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Indybay Feature

Malibu fires show class divide as rich evacuees get massages, yoga

by WSQT Guerrilla Radio 87.9 FM in DC (WSQTradio [at] hushmail.com)
Audio: 3 min 23 seconds. The treatment of fire evacuees from places like Malibu, CA stands in sharp contrast to what happened after Katrina!
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Audio:3 min 23 seconds. The treatment of fire evacuees from places like Malibu, CA stands in sharp contrast to what happened after Katrina!


Global warming intensified Santa Anna winds have sent a hurricane of fire roaring through parts of California, giving wealthy Malibu and similar places a taste of what Katrina was like in New Orleans, with 1,000,000 people evacuated. Those evacuated from multimillion dollar mansions are getting treatment Katrina evacuees could not have dreamed of.

The Washington Post has quoted one person evacuated from the million dollar mansions burning in San Diego County as getting free massages and coffee from Starbucks. Another source has cited yoga classes continuing for people in Qualcomm Stadium.

Qualcomm Stadium is no Superdome-residents of New Orleans after Katrina are still waiting for those massages, yoga classes, and coffee-not to mention to have public housing reopened. Shit-people in the Superdome would have been happy to just have FOOD AND WATER, much less massages, yoga, and coffee!

It is a safe bet that those multi million dollar mansions feeding the flames in places like Malibu will be rebuilt long before a single public housing unit ever reopens in New Orleans.

Nobody fleeing the Mailbu flames was stopped on a bridge by a race-hating sheriff. Goose-stepping racist militias aren't trolling around Malibu and other places in California to keep residents out. There has been no talk of armed house-to-house evictions (though I guess the fire is "armed" enough to do that).

If the fires spread to Black and Brown neighborhoods in LA, it will be interesting to see how long those massages, those yoga classes, and that coffee from Starbucks keep flowing.
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by clarify
Just to clarify, Malibu is located in Los Angeles County.
by Yvette
Speak the truth! When I saw those pictures on CNN of the massage chairs and the affluent evacuees, I was quite ashamed for my country. England has nothing on us, we have QUITE the class system! It is all exposed, no more need for Rush or anyone else to keep blaming the poor for thier underemployment. We know the real deal!!! This is a class-based oligarchy---the rich rule, merit be damned!
by juanelle
Many of the people evacuated and in shelters are poor and Chicano.
Instead- ever consider that maybe the country has learned some lessons from Katrina, and have their act more together?
by Mike Novack
People in BOTH cases left to evacuate themselves, fend for themselves.

The poor get shelters at best. The rich (and simply reasonably placed) get whatever accommodation and ammenities THEIR money can buy (and in many cases, their homeowners fire insurance coverage will later compensate them for). The GOVERNMENT isn't providing in either case, not for the rich, not for the poor, not here any more than in NO.

BOTH are getting treated the same according to Neo-liberal thinking (NOTE: that's 19th Century definition of "liberal" unrelated to the 20th Century usage of the term). Nobody is treating the rich better than the poor; they are treating THEMSELVES better than the poor. What we lack is any sort of system of "evacuation RATIONING".
by donmaemont
I think is is great that California took care of its people... but you have a point if this was watts burning would anyone really step in to lift a
hand.... I would say if you are poor or are not white .. best to liv in a liberal area like Portland, Oregon, San Francisco Bay area, Washington State if a disaster happens because you will be out of luck.... take the illegal aliens that attempted to steal some food and basics
to survive fearing that if they attempted to ask for help they would be arrested... now come on folks what would have Jesus have done.. he
would have kicked the butts of those that had no compassion and arrested these people for simily trying to get a little help....as you fit the bill

by reece
I live in San Diego. I am neither rich nor white. I don't know why people think California is populated by wealthy Causasian movie stars when most of us are minorities and work in normal jobs. But hey, this is supposed to be the land of milk and honey. For most of us, it's a nice place to live and we're surrounded by a bunch of really nice people.

The people giving massages and everything else were volunteers and fellow Californians. People at the stadium, which is half a mile from my home, were waiting to hear if they lost everything in a fire that no one could control. We all gave what we could. Some could give food and water, others could give services like entertainment and relief from stress. These services and food stuffs were also given to the fire crews working the line and the police and emergency crews who busted their butts to make sure everyone was safe.

By the way, Malibu is quite far from San Diego. It might look close because distance is hard to tell on maps but we're talking many many miles. I hope the people in Malibu were able to be comforted while they waited to see what they lost. Because no matter it's still a tragedy to lose your home.
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