Crenshaw Boulevard traffic detoured this weekend

March 10, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Construction for the new metro rail line on Crenshaw blvd. (April 2014)

Construction for the new metro rail line on Crenshaw blvd. (April 2014)

Construction on an underground rail station for the Crenshaw light rail line will shut down Crenshaw Boulevard for 12 days, beginning Sunday at 9 p.m. until Mar. 27.

Crenshaw Blvd. will be inaccessible to motorists between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Stocker Street, and from King Boulevard from 43rd Street to Vernon Avenue.

Vehicles can cross Crenshaw Boulevard at King, at Vernon Avenue, Stocker Street and 43rd.

Detours will direct south-bound drivers east on King Boulevard, south on Western Avenue and west on Vernon back to Crenshaw. Northbound commuters will detour along the same route in the opposite direction, according to Metro.

The Crenshaw light rail line will have eight stops, connecting South Los Angeles neighborhoods to a final stop near Los Angeles International Airport. The line is scheduled to be completed by 2019.

Filed Under: Community, Crenshaw, More on Intersections, Transportation Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Mexicano restaurant opens in South LA

March 9, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Chefs Ramiro Arvizu and Jaime Martin del Campo (from left to right) | Photo courtesy of Mexicano restaurant.

Chefs Ramiro Arvizu and Jaime Martin del Campo (from left to right) | Photo courtesy of Mexicano restaurant.

With the opening of their new restaurant, Mexicano, located in Baldwin Hills, chefs Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu hope to immerse customers in Mexican culture, one burst of flavor at a time. The eatery has been in its soft opening since Feb. 27.

Colorful Mexican floor tiles lead patrons to the restaurant’s focal point: the kitchen. There is no partition between the kitchen and the dining room, so diners can observe the preparation of authentic dishes while surrounded by décor from the Mexican state of Jalisco.

“With the kitchen open, you are in contact with customers and they become a part of the preparation experience,” Arvizu said. “We try to get their five senses going. The smell, the sight of the ingredients, the touch and hearing. All of these are incorporated and bring you closer to the meal.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Baldwin Hills, Crenshaw, Featured, Food, More on Intersections Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Harris-Dawson shifts LA City Council to the left + Documentary explores impact of crack epidemic on South LA

March 6, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Marqueece Harris-Dawson | Photo by the US Department of Labor (Flickr Creative Commons)

Marqueece Harris-Dawson | Photo by the US Department of Labor (Flickr Creative Commons)

Harris-Dawsin shifts city council: District 8 councilman elect Marqueece Harrris-Dawson brings a community activist background to city council, a stark contrast to the approach of his predecessor, former LAPD chief Bernard Parks. (L.A. Weekly)

Freeway: Crack in the System: A new documentary explores how the mass incarceration related to the crack epidemic of the ’80s and ’90s still affects communities like South L.A. today. (Bloomberg)

Leimert Park bicycle co-op: Father and community activist Ade Neff aims to open a bike co-op in Leimert Park within a year to make transportation more accessible to those in South L.A. (Streetsblog L.A.)

L.A. Public library makes learning service available: An online learning program for young children, called ABCmouse.com, is now available free of charge through the L.A. Public Library. (L.A. Sentinel)

Man pleads not guilty to murder of transgender woman: An Inglewood man Robert James Spells pleaded not guilty to the fatal shooting of a transgender woman in South L.A. in December. (My News L.A.)

 

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

South LA homeless youth need homes, not shelter

March 6, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Demonque Williams at Sanctuary of Hope. | Photo by Anna-Cat Brigida

Demonque Williams at Sanctuary of Hope. | Photo by Anna-Cat Brigida

Demonque Williams exited the foster care system at age 18 in 2010 with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. Now 22, he still does not have a stable home. On a good day, he sleeps in a shelter or uses a hotel voucher. Most nights he sleeps on the street.

“I need emotional help,” Williams said sitting on the couch at Sanctuary of Hope, a program for homeless youth in South L.A. “I need somebody to talk to. I need to keep mentally strong out there. I need encouragement.”

Williams has found some support through Sanctuary of Hope, a South L.A. organization that provides transitional housing and assistance to homeless youth. As part of the South L.A. Transition Age Youth and Foster Care Collaborative, it aims to serve young adults among South L.A.’s homeless population.

South L.A has the largest homeless population in the city with more than 11,000 recorded according to an estimate by the 2013 L.A. Homeless Count. More than 2,000 of these individuals are under the age of 24.

[Read more…]

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

USC students and South LA residents unite with art

March 5, 2015 By Leave a Comment


 

Wanting to satisfy artistic thirst and consume more of the local area’s taste, Michael Chang, a fine arts student, and Aaron Ashby, a cinema student, created Jukebox, a student-run art collective at USC that uses South L.A. for inspiration and presentation of their work.

“We came to USC as immigrants to this area,” said Chang. “We were transplanted here for college, and I think it’s important for students to understand the context of where we live.”

[Read more…]

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

Leimert Park gallery opens with Black Panther exhibit + Federal pilot program means local hiring for Crenshaw/LAX light rail

March 4, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Metro's Expo Line | Intersections

Metro’s Expo Line | Intersections

Leimert Park Gallery: A partnership between the Hammer Museum and the Art + Practice Foundation brings a Charles Gaines exposition, inspired by composers and Black Panther Stokely Carmichael, to Leimert Park. (LAist)

Local hiring for Metro projects: A federal pilot program could temporarily lift a long-time ban that prohibits cities from giving priority to residents for local infrastructure projects. This could mean more jobs for South L.A. along the Crenshaw/LAX light rail. (KPCC)

Men in ski masks shoot at police officers: Three men in ski masks shot at officers on West Florence Avenue early Tuesday morning, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. (NBC)

American Apparel Ex-CEO organizes rally: American Apparel founder Dov Charney, who was fired in December, organized a rally for workers in a South L.A. backyard on Saturday. (Buzzfeed)

Adults need vaccines too: The vaccination debate applies to more than just children. Access and information can be barriers to this health service. (KPCC)

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

District 8 candidates eye economic growth for South LA

March 2, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Leimert Park is one of the areas included in District 8. | Intersections

Leimert Park is one of the areas included in District 8. | Intersections

Council District 8 in South L.A. — which includes Baldwin Hills, Crenshaw, Leimert Park and West Adams — is the site of what many residents feel is an important council race that could set the tone for future economic growth in the area.

Current councilman Bernard Parks cannot run again because of term limits. After 12 years in office, the former Los Angeles Police Department Chief is stepping down after having earned a reputation for fiscal conservatism and fighting labor unions even if it meant losing City Hall allies. On a local level, Parks made strides to improve quality of life issues, such as launching a partnership with the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative to repair more than 100 sidewalks.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: More on Intersections, Politics

Elections offer hope and help for South LA + ‘Ghettoside’ shows life and death in South LA

March 2, 2015 By Leave a Comment


 

District 8 map | The City Project (Flickr Creative Commons)

District 8 map | The City Project (Flickr Creative Commons)

Elections offer hope and help: District 8 candidates are forced to conquer issues of unemployment, economic development and lack of resources. (KPCC)

Life and death in South LA: In an excerpt from her book Ghettoside, Jill Leovy tells the story of the murder of the son of LAPD detective to show how violence affects South L.A. (The Guardian)

The taco evolves: South L.A. puts its own twist on the traditional taco by adding deep-fried chicken, turkey or barbecue sauce. (LAist)

Three Asian Americans running for city council: Only one Asian American has served on L.A. City Council. Three candidates, including Grace Yoo running for 10th District, could change this. (The Rafu Shimpo)

Man charged with murder: Suspected robber Travell Mossett was charged with one count of murder Wednesday for the fatal stabbing of a doughnut shop worker in South L.A. (KTLA)

Suspect identified in killing of transgender woman: Robert James Spells, 30, of Inglewood was identified as the primary suspect in the murder of transgender woman Deshawnda “Ta-Ta” Sanchez through a 911 call made by Sanchez in the last moments of her life. (L.A. Times)

 

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

District 10 councilman Herb Wesson aims for another term

March 2, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Herb Wesson speaks at a campaign event. | Kate Guarino

Herb Wesson speaks at a campaign event. | Kate Guarino

Correction Appended

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.

Standing among crowds of people chatting at his campaign rally, the man wearing black jeans, a collared shirt and grey oxford flats appears to be just another District 10 resident. In some ways City Council President Herb Wesson is just that, he said. Wesson has lived in the district for more years than he can count, and has represented the area since the beginning of his career in public service.

“I’m a very, very ordinary person who’s been selected to do extraordinary work,” he said.

As he prepared for the March 3 elections on a recent afternoon, Wesson said his inspiration for his work is never far from his mind. During much of his time at the historically black Lincoln University in Pennsylvania in the 1970s, Wesson said he did not know what he wanted to do. (He did not graduate from Lincoln until 1999 because an illness in his family prevented him from finishing his senior year.) But, that changed the day he heard Congressman Ron Dellums speak.

“When he spoke about civil rights and human rights and building coalitions at that moment that’s when I decided I wanted to be a public servant,” Wesson said, recalling the California Democrat’s speech at a fraternity sponsored event. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Featured Story, Politics Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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