Comments
COMPASSION OR CRUELTY - In daylight, ash is falling like toxic gray snowflakes. The smoke is acrid and smells of electric fires. I described the stench to friends as reeking of death and bragging about it.
From the horror and loss inflicted by the Palisades, Eaton, and other fires that hit Los Angeles County on January 7 and 8, and the contagious acts of kindness and assistance now occurring amid the dislocation, Angelenos will place many keepsake memories in our fireproof mental lockboxes.
Among these I ask my fellow Californians, and all Americans of good conscience, to remember the facts of this indelible moment and file away two contrasting snapshots. Who showed compassion and determination to solve problems for us in Southern California? And who showed cruelty and did nothing to help, but instead sought to exploit our misery?
With electric power coming back to my own home and corner of Northeast L.A., unscathed by the nearby cataclysms, assisting others has kicked into high gear. Local neighbors in my network sheltered evacuees from Altadena, Pasadena, Sierra Madre, and Glendale. Residents now are asking for clean water, warm food, coffee, and N95 masks to prevent inhaling the choking concentration of airborne particulates.
Another top priority is trying to make sense of the staggering damage, some of it still hot, with active fires not even contained. Two words keep coming back: Unfathomable. Apocalyptic.
As scope of the catastrophe became clearer, I was struck by Californians’ good fortune as this crisis unfolded that the President of the United States was still Joe Biden. Without missing a beat, President Biden on Wednesday declared a Major Disaster in Los Angeles County and opened the spigots of federal aid, including dollars, to our devastated communities.
On Thursday, President Biden went even further with an executive order committing the federal government to pay 100 percent of costs for local and state relief and recovery efforts in L.A. for 180 days of debris removal, shelters for displaced residents, and salaries of first responders. “We are with you,” President Biden said. “To the firefighters and first responders, you are heroes."
President Biden’s prompt, adept response shows how normal people express care to those injured and harmed by a disaster. He showed how a normal elected leader hastens to offer humanitarian aid to victims of an emergency and relief to survivors. In stark contrast, on January 8, Donald Trump showed how a depraved lunatic reacts to a disaster. Trump attacked the helpers and state officials acting to meet the needs of anguished Angelenos. He sought to exploit the suffering of Californians for amusement and political gain.
Instead of doing any work himself or engaging any of his wealthy cronies to solve any problem, Trump wasted time buffoonishly weaving a conspiracy theory about water policy and blaming the fires in L.A. County on Gov. Gavin Newsom. “He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt,” Trump fulminated. “Now the ultimate price is being paid.”
This response only worsens people's misery by spreading lies and division. Anyone so depraved as to misuse a disaster to promote blame and indifference is demonstrating a form of cruelty. Trump’s statements are as rotten and reprehensible as any looter who targets properties damaged by or evacuated during the fire.
The smoke over L.A. is murky and hazardous. But the deadly natural disaster and the response to it have been clarifying. Every Angeleno should recall henceforth that in early January 2025, President Joe Biden was a friend indeed in rushing resources to counteract the crisis as L.A. County smoldered. And no Californian should forget that Donald Trump refused to help anyone and instead proved a clownish monster, spewing falsehoods and callousness at a moment of truth.
(Hans Johnson is a longtime leader for LGBTQ+ human rights, environmental justice, and public education. His columns appear in national news outlets including USA Today and in top daily news outlets of more than 20 states. A resident of Eagle Rock, he is also president of East Area Progressive Democrats (EAPD), the largest grassroots Democratic club in California, with more than 1,100 members.)
