"This was an angel" -- families remember wildfire victims at Pasadena memorial service
Record ID:
1956244
"This was an angel" -- families remember wildfire victims at Pasadena memorial service
- Title: "This was an angel" -- families remember wildfire victims at Pasadena memorial service
- Date: 6th February 2025
- Summary: PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FEBRUARY 6, 2025) (Reuters) VARIOUS OF OUTSIDE OF FIRST AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH (SOUNDBITE) (English) REVEREND AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST, SAYING: “There's liability here, but what happens in the interim as attorney Crump and others fight, these families need to be restored, and there should not be bias between how yo
- Embargoed: 20th February 2025 23:20
- Keywords: AL SHARPTON BEN CRUMP CALIFORNIA FIRE LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL SERVICE PASADENA WILDFIRE VICTIMS WILDFIRES
- Location: Pasadena, California, USA
- City: Pasadena, California, USA
- Country: US
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,North America,Wildfires/Forest Fires
- Reuters ID: LVA001944006022025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Families of people killed when wildfire swept through the Los Angeles neighborhood of Altadena came together with community members at a memorial service on Thursday (January 6) to remember their loved ones.
Trevor Kelley remembered his mother Erliene, calling her an angel.
“These are angels," he told those gathered at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Pasadena. "This was an angel that God sent to raise us and to touch every single person that she ever met.”
Rev. Al Sharpton, founder of the National Action Network (NAN), and civil rights attorney Ben Crump also attended the memorial.
Sharpton said he hoped that when it came to compensation and rebuilding, the racially and socially diverse community in Altadena would not be treated any differently from more wealthy neighborhoods that were affected by the fires.
"These families need to be restored, and there should not be bias between how you handle one side of the victims and the other," Sharpton said.
Black and Latino families have lived in Altadena for generations and many residents have said they were concerned that government resources would be channeled towards high-profile areas popular with A-Listers, while insurance companies might shortchange less affluent households that don't have the financial means to contest fire claims.
Faith leaders, including Pastor William Smart and Reverend Dr. Larry Campbell, advocated at the service for rebuilding efforts that ensure justice and equality for all.
(Production: Alan Devall, Evan Garcia, Jayla Whitfield-Anderson) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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