District 10 candidate Delaney Smith: “We can do better”

February 27, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Delaney Smith stands in front of Moreton Fig restaurant at the University of Southern California, his alma mater.  | Hannah Vega. 

Delaney Smith stands in front of Moreton Fig restaurant at the University of Southern California, his alma mater.  | Hannah Vega.

The residents of District 10, a portion of which spans South Los Angeles, will vote for a new councilmember on March 3. Intersections interviewed the candidates ahead of the elections.

By Hannah Vega

“I know we can do better,” Delaney Smith repeated during a recent conversation about why he is pursuing political office. He is a candidate aiming to become the councilman representing District 10, one of the city’s largest and most socioeconomically diverse districts encompassing Baldwin Hills in South L.A., plus parts of Koreatown and Palms.

Smith faces incumbent District 10 council member and current City Council President Herb J. Wesson, Jr., who is running for his fourth term, and Grace Yoo, an activist and lawyer who works in Koreatown. [Read more…]

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Watts residents call for neighborhood improvements

February 26, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Residents rally at the corner of 92nd and Bandera Street in South L.A. | Photo by Leah Harari

Residents rally at the corner of 92nd and Bandera Street in South L.A. | Leah Harari

Fifty years ago, pent up frustration and racial tension became fuel for the Watts Riots, in which 34 people died. And on Thursday, union activists and Watts residents cited the 50th anniversary of the riots to express their frustration at how little attention their streets receive from the city.

A small crowd rallied at the corner of East 92nd and Bandera Streets, where since 2001, residents have been asking the city to install a stoplight. The intersection is across from a senior citizens apartment building and just a few blocks from 92nd Street Elementary School. [Read more…]

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

Arrest in South LA shooting of transgender woman

February 26, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Commanding Officer Peter Wittingham, LAPD Criminal Homicide Division, at a news conference announcing arrest in the murder of Deshawnda Sanchez. | Photo by Deshawnda Sanchez

Commanding Officer Peter Wittingham, LAPD Criminal Homicide Division, at a news conference announcing arrest in the murder of Deshawnda Sanchez. | Photo by Deshawnda Sanchez

The Los Angeles Police Department announced the arrest of Robert James Spells, 30, in the murder of Deshawnda Sanchez, who was killed in the Chesterfield Square neighborhood of South L.A. in the early morning hours of December 3, 2014.

Sanchez identified as a transgender and was 21 years old when she was killed.  At a news conference at the 77th Street Community Police Station, detectives said she called 911 on Dec. 3 for help, telling the dispatcher that she was assaulted and robbed. [Read more…]

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District 10 candidate Grace Yoo eyes an upset

February 26, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Photo provided by Grace Yoo

Photo provided by Grace Yoo

The residents of District 10, a portion of which spans South Los Angeles, will vote for a new councilmember on March 3. Intersections interviewed the candidates ahead of the elections. 

It’s been a long day for Los Angeles City Council candidate Grace Yoo. Just hours after The Los Angeles Times endorsed Herb Wesson, the incumbent in Council District 10, Yoo walks into her campaign office frustrated about a neighborhood council meeting gone awry. It’s 8 p.m. and she still has hours left on her schedule; her campaign staff works to the soothing hum of laptops inside a small, narrow storefront near Western Avenue and Sixth Street.

But as quickly as the frustration mounts, it is easily dismissed. Yoo takes a seat and flashes a smile as she peels a clementine. Everything about her campaign, from Yoo’s fuchsia jacket to the hand-drawn pictures adorning the office walls is cheerful. She’s still hung up on the fact that the L.A. Times referred to her as ‘plucky,’ which she regards as a backhanded compliment (“Of all the words to choose?”), but even that fades quickly during conversation.

The former executive director of the Korean American Coalition is driven by a combination of faith and facts, her guiding compass to a seat on the City Council. Yoo, 43, a Los Angeles Unified School District alum, has been a strong advocate for both juveniles and the Koreatown community for many years. If she wins, she would be the second Asian American to ever win a seat on the City Council. [Read more…]

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LA County vows support for immigrants

February 25, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Supervisors will create a task force to help deferred action applicants even as Obama’s relief programs are halted.

Supervisor Hilda Solis announces the creation of task force to help immigrants applying for deferred action. | D. Solomon

Supervisor Hilda Solis announces the creation of task force to help immigrants applying for deferred action. | D. Solomon

Los Angeles County officials voted Tuesday to put resources in place to help immigrants apply for deportation relief, despite a federal judge’s ruling last week to halt an expansion of the Obama administration’s deferred action programs.

The Board of Supervisors decided in a 4-1 vote to create a task force that would ensure support for the nearly 500,000 county residents who qualify for work permits and legal residency under two new federal programs.

Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, who proposed the task force along with Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, said county agencies need to prepare for the likelihood that the federal court ban is reversed. [Read more…]

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

South LA foul-mouthed cooking sensation Auntie Fee offers culinary advice + Inglewood celebrates NFL stadium decision

February 25, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Photo by Skylar Myers

Photo by Skylar Myers

Cooking sensation Auntie Fee: South L.A.’s Auntie Fee became a YouTube sensation when her son uploaded a candid video of her cooking. She has since been featured on talk shows with Steve Harvey and Jimmy Kimmel. (L.A. Times)

NFL stadium in Inglewood: Some Inglewood residents celebrated after the city council approved an NFL stadium plan on Tuesday. (L.A. Times)

Officers shoot man in self-defense: LAPD officers shot a man who fired on them in Vermont Square on Monday. (KTLA)

LAPD search for gunman: Police are investigating a South L.A. shooting that occurred Tuesday near 115th and Main streets and left one injured. (CBS)

Los Ryderz Founder: Javier “JP” Partida, founder of Los Ryderz Bike Club in Watts, will discuss his outreach with other panelists at South L.A. Visions and Voices event this Thursday. (Streetsblog LA)

Mapping L.A. rent prices: A Zumper heat map shows the most expensive and most affordable housing options throughout the city. (Curbed Los Angeles)

Urban gardening movement: South L.A. native Ron Finley has remained dedicated to his movement for food justice in urban communities, even when the city issued an arrest warrant for planting carrots in unused city space. (Fortune)

Tales of the Grim Sleeper: British documentarian Nick Broomfield explains the complex relationship between LAPD and the community in South Central that piqued his interest in the Grim Sleeper case. (Indie Wire)

 

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

Visionaries to showcase South LA innovations and activism Feb. 26

February 25, 2015 By Leave a Comment


VoicesofSouthLA-Feb-Flyer

This week the University of Southern California will host a lively forum featuring social justice organizations in South Los Angeles.

Panelists Ben Caldwell, of Kaos Network, Karen Mack, of LA Commons, Javier “JP” Partida, of Los Ryderz and Neelam Shara, of Community Services Unlimited, will explore pioneering efforts to mobilize South Los Angeles and improve the quality of life for its community members.

The second in a two-part series, Voices of South LA: Food, Recreation and the Arts as Social Justice, will take place at University of Southern California’s Bovard Auditorium on Thursday, Feb. 26 from 6 to 7:30 PM. [Read more…]

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“Pamper Me Day” comes to South LA

February 24, 2015 By Leave a Comment


By Meghan Coyle | Annenberg Radio News

Hair stylist Aja Marie Chaff gives back to the community by cutting hair on Pamper Me Day. | Photo by Mirian Fuentes

Hair stylist Aja Marie Chaff gives back to the community by cutting hair on Pamper Me Day. | Photo by Mirian Fuentes

Homeless men and women relaxed for a spa day at Awesome Hair Salon in South L.A. on Monday Feb. 23. The salon provided free manicures, facials and haircuts to homeless individuals and those living in transitional housing for the second annual “Pamper Me Day”.

The event hoped to give these men and women a boost of confidence so they can see themselves in a new way.

Hairstylists such as Aja Marie Chaff spent time with participants to get a sense of their own individual style. Understanding who these people are and what they are looking for helps gives the customers a better experience, according to Chaff.

Martina Tegalo hasn’t had her hair cut since she attended the event last year.

“I always wait every year for this event because it’s a really special event,” she said.

Sheila Thorne, founder and CEO of the Women of Color Entrepreneur Directory, organized the event. The event is her way of paying it forward to thank all those that helped her when she was homeless.

Thorne estimates Awesome Hair Salon served 25 customers during the event. The salon hopes to make the event a regular occurrence.

Filed Under: Business, Community, Homelessness, More on Intersections Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Hundreds march in South LA against police brutality and black-on-black violence + Watts chef remembers his roots

February 24, 2015 By Leave a Comment


A mural in South L.A. commemorates the death of Ezell Ford.

A mural in South L.A. commemorates the death of Ezell Ford.

Hundreds protest: In South L.A., hundreds gathered on Saturday to protest police brutality and black-on-black violence in light of the recent Ezell Ford shooting. (L.A. Times)

Watts chef plans to stay: Keith Garrett of All Flavor No Grease has big aspirations for the successful taco stand he runs out of his driveway, but to him, expanding outside the neighborhood doesn’t mean that he would leave. (L.A. Eater)

L.A. as dangerous as Honduras: Parts of Los Angeles can be as dangerous as Honduras, the country with the highest rate of murders per capita. This is particularly true for young Black men in neighborhoods such as South L.A. (Daily News)

Man with down syndrome found: A young man with Down syndrome was found wandering the streets in South L.A. Sunday morning, according to police, and was reunited with his family later in the day. (ABC)

Man shot to death: An investigation is underway for the fatal shooting of an adult male near the 9900 block of Budlong Avenue early Sunday morning. (KTLA)

USC Troy Camp to commemorate Watts Riots: USC outreach organization Troy Camp, which provides mentorship to students in South L.A., will commemorate the anniversary of the Watts Riots at their annual gala in April. (Daily Trojan)

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All eyez on Tupac Shakur at Grammy Museum

February 23, 2015 By Leave a Comment


An exhibit about the life and music of Tupac Shakur is on display at the Grammy Museum in Downtown L.A., called “All Eyez on Me: The Writings of Tupac Shakur.” The space reserved for Shakur showcases some of his own studio notes, handwritten lyrics, outfits, and music. Shakur, who was he was shot and killed in 1996 at age 25, changed hip hop through powerful song writing.

All Eyez On Me: The Writings of Tupac Shakur will run through April 22. Visit the Grammy Museum at 800 W. Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles. [Read more…]

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