Guest Essay | Raquel Calderon: We Are Our Own Resource

Pasadena has suffered a series of devastating blows this past year. In January, the Eaton Fire ripped through Altadena and Pasadena neighborhoods, destroying homes and businesses and displacing thousands. ICE activity has sowed terror into everyday life, causing the cancellation of community events and widespread fear across the city.

Feeling overwhelmed and helpless is a completely understandable response to these events. In this time of volatility and apathy, relying on community is not just a feel-good action; it’s something we need. We can absolutely take small steps to address these threats to our neighbors and friends by working with them.

I founded Pasadena for All (P4A) in August 2020. In the isolation of lock-down, I felt frustratingly helpless. Outside the relative comfort of my apartment, normalcy was destroyed and our societal failings were laid bare. We were distanced and miserable–and some of us had no home to even isolate in.

I saw an Instagram post from a community group, Ktown for All, urging people to freeze water for unhoused folks who had few options to escape the August heat. The term they used for donating supplies to people in need was outreach which is what I set out to do. My freezer wasn’t big enough for all the water so some water was frozen and some was cold. That’s what I was able to provide.

I started asking co-workers and friends to come out. With the power of social media, we reached more people who were excited to get involved. Progressively, we made communication channels, regular meetings and processes. Nothing about it was expertly done. Early on, we sometimes only had two volunteers for an outreach. But every Saturday, around 10 – 40 people received cold water, a sandwich and maybe even some hygiene items. It wasn’t much, but it alleviated some of the suffering out there.

I left the org in 2023 to focus on other aspects of my life but P4A thrives today. The org regularly serves around 70 folks a day in two locations (Central Park and in front of the old YMCA building), has 5,000 followers on Instagram and partners with Homey Made Meals to provide quality hot food and and the Gamble House Bookstore to receive donations. We relied on each others’ ideas, skills and energy to form that foundation. We were thoroughly mutual aid; we focused on serving those who were unhoused but we also helped each other out. Even without direct involvement, I am still a part of that community that taught me so much and helped me form deep, meaningful connections that remain with me to this day.

The legal system, our city government and for-profit companies all try to address community needs, but we are also our own resource. Regular people who live in the same neighborhood, see each other at the grocery store and go to the same gyms have the freedom to band together and take action. What time, energy and skills one has to give will vary from person to person and can change over time for a single person. Figuring out how much one has to give is often a journey. There will inevitably be some people who simply do not have the capacity–for a multitude of reasons–to give even if they may want to. But if you are asking the question what can be done, it starts with honest introspection about what you are willing to do. It may, even require finding out what folks are already doing – and how you can join them.

In the aftermath of the Eaton Fire, Altadena residents must now decide whether to remain in their community or sell their property and relocate. Already, over fifty percent of the properties sold in that area were sold to large corporations.

There have been a few community responses. As residents and businesses rally behind the “Altadena Not for Sale” movement with yard signs, the Greenline Foundation has stepped in to act as a land bank. Further action was taken in April when a handful of community groups put on a learning session about community land trusts (CLTS). CLTs are when community-led non-profits own land for community benefit, such as providing affordable housing or green spaces.

In response to social media videos of residents being detained by masked men, protests rippled through the streets of Los Angeles and Pasadena. More than 4,000 protestors came out to the Pasadena No Kings Day protest alone. But after the streets are cleared and the protestors have gone home, how do we continue to take action?

Community groups have been fiercely fighting back. Like other advocacy groups across the region, P4A organized vendor buy outs, where a group or individual buys a day’s worth of products from local street vendors so they can stay home and avoid the risk of kidnapping by ICE. P4A raised $21,500 in 3 weeks to buy out vendors endangered by the ICE raids. So far, they have helped 39 different vendors and workers.

Private individuals are also stepping up to keep neighbors safe. Folks on Buy Nothing Facebook groups have made personal offers to pick up and transport groceries, medications, and other supplies.

Many of those same neighbors that are being targeted by ICE are day laborers who often find work through the Pasadena Job Center. After the fires, these laborers showed up in droves to offer their time and skills to clean up the fire aftermath. The Pasadena Job Center, Union de Barrio and local tenants unions have all begun organizing regular morning patrols around job sites, documenting ICE if they’re present and asking day laborers how they could best be supported right now.

In many ways, community is already holding strong to keep residents safe and healthy. In many ways, there is so much more community out there waiting to be built. Building community is a discipline. It will not be something anyone gets down perfectly the first or even second time they try it. But if you are sitting with the overwhelming feeling that things are unwell, I urge you to take a deep breath and start with asking how you are willing to show up for–and with–folks you have yet to meet.

For more, visit the Pasadena for All Instagram account linked here.

Raquel Calderon has lived in Pasadena for seven years, where she and her partner share a home with two cats. A devoted rider of trains and buses across Northeast Los Angeles, she celebrates the region’s vibrancy and diversity. Her work is informed by her passions for public transportation, housing justice, and environmental conservation.