The situation in LA has become so desperate that the county is pulling inmates from behind bars to help with the wildfires. Or, I should say they’re volunteering to help out with the blazes.
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As the fires continue to burn across LA, the death toll grows, and the damage to homes and structures continues to mount. Resources, such as water and emergency services, are pulled thin, and new measures need to be put in place.
Not for the first time, the US is falling back on its 1.9 million incarcerated people for borderline slave labor. For between $5.80 to $10.24 a day, the inmates are expected to fight back the wildfires, working in smokey and dangerous conditions, risking their lives for LA.
“You’re getting pennies compared to the other folks that’s alongside of you. You’re just cheap labor,” Royal Ramey, a former incarcerated firefighter and co-founder of the non-profit Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program (FFRP), told the BBC. “And if you do pass away while fighting fires, you don’t get any benefits from that.”…