Tragedy Doesn't Stop a Community from Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Melinda Palacio

 

Sojourner Kincaid Rolle Preps the Contest Winners

What would have been the welcome sound of rain falling on trees, rooftops, and pavements turned into an unprecedented disaster. Half an inch of rain in five minutes fell on Montecito. The death toll has reached 20 and there are still two missing.

While mud emptied out an entire city and turned the 101 freeway into an impassable river, those who lived west of Milpas in Santa Barbara were spared the horrors of having their community swept away. Santa Barbara was sparsely populated for the duration of the 101's shutdown and the isolation of both Montecito and Carpinteria. On the Santa Barbara side schools and businesses went on as usual as people felt an eerie sense of survivor's guilt. Many who didn't heed voluntary or mandatory evacuation orders were able to ride out the fires and storm from the comfort of their homes. This was not the case for people who lived and worked in Montecito. What was it like to wake up in Montecito to find no neighbors on your street? Read T.C.Boyle's account in the New Yorker.

What should have been an all-inclusive celebration in honor of Martin Luther King, turned into a much smaller celebration because people from Montecito, Carpinteria, Summerland and beyond could not get into Santa Barbara due to the total shutdown of the highway.

Every year, I have had the pleasure of assisting Sojourner Kincaid Rolle with Santa Barbara's annual Dr. King celebration. One of the highlights of the program, held at the Arlington Theater, is the Essay & Poetry Contest. Local youth and teens, ages 6-18, participate. This year, the missing participants, parents, and audience made it clear that a disaster had befallen the community. The march from De La Guerra Plaza to the Arlington Theater was also cancelled due to lack of available police.

The program at the Arlington began with a moment of silence in honor of the mudslide victims. The MLK celebration continued and names of the winners of the poetry and essay contests were announced. Many of the students also had difficulty turning in their contest entries because the Thomas Fire had upended their lives. The deadline was extended until just days before the celebration due to the many school closures from the fire preceding the mud slides. One student from Carpinteria High School, Max Coppel, lost all of his poems in the fire, but managed to rewrite his entry for the contest and took 3rd place for his poem, "Life in America Has Changed," along with Jeanette Fantone and her poem, "For the Opressed," also from Carpinteria High. The winner was Kundai Chikowero from Dos Pueblos High School for her poem, "Follow the Legacy."  

2018 Contest Winners

Essay

Ages 13-18

1st Michelle Qin "The Human Right" Dos Pueblos High School

2nd Gabriel Ohedo "Martin Luther King, Jr." Carpinteria High School

Ages 6-12

1st Olivia Battles "Speak Up" Roosevelt School

2nd Noah Zakrzewski "MLK" Monte Vista School

3rd Noah Slotnick-Lastrico "MLK" Washington School

        Connor MacPherson "MLK" Montessori Center School

Poetry

Ages 13-18

1st Kundai Chikowero "Follow the Legacy" Dos Pueblos High School

2nd Hali Schwasnick "Colors" Carpinteria High School

3rd Jeanette Fantone "For the Oppressed" Carpinteria High School

      Max Coppel "Life in American Has Changed" Carpinteria High School

Ages 6-12

1st Zachary Horne "My Dream for Our World" Roosevelt School

2nd Aspen Newhouse "Democracy" Montessori Center School

3rd Tessa de Albergaria "Living a Nightmare" Roosevelt School

         Tali McPeters "Democracy" Roosevelt School

            Quinn Davis Roosevelt Elementary

When Disaster Fatigue Is the New Normal

Melinda Palacio

Over in Montecito the Casa de Maria Retreat Center filled with mud

            On Tuesday, what was supposed to be an easy trip from New Orleans to Santa Barbara turned into an obstacle course. Things didn't bode well when a thick layer of fog forced the first leg of the trip to almost be diverted to Austin. The fog cleared enough for the plane to continue onto Dallas and land. We made our connection and arrived in Burbank, California to an unusual spell of flash rains, which caused tragic mudslides that swallowed entire neighborhoods and turned the 101 into a river of mud. Amtrak was no longer a possible route to Santa Barbara, so we rented a car. Since the 101 was closed, Google advised taking the back roads; only the fabled back roads were all blocked once we reached Ojai, where we spent the night.

Aerial view of the entire retreat center of La Casa de Maria in Montecito
(most of the neighborhoods in Montecito are buried under mud)

            A second take on operation Santa Barbara or Bust took us South through Santa Paula, past Magic Mountain, up through the grapevine on the 5 and over to 166 and 33 to Santa Maria and the northern end of 101, which was not blocked, but required a six-hour detour. We could have made it to San Francisco in the amount of time it took to drive from Burbank to Santa Barbara using the one available circuitous route.

            During the long drive, I kept checking on the status of the mudslides and things kept getting worse. As if the worst fire in California's history and a recent earthquake wasn't enough to quell the gods, Santa Barbara county had to experience epic mudslides in Montecito, leaving many trapped by flash mud floods in both Montecito and Romero Canyon. My friend who lives in Carpinteria said her town was completely cut off from the world. As of yesterday, Amtrak resumed service to Carpinteria, no longer leaving the city an island. 

          When we finally arrived in Santa Barbara, we found our home and neighborhood intact, such a stark contrast to the nightmare of the mudslides of Montecito and beyond.

Santa Barbara side of the 101

            While there were heartwarming stories, such as a two-year old baby being found alive under four feet of mud, there were the heart wrenching stories, such as the fact that no one has claimed this baby and her parents have probably perished in the mud. The number of missing people and the death toll continues to rise and helicopters continue to make round-the-clock-rescues.

            And then there is the greater disaster that all of us have been experiencing since 45 took office, causing the more fatigue and distractions. Yet, we must persist and help each other since the President of the United States will not help Puerto Rico or California. Prayers and condolences to the families and friends of the 19 plus people who have died in the mudslides. The current list  of names and their ages includes: Jonathan Benitez (10), Kailly Benitez (3), Martin Cabrera-Munoz (48), David Cantin (49), Sawyer Corey (12), Peter Fleurat (73), Josephine Gower (69), John McManigal (61), Alice Mitchell (78), James Mitchell (89), Mark Montgomery (54), Caroline Montgomery (22), Marilyn Ramos (27), Rebecca Riskin (61), Roy Rohter (84) Peerawat Sutthithepn (6), Richard Taylor (67).

            Prayers to all, especially those who remain missing. Let's hope they are safe and awaiting rescue. Anyone in need of assistance or information can call 805-681-5542 or text 805 699-0165,

Bargain Banter (and I'm Not Talking about Shopping)

Melinda Palacio           

All I Want for Christmas Is an End to the Fires!
Melinda and Santa Claus

Bargaining season came early, or late, depending on how you look at it. Usually the first of the year is the season for new year's resolutions and deals struck for self improvement. And, for some, this bargaining continues through lent or until I can forget that I even need self improvement, or until beach weather rolls around and it's time to think about fitting into two pieces of cloth for days spent on a tropical beach.

            When fire struck Santa Barbara and threatened our house in San Roque, I started praying like a football player in the Superbowl, hoping for that Hail Mary thrown with eyes closed to reach just the player to deliver a win for the Saints of New Orleans. The Thomas Fire broke out December 4 and burned Ventura and Santa Barbara counties for nearly a month and is now the worst fire in California's history. After two weeks of nonstop ash raining down on the town, I queued in line with small children to ask Santa for the best Christmas present that would benefit not only myself, but entire communities of children of all ages. I prayed to all saints and vowed to light a candle for Saint Barbara at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, where I awaited news about the fire.

Thank you Jesus! 

            My California neighborhood of San Roque had been under mandatory evacuation since the second week of the fire. I thought about all the possessions, including my old silver Chevy Camaro convertible, I had to be ready to give up to the fire from long distance Louisiana. When my friend, Susan, left her Mission Canyon home to evacuate at her son's house, she thought she was closing the door to her home for the last time.

            Steve, had perspective much quicker than I did, 'they're just things,' he said. True, they're just things.

            I am lucky and grateful for all that I have and every extra minute I breathe on this planet. When your mother dies young (mine at age 44), you feel like you are living on borrowed or extra time. Every minute is a gift and for that and the opportunity to share my art and words with the world, I am grateful. I am also besides myself happy that the fire is finally 90 percent contained and that my house and car survived. Thank you firefighters, thank you Santa Claus, thank you Jesus!

            I don't need a resolution to make 2018 better than last year (a change in the White House wouldn't hurt either, psst, Jesus, Santa Claus, Three Kings, anybody out there listening). I have a new book coming out in the new year and I have been given the gift that keeps on giving, music. Steve gave me a gorgeous guitar for my birthday last month and I've already learned several new songs. I think everyone should give the gift of music, even if you are a professed shower singer, like myself. Here's to being grateful for another minute, another day, another year. Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!
Go forth and make music!

Fire and Ice, But Mostly Hell Fire

Melinda Palacio

The Thomas Fire rages. Photo by Mike Eliason

My neighbors in Santa Barbara left town four days ago. The city has been raining ash for over a week. The culprit, The Thomas Fire (or firestorm), is the largest wildfire of the year and the fourth-largest in the state's history. The news is not quite the end of the year bang  was hoping for. I had a different kind of firestorm and shake-up in mind, one that would happen at the White House, and not in California. Before voluntary evacuations were issued for my neighborhood, Steve and I had already shoved off to ring in the holidays in New Orleans. I also had a reading at the Latter Library in New Orleans, where I had a chance to preview some of the new poems in my upcoming poetry book, Bird Forgiveness, out in 2018 by 3 Taos Press. A funny moment was when the M.C. introduced me as having a book out soon from three tacos press. I had to defend my press, my poetry, and love for tacos in one breath. 

            A week ago, New Orleans experienced a weekend so cold it snowed briefly. I was in awe watching the snowflakes fall. I must admit the charm of the ice falling soon turned into sheer torture as I don't do well in cold weather and my broken, metal-leaden leg started talking to me and complaining as well. The same day as the miraculous and sudden Southern snow storm, the Thomas Fire broke out and started swallowing all in its path in the California cities of Santa Paula and Ventura. The fire, which began on December 4, continues its almost two-week rage and now threatens Carpinteria, Montecito, and Santa Barbara, the lovely coast town between the ocean and mountains, known as paradise, where I am lucky to call home. With fires in the San Fernando Valley and San Diego, this monstrous fire seems impossible to get a hold of. I worry about not having a home to come home to and about all the damage already done to the land and people of this drought-ridden and dry state. How I wish I could send some of Louisiana's rain to California. To add insult to injury, there are people preying on the fire victims. I would have simply ignored the warnings on social media about false charities trying to wring money out of people who are being assisted by firefighters. However, I received a call from someone with a 323 area code phone number. This person, I don't recall his name, made a pitch for collecting money for equipment used by firefighters.  A legitimate organization to donate to is the Santa Barbara Firefighters Alliance. News I heard just today about the fire makes these charlatans seem insignificant.

            Nothing prepares you for the news of a fatality due to the fire. Hearing that one of the firefighters, fire apparatus engineer Cory Iverson, 32, lost his life battling the fire is heartbreaking, to say the least. My deepest condolences to Cory Iverson's family. I can only imagine the state of shock the San Diego firefighter's family must be in. As of yesterday, Thursday, December 14, the Thomas fire is 60 miles long, 40 miles wide and 35 percent contained. Prayers for all 8,000 firefighters battling the Thomas fire, prayers for wind cooperation and no more fatalities.