Bench Ansfield is a professor in the History department at Temple University. Their book "Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City" covers how racial capitalism, political corruption, and the insurance industry created a world where landlords can profit more by burning their own buildings down than maintaining them. They were also part of the research team on the 2019 documentary "Decade of Fire".
Bench Ansfield
https://www.benchansfield.com
Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City
https://citylights.com/new-nonfiction-in-hardcover/born-in-flames-bronx-arson-1970s
Decade of Fire
https://decadeoffire.com
Born in Flames (the film the book was named after)
https://www.criterion.com/films/30707-born-in-flames
Let the Fire Burn: documentary about MOVE's infamous eviction in Philadelphia
https://www.kanopy.com/en/product/let-fire-burn
Recent episode on the fire at 22nd and Mission with Angelica
https://www.patreon.com/posts/aftermath-of-at-135107521
