Kim Kardashian wants more recognition — and money — for some real heroes fighting the Los Angeles wildfires … calling on the government to pay inmates fighting the fires more.
The reality star and mogul posted to her Instagram Story late Saturday night … tagging Governor Gavin Newsom and pointing out hundreds of incarcerated individuals are helping with the efforts — working long hours in dangerous conditions for basically no money.
Kim says inmates only get paid $1 an hour to fight the fires … and, that’s not nearly enough for people who are helping quell the dangerous blazes.
KK specifically shouts out the Ventura Training Center … an org. that trains formerly incarcerated individuals to be firefighters — and, helps them get their past felonies reduced so they can possibly get six-figure jobs as firefighters in the future.
According to The Marshall Project — a nonprofit news org. that covers criminal justice inequities — inmates in California are capped at $26.90 during emergencies for a 24-hour shift … so, $1 an hour isn’t far off.
The real benefit comes from reducing the sentences of those inmates fighting fires … according to the New York Times, one day of serving in a fire crew means a two-day reduction in their sentencing.
About 1,000 inmates are currently fighting the blazes in Los Angeles which have consumed more than 40K acres and killed at least 16 people. At this time, there are no reports of inmates working as firefighters dying.
The Kardashian family is staying vocal during these fires … ’cause while Kim’s pushing for criminal justice reform, her sister Khloé Kardashian called out L.A. Mayor Karen Bass for her response to the fires — a move social media users called hypocritical.
Kim’s staying out of that fray … but, she’s clearly not afraid to ask her government to do more.