In the aftermath of the devastation left by the Eaton and Palisades fires, community leaders issued a message Friday, Jan. 17.
Don’t forget about people of color who, left with nothing, could be victimized by scams and in jeopardy of not being able to return to their neighborhoods.
In Altadena, nearly 6% of the population is Asian, 18% are Black, and another 27% are Latino or Hispanic, according to the most recent census data. Pasadena has a 7% Black population, nearly 18% Asian population, and 34% Latino or Hispanic population.
More then 100 people gathered for a news conference at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Pasadena to hear stories of losses, hopes for the future and to discuss how to ensure that affected Black and Latino residents can continue to be homeowners.
Community members, church members, Indigenous leaders and grassroots organizations urged elected local and national officials to help find an equitable way to preserve the area’s rich diversity. As people look to rebuild after the blazes, many worry that the working class communities of color in Pasadena and Altadena may not have ways to come back to their communities once the ash and smoke clears.
“Our No. 1 is preventing speculators from preying on us and our land,” Pastor Kerwin Manning of Pasadena Church on Washington Boulevard said. Manning, worries for the future of his Black community, as well as other people of color that populate it.
“We’ve got to rebuild in a way that protects our common home and (cultural) climate. We’ve got to support every resident impacted by these fires, regardless of immigration status,” he said.
Manning, a fire victim who has 18 families in his congregation affected by the fires, said many fear they’ll be pushed out of the neighborhood.
“The recovery should ensure every resident has what they need to rebuild and remain in their communities,” he said. “One of our expectations should be to increase the Black and brown population in Altadena.”
The community’s recovery isn’t about one congregation or organization, Manning said. Instead, it’s a community effort to make sure those who lost their homes aren’t taken advantage of or gentrified out of the area.
Longtime Altadena resident Fay Austin, one of the speakers who shared her harrowing story, has lived an independent life since she was 20. Now, at 88, she’s learning to ask for and accept help from others after losing her house to the Eaton fire.
Like many others, Austin and Manning said they have seen people price gouging following the fires because people need quick housing options more than ever.
“In (Arcadia), they want me to come out there, but it’s $4,200,” in monthly rent, Austin, an Altadena resident since 1977, said. “I don’t have that. I’m limited with funds.”
Austin has been living at the Pasadena Convention Center for more than a week, trying to navigate technology with which she isn’t familiar, like email, which she needs to apply for housing, insurance claims and emergency relief.
Many fire victims said they want to stay in the city and rebuild.
Already, some residents said they have been getting phone calls from what they called predatory developers looking to take advantage of the fact that many might not be able to refuse a check for their land.
“The thing that makes me the most upset is knowing that the vultures are circling, knowing that my neighborhood will never look the same, knowing that the people are displaced and being taken advantage of,” said Donny Kincey, an Altadena resident whose house and business burnt in the fire. “I want to make sure that we fight, we stay, we don’t sell out, no matter what.”
On Thursday, Jan. 16, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an order to expedite temporary housing for fire victims. On the same day, Attorney General Rob Bonta warned price gougers that they’d be held accountable.
California law prohibits increasing rent or prices more than 10% after an emergency is declared, Bonta said.
Through it all, faith and community love brought many to tears Friday.
The Rev. Nikia Smith Robert led the rapt audience in a prayer that left many audience members cheering and shouting “Amen!”
“The only lasting truth is change. God is change,” Robert said. “We pray for your people, God, we pray that you would restore all that has been lost… we ask that you match the people’s needs with the resources.”
Despite the loss of her house, Austin finds hope in her faith and is grateful to be alive. She narrowly escaped her home before it caught fire, something that only happened after her neighbors told her to leave at 3 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8.
“Faith is there every day. I don’t forget about Him, because if it wasn’t for Him, I might not have made it out,” Austin said. “I pray every day and say, ‘Thank You, Jesus,’ that I wasn’t left behind, that my neighbors thought of me.”
Chants of “We Will Rise” and “Dena Strong” closed out the gathering. Outside, community members wrote messages for each other on a cutout of two hands in the shape of a heart. Messages such as “the people united will never be divided” and “you are not alone” covered the cutout.