Crump represented several victims of the 2022 Weed Mill Fire in which two people were killed and three injured in the Mill Fire, which started on Sept. 2, 2022, and burned nearly 4,000 acres in Siskiyou County. The fire damaged or destroyed 144 structures.
Nationally renowned civil rights advocate and personal injury attorney Ben Crump, Weed mayor Ken Palfini, and Matt Lawless of Roseburg Forest Products will join other local leaders on Wednesday, Aug. 30 to announce a $250,000 scholarship fund for Weed High School students pursuing post-education academic disciplines.
The Scholarship fund emerged during Mill Fire settlement discussions between Roseburg and Crump as a means of providing additional and on-going support the long-term recovery of the Lincoln Heights, Weed and Lake Shastina communities.
The announcement will take place at the home of Robert and Barbara Thomas, one of the first families to rebuild after the tragic Mill Fire.
Attorney Crump released the following statement ahead of the Wednesday, Aug. 30 announcement:
“This is an incredible example of citizens, corporations and good lawyers working together to transform a tragedy into triumph for this historically Black neighborhood.”
“Roseburg’s priority is to support our neighbors as they rebuild their homes and the Weed and Lake Shastina communities,” Pete Hillan, a spokesperson for Roseburg Forest Products, added in an earlier statement.
The much-anticipated announcement will take place today, Aug. 30 at 1 p.m. at 1586 Weed, California and will include Tim Rundel, Weed City Manager, Robert Thomas, first Lincoln Heights Homeowner to rebuild in the area destroyed by the blaze, and Kelsea Ochs, Dean of Students for Siskiyou County Unified School District.
