Los Angeles, Community Aid, and Self-Care
This edition covers a game I made to help with self-care, the LA wildfires, incarcerated firefighters, and some videos to help bring joy and balance to your life.
Table of Contents:
Feel Better
Los Angeles is on fire
Disabled lives lost
Incarcerated firefighters
Things to calm your nervous system
Things to make you laugh
Feel Better
I made a self-care ‘game’ called “Feel Better.”
It’s a text-based game you can play in your internet browser (including on mobile!). You play this by clicking on links for specific options. For example, if you click ‘pain,’ you’ll walk through how to rate your pain, the types of pain you may be having, and possible options for how to address your pain. I created this based on a huge spreadsheet document I made, and both exist to help take off some of the the executive function burden from practicing self-care.
If you play it, I’d love to hear what you think - what other items should I add? Feel free to respond to this newsletter and let me know!
Los Angeles is on fire
Image description: a neighborhood in Los Angeles on fire
No doubt you have heard about the horrible fires in Los Angeles, spurred on by historic wind storms that are supposed to get worse again today.
I’ve seen a lot of people acting like it’s only rich or famous folks who live in Los Angeles. Having grown up on the west coast and visited LA multiple times, I can tell you that’s not true. It’s a falsehood being spread to deprioritize helping people living through some of the worst things we can experience.
That’s especially telling when we consider the fact that Altadena — one of the hardest hit areas — is a community that was born from the Civil Rights movement. Around 18% of Altadena’s 42,000 residents are Black. Panning out, 58% of the area’s residents are people of color. These communities have been some of the hardest hit in this area.
With Altadena’s position as one of the major middle-class Black communities, Black people and other people of color were able to move to the area and buy homes. This means it’s one of the areas where there is generational wealth (meaning access to building up ‘wealth’ for future generations, often through land and home ownership). Many people hit hard have grown up in the area, living in a household passed down through generations or finally having access to enough money to go in on a home.
With the proximity to Hollywood and other major production areas, some folks may work in production, sure — others are grocery clerks, social workers, baristas, nurses, and more. They can’t afford to just ‘buy’ another house, like rich and famous people could.
That’s especially true when insurance companies like State Farm forcibly canceled many area households’ fire insurance (and even general home insurance) in the last year.
Next time you hear someone spread the lie that it’s only rich and famous people affected, correct them. Don’t let them spread misinformation that leads to folks abandoning each other in their time of need.
If you can help, here are some ways to do so.
Donate to individuals:
Donate to organizations:
Disability Disaster Access & Resources works to help disabled and older folks prepare for and recover from disasters — you can find more information on how to donate to these efforts through the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers
Altadena Girls Fire Recovery is focused on helping young girls regain their sense of self and normalcy in the face of the Eaton fire
Pasadena Community Foundation has set up an Eaton Canyon Fire Relief & Recovery Fund
Pasadena Humane Society needs help caring for pets and wildlife harmed by the fires, including fostering and trying to save animals who were left behind in homes at risk
Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue has been taking in guinea pigs who have lost their homes or who have sustained injuries from the fires
Altadena Heritage focuses on keeping the unincorporated community safe from gentrification and mansionization — something that’s more at risk when rebuilding starts than it ever has been
California Community Foundation has a Wildfire Recovery Fund focused on the Los Angeles area
This Tiltify campaign is donating to the Los Angeles Fire Department (whose budget was majorly cut recently affecting the response they can give), the California Fire Foundation, the World Central Kitchen, Baby2Baby, and the Community Organization Relief Effort (CORE)
Note: receiving GoFundMe and other fundraising moneys can potentially impact how much FEMA will support folks. If you need to fundraise, here’s more on that.
If you live in the area, you can learn more about how to get involved to help through the Mutual Aid LA Network or LA Fire Mutual Aid Resources (which also has info on where there are free meals, shelter, wifi, and charging for those in need).
Disabled lives lost
Several people have died in these fires. Many of them were disabled, including Anthony Mitchell Sr and his son Justin. Anthony was an amputee who used a wheelchair. Justin had cerebral palsy and needed assistance to get out of bed — assistance that Anthony couldn't give on his own.
They waited in their home for help they were sure was coming, but never did.
They are not the only people who found themselves in this predicament, either.
Disabled folks are often not thought about in emergencies like this. Those who rely on caregivers or assistive devices are often left behind or forgotten about. Even if folks do make it out, things are harder for this community. Abled people don’t realize that, in losing homes, many disabled and chronically ill folks lose their medications, mobility aids, pain management aids, and — from CPAP machines to theragun massagers — the tools they rely on every single day.
If you are disabled and impacted by wildfires and need help — or know someone who is in this position — you/they can call or text the Disability and Disaster Hotline at 800-626-4959 or email them at hotline@disasterstrategies.org. You can also seek help from the Independent Living Centers in your area, whose contact information you can find here.
Incarcerated firefighters
In November, California voted against ending slavery. Slavery isn’t actually illegal in the United States - not if you’ve been convicted of a crime:
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Proposition 6 would have ended the criminal conviction aspect, actually making slavery illegal in the state.
One of the reasons this may have failed? California relies on an overwhelming number of incarcerated people - including teenagers - to fight wildfires. This makes up around 30% of the state’s firefighters. These firefighters make $27 for a 24-hour shift, an absurdly low amount for not only putting their lives on the line but also for very specialized work. Putting out fires isn’t just aiming water anywhere - it requires specific training to do at such a large scale.
It’s important to note that this is also FAR less than minimum wage for grueling manual labor. It’s usually the most well-paid job available to folks.
Up until recently, formerly incarcerated folks who have had experience in firefighting often would not be hired by fire departments once they were on the outside because of their criminal background. Governor Gavin Newsom signed California bill AB2147 into law in 2020 that helps make that less of an issue for most folks. There are also great initiatives, like Future Fire Academy which helps train folks - including formerly incarcerated people - on how to fight fires.
If you want to help the incarcerated firefighters, you can do so by donating to the Anti-Recidivism Coalition and putting “firefighter fund” in the notes section.
You can also help LAFD firefighters by donating to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation.
Things to calm your nervous system
I returned to physical therapy today after experiencing a pinched nerve issue over Christmas break. Muscles in my neck and back are tightening up, causing compression in my cervical spine (or neck) which in turn is causing nerve pain. I see a physical therapist who specifically works on hypermobile people, and apparently it’s a pretty common issue when muscles are overdeveloped and incredibly tense.
She asked me this morning what I was doing to get my nervous system out of flight-fight-freeze-fawn-or-flop mode, since that’s where our brains often go post-acute injury.
One thing I’ve been trying to do more of lately is find balance.
In the past, that might look like spending as much time outside as I do inside… except our area is covered in snow and it’s barely warmed up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit at noon. Normally, I’d be down for outside time even in this, but my muscles and nerves aren’t.
I’ve been turning to YouTube — specifically, videos involving nature or nature sounds. Maybe they can help you, too.
Things to make you laugh
I’ve been watching The Try Guys for a while. If you’re not familiar with them, they started out as a Buzzfeed channel before separating from that company to do their own thing. One of the original four was ousted for being a shitty human. Another person - Eugene - left to focus on his writing & acting career.
The original two - Zach & Keith - pulled in a number of other folks and have grown the team to a pretty well-rounded group. They have a number of really delightful shows.
There’s one where people who can’t cook or bake have to follow steps chefs tell them — over the phone and without knowing what they’re supposed to be making:
They also have another show where folks try to make things — like cereal — without having a recipe:
JonnyCakes, one of the newer Try Guys, is often a judge on these shows (if he’s not a contestant). You may have seen him on Is It Cake? on Netflix or another mainstream baking show. He also has his own YouTube channel that is delightful:
Not only are Jonny and the rest of the Try Guys group funny, but many of them have been raising money for LA fire victims — and buying toys for the kids who are displaced and/or have lost everything.
They’re doing this even though, if the winds changed, they could be in danger, too.
That may not be a reason to laugh, but hopefully it gives you a reason to believe in the immense power of community.
You’re the only version of you that exists. Please take care of yourself.
Love you, mean it.
Grayson