purchasing homes elsewhere in the state of California. It’s unique; a little hippie, a little artistic, a little blue-collar. And in Altadena, eight in 10 Black people are homeowners. That’s almost double the national rate.
Of the 28 people who have died in these fires, 17 of those people were from Altadena who stayed behind to protect their homes, their legacy, their hard-won generational wealth.
It is as bad as what they keep showing on the news. And our guest for this episode, artist, activist and community organizer Shelley Bruce (@artistshelleybruce), says there are some concrete reasons why.
It’s a failure of leadership. And it’s not just a failure because we didn’t see something so terrible coming. It’s a failure because community organizers of this city and the residents of LA have been begging departments for years to stop prioritizing the wrong budgets. - Shelley Bruce
Show and Tell
“So it's a painting of (the) meditative face of Assata Shakur, and I wanted to paint her in a peaceful state because she's one of our historic liberation movement fighters who has fought very hard and experienced a lot of trauma. So it's my visioning of her in a peaceful state. And all the words on this painting are one of her famous quotes that has also become a chant for Black Lives Matter. And it says: ‘It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and protect one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains.’
“Given the crisis we're in, if anyone is interested in buying this beautiful piece of artwork because it's been on my wall for a while, it can be on yours. I'd love to donate anywhere from 50 to 75% of the proceeds to, directly to a family who's, suffered a loss in the Eaton Fire. I have prints as well.”
Credits
This episode was reported by executive producer Myra Flynn and was produced and directed by Mike Dunn with support from Kaylee Mumford. Dave Rice is the maintenance engineer and Brian Stevenson is the managing director of production. James Stewart is the associate producer. Myra Flynn composed our theme music and all other music is from Blue Dot Sessions. Elodie Reed is the graphic artist behind our Homegoings artist portrait. A special thanks to Jarrell Cudjoe at Loading Media L.A. and Brian Treitler at Trashie for lending their footage to the episode.
If you have been affected by the January 2025 fires and wind storm and or want to help, visit Mutual Aid L.A. to learn more.
We have more shorties and conversation coming in the weeks ahead so stay tuned!
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