I had a lot of people asking me so I wrote an explainer: Here's how you can help the incarcerated firefighter battling the blazes in Southern California this week: www.latimes.com/california/s... - ThreadSky

keribla.bsky.social • 118 days ago

I had a lot of people asking me so I wrote an explainer: Here's how you can help the incarcerated firefighter battling the blazes in Southern California this week:

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-11/how-you-can-help-the-incarcerated-firefighters-battling-l-a-wildfires

Comments

phalsleyconvicted.bsky.social•118 days ago

https://prisonersolidarity.com/prisoner/jes...

sherrillann.bsky.social•118 days ago

After they are removed from our country, we'll have to use child labor. If kids can work in meat packing plants, they can surely fight fires.

bookbooktrashtrash.bsky.social•118 days ago

i mean, https://www.teenvogue.com/story/wildfire-camp-incarcerated-teens

sherrillann.bsky.social•118 days ago

Yes! And they get paid big bucks.

https://www.newsweek.com/incarcerated-firefighters-battle-california-blaze-low-pay-redemption-2013373#:~:text=Incarcerated%20people%20were%20paid%20%240.16,that%20was%20doubled%20in%202023

wickdchiq.bsky.social•118 days ago

Thank you for this I thought it was just me

sherrillann.bsky.social•118 days ago

I was shocked that 30 percent are teenagers.

wickdchiq.bsky.social•118 days ago

Omg same!

tannenbaum.org•118 days ago

Yahoo News (unpaywalled) link: https://www.yahoo.com/news/help-incarcerated-firefighters-battling-l-003832197.html

joekatz45.bsky.social•117 days ago

📌

keribla.bsky.social•118 days ago

Oh thanks excellent I didn’t realize yahoo had picked it up

karenbarrett.bsky.social•118 days ago

Don’t know why, but the Coalition’s donation page seems not to be working on several levels. At least not on iPhone. Most importantly, when you fill out all the dialog boxes and try to advance to next screen, it refreshes and dumps the info entered.

raccoon-overlord.bsky.social•118 days ago

Thank you! I've been looking for this

ajbsaysthings.bsky.social•117 days ago

Thank you for centering the voices of incarcerated firefighters in a debate they're very often erased from.

dogontheroof.bsky.social•118 days ago

Cake with a file in it.

missmaes2cents.bsky.social•118 days ago

In a few days trump gets a government salary, live in government housing as a convicted felon protected by government employees

mahapat.bsky.social•118 days ago

📌

joekatz45.bsky.social•118 days ago

THANK YOU.

wickdchiq.bsky.social•118 days ago

How is this program a good thing? It’s just free labour that may not be of their own accord?

mamaleeza.bsky.social•118 days ago

They are paid, though it’s much lower than if they were free, and these jobs are much sought after, no one is coerced.

cindyricecakes.bsky.social•118 days ago

It’s absolutely coerced. If the offer comes from a place of power and doesn’t provide workplace safety and/or equal pay and rights ~ it’s coercion.

legall29.bsky.social•118 days ago

From France, i only can support you

kdedel.bsky.social•118 days ago

Thanks for this! I donated and sent it to all my people. I’ve followed your work, love your book. Keep fighting the good fight 👊

wohinjetzt.bsky.social•118 days ago

And if you work at a company that matches charitable donations, request a match.

flowerspurs.bsky.social•118 days ago

So wait …. They need money to buy toiletries, gear, and boots? The state isn’t providing those? 🤦‍♀️. I will send some money their way. 😞

schasse60.bsky.social•118 days ago

Right!!?
Safety gear should be a given!

deefleemeta.bsky.social•118 days ago

People scream about raising taxes, but in the end we're giving our own money instead of paying taxes to have the state take care of this.🤦‍♀️

timothynfrode.bsky.social•118 days ago

Wait until you hear about the phone calls, how visitation works especially after Covid, and why people are there in the first place.

It’s not public safety.

sftoboston.bsky.social•116 days ago

How you can help: Revolt against the oil industry.

jenniferpetitt.bsky.social•118 days ago

Could someone provide a gift link for this article? Thanks.

phalsleyconvicted.bsky.social•118 days ago

https://prisonersolidarity.com/prisoner/jes...

tannenbaum.org•118 days ago

Yahoo news link to the article, without paywall:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/help-incarcerated-firefighters-battling-l-003832197.html

jenniferpetitt.bsky.social•118 days ago

Thanks so much, Saul!

keribla.bsky.social•118 days ago

Oh shoot I don’t know how to. I thought we had dropped our paywall for the fires but maybe only the first couple days?

jenniferpetitt.bsky.social•118 days ago

Don’t worry, Keri. Someone with a subscription will likely post one. Wasn’t meaning to direct this to you. You all have more than enough going on!

ournewhomecoach.bsky.social•118 days ago

I honestly thought incarcerated meant in prison. Is that right or is it something different?

keribla.bsky.social•118 days ago

That is what it means. But California prisons have crews of minimum security prisoners go out and fight fires for $27 dollars a day

oldmanant.bsky.social•118 days ago

It's "volunteer" prison labor.

They "volunteer" to get $0.26 an hour to get out of our dehumanization centers quicker.

Slave prison labor is still allowed...

ournewhomecoach.bsky.social•118 days ago

And these people are putting their lives at risk fighting fires? 🤯🤯🤯

oldmanant.bsky.social•118 days ago

They weren't even allowed to become firefighters after their release until very recently.

America sucks lmao

rollenderechter.bsky.social•118 days ago

In Europe we are amazed that you need to loan fire planes from Canada and firefighters from Mexico + put incarcerated folks to work for almost no pay - and Still ask for donations. Must be a great place.

mamaleeza.bsky.social•118 days ago

You nailed it. All of America’s systems are broken beyond repair.

ostensiblyaustin.bsky.social•118 days ago

Yet our cities are so willing to give their police departments the budget of a small military. It’s insane.

rollenderechter.bsky.social•118 days ago

I'm aware + copcity etc etc. 1984 / Animal Farm: became manuals for some.

skyfog.bsky.social•117 days ago

I’m a US citizen. How this country stays together keeps amazing me.

zodiestarr.bsky.social•118 days ago

Thank you for sharing!!

beckyvesey.bsky.social•118 days ago

📌

jenna7.tgirl.gay•118 days ago

thank you for writing

it should really be called what it is: slave labor

but I'm sure the la times won't allow that.

deefleemeta.bsky.social•118 days ago

However, it is a coveted position. I agree they should be paid more and even have the ability to apply to become a firefighter after they are released.

tania007.bsky.social•118 days ago

I’d love to see them being hired as firefighters after their release too, and be paid the same. It seems ridiculous that they’re not being adequately paid for the work they do.

mamaleeza.bsky.social•118 days ago

Actually, some have been, though the numbers are quite low. It would be great to see this become a thing,

tania007.bsky.social•118 days ago

It would be good to see their “camp” time be treated as a traineeship 👍🏻

mamaleeza.bsky.social•118 days ago

Yes, it would, and for a real program to be launched for fire stations around the country to employ them.

tania007.bsky.social•118 days ago

Absolutely needs to be the goal for every type of program like this.

schasse60.bsky.social•118 days ago

They should all be equipped with proper gear, well fed & $200/day(in their commissary acct)min for the degree of danger...(our min wage in Seattle is $16.60)

tania007.bsky.social•118 days ago

And have access to compensation if they are injured or killed during work or training.

duckduckf.bsky.social•118 days ago

Thanks for this

missyjack.bsky.social•115 days ago

"fighting fires is one of the best-paying prison jobs available — and it also gives qualifying prisoners a chance to chop time off their sentences" You realise this is not a good thing? This is some explotiative hunger games bullshit.

keribla.bsky.social•115 days ago

I did prison time myself so I am pretty well aware of the nature of prison labor! But that sentence wasn’t an endorsement it was just a statement of facts.

hamaia.bsky.social•118 days ago

📌

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