South L.A. out in force for the 2016 Kingdom Day Parade



New Documentary ‘Can You Dig This’ Looks at Why Black Gardeners Matter + SoCal Gas May Take Months to Fix Ongoing Gas Leak in Porter Ranch



New Documentary ‘Can You Dig This’ Looks at Why Black Gardeners Matter

A new documentary looks at the story of four ‘unlikely gardeners’ in South L.A. whose lives were positively impacted after getting involved in the recent urban gardening phenomenon. The film comes shortly after a change in L.A.’s land-use policy, which now permits gardens in parkways. (Take Part)

The chief executive of SoCal apologized to Porter Ranch residents about the ongoing gas leak causing a sickening smell in the community.

SoCal Gas May Take Months to Fix Ongoing Gas Leak in Porter Ranch

A methane gas leak from the Aliso Canyon storage facility in Porter Ranch is expected to take three to four months to complete. Impacted residents have been complaining for months about the bad odor, and have received an apology from the chief executive of the Southern California Gas Company. (ABC 7).

 

Call for ‘Black Lives Matter’ to Apologize



 

Pastors and community leaders came together at Mount Moriah Baptist Church to call for an apology from the Black Lives Matter movement. The actions of members of the local chapter upset leaders last week after a meeting with Mayor Eric Garcetti took an ugly turn.

“We say today to Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, do the right thing,” Rev. Xavier E. Thompson said. “We are not against you. But certainly, you have offended not only a house of worship but you have offended the entire faith based communtiy.”

At Monday night’s forum, protesters turned their backs to the mayor as he spoke, and then surrounded his car as he tried to leave.

The mayor released a statement the next day saying “[I] will continue to be there to hear those concerns and find solutions to our most pressing problems. We must move forward and I remain committed to our shared concerns.”

Rev. Kelvin Sauls, the pastor of Holman United Methodist Church, revealed that he was threatened by members of the Black Lives Matter movement that night.

“I was there,” Najee Ali said. “I saw with my own eyes Pastor Sauls be physically threatened with violence in his own church. That’s unacceptable for Black Lives Matter activists to threaten anyone with violence.”

Although many people think this could cause division within the Black Lives Matter movement, Rev. Paulette Gipson, the president of Compton NAACP, believes they are together though their methods are different.

 

Content originally posted by Annenberg TV News.

 

OPINION: Why Latinos need to speak out for Black lives



Ferguson protesters reach the site where Ezell Ford was killed last August. | Daina Beth Solomon

Ferguson protesters reach the site where Ezell Ford was killed last August. | Daina Beth Solomon

By Alberto Retana, Executive Vice-President, Community Coalition 

How much unrest will our country experience before we substantively address the injustices acutely impacting Black people?

For months, across the nation, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets to demand police accountability, transparency and justice for the families that have fallen victims to state violence.

I am Latino and I stand in support members of the Black community seeking justice for their children and families.  It’s time that we, as Latinos, boldly speak out in support of justice.  If we are to truly deal with racism in America impacting Latinos, we need to understand what is happening right now with Black America.

[Read more…]