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Powderhorn@beehaw.org

Worker who allegedly set fire to California warehouse compares self to Luigi Mangione (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 1 day ago by Powderhorn@beehaw.org to c/usnews@beehaw.org

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The hits just keep on coming.

An employee who allegedly burned down a California warehouse compared himself to Luigi Mangione in a message to co-workers after setting the fire, according to authorities in a Friday press conference, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Chamel Abdulkarim, 29, has been charged with several counts of felony and state arson after a massive fire destroyed the Kimberly-Clark paper products warehouse in Ontario, California, about an hour outside of Los Angeles.

The warehouse fire broke out at 12.30am on Tuesday, with police arresting Abdulkarim shortly after. The fire quickly progressed into a six-alarm blaze, with about 175 firefighters responding to the emergency. The blaze resulted in more than $600m in damage, with $500m in paper products destroyed as well as the $150m warehouse.

Fire investigators said Abdulkarim texted a co-worker after the blaze, comparing himself to 27-year-old Mangione, who is facing charges for the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024.

OK, let's be clear here: I do not condone this action, but if you're not paying a living wage in a paper facility and anyone can bring in a match, this is somewhat of an unsurprising development.

Note that these actions are consistently being taken by people in their 20s. They are under no illusion that the future will be better.

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[–] LostWanderer@fedia.io 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Unfortunately, it will be a rise of incidents such as these that will motivate changes within the whole system. As it will quickly be untenable for insurance to cover all the damages from fires like these. Also having a nice ripple effect of breaking the stranglehold of private equity because of the float income that a lot of insurance companies use to invest, will have to be used to pay for damages instead. Civil disobedience is the tool of those pushed into desperation by corporations that wouldn't otherwise give a shit, unless you literally make them listen.

Yeah, in my forties I can't even see the future being better without civil disobedience of this nature. If we let the rich be comfortable, they'll do everything they can to keep us downtrodden while they reap the rewards of the working classes hard work.

[–] Powderhorn@beehaw.org 0 points 1 day ago (2 children)

While, as a fellow mid-lifer, I agree with everything you said, there is always the Insurrection Act waiting in the wings if things really go off the rails. Essentially, the worse things get in terms of civil disobedience, the closer we are to Trump having an excuse to do election fuckery.

Do you prefer Scylla or Charybdis?

[–] LukeZaz@beehaw.org 0 points 17 hours ago

the closer we are to Trump having an excuse to do election fuckery.

That implies he won't invent one regardless. I won't be blaming people like this when he does.

[–] LostWanderer@fedia.io 0 points 1 day ago

Yeah, I am well aware...I would honestly prefer nonviolent direct action if anything were to gain serious traction. Regardless of whatever the American people do (nonviolent or civil disobedience related action), this corrupt fucker is going to find some way to attempt to apply the Insurrection Act illegitimately. We can try and keep our noses clean as possible in order to prevent that Insurrection Act invocation fail, continue to make him look like the clown he is...

However, I know people are going to resort to more desperate measures like Chamel because it makes corporations shut up and listen. We are damn well close to Scylla and Charybdis; I only hope that Americans can prevent swerving completely in the grasp of both horrifying fates. Fighting back in ways that truly frustrate this deranged asshole and his malcontent squad, but they can do very little about until the pressure washes them out of their positions of power.