Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN), led a memorial service at the First African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Pasadena Thursday for victims of the wildfires.
He was joined by relatives of victims who died in the Eaton Fire, survivors of the fires, local community leaders and national civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing some of the families in a lawsuit.
Powered by strong winds, the Eaton Fire became the fifth deadliest in California history, resulting in at least 17 deaths and over 9,400 structures destroyed – including homes, schools, places of worship and businesses – according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
The two civil rights leaders put forth a call to action for “truth, accountability and justice” for those whose homes were lost or damaged in the Eaton Fire and called on leaders to support the historic Black neighborhoods in Altadena.
“What we want is fairness and justice and restoration of Altadena,” said Sharpton to a packed church. “They do not need to be replaced or displaced. They need to be back in their homes, and there should not be bias between how you handle one side of the victims and the other.”
A UCLA study released last week found that Black residents of Altadena were disproportionately impacted by the Eaton Fire.
Authors of the report suggested that “historical redlining practices” led to a high concentration of Black families in the areas of Altadena that were most impacted by the fire. They also noted that more than half of Black homeowners in Altadena are over age 65, and many could face additional issues such as insufficient insurance and “risks of financial exploitation” as they look to rebuild.
“We will make sure that we repair Altadena, we will make sure that we restore Altadena, and we will make sure that we build Altadena, and we will build it back better,” said Crump during an impassioned speech.
He warned that “the vultures are coming,” and finished with his remarks with “Altadena strong!”
City News Service contributed to this article.