How to Survive a "Decade of Fire"

Hey team,

I want to talk about one of the most remarkable movies I've seen this year: "Decade of Fire" (2019).

I feel deeply grateful that I not only got to see this film, I got to see it at my favorite film festival of all time at a screening with director Vivian Vazquez present.

"Decade of Fire" surveys the rampant fires that destroyed whole swaths of the Bronx during the 1970s.  Staggering amounts of devastation unfolded as countless fires engulfed buildings and left whole city blocks in smoldering rubble.

"Decade of Fire" captures the misery, peril, confusion, and fear experienced by the residents of the impacted neighborhoods.  This pain was deepened by the extent to which many people living in the Bronx internalized the profoundly damaging and racist media narrative that the residents of the very burning communities were to blame for their destruction; to hear the news coverage and public discourse tell it, residents of the Bronx were just too neglectful, criminally-motivated, or morally derelict to care for their own homes.

Director Vivian Vazquez and a friend as a young woman.

Investigating and ultimately, rightfully, rejecting this narrative, the film expertly identifies the true culprits that contributed to the devastation.  These factors include redlining of communities of color which caused dramatic decline in the quality and condition of available housing, dangerous and fraudulent behavior by exploitive landlords who paid children to commit arson so they could collect ill-gotten insurance payments often without ever being prosecuted, closing of fire stations in and near the Bronx,  and racist messaging and neglect from the highest reaches of governmental power on down.

Stunningly, residents nevertheless stayed and fought for the Bronx.  They banded together to rebuild, refusing to abandon the communities they loved.  In some cases, they formed radical collective construction teams to reclaim burned-out buildings and transform them into gorgeous and modern housing.

Residents of the Bronx rebuilding.

As Ms. Vazquez fielded questions after the screening, it became clear that it did not escape the audience's notice that the Bronx depicted in Vazquez's masterwork echoed the Baltimore of today.  The comparison is heartrending, as well as its sense of time standing still; the city faces so much despair and hardship, and we have so far to go. 

But just like the people who stayed and fought for the Bronx, and who ultimately victoriously rebuilt the Bronx, there are people with immense heart, resolve, and grit in Baltimore who aren't going down without a fight.  We know that every person living here has value and a voice.  We know what this city deserves and the greatness it is capable of.

There was a moment at a Baltimore Cease Fire event months ago that I'll never forget.  At an event whose central focus was healing and building community in the wake of seemingly relentless violence, there was a response to some people's questioning whether they should stay here that deeply resonated with why we stay and fight, and why these communities and cities are worth fighting for.  First, the person responding made the very important point that abandoning a city like Baltimore is in many ways futile because, "I don't know where you could go that isn't impacted by white supremacy."  And then, in loving and reverent defense of this city, they said, "Baltimore is magic."

Baltimore is magic.  It has no business being beautiful, resilient, brilliant, creative, brave, strong, innovative, poetic, and enduring, but it is each of those things.  White supremacy can't stop it.  Corruption can't stop it.  Systemic oppression can't stop it.  A bigoted and neglectful farce of a President can't stop it. 

Baltimore's magic is powerful.  Those who can't or won't see it have no goddamn clue what they're missing, and good riddance to them.  We get to thrive in that magic whether they see it or not.

You can learn more about "Decade of Fire", including watching its trailer, here.

{Heart}


PS: However shockingly unacceptable it is for a sitting President to be actively racist and disparaging against an American city, I urge anyone reading not to be distracted by only the latest incident of his pathetic misbehavior.

Do not forget that the President's tantrum against Baltimore was precipitated in part by Congressman Elijah Cummings' advocacy for innocent asylum seekers, including many children, who remain in despicably inhumane conditions in detention facilities along our Southern border.

If you're even the slightest bit irked by the President's behavior in recent days, please immediately contact your elected officials to express your outrage at the treatment of our fellow human beings, many of whom are your future fellow citizens.

Just like the 1970s in the Bronx and the Baltimore of today, we'll survive this ugly era.  But only if we fight back.