Working on this new server in php7...
imc indymedia

Los Angeles Indymedia : Activist News

white themeblack themered themetheme help
About Us Contact Us Calendar Publish RSS
Features
latest news
best of news
syndication
commentary


KILLRADIO

VozMob

ABCF LA

A-Infos Radio

Indymedia On Air

Dope-X-Resistance-LA List

LAAMN List




IMC Network:

Original Cities

www.indymedia.org africa: ambazonia canarias estrecho / madiaq kenya nigeria south africa canada: hamilton london, ontario maritimes montreal ontario ottawa quebec thunder bay vancouver victoria windsor winnipeg east asia: burma jakarta japan korea manila qc europe: abruzzo alacant andorra antwerpen armenia athens austria barcelona belarus belgium belgrade bristol brussels bulgaria calabria croatia cyprus emilia-romagna estrecho / madiaq euskal herria galiza germany grenoble hungary ireland istanbul italy la plana liege liguria lille linksunten lombardia london madrid malta marseille nantes napoli netherlands nice northern england norway oost-vlaanderen paris/Île-de-france patras piemonte poland portugal roma romania russia saint-petersburg scotland sverige switzerland thessaloniki torun toscana toulouse ukraine united kingdom valencia latin america: argentina bolivia chiapas chile chile sur cmi brasil colombia ecuador mexico peru puerto rico qollasuyu rosario santiago tijuana uruguay valparaiso venezuela venezuela oceania: adelaide aotearoa brisbane burma darwin jakarta manila melbourne perth qc sydney south asia: india mumbai united states: arizona arkansas asheville atlanta austin baltimore big muddy binghamton boston buffalo charlottesville chicago cleveland colorado columbus dc hawaii houston hudson mohawk kansas city la madison maine miami michigan milwaukee minneapolis/st. paul new hampshire new jersey new mexico new orleans north carolina north texas nyc oklahoma philadelphia pittsburgh portland richmond rochester rogue valley saint louis san diego san francisco san francisco bay area santa barbara santa cruz, ca sarasota seattle tampa bay tennessee urbana-champaign vermont western mass worcester west asia: armenia beirut israel palestine process: fbi/legal updates mailing lists process & imc docs tech volunteer projects: print radio satellite tv video regions: oceania united states topics: biotech

Surviving Cities

www.indymedia.org africa: canada: quebec east asia: japan europe: athens barcelona belgium bristol brussels cyprus germany grenoble ireland istanbul lille linksunten nantes netherlands norway portugal united kingdom latin america: argentina cmi brasil rosario oceania: aotearoa united states: austin big muddy binghamton boston chicago columbus la michigan nyc portland rochester saint louis san diego san francisco bay area santa cruz, ca tennessee urbana-champaign worcester west asia: palestine process: fbi/legal updates process & imc docs projects: radio satellite tv
printable version - js reader version - view hidden posts - tags and related articles

View article without comments

Blackwater's California Wildfire Relief Efforts Backfire With Local Residents

by Michael Roston Friday, Nov. 16, 2007 at 1:55 PM

While hundreds of thousands of citizens were fleeing Southern California's wildfires in October, Blackwater USA was charging back in. While the fires still burned, executives from the private security firm personally delivered food and supplies to displaced residents and eventually set up temporary housing. But don't accuse Blackwater of taking advantage of the disaster for the purposes of self-promotion. The company insists that it is just a friendly corporate citizen.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/11/15/blackwaters-california-w_n_72626.html?view=print

Huffington Post

Michael Roston

Blackwater's California Wildfire Relief Efforts Backfire With Local Residents



November 15, 2007 01:30 AM

While hundreds of thousands of citizens were fleeing Southern California's wildfires in October, Blackwater USA was charging back in.

While the fires still burned, executives from the private security firm personally delivered food and supplies to displaced residents and eventually set up temporary housing.

But don't accuse Blackwater of taking advantage of the disaster for the purposes of self-promotion. The company insists that it is just a friendly corporate citizen.

"There is nothing political about it," said Anne Tyrell, Director of Public Affairs for Blackwater USA in a Friday phone conversation. "We're helping our fellow people out there who need it."

Around the time of the fires, public and congressional scrutiny on the North Carolina-based company was reaching a fever pitch. Congress initiated a series of hearings and legislative efforts in the aftermath of the killing of 17 civilians in Iraq in September. And Blackwater had to be fearful of how its controversial work overseas might imperil its efforts to build an 824-acre training facility near Potrero, California, ground zero for the Harris Fire, which burned 90,000 acres.

Anti-Blackwater activists who are trying to stop the facility from being built started adding to the company's PR headaches. They warned that the Blackwater West base might light up San Diego County's chaparral again with future live fire training exercises. With a recall election in Potrero scheduled for December that could derail the project, the disaster seemed likely to help the activists' cause.

But quickly enough, Blackwater fought back with an aggressive public relations offensive.

The company's local vice president first tried to tamp down claims that the proposed San Diego County base would pose a fire hazard. Brian Bonfiglio told the Virginian-Pilot that the base could actually help fight future wildfires.

Local news outlets then started reporting on Bonfiglio racing to the rescue in his white Hummer, ferrying supplies to small town dwellers cut off from the outside world by the fires. Blackwater then arranged to bring in even more supplies than could fit into Bonfiglio's truck.

Ultimately, Blackwater set up a tent city for up to 88 people displaced by the fires, and offered them electricity and other necessities.

Tyrell, the company's spokeswoman, went to pains to emphasize that Blackwater's help to fire-affected Californians was occurring on a small, person-to-person scale. She pointed out that company's west coast operation does not extend much beyond Bonfiglio himself.

But the company's own photos showed that it was ready to engage in a significant effort, deploying a well-equipped "rapid response team" as it erected the tent city.

Even with the Blackwater brand front and center in the photo the company distributed, Tyrell sought to portray the company's role in the tent city modestly.

"We may have provided the 'big' items but we are just one spoke in a very big wheel, meaning that there are upwards of 5 different organizations involved with the site," she wrote.

Many area residents, even those who had been strongly critical of the proposed Blackwater West facility, were thankful for the company's contributions. But the public radio station KPBS reported that Blackwater had used its leverage with local politicians and law enforcement to get past road closures. And critics of the Blackwater West site allege that at the same time, other private relief efforts were prevented from going into the areas burned by the Harris Fire.

"There were some people who were attempting to bring supplies up but they were turned away by the Sheriff's Deputy," in Potrero, said Raymond Lutz, Coordinator of Citizens Oversight Projects, which is fighting the Blackwater West facility. "Blackwater came in at the same time, and they gave supplies to people who came up, and the relief station was manned by pro-Blackwater people, and they made their Blackwater hat pins available. It was orchestrated."

Blackwater USA denies that it had any privileged access to the areas affected by the fire.

"Anyone delivering supplies during the time that we were could have passed through the checkpoint traveling from Campo to Potrero," Tyrell insisted. "Based on the obvious trailer full of stuff and explanation, you were permitted to proceed."

But whether or not the company had privileged access, its temporary tent housing isn't getting many takers. The San Diego Union Tribute reported that only two displaced residents were sleeping in the facility, which is being run by relief workers from the Churches of Christ.

"A lot of people I talked to, they're not really interested because of Blackwater," said one local resident.

To an activist fighting the west coast base, it wasn't a surprise that local residents expressed concern.

"They will get special access to authorities, and they are by definition not under anybody's laws yet again," argued Rick Jacobs of the Courage Campaign. "The way they did it underscores why people are worried about them."

###

Report this post as:

Mr.

by Aaron R. Linderman Friday, Nov. 16, 2007 at 9:28 PM
aaron.linderman@gmail.com Brookland, Washington, DC

Just further proof that the mindless nay-saying has little bearing on reality. You don't have to believe that everything the company does is perfect to realize that they really are seeking to serve this country.

Report this post as:

© 2000-2018 Los Angeles Independent Media Center. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Los Angeles Independent Media Center. Running sf-active v0.9.4 Disclaimer | Privacy