Reimagining our Current System in the Aftermath of the LA Fires
How do we imagine the end of capitalism?
By andrea hu
Although the LA fires aren’t topical anymore, the article still addresses ongoing fundamental issues that continue outside of Los Angeles and beyond. There’s also a factor of wanting to bring the LA fires back into people’s consciousness and address possible ways of living and acts of resilience in our current reality.
Earlier this year, the Palisades, a coastal community in Los Angeles, caught on fire due to reported high winds and dry weather conditions. From there, other areas in Los Angeles and LA County experienced devastating fires that displaced tens of thousands of residents and resulted in deaths and loss of homes. The city failed to respond appropriately with support like shelter, food, and water for the residents. Instead, the Los Angeles community organized donation drives, relief funds, mutual aid, and volunteer signups. Sources have stated that there was enough water supply, but the city had never expected this level of destruction. The fire hydrants were dry by the next day. Landlords saw the displacement as an opportunity to hijack rent prices beyond the stated 10% in California’s anti-price gouging law.
Experts have confirmed that the wildfires were a result of climate change, but despite evidence-backed research to support this claim, there remains lingering skepticism about the role of individuals and systems in power in this disaster. To better understand California’s fire history, recorded statistics show that the biggest and most devastating fires were mostly caused by human interference, like arson. However, the Palisades and Eaton fires were the first major fires caused by meteorological weather conditions. For more information on the history, here is an interactive fire map, and here are all the historical fire statistics.
Indigenous peoples in the area, including the Tongva people, have long been practicing cultural burning for multiple purposes, one being maintaining forest health. Through controlled burning, fire can be used for renewal and restoration. But following the onset of the settler-colonial project that is the United States, imposed local governments made burning illegal to force Indigenous people to assimilate. It wasn’t until recently that a bill had been passed, which would allow burning to be more accessible for the tribes.
Colonization is always demanding more, even after taking everything. It operates based on zero-sum thinking. Ecologically, this has had a profoundly negative impact on our planet. Species have been completely wiped out from loss of habitat and invasive species, and capitalism expedites ecological imbalance to an unimaginable degree. Specifically, in California, the land, according to Indigenous thought, relies on fire for renewal and restoration. There are ongoing discussions on needing more water supply because of how quickly the fire hydrants stopped producing water, but that digresses from the core of the issue—how colonization has disconnected the balanced relationship between fire and land. We’re now witnessing and bearing the consequences.
The working class has been historically affected the most by capitalism and colonization, but with the recent LA fires, we’re seeing that no one can escape the consequences of greed and power. When a system is devoid of empathy and compassion, everyone involved suffers. The LA fires raise broader questions of whether or not we, the people, are still going to trust the existing system even when it continues to fail us. If we don’t have faith in the system, what steps can we take so the old structure isn’t adopted again? And now that mutual aid and temporary resources have dimmed, how are we as a collective going to seek a sustainable model outside of the current one that continues to perpetuate suffering?
Fredric Jameson famously said it’s easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism. Envisioning a future outside of capitalism, outside of violence towards others and the land, is admittedly difficult. Few references show us what revolution looks like without taking on the oppressor’s ways of violence and weaponry. On top of that, we’re living in the heart of capitalism and imperialism, making revolution less about “us” and more about the world. Although resources are limited, this makes it all the more important to unite and take steps towards anti-capitalist ways of living.
There are ongoing debates and polarizing beliefs on the function of violence as a necessity in revolution, but here is an offering of a different perspective. The LA fires have been instructive on how the consequences of capitalism and colonization spare no one and how there is an emphasis and action on community over individualism. Within a community structure, what will adopting love, empathy, care, and compassion look like in the long term? What would an adoption of love and empathy look like when it’s integrated into society on a political, economic, social, ecological, and cultural level? As part of a community, the best way to combat our current system is to show up daily with care—that in itself is a revolution. This will take time, collective engagement, and radical hope.
What comes to mind, ultimately, is what being unified looks like. A community is a radical coming together of people from different identities, backgrounds, and experiences. Fundraisers and donations are great, but when tribalism gets involved, increasing divisions occur in community spaces where people seek support and resources. We’re then recreating the same structures we’re fighting against.
For resources, donations, mutual aids, housing, volunteer work, and more, you can go here to find a compiled list of spreadsheets.
And here is a list of organizations and people who are working with this ethos specific to the LA fires:
Peace & Freedom Party Los Angeles
FW25 Knows We’re Living In a Dystopia
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