Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) on Wednesday criticized Pacific Palisades residents who returned to their homes without permission, saying in a phone call that they had “ruined” the lives of other area residents.
Sherman was providing information about federal relief funds and answering questions about when people will be allowed to return to their homes, remove leftover belongings or simply grieve the ruins.
The Los Angeles Police Department and National Guard are currently refusing entry to residents within the evacuation zone and have announced that anyone in the area who violates the 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew will be arrested.
He said police escort had been provided to some residents for several days (from January 9th to 11th), but that escort had been suspended and some residents attempted to return to their homes. , often blamed on the fact that it was successful.
You'll say, “Well, can you at least let me check out your house?” Well, they had been doing it for a while, but they didn't have the resources. Then there's another issue I hesitate to mention. That's some people being taken in to check on them, staying there, “evacuating” themselves, going in the front door and locking the door behind them, and, uh, they haven't been arrested. So, oh they ended up ruining it for everyone else. Of course, research efforts to bring people back are also very important. So they have to deal with toxic chemicals and they have to deal with utility safety. Oh, I'm for getting people into the fire scene. I'm sure there will be more questions about that.
Mr. Sherman's comments sparked anger among some residents who fear looting and, in some cases, have hired private security companies or bypassed police and National Guard troops to protect their neighborhoods.
Several residents refused to evacuate, preferring to live secretly in surviving homes without electricity, electricity, gas or running water rather than leave. Eric, a homeless man, lives openly in the burn zone.
Police allowed residents of Riviera and Santa Monica Canyon, two areas relatively unaffected by the fires, to begin returning home starting at noon Friday. Other residents have not yet decided on plans to return.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. he is the author of Agenda: What should President Trump do in his first 100 days?available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of Trumpian Virtues: Lessons and Legacy of the Donald Trump Presidencynow available on Audible. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
