• The Week That Changed Los Angeles

  • Jan 19 2025
  • Length: 1 hr and 2 mins
  • Podcast

The Week That Changed Los Angeles

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  • Summary

  • Writer Emily Witt (“Health and Safety: A Breakdown”) has spent the past two weeks on the ground covering the Los Angeles wildfires for The New Yorker.

    Her latest story centers around the Benns (5:39), a multigenerational Black family with deep ties to Altadena (8:35), where they’ve raised children in homes they’ve owned dating back to the late 1950s (16:13). We discuss how they’re managing as the Eaton fire continues to rage (17:00), the value of community in crisis (18:40), and the measures the city was urged to take to mitigate this disaster (23:28).

    On the back half, Witt reflects on her 2023 interview with Mayor Karen Bass (32:40), the prophetic work of Altadena author Octavia Butler (39:28), how on-the-ground reporting offers a chance to “write a first draft of history” (46:30), and where Los Angeles goes from here (56:10).

    To help support the Benn family, visit their GoFundMe or text “Talk” to 858-358-5881.

    And special thanks to Weyes Blood.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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