Will Trump do anything to aid the Black Fire Victims in West Altadena? -The Hutchinson Repor

 

Earl Ofari Hutchinson

[00:00:01.09] – Speaker 1

This is Earl Ofari Hutchinson with another edition of The Hutchinson Report, the Weekly Hutchinson Report. Trump, Trump, Trump. Pacific Palisades, Pacific Palisades, Pacific Palisades. La Wildfires. But I don’t hear, and I didn’t hear from Trump. And oftentimes, many state officials and local officials, West Altadena, more specifically, Black Altadena, an area of Altadena that historically has been African American predominant. Businesses, churches, community centers, and most importantly, homes for decades because African Americans were excluded from many parts of Pasadena, and Altadena, so West Altadena, became their home. I went, I saw, and I was absolutely appalled at the devast there. I have deep in West Altadena. I have relatives, two of them lost homes in West Altadena. One of my cousins, 50 years in West Altadena, had to be evacuated, thank God, last minute. Life was saved? No. I mean no, I can’t emphasize this. No. Thanks to LA County. A gross failure, gross negligence, gross fumbling the ball when it came to one thing. One in the residence in West Altadina, predominantly black, get out, evacuate. East Altadina, predominantly white, not a problem. All right, now we come back to Trump and local officials. What are you going to do about West Altadina?

 

[00:01:45.11] – Speaker 1

What are you going to do about recovery aid? What are you going to do about assistance? What are you going to do about the insurance, rebuilding, repair of homes? Not to mention the deaths, the loss of life, which can be blamed directly on the failure of LA County supervisors in their, in this case, rotten emergency response system. So we come back to Trump. Trump has made loud soundings about many conditions for aid to Los Angeles, the Wildfires. He’s made many, many soundings about maybe we need to look at FEMA and even get rid of FEMA. And in addition to that, we’ve heard a lot of promises from state officials giving inflated figures what they’re going to do, this billion, that billion. What we’re not hearing West Altadena and the Blacks that suffered catastrophic losses, property, businesses, injuries, loss of life. Well, Trump did not go to West Altadena. He went to Pacific Palisades. Why? Primarily white, primarily upper middle of class, well to do, I might add, and very rich. Many cases are history of individuals influential politically, and of course, well to do and well-healed financially. West Altadena, the African-Americans here, predominantly business people, working class, retirees, not Trump’s people, not the media’s people, not the focus on, and especially when you think about and bring in the history of West Altadena, black, Altadena.

 

[00:03:31.00] – Speaker 1

All right, what do we make of this? Failure of the county to war, residence in West Altadena on a timely basis, loss of life, property damage, catastrophic. I saw it, I witnessed it. I have relatives there. Thank God. Although two lost homes, one was saved. The second thing, Trump, all of his soundings about all the conditions about aid, we don’t know. We know that Trump did not pointedly visit West Altadena and talk to the residents, talk to the survivors of victims, talk to people there on the ground. Didn’t do that. In fact, local officials, they’re making soundings now about all the things they’re going to do about West Altadena. But in many cases, it’s just that. Time will really tell. And they’re only doing it because of pressure put on them. Say something, do something about West Altadena and the conditions and the suffering Recovering there. We come back to Trump, the federal government, FEMA. What will they do? We made the call over and over again. FEMA, no discrimination whatsoever in terms of aid, assistance, recovery, insurance, rebuilding, repair. No discrimination. Equal treatment of the African Americans and other non-whites in West Altadena that suffered the losses as opposed to Pacific Palisades.

 

[00:04:57.11] – Speaker 1

Again, we will see, we are watching, we are monitoring, we’re going to keep the heat on, we’re going to hold their, pardon the bad pun, feet to the fire. West Altadena suffered grievously. It cannot, should not, and must not be forgotten. And I might even add, forgiven for the gross failure at all levels. You’ve been listening to another edition of The Hutchinson Report. I’m Earl Ofari Hutchinson.

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