LETTERSRISING FROM THE ASHESIt’s been one week to the daythat my life changed forever. Forthe first time in my life, I am now avictim of PTSD. I have relived thathorrible night in LA when I woke upto find my condo surrounded by fireand my neighbor banging on mydoor. Only by the Grace of God didwe somehow make it out alive.I cannot imagine what all thefiremen go through having to fightfires in what was my hometown. Isaid was, because my hometowndoesn’t exist anymore. The termscorched earth is exactly what thePalisades looks like today. Just lotafter lot of ash with a toweringfireplace here and there.No, I haven’t been back, butfriends have sent me drone footageof the entire community. At first itwas hard to watch. Now I watchit over and over again to see if bysome miracle it would fly over mycondo and it would magically bethere untouched by this horribledisaster. But nope, it’s ash just likeeverything else.As you read through this month’sissue of The BLUES, you’ll read myaccount of what it’s like to survivea night in hell. I’m not the typeof person who shares a lot of mypersonal life, especially with amillion strangers. But our publisherMichael Barron encouraged meto put my nightmare into wordsso that people can understandthe pain and suffering that tens ofthousands are also experiencing. Iguess in a way, it was therapeuticbut nevertheless it was probablythe most difficult task I’ve everattempted.The real reason I’m writing thisletter, is to vent over the stupidpoliticians that were supposedto protect the citizens that electedthem. Starting with our mayorKaren Bass, who in my opinion isa complete moron. How this bitchgot elected is beyond me. Why shechose to leave the city with firewarnings in the forecast is unbelievable,to stand in a jet way andrefuse to say anything to a reporterjust doing his job just pissed me offeven more. She had a 14-hour flightto prepare herself for that veryquestion the minute she steppedoff the plane and her decision wasto say nothing? How about youcould have said this:“Yes, in hindsight, it was poorjudgment on my part to leave thecity with the possibility of wildfiresdue to the extreme high winds thatwere forecast. But the minute mystaff advised me of the situationhere at home and the wildfires thatwere racing down the hillside, Iraced to the airport and caught thefirst flight back. I can assure ourcitizens that I have been in touchwith fire officials on the groundand my first stop is the commandpost to be briefed on the status ofthe fire. I will also say that duringmy extremely long flight, I usedthe opportunity to contact PresidentBiden, and I’ve requested theNational Guard and all availablefirefighting aircraft be deployed toLA as quickly as possible. I’ve alsobeen in contact with governors inall surrounding states and requestedtheir assistance as well. We willthrow everything we have at thesefires to bring them under controlas quickly as possible to minimizethe damage to our community.For those citizens that have had toevacuate their homes, I have setup multiple temporary sheltersthroughout the area to provide youa safe place for your families whilewe get this dangerous situation undercontrol. Now I see my luggagehas arrived, and I need to go, butplease join me again later this afternoonat the command post andI’ll provide our citizens with a completeupdate on the containment ofthe fires. Thank you for meeting mehere and giving me this chance tobrief our community.”Fck, I should be mayor. I havemore common sense than thisstupid woman. And our ignorantgovernor, he’s more worried aboutthe environment and his politicalfuture than he is about our city.And don’t get me started on theWoke ass, DEI gay chicks that arein charge of the fire department.They are completely worthless andshould all be fired immediately Andwhat about the chick that’s paid0,000 a year to be in charge ofwater and power. Where the hell isthe water you moron?Yeah, my trauma has turned toanger, and I’m pissed beyond belief.My entire world had to changeovernight because these idiotsfailed to do their job. Just unbelievable.To end on a positive note,I’d like to thank all my friends andfamily for all their love and supportthis past week. I could not havesurvived without them. And speakingof surviving, if it had not beenfor my next-door neighbor Mark, Iwould have died in that fire. I owehim my life and I will be foreverindebted to him. And to our publisherMichael, you are the kindest,12 The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25
most loving person on this planet.You gave me hope when I wasconvinced my life was over. I’ll loveyou forever for what you’ve donefor me. And as Michael would say,stay relentless.JJA TEACHER FROM PALISADESHIGH SCHOOL WRITESMy Dear Students- It’s all toomuch. It’s all too vast, too cruel.The images flicker on our screens,and though we see them—charredruins, smoldering skeletons ofwhat was—we can’t comprehendthem. Our minds refuse to stretchthat wide. We search for words,but none fit, none hold the weight.All we can seem to say is “Gone.”Childhood homes…gone. Familyhouses…gone. The sprawling mansionsand quaint bungalows, themid-century moderns, the Spanishrevivals, the Craftsman dreams…gone, gone, gone.But it’s not just the homes,though their absence cuts thedeepest. It’s everything else, too—the schools where we learnedand laughed, the stores where welingered, the churches where weprayed. The market where we raninto neighbors. The library. Oh, thelibrary. And the parks, the ballfields,the trees—so many trees, theirbranches once whispering secretsinto the Pacific breeze. All of itburned, blackened, buckled. Eventhe sidewalks—those steady, quietwitnesses to a thousand strolls—are broken.We’re trying to wrap our heartsaround the absolute Goneness ofit all, but we can’t. We can’t fathomit, can’t contain it. And so ourhearts keep shattering, over andover again. Even if, like me, youdidn’t lose a house today, you’vestill lost. We all have. Because welove people who are homelesstonight—people whose laughteronce rang through these streets,whose memories are woven intothis town. And we’re powerless tofix it. We want to pull them out ofthis nightmare, to comfort them, torewrite this tragedy. But we can’t.So we sit with them, hold them, orsimply cry alongside them, tryingdesperately to find the right way tolove them through this devastation.Yes, families and pets weresaved, and that’s everything. But itdoesn’t erase the ghosts. The objectsleft behind—letters that oncewhispered love, paintings alivewith color, books that held entireworlds, necklaces that glimmeredagainst skin—all of them now lost,transformed into fleeting phantomsthat will haunt their owners’ memories.These things were more thanthings; they were magic, fragmentsof the soul made tangible. Andnow, much of that magic is gone.The truth, as I see it, is that thisPalisades life of ours has ended.The destruction is too vast, thelosses too profound. Yes, one daythere will be shops again, andhouses, and even a library. But itwon’t be the same. It can’t be. Thesoul of this town—the breezes thatcarried eucalyptus whispers, thefeeling of safety, the deep-rootedlove—is altered forever.This place we knew and cherishedis now a griefscape. And weare mourning—not just the buildings,but the stories they held, thejoy and love and everyday miraclesthat happened within their walls.We’re mourning for the lives builthere, for the people who loved sofiercely, and for the version of ourselvesthat lived in this haven.I’m so, so sorry. So deeply heartbrokenfor everyone who has lostso much—for those whose homesare now ashes and for the restof us, standing amidst the ruin,clutching our grief and our memoriesof this beautiful, irreplaceableplace. Our lovely town is gone, andwith it, a part of our hearts.MAYOR KAREN BASSYour plane ride home to Californiafrom Ghana was 15+ hoursand after all that time, you had NORESPONSE to Reporter’s questionsupon arriving at Airport. Really!!Was it too much for you to ATLEAST show some compassionfor your Citizens who lost EVERY-THING!!! As if your silence wasn’tenough, what was truly sad waswhen you FINALLY did speak, youtold Citizens if they needed help,emergency resources, shelter, etc.,it could be found via URL! As MAY-OR, you should know the websiteaddress for emergency serviceswith regards to City of Los Angeles.URL is NOT IT!! Still trying to wrapmy head around that.A Mayor is known as a LEADER.Citizens should be able to count onthe Mayor no matter what. NEVERshould they feel abandoned, norshould 911 responders receive paycuts!! Have you ever been on thefront lines of a massive fire, putyour life on the line for a stranger,provided emergency medicalcare to save lives? I would betmy last dime the answer is NO!911 responders are our Angels onEarth and if there is anything theydeserve, its pay increases!!! Thereare many stories as it relates to thedaily/hourly sacrifices 911 respondersmake and never think twiceabout it. To refresh your memory,I suggest you watch videos of 9/11.Responders ran into burning/collapsingbuildings without hesitationto save others.Isn’t a MAYOR the public face ofthe City, much like a President isface of the United States. Duringnatural and man-made disasters, isit not the MAYOR’s responsibility toprovide updates to those impactedby disasters as well as to local,national and international press. Doyou feel as though you have doneso Karen?DEBRA LARGENT. FACEBOOKThe BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 13
office's Group Violence Interventio
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 65
“WHY IS YOUR FAMILY’S ESTATE PL
LAW ENFORCEMENT PRODUCTSBYRNA MISSI
First Class Officer Max Gillickditi
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 73
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 75
SPONSORSHIPOPPORTUNITIESODMPSUPPORT
VETERAN COLORADO DEP-UTY RESIGNS OV
NYPD'S FIRST HELICOPTER IN 1948 WAS
Starting Police Aviation?We can hel
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 85
tent fuse timing ensures dependable
POLICE SUPPLIESGUNS/AMMOStarting in
The BLUES - - FEBRUARY ‘25 ‘25
Officer ever since. In fact, Helfma
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 95
to new car dealers for their except
a time that I’ve called Alan Helf
The BLUES - - FEBRUARY ‘25 ‘25
ON EARTHWORDS BY JESSICA "JJ" JONES
The The BLUES - - FEBRUARY - JANUAR
CLICK TO WATCH"What our drive down
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 109The B
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 111The B
BEGINS TODAY"The BLUES - FEBRUARY
The BLUES - - FEBRUARY ‘25 ‘25
Perhaps the fact that Joe Biden par
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 119The B
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 121The B
ders signed thus far by President T
Lock and Load Your Spot atIALEFI’
Don't miss out on securing your spo
FALLEN HEROESLIEUTENANT MARK MEADOW
FALLEN HEROESSERGEANT MARK BUTLERNA
FALLEN HEROES“When a police offic
Reflecting, I know I was notmentall
counts of attempted murderand aggra
call records, sixty-five calls forp
venience store at Walker andElm.09:
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 143
in its Natural History Museum.The A
Washington Fire and EmergencyMedica
WORST VICE PRESIDENT& PRESIDENTIAL
WORST MAYOREVER IN LAWORST MAYOREVE
The BLUES Blues -- January - FEBRUA
The BLUES - - FEBRUARY ‘25 ‘25
NO WORDSThe BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25
NO WORDSThe BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25
ALDINE ISDPOLICE DEPARTMENTJOIN OUR
Now HiringSchool District Police Of
NOW HIRINGWELCOME OUR NEWEST DEPART
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 167
ADCRR is HiringCorrectional Officer
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 171
ALDINE ISDPOLICE DEPARTMENTJOIN OUR
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 175
BUDA POLICE DEPARTMENTNOW HIRING -
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 179
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 181
HiringPolice OfficersAnnual Salary
NOW HIRINGWELCOME OUR NEWEST DEPART
NOW HIRINGWELCOME OUR NEWEST DEPART
AMENITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES• Stat
NOW HIRINGLateral Police OfficersQU
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 193
GALVESTON COUNTYSeeking Individuals
GOOSE CREEK CISD PDNOW RECRUITINGPO
JOIN OUR TEAMPlace your department
LATERAL DEPUTYThe BLUES - FEBRUARY
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 203
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 205
Starting pay - ,889Paid: Vacatio
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 209
WE’RE HIRING POLICE OFFICERS!Lock
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 213
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 215
MEMORIAL VILLAGES POLICE DEPARTMENT
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 219
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 221
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 223
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 225
BENEFITS:• Medical, Dental, and V
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 229
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 231
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 233
SPRING BRANCH ISD POLICE DEPARTMENT
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 237
The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 239
Loading...
Loading...
Follow Us
Facebook