Danny Trejo slams Kim Kardashian over LA wildfires response

Danny Trejo is calling out Kim Kardashian over recent comments she made about the deadly Los Angeles wildfires. 

In an interview with TMZ, the actor said it wasn't appropriate for Kardashian to be vocal about the struggle of incarcerated firefighters. 

"Right now, as far as inmates getting paid — pros, cons, whatever — it’s like, right now, Kim, worry about the people that lost everything," Trejo said, insisting she should focus on the victims of the fires. "You’ve still got everything!"

Last week, Kardashian posted a message on Instagram pushing for increased pay for incarcerated firefighters, who have been deployed to fight the deadly wildfires.

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"The incarcerated firefighters have been paid $1/hour to risk their lives, and this pay has been the same since 1984," she wrote. "It has never been raised with inflation. It’s never been raised when fires got worse and many died."

"This year there was an agreement to raise the incarcerated firefighter pay to $5/hour, but it got shot down last minute," she continued. "I am urging [California Gov. Gavin Newsom] to do what no Governor has done in 4 decades, and raise the incarcerated firefighter pay to a rate the (sic) honors a human being risking their life to save our lives and homes."

California's prisoner firefighter program has drawn criticism over the years for deploying incarcerated people to fight fires. 

Last year, California voters rejected Proposition 6, which would have banned involuntary labor in prisons and jails. That includes bringing inmates in to help fight wildfires when there aren't enough firefighters. 

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According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), incarcerated fire crew members can earn up to $10.24 a day, paid by the CDCR. During active emergencies, inmates can earn an additional $1 per hour paid by Cal Fire, regardless of skill level. 

Trejo himself has been in and out of prison. Now, he helps troubled youth battle drug addictions as an intervention counselor.

He explained that incarcerated firefighters are more focused on time off their sentences that they receive for their service. "A lot of that money goes to restitution," he said, adding that even if wages increased, inmates wouldn't see much of it.

SUGGESTED: Incarcerated firefighters on the frontlines

"Guys, I’m sorry, but just put out the damn fire and then we’ll figure out what to do," Trejo said.

The Source: Information in this story is from previous FOX 11 reports, TMZ, and City News Service.


 

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