The night of Jan. 7, I was inside my San Gabriel home trying to find something to distract myself from the growing anxiety caused by the extreme Santa Ana winds blowing outside. When I first saw the news of the fast-spreading Eaton Fire in the nearby town of Altadena, my stomach churned. I got ready for bed that night, unsure if I would be able to sleep with the rattling winds outside my window and the fear that I would be the next to evacuate. As I fell asleep, I just hoped the morning would be better.
Unfortunately, when I woke up the next morning, the fire was still rampaging and the devastation had only begun. More than anything, I felt sad. Over the next few days, I remained full of worry for my friends who lived closer to the flames than I did, the smoke-filled sky acting as a constant reminder of what was occurring less than 10 miles away. Thankfully, my family and my home remained safe throughout the week, but the same cannot be said for a few former classmates, teachers and acquaintances.
The Pasadena area has been my home for my entire life, and I have never seen my community as silent and melancholy as it was for that first terrible week. Every time I opened my Instagram, I saw a new GoFundMe being shared around by my old friends. Two people that I used to dance with, the sister of a former classmate and multiple high school teachers and staff members lost their homes, and those are just the ones I am aware of.
A source of light and hope during this tragedy came in the form of the overwhelming amount of mutual aid created by members of the community. So many individuals and organizations stepped up to help; donation shelters like the Pasadena Convention Center, animal shelters like the Pasadena Humane Society, local restaurants providing free meals and people opening up their homes to the displaced were some of the true heroes of the week. The support was so great that several shelters had to announce they could no longer accept donations because they were filled to the brim.
One of my favorite mutual aid organizations to rise up in the midst of the fires was Altadena Girls, a donation shelter targeted specifically towards teenage girls. The organization was started by an eighth grader named Avery Colvert, 14, who attended a school in Altadena, and it quickly gained attention and support from the community. The Instagram account currently has over 59,000 followers and recently announced a permanent location will be opening in Old Town Pasadena.
I feel a deep bond with my community and the city of LA, so it upset me when I saw the response from certain groups of people outside of California who assumed the only people being affected were the wealthy elite who could afford to rebuild. The lack of empathy from those who held this opinion saddened me, especially as it seemed they were ignorant of the population of areas like Altadena and Pasadena.
The media largely focused on the Palisades Fire, which spread in an area filled with the homes of many wealthy people (although not all who were affected there were wealthy). The Eaton Fire, which affected a greater number of working class people, was not as widely broadcast to the nation, and therefore outsiders did not understand the level of loss experienced there. I’ve seen firsthand how devastating this fire has been, and I don’t believe that those from outside the area truly understood what was lost. Altadena is home to a historic middle-class black community who were disproportionately affected. Residents of apartment buildings that burned down during the fires now struggle to find affordable rent. The ignorance regarding the Altadena and Pasadena community upsets me, but I know how beautiful and strong my area is.
I have always been proud to be from LA, but this tragic event has only made me grow closer to my city and community. Seeing the outpour of support had me on the verge of tears, and I know that people will always show up for each other even when the systems fail us. We are entering a very uncertain and scary period for this country, and we need strength in community now more than ever. What the fires have taught me is that you may not always be able to rely on those who are paid to protect you in your darkest times, but you can always count on your peers to show up and lend a helping hand or shoulder to rest on.
Contact Izzy Shotwell at shotwell@oxy.edu
