Caption: Councilmember Curren Price (File photo)
It has been 365 emotional days in District 9, with great trauma for dozens of neighbors and an entire community still reeling from a botched LAPD detonation of illegal fireworks on June 30, 2021.
A year later, CD9 mourns. We mourn our community that once was.
We reflect. We reflect on the police’s negligence and failure to protect our working-class neighborhood.
We remain furious. Furious that victims have had to endure such a reprehensible and unconscionable ordeal that could have been avoided.
While the damage and destruction has been done, it’s time to restore our families and rebuild our South LA neighborhood once and for all.
This was by far one of the LAPD’s largest blunders in recent history and as of today, they have refused to release the names of the officers responsible for this tragedy nor have they disclosed the disciplinary action handed down. I stand in solidarity with community members who demand justice and full transparency. I will be holding LAPD’s feet to the fire to ensure they follow through with policy changes, as well as administering appropriate punishment to the individuals responsible for this disaster. How can LAPD blow up a neighborhood with zero accountability?
While we have made progress to make our community whole again, families continue to face an uphill battle and the trajectory of their lives is forever changed. Neighbors living through the nightmare of the 27th Street fireworks explosion have been presented with a myriad of challenges no one could ever have prepared for. The destructive and unprecedented nature of this incident required my Office to think creatively in how we supported our residents. Standard operating procedures for recovery of an event like this simply did not exist so we created a CD9 playbook from scratch. Although the City has a claims process in place by which residents get reimbursed, our residents do not have the time or the money to spare. On a daily basis my Office has been trying to find answers and some sort of resolution for the various households affected- all while predatory lawyers attempt to hijack any potential progress.
I remember the day like it was yesterday. It was one of our longest nights. Without hesitation, Team Price went to work setting up a triage to assist displaced neighbors with their most pressing needs. From providing emergency housing to ensuring our friends and families had food to eat and clothes to wear. Others asked for our help to get important documents from their homes, their medicine, arrange for an oxygen tank, a hospital bed and even help locate beloved family pets. Working alongside trusted partners, including healthcare organizations like St. John’s Community Health, we connected victims to service providers who assessed and met their various needs and continue to do so until this day.
For a year now, my Office has been the center of disaster relief efforts. Aside from housing and ongoing home repairs, my Office has paid for everyday things like furniture, appliances, gift cards and other necessities to help our neighbors get by.
At my direction, CRCD Enterprises has led efforts to clear-up debris, board-up windows and make repairs across 17 homes that were damaged. This includes everything from the installation of new windows, to painting, fixing stucco, repairing damaged wood, ironwork, plumbing work, updating kitchen and bathroom cabinets and so much more.
As time progressed, I presented two motions in City Council totalling $6 million in aid to pour resources and bring immediate relief into our impacted neighborhood. The funding allowed my Office to provide longer-term, first-class corporate housing to displaced neighbors, continue to make home repairs across 27th Street and disburse financial assistance in the amount of $10,000 for 26 of the most severely impacted households. It also made it possible for the opening earlier this month of the Trinity Neighborhood Center, operated by All Peoples Community Center which has provided case management services to impacted households since the beginning of the devastation.
At this community hub inside Walker Temple AME Church in District 9, local neighbors have direct access to a wide range of free services five days a week, including continued case management, resources such as food, diapers, rental or utility assistance, employment and immigration services, financial literacy, tax services, tutoring and parenting classes. A licensed mental health therapist is onsite and the center will collaborate with mental health providers in the area, including Kedren Community Health Center. The Trinity Neighborhood Center also puts City departments under one roof to assist residents with their longer-term needs. To get in touch with the Trinity Neighborhood Center call: (213) 300-0784 or (213) 536-5030. Help is available in both English and Spanish.
As we move forward, we will need a long-term recovery plan for 27th Street and the surrounding area; one that is going to help bring stability to the lives of those affected, revitalize and uplift our neighborhood. I’m especially concerned about potential gentrification and my Office will do everything in its power to prevent this from occurring. We are far from where we need to be, as a neighborhood and as a City. But we are starting to see a silver lining thanks in part to allies like the City of LA’s Community Investment for Families Department (CIFD) and All Peoples Community Center.
Some of the highlights include: a total of 70 individuals served, 164 different social services provided, 87 percent of affected individuals have been linked to mental health services, nearly $320,000 in direct financial assistance distributed and 25 percent of families were rehoused. We’re currently assisting 11 households with relocation. Unfortunately, there are several tenants and property owners that have been somewhat hesitant to relocation and/or home repair services. While I appreciate their trauma, we will continue to assist them.
It’s a long road to recovery, but I remain committed to seeing this tragedy through until every last person is back on their feet. Mark my words, 27th Street will regain its full strength!
The Honorable Curren Price is the Los Angeles City Councilmember for District 9.
