Is the 13th Amendment Exploiting California’s Incarcerated Firefighters?
Why incarcerated firefighters are on the frontlines in California
On the morning of January 7, 2025, a wildfire erupted in the affluent coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades in California. Coupled with a burst from the Santa Ana winds that reached up to 100 miles per hour and a decrease in water pressure as a result of far too much fire being fought at the same time, the fire quickly raged out of control and as of me writing this at 5:20 PM on Sunday, January 12, has affected over 23,000 acres with only 11% containment.
Later that same day, the Eaton Fire broke out near Pasadena, currently affecting over 14,000 acres - including the entire city of Altadena, much of which has been completely destroyed. Then came the Hurst Fire in Sylmar… the Kenneth fire near West Hills… the Lidia fire near Acton… the Sunset fire in Hollywood… and on it went.
If you’ve ever paid attention to California fire news, you’d know it’s sadly not surprising that California is susceptible to wildfires; in the last decade alone, millions of acres have burned in the state as a result of the August Complex Fire, the Camp Fire, the Park Fire, the Dixie Fire, and more. In fact, nine of the ten largest wildfires in California’s history have occurred this decade alone - exacerbated immensely by climate change.
From over here on the East Coast, this has been a horrifying story breaking out from thousands of miles away - yet it’s one that’s hit incredibly close to home in more ways than one. About half of the people I have supporting me are located in the Los Angeles area, including the entirety of my YouTube team. I was going to be fine, but what about them? With news overwhelmingly hitting each of us about the rapid spread of fires all across Southern California, the big concern I had throughout all of this was: are my friends and family going to be okay?
Although the fires came dangerously close to each of them, I’m relieved to tell you all that they’re okay - or as okay as can be - as the Santa Ana winds have settled down and the fires are finally starting to be contained. I’m regularly talking to each of them again, with one of them bringing to my attention an interesting statistic you may have seen floating around without context on social media: nearly 30% of the people fighting fires in California are inmates.
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