#TBT South LA: The Shrine Auditorium

October 16, 2014 By Leave a Comment


The Shrine Auditorium in the 1920s | LA Public Library

The Shrine Auditorium in the 1920s | LA Public Library

Even as University of Southern California students bike past the Shrine Auditorium and Angelenos attend the venue for its frequent raves and award shows, many are not aware of the long history of this distinctive building.

The Shrine Auditorium was first built in its location off of Jefferson and Figueroa in 1906 as a civic center. The Al Malaikah Shriners, a fraternal organization founded in 1871 that contributes to the community with hospitals and other charities, intended the auditorium to be used as a temple and meeting place for the organization. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Arts, Community, More on Intersections Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

LA School District endorses Proposition 47 to reduce punishment for common crimes

October 16, 2014 By Leave a Comment


A student pushes for Proposition 47 with a sign reading "Smart Jusice." | Kate Guarino

A student pushes for Proposition 47 with a sign reading “Smart Jusice.” | Kate Guarino

More than 100 youth and community leaders gathered Tuesday in Downtown L.A. to rally in support of Proposition 47. Those who marched were hoping that the Los Angeles Unified School district would pass a resolution voicing support for the measure, which would reduce the penalty for some of the most common crimes in California including drug possession, petty theft, possession of stolen goods, shoplifting, forgery and writing bad checks.

LAUSD voted 5 to 1 to support and endorse the proposition Tuesday evening.

Under the referendum— which will be voted on in November—these crimes would be downgraded from felonies to misdemeanors and sentences would drop from a potential of three years to a maximum of one.

The Brothers, Sons, Selves coalition, which hosted the rally, said LAUSD’s support is an important step to gain momentum for the referendum. [Read more…]

Filed Under: More on Intersections Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

LAUSD fixes Jefferson High scheduling mess + Man arrested in South LA claims excessive police force

October 15, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Jefferson High School

Jefferson High School

LAUSD tries fixing Jefferson High scheduling mess: LAUSD will spend $1.1 million on a plan to fix the scheduling issues at Jefferson High School in South LA. (L.A. School Report)

Man recently arrested claims excessive police force: Brandon Dawson claims injury due to excessive police force after he was arrested in South L.A. Sunday night. (CBS)

Boyle Heights girl aims high through soccer: 11-year-old Luisa Hilario commutes five hours with her mom and brother each weekend to play on an elite soccer team in the hopes of playing professionally one day. (L.A. Times)

Two critically injured in crash: Three were injured, two critically, in a two-car collision Tuesday near 6800 block of South Figueroa Street. (My News L.A.)

Child trafficking in L.A.: Forced child prostitution remains a huge and often hard to discover issue in Los Angeles, particularly South L.A. (L.A. Magazine)

South Central native advocates for urban gardens: Ron Finley hopes to change the way people in his neighborhood think about food options. (Take Part)

Filed Under: In the news, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Undocumented youth dream with music, without borders

October 15, 2014 By Leave a Comment


By Danielle Charbonneau and Ana Gonzalez

DreamingSinFronteras-Stage

Dreaming Sin Fronteras on stage in Denver, where the show originated. | Dreaming Sin Fronteras Facebook

Dreaming Sin Fronteras, which comes to the University of Southern California on Oct. 16, blends music, art and theater to explore the narratives of young people who call themselves “dreamers” — undocumented youth who dream big, but battle obstacles.

Approximately five million undocumented children and young adults live in the United States, and about a million of them live in California. Most of them have grown up in America their entire lives and consider themselves American. But without legal documentation, they are often unable to pursue higher education or legitimate employment. As of 2012, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program has helped some youth under thirty to work legally and avoid getting sent out of the U.S. — at least for two year-periods.

See also: Why I should get in-state tuition as an undocumented student

Still, many of these “dreamers” fear deportation and many are actively seeking a pathway to citizenship. (A version of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM Act, has passed in California as well as in 14 others states, but has yet to meet federal approval. The California act assists undocumented students with financial aid.)

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Arts, Culture, More on Intersections Tagged With: , , , ,

Nonprofit spotlight: UMMA Community Clinic

October 14, 2014 By Leave a Comment


UmmaFair

An UMMA health fair. | ummaclinic.org

Intersection’s Nonprofit Spotlight series profiles South L.A. organizations that are propelling positive change in South L.A. 

Once called the University Muslim Medical Association, the organization known today as the UMMA Community Clinic (“umma” means “community” in Arabic) has been in South L.A. for nearly 20 years now. With its main clinic located just a couple of blocks east of the spot where truck driver Reginald Denny was beaten during the 1992 L.A. Riots and a second location at Fremont High School, UMMA has become part of the fabric of the community. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Nonprofit Spotlight Tagged With: , , , , ,

Pit bull attacked in South LA, car crash kills teen + Metro road closures

October 13, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Road closures ahead.

Road closures ahead.

Pit bull attacked: Police are saying the person who attacked a dog on Saturday in South L.A. — hitting it with a shovel and slashing it with a knife — may have been acting in self-defense. (KTLA)

Teen killed in South L.A. crash: A 17-year-old boy from Long Beach was killed in a multi-car crash on the Harbor Freeway. (Daily Breeze)

Two-week street closures for Metro construction: Watch out for some detours on Crenshaw Boulevard and Rodeo Road. (NBC4)

Living on minimum wage: Many South Los Angeles residents, such as Bartolome Perez, would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage. (L.A. Times)

L.A. names new poet laureate: Luis Rodriguez is well deserving of his post, says fellow L.A. writer Mike the Poet. (KCET)

Woman killed in hit-and-run: A 56-year-old woman was killed in a hit-and-run on Saturday near the 6300 block of Crenshaw Boulevard. (Westside Today)

LAPD chopper makes emergency landing: LAPD helicopter made an emergency landing in Harvard Park near Western and Gage avenues on Friday. (CBS)

Filed Under: In the news Tagged With: , , ,

Luis Rodriguez named LA’s poet laureate

October 13, 2014 By Leave a Comment


“To truly love L.A…. you have to see it with different eyes.”

always running

“Always Running,” Rodriguez’s best-known work.

So said Luis Rodriguez last week upon accepting his post as L.A.’s new poet laureate, a term that will last two years and have him bringing poetry initiatives to the most far-flung corners of the city.

Rodriguez saw L.A. through gang-member eyes growing up in South L.A., the San Gabriel Valley and East L.A. Then, after a six-year stint in prison, he changed his outlook. Rodriguez became a Chicano activist and prolific poet and author, penning about a dozen books and launching the Tia Chucha cultural center along with Tia Chucha press to promote other writers. A fixture in Southern California’s Chicano literary landscape, Rodriguez has also dipped into politics, most recently with a bid to become California’s governor representing the Green Party.

Hear more of Rodriguez’s comments in a story from Annenberg Radio News:

Filed Under: Arts, More on Intersections Tagged With: , , , , ,

Sign language in Spanish

October 13, 2014 By 1 Comment


image

Left to right: Felix, Mr. Sanchez, Mrs. Sanchez, and Hector. Enrique in the front.

Irma Sanchez has three young sons who love football and video games, so when they’re all home, visitors might be surprised by what they hear: absolute silence.

Sanchez’s three sons were all born Deaf and must communicate using American Sign Language (ASL). Inspired by her journey to learn ASL, Sanchez started the group “Deaf Latinos” – a free weekly class at her South Los Angeles home where Sanchez teaches ASL in Spanish.

Felix was eight months old when Sanchez had him tested for hearing loss. A red flag went up for Sanchez when she noticed that her child wasn’t turning around for loud noises, like when the vacuum cleaner was on. Doctors diagnosed him with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss – he was deaf. Sanchez was shocked to learn Felix was deaf. “I recall coming home and sitting down and thinking to myself, ‘Okay, so I have a deaf child, what am I going to do?’” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Featured, More on Intersections Tagged With: , , ,

Curren Price encourages urban farming + South LA father enters not guilty plea in stabbing of son

October 10, 2014 By Leave a Comment


 

Photo by Obama for America-California | Flickr Creative Commons

Photo by Obama for America-California | Flickr Creative Commons

City Council promotes urban farming plan: Councilman Curren Price supports L.A. City Council’s plan to offer incentives for landowners to turn empty lots into urban farms (L.A. Times).

Man enters not guilty plea: South L.A. father Alejandro Sanchez pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to the stabbing of his 6-year-old son (CBS).

Man shot, wounded in South L.A.: A man was shot and wounded Wednesday afternoon at the 2000 block of West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (My New L.A.)

Employment prospects increase: Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp predicts L.A. will reach employment peak in 2015. South L.A. is predicted to have a strong rebound (L.A. Business Journal).

Man may be sentenced to death for killing two South L.A. women: A judge will decide if convicted murderer Kevin Haley will be given the death penalty (My News L.A.)

Taste of Soul boosts Crenshaw businesses: Annual Taste of Soul event will kick off with Eat, Shop, Play Crenshaw campaign to help businesses (L.A. Sentinel).

L.A. Hip Hop Scene: South L.A. artists and venues are profiled as vibrant parts of L.A.’s hip hop scene (Los Angeles Magazine).

Jefferson High students without schedules sparks outrage: An editorial asks schools to stop warehousing students in content-less classes (L.A. Times).

 

 

Filed Under: In the news Tagged With: , , ,

Judge orders classes back at South LA’s Jefferson High

October 10, 2014 By Leave a Comment


By Taylor Haney

Jefferson High School

Jefferson High School

LAUSD officials met with staff at Jefferson High School Thursday to talk about incomplete course schedules. A lack of resources has been keeping many students out of their required classes — or any classes at all. Yesterday, a Calif. Superior Court judge ordered the state to fix scheduling problems at the South L.A. high school.

One student told Annenberg Radio News that his schedule “wasn’t right” for him. For others, classes they needed just didn’t exist.

Click play to hear their comments: 

 

The ACLU of Southern California had lodged a complaint in May naming a few specific schools and detailing their problems. Here’s how they map out.

See also: #TBT South LA: Jeffferson High School, 1938

Filed Under: Education, More on Intersections Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
«Previous Page
Next Page»