“When people think of incarcerated people, they often see us as a danger, with our past mistakes magnified,” writes Jose Angel Amezcua, a formerly incarcerated firefighter from Salinas who helped battle the disastrous January 2025 blazes in the Los Angeles area. “Amid the smoke, ash, and destruction of the L.A. fires, people saw us as heroes, recognizing the good we could achieve when given a second chance.”
