Right-Wingers Are Using LA Fires To Level 'DEI' Dog Whistles — And Continue To Get It Wrong

LOADING ERROR LOADING As firefighters continue to battle devastating wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area, several prominent conservatives have focused their energy on publicly criticizing the Los Angeles Fire Department’s efforts to be more inclusive and equitable. On Wednesday, Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, formerly Twitter, responded to a post on the platform that shared a 2021 racial equity plan from the LAFD, writing: “They prioritized DEI over saving lives and homes.” While speaking about the wildfires on her SiriusXM show earlier this week, former Fox News personality Megyn Kelly criticized Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley for making diversity “at least among the top priorities for the department.” And during a recent panel discussion on CNN’s “NewsNight With Abby Phillip,” conservative pundit Scott Jennings expressed frustration with the LAFD’s response to the disaster, saying a “main interest in the fire department lately has been in DEI programming and budget cuts.” “We have DEI, we have budget cuts and yet I’m wondering now, if your house was burning down, how much do you care what color the firefighters are?” he said earlier in the segment. Alvin B. Tillery Jr., a professor of political science and African American studies at Northwestern University, told HuffPost that commentators like Jennings and Kelly are seeking to “exploit the fact that this tragedy is happening under the leadership of a woman fire chief.” He said it’s a “real shame” Jennings continues to have a platform on TV to share such “outrageous statements.” Ethan Swope/Associated Press Fire ravages the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Tuesday. Social media platforms are also rife with people making erroneous and offensive claims about Crowley’s qualifications, leveling attacks that she was a “DEI hire.” The fire chief, who in 2022 became the first woman and first LGBTQ+ person to lead the department, has been with LAFD for more than 20 years. “We also know that Chief Crowley is fully qualified for her position by every metric that is available.” He said that Crowley also has a “fundamental right to be proud that she is the first woman and LGBTQ+ chief in the department’s history.” “The rightwing echo chamber just wants to tear down any policy that they believe diminishes the standing of white people in American culture,” he said, later adding that a core part of Crowley’s job is to ensure the fire department, which has been sued for racial and gender discrimination, recruits “talent from every corner of the city.” King said that DEI criticisms are, overall, “dishonest,” since the arguments commonly surround the idea of meritocracy — which refers to a system or society in which people get rewarded or chosen for positions based on merit.