KFI mo Kelly.
We're live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app and we're still going through this, but we're still going through it together. Yes, we are following the Riverside County fire and how that is not out of control but is just getting to the point of a high level of concern. We're continuing to follow what has been happening obviously with the Palisades fire and the Eaton Canyon Valley Eating Canyon fire, so many things to cover, but also there is a degree
of progression. There are the fires which are still burning. There are the people who have been evacuated and displaced, and there are people who've lost their homes and now in the process of trying to figure out what is next.
And that's part of the reason of what we're doing tonight is making sure that people listening know what is next as far as home insurance, what type of claims need to be filed, what type of help that you can request from the federal government and FEMA, where you can go to get goods and services in the short term. We're going to discuss all of that tonight, and also we're going to drill down on some of these communities
where people need help right where they are. I'm talking about Alta, Data, I'm talking about Sierra Madre, talking about Easpasadata, all these places. What if you're not from California, you may not even know about them, but we know them and we love them. We're going to make sure that they are taken care of. Yes, we heard that that press conference earlier today. Will have audio from the morning press conference which gave us an update on a variety of facilities and also the fires.
But we're also going to play some.
Audio back from La County District Attorney Nathan Hoffman as far as his I'll say, clamping down on looters and criminals, how they are trying to take advantage of this situation. And let me give a shout out to to Wallas Sharp, who's been going through it personally with this. He's been very public about his loss of house in Alta, Dina and now say this in addition, and I don't know if he knows this.
I don't think we've ever talked about this.
I know more about Altadena just because of my association with Taualla Sharp than anything else. I knew about some of the history, but not all of the history. Until I talk more with to Wallas Sharp about the history of the city of how it evolved and emerged as a place where predominantly originally African America could go because of redlining back in the late eighteen hundreds in the
early nineteen hundreds. And we're going to get into that tonight on some level as far as the people who are in Altadena and the surrounding communities where they will need some help. In fact, I don't know if you heard this, Swalla, but Evan Lovett who does this series La in a Minute. You may see it on Instagram or his YouTube channel. He goes around La and he'll talk about the history of certain places and points and landmarks.
It's always really informative. He makes it entertaining, but it's not literally in a Minute, but it's just a short vignette of different places and points of interest here in Los Angeles. And he recently did one on Alta Dina. I want to play it, and I would love to get your thoughts on the other side of it.
La in a Minute, And this is an episode I wish I would have covered sooner. I want to talk about Alta Dina, a beautiful unincorporated community nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, Altadena has a special history. Is a home for families teaking to escape LA's early racial barriers to build thriving communities, and it's also the home of the first land return to LA's indigenous peoples. Altadena, my heart truly goes out to you and your community.
Let's get into it.
Altadena is an independent, unique and charming neighborhood and also one of the most important neighborhoods in Los Angeles for African American history and culture. An unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, Altadena long served as a refuge for black families who were able to settle in the area, one of the few LA areas exempt from redlining and restrictive housing policy, The area itself was originally inhabited by the indigenous Hajamonga tribe before Spanish settlers arrived in the late
eighteenth century. The land that would become Altadena was part of Rancho San Pasqual, a Mexican land grant established in eighteen thirty four. The land subsequently changed hands a few times, but its history as Altadena proper began in eighteen eighty, when brothers John and Frederick Woodbury purchased nine hundred and thirty seven acres, naming their portion of the land the
Woodbury Ranch. Around the same time, in the nearby Fertile Foothills, a man named byron O Clark owned an orchard where he sold trees and plants, and he called his nursery the Altadena Nursery. That was the inspiration for the Woodbury brothers to subdivide their land and call it Alta Dina. The word Alta means upper and Spanish, and Dina referenced
its higher elevation compared to nearby Pasadena. Development was initially slow due to an economic downturn in the late eighteen eighties, but with the construction of Fattiuslow's Mountain Railway connecting Los Angeles to Altadena and the mountains beyond, Altadena became a bona fide tourist destination. The newly sprouted community immediately began to attract millionaires from the east, including Andrew McNally, the printing magnate, and George gil Green, a patent medicine entrepreneur.
The area's charms appealed to more millionaires including newspaper moguls William Scrips and William Kellogg, and author Zane Gray, who built mansions and formed what became Millionaire's Row on Mariposa near Santa Rosa Avenue. From there, Altadena was the beneficiary of the Great Migration, where many African Americans moved west
to escape the Jim Crow South. Altadena's open spaces and relative affordability compared to neighboring Pasadena made it an attractive destination, and by the nineteen twenties, thirties, and forties, a vibrant black community had taken root, overcoming redlining and the restricting housing covenants to create a rich cultural and social network. Altadena developed a reputation as a haven for black professionals, educators,
and creatives. Notable figures such as will It Beatrice Brown, the first black women in the United States to receive a commercial pilot's license, and artist Charles White called Altadena homes, cementing its status as a mecca in Los Angeles for African Americans. Essential institutions emerged, including churches like Altadena Baptist Church, community organizations, and cultural events that fostered a sense of togetherness and pride for everybody.
The post World.
War II era brought significant expansion to Altadena's economic growth, and GI benefits fueled a housing boom, filling most of Altadena's remaining open land, and by the nineteen fifties, Altadena's population was just under its current level of forty three thousand.
Then that the area known as Alta Dina Meadows became one of the first middle class African American neighborhoods in the region and became an important site for African American leaders, activists, writers, performers, and visual artists to build a community and make professional connections. That legacy continues through today, including one of the definitive voices in LA's culinary scene, Mona Holmes, who was born in Altadena. As such, Altadena has been known for its diversity.
And its strong sense of community.
It's important to note also that Altadena is the final resting place of Owen Brown, an abolitionist in the last surviving participant in the eighteen to fifty nine Slaver vault
on Harper's Ferry, Virginia. Perhaps more than anything to the outside world, Alta Dina is renowned for its natural beauty, including the multiple hiking trails that underlie the outdoor spirit of its community residents, and perhaps best incorporating that community spirit is the home of the original Christmas Tree Lane, a point seven mile stretch of Santa Rosa Avenue lined with diadr trees that has been a holiday attraction since
nineteen twenty the oldest large scale outdoor Christmas lighting venue in the world, and in twenty twenty two, Altadena became the locale of the first land returned to the Tongva since the arrival of the Europeans in the Los Angeles Basin area after a resident donated her one acre property to the Tongva Conservancy, marking the first time in nearly two hundred years that the Tongva had had land in Los Angeles County. However, this vibrant community now faces a
new and devastating challenge. In January twenty twenty five, the Eaton Fire erupted, fueled by Santa Ana winds gusting up to one hundred miles an hour, burning more than fifteen thousand acres and destroying over one thousand structures. Altadena will rebuild. Their community is too strong not to. But if you could give anything in the meantime, there are many resources online, but please donate money or open your doors to any
families that have been displaced by these horrible fires. Da Dina is, after all, one of the most historic, beautiful,
and culturally significant areas in all of Los Angeles. The story of Altadena is one of perseverance in the face of adversity, whether it's overcoming racial barriers, are battling natural disasters, and as the community looks to the future, it'll draw strength from that rich history and diverse population and work together to rebuild and reinforce the bonds that have made Altadena a unique environ place to call home.
All right away, it's been a minute, Tuala, you know a little something about Altadena. How do you do?
He did altadda justice? I mean, it is really really hard to hold back to tears because that's that's what we love about the city. That's what we love about where we live. It's why why you hear me every single time I get the opportunity to say something about the town, I'm always shouting out Dina because it is a small town in a large city where everyone is one. It's just just once removed from someone else, you know,
someone's cousin, someone's brother, someone's uncle, mother's sister. You are connected in such a family way, and I swear the listening to this, it's unbearable to hear all of this rich history and to see it in its condition now. I was there today and it looks like it looks like what I imagine New Orleans look like after Katrina. That's
the only way I can sum it up. Seeing sheriffs and National guardsmen blocking off every entryway to Altadena with tanks and rifles out and caution tape, and seeing just the devastation driving over the hill today. Normally I would love seeing all the green, and today it's all black. It's all black from the fire, and it is. It is the most unbearable feeling in the world to see that what.
We call back.
I'll be joined by Cynthia Mitchell Hurd, who is President and CEO at the Los Angeles Urban League all this week, starting today through Friday, nine am to nine pm. The LA Urban League, in partnership with New Revelation Church, is presently hosting a week long help center to provide relief for the victims of the catastrophic Eton fire in Altadena and New Revelation Baptist Church is located at eight five five North Orange Grove Boulevard in Pasadena.
That is next you're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from KFI AM six forty.
And as we continue our coverage of the fires and their impact on southern California, I want to offer more helpful information to those who have been displaced and evacuated. The Los Angeles Urban League, in partnership with New Revelation Church, is presently hosting a week long help center to provide relief for the victims of the catastrophic Eaten fire in Altadena.
The help center will offer essential supplies including water, blankets, hygiene products, clothing, gift cards, grab and go meals, and more, generously donated by local restaurants. It happens all this week, Monday through Friday from nine am to nine pm. Joining me right now on the line to tell us more is Cynthia Mitchell Heard, President and CEO at the Los Angeles Urban League, Miss Mitchell heard, thank you for coming on tonight.
How are you?
Oh my goodness, thank you so much for having me this evening. We're doing okay. There's a lot of devastation. There's a lot of hurt, and there's a lot of need in our communities. And so as we move forward to work together to bring back these families and to bring dignity back to these families, it's tough, and it's tough seeing our families that have absolutely nothing.
What have you heard from people?
What have they been telling you, what have they been expressing as far as their needs or that pain which you're referencing, Start with the pain.
In some communities, people have lost absolutely everything. They have nothing. For many of these people in our communities, this was their retirement. This is where they raise their families. This is where the good times, the bad times, the American dream, this is where their legacy and then over a moment's time, it was all gone. We have white tears. We have spoken to people that I cannot tell you the hurt,
the hurt. But yet and still there are people that I've spoken to and our team have spoken to that there's a sense of hope and that although they have lost everything, they look to the hills, they look to their faith, they look to their communities, and they look to the people that they love, and they realize that sometimes things are just things. But when you're given an opportunity to walk away with your life and to walk away with the people that you love, you can rebuild again.
So that is a part of some of the hurt that we see. And you know, it's very, very difficult. You know, they need money to continue the grab and go meals here for the weekend and sell resources, resources, resources resources.
You mentioned trying to rebuild again. But I know, and you know, of course for a lot of families, rebuilding scenes a long ways off. They're trying to get through right here, right now, this moment, this day, this week. And that's part of the reason why we're talking about what the Los Angeles Urban League is doing in partnership with the New Revelation Church to provide this help center, this week long help center. What was the first step in bringing this week long event together?
How did it come about?
Well, devastations, immediate deployment to the community. Pastor George Hurt activated through New Revelations, then called various Corporations, then called
the Los Angeles Urban League. We then deployed other community partners such as special needs network such as she Ready, other corporations such as Coca Cola, Macy's, Edison, Starbucks, etc. That's what we do though, when we faced travesties in communities, we deploy, We bring in community, we bring in resources, and we bring in partnerships, and we bring it in as quickly as we possibly can. And so when he began to make the calls, we began to come to action.
This is going to be a week long help center. It is open from nine am to nine pm. Can people just show up? Do they need to contact you in advance?
How?
Because I know someone is listening right now who wants to be part of this, who either wants to help or needs help. How can people other than just showing up? Is there anything they need to do?
No, you just show up from nine to nine. There'll be food trucks here for food, There'll be resources available, water, blankets, hygiene products, clothing, gift cards, toys, items for youth, women's hygiene items. Just show up and get what you need. Come one, Come on.
If you're just tuning in.
My guest right now is the LA Urban League President and CEO, Cynthia Mitchell Hurd. We're talking all about this very important event. We're talking about the week long health Center, which is done in conjunction with the New Revelation Church to provide relief for the victims of this catastrophic eating fire in Altadena. We'll have more with Cynthia Mitchell Herd in just one moment.
You're listening to later with Moe Kelly on demand from KFI AM six forty.
I'm right in the middle of a very important conversation with Cynthia Mitchell Hurd, who is the president and CEO at the Los Angeles Urban League. And all this week Monday through Friday, from nine am to nine pm, the LA Urban League, in partnership with New Revelation Church, is presently hosting a week long health center to provide relief for the victims of the catastrophic Eating fire in Altadena. And Miss Mitchell heard, let me come back to you.
You're not talking about this as an outsider. You're as someone who's from the neighborhood, the community. You went to USC You understand this LA landscape. How is this impacting you personally or emotionally.
Well, emotionally, we've had friends and family that have totally been devastated and lost their homes. But more importantly, the community is family. Our communities are family, the Los Angeles Urban LAK, all of the communities by which we work with their family, and so this is absolutely something that we are completely invested in. You see, when our community hurts, we hurt, and so it is important for us to come together and to pull together a call to action immediately.
As really we're right behind the first responders. We're there to we support the first responders, and we're there to support our communities.
I know that there is an information gap, and I know with the communication gap when when you lose everything, a part of losing everything is losing the ability to connect with people, to watch the news and find out what's going on, or to hear conversations just like these. There is this information gap, and not everyone may be able to make it to you this week between nine
am and nine pm. Has any discussion been had about either lengthening it or somehow providing it again in another location or maybe in conjunction with another church.
Well, you know, we will go as long as we have to. And I'm happy you brought that point up because I'd like to appeal to local businesses and individuals for donations or assistance so that we can extend these efforts and emphasize really the importance of community solidarity and overcoming our challenges. But in order for us to do that,
we need the assistance of corporations and businesses. I've named to use several businesses who stepped up to the plate, but we need many many more to call to support and to provide these resources, whether they be monetary or whether they be resource based water, toiletries, clothes. And then we moved to assistance such as our support with FEMA, such as our support with our insurance brokers and companies,
our mental health providers coming out to support. But we know that we will be here and we will not go home until we're able to support the needs of the community. We are currently here in Altadena Pasadena, but we will also extend our services into the Palisades area and to those that need us. But for now, we are here in the Eaton Canyon fire in Altadena sor
in Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre. So again, to all of the corporations and to all of the businesses that are still standing here in the San Gabriel Valley, please please please extend yourselves to support these families that have lost everything.
You mentioned something that I think has been under discussed but needs more light shone down upon it. You mentioned mental health in a tragedy of this magnitude, of this degree. Losing a house maybe one thing, and as adults, for example, we may better be able to understand it than maybe a child or maybe younger people. When we talk about the mental health aspect, are we including the younger people who obviously it's even more devastating for I would argue.
Loss is a tragedy, and when we expect experienced loss in a family, often the children are the first to suffer. We as parents do all that we can to keep our children from this experience, but in this situation, it's very difficult. When these children have lost their school, they've lost some of their friends, They've lost their toys, their homes, their clothing, they're just their simple day living. They've lost it all in a matter of moments. You're absolutely correct.
Mental health is key. We are working with the Department of Mental Health and we are currently working to see if we can have a mental health facilitator in liaison here on site to be able to support just exactly what you're saying, but trauma informed. When one has experienced this type of trauma. It is key that we treat not only the children, but we treat the entire family, and so yes, that is something that we are wanting to have here at New Revelations is a representative from
the Department of Mental Health. Ms.
Mitchell Hurt.
Can I get you to hold on for just a moment, because there's so much more that I want to cover with you. There's so much more information that I want you to share with us, and the only way we can do that is to extend this conversation. So please, I want you to hold on for one more segment. It's mo Kelly. We're talking still about the fires, specifically in Oltadena, they Eat and Canon fire, and how people in that community are coming together to help one another.
My guest right now is Cynthia Mitchell Hurd, President and CEO at the Los Angeles Urban League, and all this week, I mean all this week from nine am to nine pm Monday through Friday, the Los Angeles Urban League, in partnership with New Revelation Church, is presently hosting a week long help center to provide relief for the victims of
the catastrophic Eating fire in Altadena. And what I mean by that, they're offering essential supplies including water, blankets, hygiene products, clothing, gift cards, grab and go meals and more.
So we'll tell you more about that in just a moment.
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on Demand from KFI AM six forty.
And as we're continuing our coverage of the fires and their impact on southern California, we're drilling down on Altadena specifically, and I've been telling you about this week long e event. The Los Angeles Urban League, in partnership with New Revelation Church, is presently hosting the Help Center to provide relief for the victims of the catastrophic Eating fire in Altadena. I'm talking about Monday through Friday. Started today from nine am
to nine pm. And the Help Center, as they're calling it, will offer essential supplies including water, blankets, hygiene products, clothing, gift cards, grabbing gold meals and more. And Ms Mitchell Hurt, have you had any difficulties as far as getting the word out. It's one thing to have a wonderful event like this. It's one thing to provide these services and making sure that you have these goods available for needy families,
those who are in need because of this tragedy. But it's another thing to make sure, beyond this conversation, of course, that you are reaching the desired demographic, the people who need to hear it the most. Have you had any difficulty in reaching people this? This is day one, but you have another four days at least.
You know, I'm going to say yes, depending on what communities you represent, communication may not be as vast as we would like it to be. I would like to turn that question around because I know that we have been absolutely bombarded with some coverage and not seen as much coverage in other communities, and thus I would love to have a call to action to an amazing entity like yourself to help us get the word out and to build that bridge so that more and more people
know to come. We have made our outreach to media. We have some print media that have been here, but we need more and I am giving. I am asking that you, the public and others help us get the word out as we need it to me, because everybody deserves an opportunity to have their voice and to have their stories told. Altadna Eaton Canyon is an absolutely amazing historical community that has been burnt to the ground, and so many people have lost not only their phones, but
their souls. And so it is important that you help us get the word out so that people, more and more people can have and utilize the resources that we have here today at the New Revelations Help Center. That is supported by the Los Angeles Urban League, It is supported by Special Needs Network, It is supported by she Ready, It is supported by Coca Cola, it is supported by Starbucks,
and is supported by Macy's and so many others. And if you could help us get that word out, you too could help save lives and build the bridge that has been aren't and the bridge that needs to be built so that these lives can go on and flourish. But today thousands and thousands and thousands of people are hurting, and we need to get the word out so that we can help. I'd like to give a few numbers here if you don't mind. In Altadena, thirty two hundred
people were evacuated. We have twenty eight hundred firefighters, we have three hundred and fifty sheriff and police, and fourteen hundred homes, businesses, and schools. Fourteen hundred and we also have to make note that not everybody owned their home here in Atlanta and in Altadena. Some did, some didn't, So there's a lot of displaced renters as well. People are fleeing. They're fleeing trying to just make a way.
And so I need your voice, MO, I need you, I need you, I need you, iHeart I need everybody who is listening to go on to www dot laul dot org. Please please give one hundred percent of your dollars will go right back to these families of need one hundred percent.
Let me just say this, I asked that question pretty much knowing what the answer would be, and that's the reason why I reached out to you and the La Urbanly to make sure the voice was heard, this community was heard and represented. And we're going to promote this the rest of the week, every single night, each hour on this show. You've got that from me, and I'll make sure that this lapse in communication will not be furthered by anything that I do.
I'm going to close that gap.
Thank you. And we have so many people from the Beach, Citi's Malibu Palace, Aids, Sherman Oaks, Insino, and Alta Dina Pasadena, and so for now, the Los Angeles Urban League, our key focus for now is helping with the Altadena Pasadena area, but we extend our services to all Please across Los Angeles County. If you feel as though there is something or resources by which you need that we have mentioned, please do not hesitate to go online or to give
us a call. There is somebody waiting waiting to accept your call or to respond to your email.
She is Cynthia Mitchell Hurd, President and CEO at the Los Angeles Urban League. All this week Monday through Friday, nine am to nine pm, the Los Angeles Urban League, in partnership with New Revelation Church, is presently hosting a week long help center, and we're going to tell you about it each hour of each show this week because it's going to provide relief for the victims of the catastrophic eating fire in Altadena. Cynthia Mitchell Hurt, thank you
so much for coming on this evening. This will not be the last time that we talk about this or any other issue which is relevant to the community.
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much. And if I could have one last closing moment, sure I'd like to give out a name of a the liaison for our first response. His name is mister Michael Stratton and his phone number is for us would be three two three two nine nine nine six six zero. And for the Los Angeles Urban League, he is our first responder and that if there are any questions that you may have, he could be the person that can help guide you to the additional resources
within the Los Angeles Urban League. Again, Michael Stratton, and he is our first responder liaison at three two three nine six six zero. Thank you and thank you again.
Mo.
You're my hero. Thank you so much.
No, no, no, no, you're the hero because you're putting in the work on the ground and making sure that you have a place in space for people to get their lives back going in the right direction now. Thank you for what you're doing and putting this together. And again we'll make sure that we will promote it consistently throughout my work for the rest of the week at least.
Thank you, so so very much. Thank you and God bless you.
It's Mo Kelly caf I AM six forty. We are live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
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