One cleanup volunteer, Ariana Raygoza, said, “Many people we speak with are so moved or shocked that we’re offering help, and it’s clear they have not been asked before. Law enforcement officials are posted on every corner, just sitting in their cars. At best, they just stand back and stare while we’re helping. At worst, they’re treating residents in distress like criminals.” Volunteer Ashli Buts added, “I’ve also observed frustration with the lack of official updates. People want answers and don’t know where to find them.”
Social media has made information and networking instantly available to a massive population, but it’s also brought out the worst in people. I met a woman who was distressed because someone had filmed a video of her nephew helping family members move their belongings out of their home, which had burned down. The video was shared on social media with a caption declaring that Black children were looting. The woman told us she didn’t know what to do now that her nephew had been publicly labeled a criminal.
Profiteers descended on community members almost immediately. People, all of whom told me they wanted to remain anonymous, said they were getting calls from real estate speculators before they even knew the status of their homes. One displaced family, the Figueroas, were staying in a chain hotel full of displaced families when the hotel began jacking up its rates. Missi Figueroa elaborated: “First week, it was $116 per night. We wanted to renew and it grew to $186 per night, then four hours later $242 per night. I was so mad because the hotel was full of people who lost everything, like myself.”
Another fire victim I spoke to snuck back into the neighborhood to find their home burned to the ground. She posted a photo on Instagram—which a firm then used without permission for an advertisement. “People started sending it to me and friends started calling them out,” she told me. “[The owner] told us he outsources his social media to a company and was mortified. He fired them and then suspended all advertising for the time being and turned off his Instagram. He was quick to make it right.”