$2.3 Million Approved By L.A City Council For East 27th St LAPD Explosion

District 9 residents impacted by the Los Angeles Police Department detonating a truck of fireworks in their residential neighborhood, will finally receive access permanent housing and resources nearly two years after the incident. The Los Angeles City Council approved a motion this week for $2.3 million in funding for CD9 residents to provide permanent relocation for those displaced by the explosion.

The explosion completely destroyed LAPD’s bomb squad truck, damaged 22 residences, 13 businesses, 37 vehicles and sent 17 residents and first responders to hospitals. The funding will also provide temporary housing as needed as well as case management. The motion was introduced by District 9 Councilman Curren Price, who found himself under fire recently for comments he made regarding displaced residents getting free and prolonged assistance from the city.

According to city officials, more than $3 million has already been spent to support and aid residents affected by the fireworks explosion.

Councilman Price says some residents impacted by the blast have already received resources for home improvement or received permanent housing. However, community members continue to criticize the Councilman’s office, saying not enough has been done for everyone affected or displaced by LAPD’s bizarre recklessness and disregard for residents.

The LAPD bomb squad packed nearly 40 pounds of the most volatile and dangerous homemade fireworks into an armored containment vessel that was rated for only 33 pounds, according to a federal report.

The LAPD firework blast happened on East 27th Street, near San Pedro Street in South Central.

In addition to the funding, several departments are tasked with reporting back in 60 days with updates on the community in regards to the explosion. LAPD Chief Michel Moore has also been required to provide measures taken to avoid future residential blast by the police department.

The motion also requires:

• The city attorney to provide an update on the status of claims and litigation related to the blast.
• The Department of Housing will include a list of how many individuals were successfully rehoused and how many are still seeking assistance, including a status update on what community investments are being made to help those community members recover from the fireworks explosion.

Read More: South LA blast: Man gets prison for transporting fireworks that led to botched LAPD detonation

The man who stockpiled pounds of illegal fireworks in his backyard that LAPD were retrieving that day prior to the intentional and botched explosion by LAPD, was sentenced in 2022 to five months in federal prison.

“I want to be clear that my office has never abandoned these families in this time of crisis,” Councilman Curren Price said during Wednesday’s council meeting. “The reality is that CD9 has inherited a tremendous tragedy that needs ongoing support from the entire city, including from the council.”

CD9 Councilman Curren Price