Thursday May 28, 2026 | Vol 40 No. 11

WESTSIDESTORY NEWSPAPER

We Need Money Now: Altadena and Pasadena Fire Survivors Rally at State Capitol for More Rebuilding Support

More than 80 survivors of the devastating January 2025 Eaton Fire from Pasadena and Altadena visited the California State Capitol on May 19 to advocate for more recovery support from Sacramento during what they describe as a slow rebuild.

Organized by the Dena Rise Up (DRU) co- alition, the survivors are demanding housing relief, fair insurance protections, environmen- tal remediation, long-term recovery funding, and preservation of their communities' cultural

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Bennie Burrell. Many of you know Bennie as a house manager and peer support specialist, or from Starting Over Inc.'s Parole Board workshops. He was also a beloved father, son, friend, All Of Us or None member, Path 2 SEED Cohort 1 graduate, basketball coach, and much more.

Bennie's kindness, sense of humor, and warm presence deeply touched all the lives that he came across. Bennie's family was first intro- duced to the Starting Over Inc., while he was still incarcerated. Through the hard work of his support system, Bennie was released and wel- comed into one of Starting Over Inc.'s transi- tional homes. He went on to become deeply in- volved in giving back to the community during his time at Starting Over.

Bennie was incredibly devoted to supporting other individuals and families toward release and post-release. Over the years, he facilitated legacy.

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"The reason why we are here is that we're in a position of being at risk of never returning to Altadena," said Heavenly Hughes, co-founder and executive director of the mutual aid non- profit My Tribe Rise. "Today, we're saying 'SOS.' We need help today. We need money now. We need urgent and immediate assistance when it comes to housing funds, (and) when it comes to rebuilding funds."

The My Tribe movement actively protects lo-

• Remembering
• Bennie Burrell
• Starting Over, Inc.

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media cal Black and Brown families in Altadena from being priced out or pressured into selling their generational land to luxury developers. DRU is a diverse coalition of local grassroots organiza- tions advocating for an inclusive, survivor-led recovery.

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over fifty Parole Board workshops, wrote hun- dreds of support letters, and gave endless words of encouragement to our employment and hous- ing participants.

Bennie was a guiding light to the communi- ty and the whole team at Starting Over. He'll be remembered by his jokes, the smell of the pork chops he'd fry up, his love for Raising Cane's, and his numerous acts of kindness to- ward everyone. Bennie inspired people to be- lieve in themselves above all, and to live their truths without shame. To honor Bennie, Start- ing Over will be presenting the annual Bennie Burrell Service Award to individuals who carry on Bennie's legacy of brotherly love, care, and dedication to the community.

If you have any memories or words you would like to share about Bennie that you would like to share with the community and his family, please contact [email protected].