Judge sets June trial date for South LA serial killings + Lawyers seek order to fix Jefferson High scheduling issue

February 9, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Lonnie David Franklin Jr. is suspected of killing up to 100 South L.A. women | Flickr Creative Commons

Lonnie David Franklin Jr. is suspected of killing up to 100 South L.A. women | Flickr Creative Commons

June trial date set in “Grim Sleeper” case:  A judge set a June trial date for the death penalty case of Lonnie Franklin Jr., who is being charged with 10 counts of murder for a series of killings in South L.A. (ABC)

Lawyers file court order to fix class schedules: Public interest lawyers filed a court order for five high schools, including Jefferson High School in South L.A., to fix the class schedules of students who they claim are falling behind. (KPCC)

District 8 candidate Marqueece Harris-Dawson: The L.A. Times spoke with District 8 City Council candidate Marqueece Harris-Dawson about the issues in the community and how he plans to address them. (L.A. Times)

There may never be a good brunch place in South Central: While many long-time residents are being priced out, South L.A. is not enjoying some of the benefits of gentrification such as safer streets. (Huffington Post)

Teachers build job-readiness skills: One teacher at Foshay Technology Academy shares why it is important for her students to learn basic skills to land a job, such as writing a resume or completing a job interview. (KCET)

2 hurt in Metro train crash: 2 motorists suffered minor injuries and service was suspended when a Metro Exposition Line train crashed into a vehicle Friday night in the 2600 block of Exposition Boulevard. (CBS)

3 arrested in police pursuit: 3 people were arrested Friday night after a pursuit that started with a report of a stolen vehicle. (CBS)

17-year-old girl shot in calf: A 17-year-old girl was shot in the leg Sunday in a suspected gang-related shooting near Central Avenue and 49th Street. (Daily Breeze)

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Kizomba, a seductive Afro-Caribbean dance, arrives in South LA

February 9, 2015 By 1 Comment


Instructor Rome David dances Kizomba with a student during class. | Photo by Anna-Cat Brigida

Instructor Rome David dances Kizomba with a student during class. | Photo by Anna-Cat Brigida

The sound of pulsing music and Portuguese lyrics blares out to the sidewalk outside Vanessa’s Positive Dance Studio on Monday nights in South L.A. Couples press close together, attempting to move as one unit, as they review new steps, with leaders signaling their partners to move forward or backward with just the slightest movement of the chest.

The students are learning Kizomba, a partner dance that originated in Angola, spread to Europe and has now taken hold in Los Angeles. The dance combines African rhythms with the sensual passion of Semba, a dance that originated in Angola and gave birth to Argentine Tango and Brazilian Samba.

“It’s a very sensual dance and really allows you to connect with your partner,” said Felicia Mello, who started learning Kizomba about a year ago. “It has an elegance to it that is different than some of the faster dances. That’s the beauty of it.”

[Read more…]

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Mayor Eric Garcetti tours South LA’s District 9

February 8, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti speaks to journalists at Powerfest South LA. Garcetti said he wants Los Angeles to register more people for health care than anywhere else in the US. Photo by Katherine Davis.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti speaks to journalists at Powerfest South LA in 2013. | Katherine Davis

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilman Curren Price toured businesses and met with residents of South L.A.’s 9th District last week as part of the mayor’s efforts to examine how districts around the city tackle issues such as homelessness, employment, youth empowerment and community beautification.

[Read more…]

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‘City of God’ revisited at Pan African Film Festival in South LA

February 5, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Carla Osorio, Brazilian Producer, City of God -- Ten Years Later with friend, Yaw F.L. Davis, Founding Director of the Pan African Technical Association | Tiffany Walton

Carla Osorio, producer of City of God-Ten Years Later poses with a friend, Yaw F.L. Davis, Founding Director of the Pan African Technical Association. | Tiffany Walton

Rio de Janeiro has always made a splash as a travel destination, but when the 2002 feature film City of God made its way onto the big screens in Brazil and internationally, the world saw a different perspective of this tropical locale.

Movies with predominately Black casts were rarely seen. And the drug crime and violence taking place in Rio’s slums, or favelas, were elements that tourists often had no idea existed. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Arts, Culture, More on Intersections

Russell Simmons urges South LA teens to ‘Keep the Peace’

February 5, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Russel Simmons urges students to take a peace pledge at Dorsey High School. | Maddy Ewles

Russell Simmons urges students to take a peace pledge at Dorsey High School. | Madeline Ewles

By Madeline Ewles | Annenberg Radio News

Russell Simmons, founder of Def Jam Recordings, is known for making noise in the hip-hop scene. But at Dorsey High School in South L.A. on Wednesday, he urged students to be quiet in a four-minute meditation.

“I’m here to talk about peace,” Simmons told the group. “The groups that you join, the activities that you choose — they are part of being peaceful.”

Such choices are especially important during times of racial and political turmoil, he said, such as the response to the police shootings of Black men in Ferguson, New York and Los Angeles. His mission is to instill a pledge among young people — a pledge to “keep the peace” and stay away from violence. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Arts, Culture, Education, More on Intersections

Suge Knight pleads not guilty to murder

February 3, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Marion 'Suge' Knight faces the judge at his arraignment in Compton's L.A. Superior Court. | Pool/Paul Beck, EPA

Marion ‘Suge’ Knight faces the judge at his arraignment in Compton’s L.A. Superior Court. | Courtesy of Paul Buck, EPA/Pool

Marion “Suge” Knight, 49, pleaded not guilty today to all charges stemming from a fatal hit-and-run committed in Compton last week.

The rap mogul, who appeared at a Compton courthouse this morning, denied the charges for murder, attempted murder and hit-and-run that the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office filed Monday.

During the hearing, Knight appeared calm and collected, politely addressing the judge’s questions. Afterwards, he was rushed to the hospital, where the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said he would undergo “treatment and evaluation.”

Knight is accused of deliberately running over Terry Carter, 55, and Cle “Bone” Sloan, 51, in the parking lot of a Compton burger joint on Thursday afternoon after an argument during the filming of Straight Out of Compton, a biopic about rap group NWA. Carter died in the incident, while Sloan was hospitalized for his injuries. [Read more…]

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South LA residents get nutrition advice + South LA father figure allegedly killed by “Suge” Knight

February 3, 2015 By Leave a Comment


South LA residents often have to choose between health and convenience, like when passing street vendors on Vermont Ave. | Photo by Alissa Walker (Flickr Creative Commons)

South LA residents often have to choose between health and convenience, like when passing street vendors on Vermont Ave. | Photo by Alissa Walker (Flickr Creative Commons)

Nutrition advice for South L.A.: A medical team from Cedars-Sinai brings healthcare and nutrition advice to low income families from skid row to Inglewood. (L.A. Times)

South L.A. father figure allegedly killed by “Suge” Knight: Friends say Terry Carter, the man allegedly killed by Marion “Suge” Knight in a hit-and-run on Thursday, was a father figure who dedicated his life to steering young men away from crime. (L.A. Times)

Man beaten and fatally struck by vehicle: A man was allegedly beaten with a baseball bat and fatally struck by a vehicle following an argument Sunday night. (ABC)

Ill dog rescued from riverbed: Volunteers rescued a severely ill dog with a missing leg from a riverbed on Sunday night. (ABC)

16-year-old boy killed in shooting: Authorities are searching for a suspect who shot and killed a 16-year-old Christian Henriquez and wounded an 18-year-old on Friday. (ABC)

Twin brothers charged in robbery, slaying of woman: Brothers Kenyata and Keishon Blake were charged with one count of murder and two counts of second-degree robbery for the robbery and fatal stabbing of a 62-year-old seamstress in December. (L.A. Times)

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Volunteers tally South LA’s homeless, counting one by one

February 2, 2015 By Leave a Comment


homeless count feature image

Homeless Count volunteers show their certificates of completion. | Stephanie Monte

Instead of the usual dinner and birthday cake, Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker spent her birthday in a more altruistic way: She gathered a group of family and friends to volunteer for the biennial Homeless Count on Thursday night. The “Happy Birthday Jackie” group joined nearly 100 volunteers at Holman United Methodist Church, one of South L.A.’s deployment sites for the count. This South L.A. contingent represented a fraction of the 6,000 volunteers who gathered data on the city’s homeless population over three days under the supervision of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

“We want to be a part of the 2015 revived mission to eliminate homelessness,” Dupont-Walker said. “We think this is a part of it.”

L.A.’s Homeless Count is the nation’s largest program taking a headcount of people living on the streets. L.A.’s homeless population is second in size only to the homeless population of New York City.

Homelessness in South L.A. is more common than any other part of the county. The 2013 Homeless Count tallied more than 11,000 homeless people in South L.A. Six of the seven other districts counted a significantly smaller homeless population, with estimates ranging from 2,500 homeless to 8,000. Service Planning Area 4, Metro Los Angeles including Skid Row, with about 10,500 homeless individuals was the only area with an estimate similar to South L.A.’s Area 6. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Featured, Featured Story, Homelessness Tagged With: , , , ,
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