Burning for Justice 

I’m creating Burning for Justice, a documentary that tells the powerful and urgent story of Yuridia Ochoa. Yuridia is a queer Chicana woman who survived being shot by police, only to be wrongfully arrested and criminalized instead of receiving the care she deserved. Rather than being offered drug and alcohol treatment, she was sentenced to time behind bars. Her journey took her from Santa Clara County Jail, to the California Institute for Women in Chowchilla, and eventually to Malibu Conservation Camp 13, where incarcerated women are trained and forced to risk their lives fighting wildfires.

But this story does not end in tragedy. Against all odds, Yuridia turned the fire within her into a calling. From confinement and systemic injustice, she rose to become a professional firefighter, protecting lives, homes, and communities. Today, she stands as a living testament to resilience, transformation, and the brilliance that emerges when people are given the chance to thrive. She is not just a survivor—she is a hero.

This film is more than a personal story. It exposes the failures of a system that too often punishes instead of heals. It shows the strength of women who endure and rise from the ashes of injustice. And it offers a vision of hope: that we can reimagine justice, rehabilitation, and belonging.

We have already filmed key interviews and secured footage, but we need your support to finish this project. Your donation will directly fund editing, graphics, music, and post-production—the critical final steps to bring Yuridia’s story to audiences who need to hear it. With your help, Burning for Justice will inspire communities, shift narratives about incarceration, and honor the courage of those who refuse to be broken.

This is a story of pain and perseverance, injustice and transformation. It’s about one woman’s fight not only to survive, but to serve. Please consider making a contribution to help us complete Burning for Justice. Together, we can ensure Yuridia’s story ignites change.