Residents of the Los Angeles town of Altadena are taking action to defend their remaining homes amid wildfires.
Mike Leroy and Billy Theodorakopoulos are ignoring evacuation orders, telling Fox News they are patrolling the neighborhood themselves, armed and prepared to encounter looters. At least a dozen people have already been arrested in connection with looting and arson.
“We had one incident, early on,” Leroy said. “But nothing afterwards. We’ve been seeing a lot of patrol, especially the past few nights.” He explained they are only getting “a few hours of sleep” every night to prioritize patrolling.
“We need the neighbors to come home so that we can take a break,” Theodorakopoulos said. “And No. 2, we need more vigilance. There’s only six of us in a three-block radius to cover all this, and there’s a lot more territory here. We need a lot more people out here, even without power, to rat out these looters.”
Theodorakopoulos’ wife, Maggie, said she has begun calling Altadena “Texadena,” since “we’re all walking around with our guns and stuff.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, 80 people have stayed in Altadena to defend what remains from looters. One remaining resident said, “We do feel like we’re in the Wild West.”
Pacific Palisades resident Ross Gerber said he has ignored the officials’ calls to stay away from the area.
“I have no patience for any of them,” Gerber said. “After you survive this, you don’t care what they say.”
“I get that they’ll say this is ‘the rule,’ but it’s our land and our neighborhood, and as much as I respect the authorities, we’re much more competent than them,” he added. “Let us in to defend our neighborhood.”