the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Aug 30, 2021
On June 30th, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) raided a house in South L.A. that had a large number of fireworks and improvised explosives. The LAPD decided to detonate some of the explosives inside a special vehicle that was supposed to contain the explosion.
Instead of measuring the weight of the explosives, the bomb squad eye-balled it, and made a horrifying miscalculation. The induced explosion blew up the truck, blasted out windows, and badly damaged homes and businesses in the surrounding blocks. As a result, paramedics took 17 people to the hospital. Two weeks after the blast, two individuals died. The explosion officially displaced 88 people from their homes, who now live in hotels and motels paid by the city. There are untold others who are staying with friends and family.
Nearly two months later, many residents are stuck, struggling to rebuild their lives. Some have lost their family homes. Others have lost their jobs because of the stress of the blast or the fact the explosion has displaced them. While residing in hotels paid by the city, it is uncertain how long the displaced residents can stay.
The city has not made the necessary repairs. It has not even boarded up all homes, let alone repaired them.
City officials created a one-million-dollar relief fund and a one-time $10,000 check to households who need to repair their homes, but many residents are afraid to take the money. They fear accepting aid from the city will trap them from any further claims.
The residents of this working-class section of Los Angeles have good reason to have no trust in the authorities, who have a decades-long policy of keeping South L.A. deprived of services. The LAPD, on its part, acts like an occupying army. The actions of city officials and the LAPD regarding this blast are just one more example showing that they have no interest in addressing the population’s concerns.