Residents demand officers involved in 27th Street fireworks explosion be sent to jail

Residents of South Los Angeles' 27th Street demanded harsher punishments for the officers that destroyed their homes during the catastrophic fireworks explosion in 2021. 

Last week, the Los Angeles Police Department announced they suspended one officer involved in the botched detonation for 10 days without pay. Officials claimed he was "deficient in their duties." 

"Just gets a 10-day vacation while we still struggle with evictions — with a lot of problems," said resident Carmen Rodriguez.

666 days ago, LAPD's bomb squad blew up a cache of illegal fireworks next to Rodriguez's 27th Street home. The blast destroyed the unit's special containment vehicle, injured more than two dozen people and damaged homes, businesses as well as cars. Rodriguez and her son are still living in a hotel, nearly three years later. 

"We lost our job, our home is still destroyed," said Rodriguez. "It's just not fair." 

She and other residents protested outside of the LAPD headquarters Wednesday night, demanding justice for damage the department caused.

"To come out publicly and say that their punishment for their officer was a 10-day suspension. That's ludicrous," said Ron Gochez, a member of Union del Barrio.

Union del Barrio is a political organization that advocates for the Chicano community.

According to a report from the Office of Inspector General, the department's bomb squad lacked sufficient training and failed to weigh the explosives before detonating. The report determined that eyeballing the weight of explosives became common practice among the crew despite no one understanding the rated capacity of the vehicle they use to safely dispose of explosives. 

"Another clear example of LAPD justice," said Gochez. "They wonder why Black and Brown communities don't trust the police. Well, this is another example of why we cannot trust the police. Because they don't protect us. They protect themselves.

Since the explosion, the department has reassigned all of the officers on the bomb squad and is currently training a new team. 

While some of the residents displaced by the explosion reached a $2.3 million settlement with the city, others like Rodriguez are still living out of a hotel. Many still believe justice has yet to be served.

"We're going to continue to demand these officers go to jail," said Rodriguez.