The Rev. Al Sharpton will visit Pasadena on Thursday to lead a memorial service and a rally for victims of the Los Angeles fires. Accompanying him will be attorney Ben Crump, who represents families of people killed in the fires, along with several relatives of the deceased.
“The wildfires scourging Los Angeles these last few weeks have been a devastating humanitarian and natural disaster,” Sharpton said in a prepared statement. “People have lost their homes, their memories, and ultimately their lives to this devastation, while some have sought to use this horrific event to score political points. This Thursday, I will join with Attorney Crump to bring the community together to mourn those we have lost and galvanize them to recover, restore, and rebuild.”
The devastating fires cut across social classes, with a death toll that has reached at least 29 people. The Eaton fire, at the foot of the San Gabriel mountains, ripped through a historic and predominantly Black community in Altadena, wiping out many older homes and with them accumulated generational wealth. A UCLA study published last week said Black residents in Altadena were 1.3 times more likely to have experienced major damage or complete destruction of their home during the inferno.
The 70-year-old Sharpton, who heads the New York City-based National Action Network, holds a committed but controversial record as a civil rights leader. He’s been accused in the past of stoking antisemitism and homophobia. While his oratory continues to project passion for justice, his controversial image has faded somewhat as his civil rights goals have become more inclusive.
The National Action Network was created, according to the organization, “to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, criminal record, economic status, gender, gender expression, or sexuality.”
The memorial will be held at noon Thursday at the First AME Church in Pasadena.
