Fayette County, GA – If you want to understand just how devastating the news around the Oakland Fire has been to Americans, consider that here in North Georgia, around Atlanta, every single local news telecast has included daily updates about it.
The reason is simple: 36 people perished last Friday night at 1303 31st Avenue off International Blvd, and because of a fire that reportedly spread so fast, it burned out the only way down and out of the warehouse: a make-shift stairway made of wooden crates.
The 36 people were mostly from Oakland, and such that they were part of the normal fabric of life in our city. Chances are one of them was someone you walked past on Grand Avenue, or bought a movie ticket from at the Grand Lake Theater, or worked with at LucasArts when it was in Marin County. They were like threads that made up fabric of clothing, and when you tugged on one of them, you pulled out a long string of a story about that person.
And that’s the point: any one of the 36 could have been you or me in Oakland. With so much that has happened, it could have just as easily been the result of a M-80 thrown at a Downtown Oakland building just so – and caused a giant fire.
I know of one such structure which fit that bill: it’s at 22nd and Broadway. My friend’s boyfriend owns it. It’s a completely uninhabited warehouse office space – one my friend told me is going to be replaced by a 35-story skyscraper. But when, I do not know. I just know that you could have easily had a rave party in that building – and lets’ say some protestors decided to toss that M-80. There goes you and me.
The Oakland Fire is a real and very sad reminder of just how precious and unpredictable life can be and is. It’s also a reminder to America of same. That’s why The Dallas Omni spelled out “Oakland”! It was a message that Dallas feels our pain. Atlanta feels are pain. The President of The United States feels our pain. The country morns with Oakland.
Yes, everyone in America feels our pain – except President-Elect Donald Trump. Trump would take time to tweet his dislike for a Saturday Night Live episode, but not even bother to tweet condolences.
Given that, President-Elect Donald Trump, for all of his protestations to the contrary, is demonstrably un-American when it comes to the Oakland Fire.
Can we redo the Presidential Election? Just asking.
Stay tuned.