Edition 107: The Normalization of Catastrophe: the LA Fires with Ava Park, Goldie Hoffman & Sekhmet SheOwl

Continuing our exploration of ecofeminist theory and practice, March's edition puts an emphasis on ecofeminist practice and actions we all can take to put women in places of power to (re)generate the healing changes and salves we need in society to work together to overcome greed and land grabs, and work for a future of sane decision making in the direction of catastrophe prevention, including in the rebuilding of LA. Hear from Ava Park, Priestess of the Temple of the Goddess of Orange County, tell us a bit about her women-only organization and a bit about her philosophy and then go on to tell us about how members of her community were impacted by the fires, including a member who called her in the middle of the night because she had lost everything, except the clothes on her back. At the end of the interview with Ava, she makes an appeal to WLRN listeners to write to Mayor Karen Bass at mayor.helpdesk@lacity.org and let her know that you support the reinstatement of lesbian fire chief Kristin Crowly. Below, find the template letter Ava suggests you work with. Dear Mayor Bass: Please reconsider the termination of Fire Chief Kristin Crowley. The circumstances of our recent fires here in Southern California were extreme and unusual. Many respected community leaders support Fire Chief Crowley, believe she has done a fine job, and that this may not be the time to make a drastic change. Crowley has the experience needed; she can learn from this past fire season and doubtless handle matters better with that knowledge. A new fire chief will have a big learning curve. Even if she has made mistakes, let our community benefit from the experience Crowley has now gained. Please reinstate Fire Chief Crowley and meet with her to design a plan for facing our coming fire season next year with all that you, your staff, the fire department and other Los Angeles leaders have learned from our recent disaster. Give Crowley the budget she says she requires to run the department properly. Nothing could be more important. See how she performs in the coming year. If you feel she is not competent, you can terminate her then and no one would question your judgment. Thank you. - (Your name and any title or location info you want to put to validate you are a real person) After the interview with Ava, stay tuned for Thistle's interview with comedian and actor Goldie Hoffman who reports that when she returned home there was a gray dust covering her yard, "...the bushes, the trees, the grass, everything." She describes touching it and going on to tell about the possible toxic content she and others likely have ingested and may continue to be ingesting. These are scary times and real stories coming from women on the front lines of ecofeminism in the sense of staying alive as the world burns around them, and aiding in a spirit of cooperation and community when possible. Finally, hear Sekhmet SheOwl's poignant commentary about how the number of homes destroyed in the fires really impacts how people are handling the aftermath and that men are raping and trafficking women in increased numbers due to their destitution, vulnerability and homelessness. Sekhmet calls for us to build our female friendships and community as the human ship goes down. Finally, on an up note, Freda invites us to learn more about WoLF Summer Camp for Radfems and to sign up here: https://womensliberationfront.org/2025-summer-camps