Exploring the meaning of violence

October 27, 2010 By 2 Comments


This is the fourth of eight write-ups from freshman students at Manual Arts High School. Some participated in weeks-long projects about animal abuse, drugs, gangs, prostitution and racism. Part of their projects included surveys they created for their communities. After they gathered information, all of the groups presented their findings at a school presentation. Two days later, each group wrote about their experiences during an Intersections: The South Los Angeles Report mentoring and writing workshop.

Violence

By: Hugo Castaneda and Christian Garcia

We chose violence because we had overall topics that we wanted to talk about. We thought about animal abuse, domestic abuse and gang violence, and they all fell into the category of violence. This led us to our inquiry question, which was, “How can we stop violence in our community when we see violence within us and all around us?”

Our team conducted research by distributing surveys and giving interviews to multiple people. Facts that we got from the surveys are: many students think violence comes from school, and most students would like to stop violence, but they are too scared to try. Also, students do not see other ways to solve problems because most students see violence in themselves. Victims of violence include everyone from children to elders and from pets to farm animals. Men and women also experience verbal to sexual abuse, and the entire world is full of violence. Everyone is a victim. Violence is found in our homes, the media, video games, television shows, schools and movies.

Filed Under: High School Notebook Tagged With: , , , ,

Proposition 19 lacks funds, not buzz

October 26, 2010 By 6 Comments


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Listen to the audio story:

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A recent poll by the Los Angeles Times and the University of Southern California shows that 51 percent of California voters oppose legalizing marijuana.

With just a week away from voting time, the Yes on 19 campaign says it is stepping up its efforts.

But both campaign sides have had little capital compared to other campaigns this election cycle. With less money, the campaign is focusing on reaching voters online instead of on televesion.

Recently, the campaign for legalizing marijuana just got a monetary push from investor George Soros. He donated $1 million to the Drug Policy Alliance.

Stephen Gutwillig is one of the alliance’s spokespersons. He declined to give details about Soros and the donation. He did say, however, that the alliance plans on using the money for voter mobilization and public education.

It is a little late in the game to film and televise advertisements. So far, there is only one pro-legalization marijuana advertisement done by the Yes on 19 campaign.

Tom Angell is the spokesperson for Yes on 19. He says the advertisement originally played in Los Angeles, but it recently expanded to Bakersfield, Fresno and Chico. The campaign also purchased a “predicted dialer.” That is a gadget that calls about five people at once, and when someone picks up the phone, it connects to a volunteer.

Their so-called “grassroots campaign” will be focusing more on communication though Facebook and blogs. They also signed up hundreds of volunteers to man the phones. Expect a phone call this week.

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: , , ,

Halloween Events in South Los Angeles

October 26, 2010 By 1 Comment


October 29:

LAPD 77th St. Area Halloween Carnival Extravaganza
Oct. 29 to 31, on Broadway between Florence Avenue and 79th Street.

Fun, rides, games and food!

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Martin Luther King Street Carnival at Western
1546 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90062

Carnival Hours;
Friday, Oct. 29, 3pm to 11 pm
Saturday, Oct. 30, 1pm to 11 pm
Sunday, Oct. 31, 1pm to 11 pm

Pre-Sale tickets are sold at the Southwest Police Station, 1546 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Save money by buying early. $20 per sheet of 10 tickets, good for one ticket per ride. The Southwest Community Relations Office can be reached at (213) 847-5800. View a slide show of last year’s tricks and treats on Leimert Park Beat.

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Halloween Festival at the Rita D. Walters Learning Complex
Oct. 29, 4pm to 7pm, 932 W 85th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90044

Free entry. Costume parade, games and prizes.

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Halloween at the Expo Center
Oct. 29, 5:30pm, 3980 Menlo Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90037

5:30pm to 7 pm: BINGO

7 pm: Costume parade and contest

7 pm: Monster House the Movie

Also: Syncro Swim Showcase

Brought to you by the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks and Brotherhood Crusade.

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October 30:

Women4Wesson “4th Annual Halloween Masquerade Ball”
Oct. 30 at 8pm, 3785 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010

Please join Women4Wesson under the leadership of our President, Fabian Wesson as we reach out to assist homeless, helpless and often hopeless children. In attendance: special guest Councilman Herb Wesson, 10th District,  City of Los Angeles.

The event will be held on Saturday, October 30, 2010 from 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 on the Skydeck of the 22-story glass wrapped Solair Wilshire tower.  The address is 3785 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA.  Valet parking is available.  Masquerade and vintage costumes are optional.

Reserve your tickets now by calling Gladys Wesson-Strickland (310) 672-7281 or Patricia Childers (323) 293-7502 or email: kingandassociate[at]yahoo.com.

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The City of Angels 2010 Masquerade Ball
Oct. 30, 8:30pm to 2am, 431 West Seventh Street, Los Angeles, California 90014

The History of the Masquerade Ball: First noted in Italy during the 15th Century Renaissance, Masquerade Balls were costumed public festivities that were particularly popular in Venice. They were generally elaborate dances held for members of the progressive class, and have been associated with the tradition of the Venetian Carnival. Today, these balls are embodied all over the world.

About the Event: There will be two rooms of Mingling, Laughter, and Dancing while listening to the sounds of progressive DJ’s. Upscale men and women from all over SoCal will gather wearing the most extravagant costumes and masks.

General Admission $20.00
$15.00 before 9:30pm with RSVP: RSVP[at]LAMBall2010.com

LA Athletic Club
431 West Seventh Street
(on the northeast corner of 7th and Olive Streets)
Los Angeles, California 90014
Doors Open at 8:30pm. Event runs until 2:00am
For more information visit www.thelooponline.com.

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HARD Haunted Mansion
Oct. 30, 6pm to Nov 1, 2am, Shrine Expo Center, 665 W Jefferson Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90007

This two day dance festival takes place on Halloween weekend featuring live performances from Underworld, Bloody Beetroots, Boys Noize, Rusko, Calvin Harris and Flying Lotus. Tickets are sold out for Saturday night, but still available for Halloween at $75 (over 18 only) or $130 V.I.P. (over 21 only.) Buy tickets online here or visit a href=“http://www.hardfest.com/”>www.hardfest.com for more information.

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October 31:

Haunted Picnic
Oct. 31, 11am, 658 E 111th Place, Los Angeles CA 90059

A Harvest Celebration for L.A.’s Community Gardens & Friends, hosted by Stanford Avalon Community Garden and the Los Angeles Community Garden Council. Theme: A family-friendly picnic & fusion of Halloween & Dia de los Muertos activities. Food buffet, live music, garden swap/seed giveaway, Dio de los Muertos altar display, kids’ activities, costume parade, beer garden (adults only), and garden information tables.

Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010
11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
658 E 111th Place,
LA CA 90059
Free Parking: 600 E Lanzit Ave. (Off Avalon)

Admission:
$5 for community gardeners: if you volunteer, you get in for FREE!!!
$10 all others
Children under 12 free
Wear Your Halloween/Dia de Los Muertos Costume!

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Halloween Festival at the Spider Pavilion
Oct. 31, 12pm to 5pm, Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007

Open Again September 26 Through November 7, the one-of-a-kind Spider Pavilion is a beautifully landscaped area on the Museum’s South Lawn where spiders freely spin their spectacular webs for all to see. Tickets are sold in half-hour intervals throughout the day at a rate of $3 for adults, $2 for students and seniors, and $1 for children. Museum Members receive free admission. Tickets can be purchased at any Museum admissions desk or at the Spider Pavilion itself. The Pavilion is open every day of the week from 10 am to 5 pm, with the last tickets sold at 4:30 pm. Learn more about the exhibit at www.nhm.org.

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Also Halloween Weekend:

Long Beach Comic Con
Oct.29 to Oct. 31, The Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.
Friday: 1pm to 8pm
Saturday: 10a.m. to 7 p.m
Sunday: 10am to 4pm

Admission: $25 for single-day pass; $30 for single-day pass on Saturday at the door; $45 for three-day pass; children ages 10 and younger are free. Tickets available at the Comic Con website or participating comic book stores.

For more information, visit www.longbeachcomincon.com.

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Have an event to add? Email details to southla[at]usc.edu.

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USC president visits Foshay Learning Center

October 26, 2010 By 1 Comment


Listen to the audio story:

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Tucked away in the annex of the James A. Foshay Learning Center off Exposition Boulevard in South Los Angeles is a program teaching students not only about creativity and art, but also about finance, public relations and business management. Room 13, as it is called, is a self-sustaining art program that not only teaches students about art, but also how to promote and sell their work.

Foshay teacher John Midby has been with the project since its inception at the school. The students work with him and the school’s artist in residence to create and sell works. The University of Southern California President C.L. Max Nikias visited Room 13 as part of a tour Monday morning. Midby is pleased with current partnerships with the school, but in the future, he hopes to expand to more schools.

Starting Dec. 10, the students will team up for a gallery show at Hold Up Art with University of Southern California alum Brian Lee. The proceeds of the event will benefit both the gallery and Room 13.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: , , , ,

Manual Arts High School students research impact of prostitution

October 26, 2010 By 1 Comment


This is the third of eight write-ups from freshman students at Manual Arts High School. Some participated in weeks-long projects about animal abuse, drugs, gangs, prostitution and racism. Part of their projects included surveys they created for their communities. After they gathered information, all of the groups presented their findings at a school presentation. Two days later, each group wrote about their experiences during an Intersections: The South Los Angeles Report mentoring and writing workshop.

Prostitution

By: David Delgado, Jocelyne Recinos, Jesse Rodas and Sophia Salazar

Prostitution is a concern in our community, and we would like to change or help in any way we can. Our main question was, “How does prostitution affect women in our community, and would it help if we made it legal?”

While doing this project, we learned that prostitution has been seen by a lot of students at Manual Arts High School. We handed out 136 surveys to students, and our team visited about 10 classrooms. We discovered that prostitution is in a lot of our communities.

We also learned that making prostitution legal, or giving it its own area, will not make our streets safer. Our group thinks this because we believe a lot of people will still prostitute themselves for drugs or other illegal substances.

Our group interviewed Mr. Irving, our principal, and he was concerned. He asked us why we had chosen this topic, and we answered that we were concerned about our younger family members. We told him we wanted to know how to explain to them why these women do what they do. We discovered that most prostitutes do what they do because they are poor, and they have no other ways to get money. Instead of helping them, the government is investing money in prisons and the war.

Some women do not have any jobs, and they need to pay rent, bills, and food and water to support their children. But prostitution is basically slavery for women.

Wherever there have been bad economic situations, there has been prostitution.

Filed Under: High School Notebook Tagged With: , , ,

Breast cancer survivors speak out about the deadly disease

October 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment


Listen to the audio story:

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Breast cancer is the second most common cancer, after skin cancer, in women. The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time in her life is less than one in eight.

In an effort to support National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, The South Los Angeles Report visited and listened to stories from women affected by the disease. The Women of Color Breast Cancer Survivors Support Group is made up of cancer survivors, supporters of cancer survivors and those currently receiving treatment for cancer.

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Housed in a dilapidated medical building on a sleepy street in Inglewood, the Women of Color Breast Cancer Survivors Support Group works to educate women on a cancer that kills one woman in the United States every 15 minutes.

“I didn’t know black women got breast cancer,” said Happy Johnson, who was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer in 1998. “I never saw someone who looked like me on a poster.”

Listen to Johnson’s story:

The women gathered to tell their stories in hopes that more black and Hispanic women will realize breast cancer can happen to them.

“Early detection is key,” said two-year survivor Mary Battle. “I am a witness of that.”

Battle was diagnosed at the age of 60 with Stage 0 breast cancer, the least aggressive form of the disease.

“I am the third straight generation in my family affected with cancer,” Battle said.

Battle had a double mastectomy a month after she was diagnosed.

“I wasn’t fooling around,” she said.

Listen to Battle’s story:

Marva Cobb, whose mother died of breast cancer in 1996, was diagnosed in 2004. Cobb immediately turned to the Women of Color Breast Cancer Survivors Support Group, a group that offered so much support to her mother.

Listen to Cobb’s story:

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

REVIEW: ‘Down for Life’ exposes realities of gang involvement

October 25, 2010 By 1 Comment


image“If you’re gonna fight for something, it should be for something better than this.” Those are the words of Rascal – the 15-year-old leader of a Latina gang clique – explaining why she’s leaving her life of violence. Alan Jacobs’ film, “Down for Life,” follows the story of Rascal (played by newcomer and Manual Arts High School alumna Jessica Romero) on the day she tries to wrench herself from gang life. It also shows why many never leave: The journey is deadly.

The film draws from the story of Lesly Castillo, a former gang affiliate whose essay for a ninth-grade class became the subject of a 2005 New York Times article, “Essays in Search of Happy Endings.” In “Down for Life,” Rascal chronicles her experience in an application essay for a writing program in Iowa, which she and her teacher Mr. Shannon (Danny Glover) hope will get her out. If only it were that easy. It’s hard to write while constantly on the run.

Romero and many of the young women Jacobs recruited for the film are South Central L.A. residents with no acting experience. What they lack in thespian training, they make up for in real-life gang knowledge. Like the grainy footage, the casting strikes an uneasy balance of reality and fiction. The perspective is fresh and hyper-local.

Early on, Rascal and her fellow bangers fight a rival girl-gang of black youngsters for turf near Locke High School. The close-ups of their hands and faces brutally illustrate that this is not some group of girls pulling each other’s hair and scratching each other’s arms. These are hardened fighters on a mission, battling for this small stretch of pavement.

Later, they initiate a new member in an auto repair shop run by the gang’s boss, a psychopathic creep named Flaco (Cesar Garcia). He rapes the new recruit as part of her initiation while the viewer sees close-ups of the mechanics disassembling a stolen Pontiac GTO, possibly to symbolize the machinery of the gangs and the idea of a life systematically being taken apart and reassembled.

All the institutions in the children’s lives – family, education, law enforcement and the gang’s sisterhood – fail them. Rascal flees her home because of her abusive father and seeks refuge with her friend Vanessa (Emily Rios) in Chatsworth. She teaches the valley girls a bit about how to talk and act like gangsters. It’s both scary and quaint to them. But not even Chatsworth can provide a home for Rascal.

The only person who seems to understand what’s really happening to Rascal is Mr. Shannon. He believes she has a gift for writing. More importantly, he believes she has a future, as long as she can extricate herself from the gang scene. Mr. Shannon has to fight to get the school’s principal to approve her nomination for the Iowa program.

“Come on, Lee. She’s representing our school,” the principal tells him.

“Accurately, I would say,” he replies.

Though she has her teacher behind her, Rascal ultimately has to choose to break out. The teacher is less of a savior than a coach. The film’s tension comes not from the question of whether she will get into the Iowa program, but whether she will live to enjoy it.

Iowa represents a fresh start, far removed from L.A.’s vortex of violence. “Down for Life” is less about changing the failing institutions and more about escaping them. The film makes for a harrowing adventure and a magnified look at these girls’ despair, but what is most disturbing is the implied message: If you’re searching for a happy ending, don’t look in South Central.

Filed Under: Arts Tagged With: , , , , ,

Map of South Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils and Meeting Calendar

October 25, 2010 By 1 Comment



View South Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils in a larger map

 

Neighborhood Councils in the South Los Angeles region:

Central Alameda Neighborhood Council
Community and Neighbors for Ninth District Unity Neighborhood Council
Empowerment Congress Central Area Neighborhood Development Council
Empowerment Congress North Area Neighborhood Development Council
Empowerment Congress Southeast Area Neighborhood Development Council
Empowerment Congress Southwest Area Neighborhood Development Council
Empowerment Congress West Area Neighborhood Development Council
Mid City Neighborhood Council
Park Mesa Heights Community Council
South Central Neighborhood Council
United Neighborhoods Neighborhood Council
Voices of 90037 Neighborhood Council
West Adams Neighborhood Council

 

What are Neighborhood Councils? from Empower LA.

For more information on Neighborhood Councils, visit Empower L.A.

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Southeast L.A. activists campaign against Proposition 23

October 25, 2010 By 5 Comments


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imageAdvocates with an environmental justice organization in Huntington Park are stepping up their efforts to inform South East Los Angeles residents about Proposition 23 and its potential effects on greenhouse gas emissions on their communities.

Members of Communities for a Better Environment, which focuses on environmental health and justice, have been canvassing door to door to educate their communities about the facts of the state-wide measure that proposes to suspend Assembly Bill 32, California’s 2006 Global Warming Solutions Act.

Jennifer Ganata, a community organizer for the group, said that the residents of Southeast L.A. are being affected by pollution and bad air quality from nearby petroleum refineries.

“These communities are some of the most overburdened communities when it comes to environmental pollution, hit by both stationary (refineries, power plants, etc) and mobile (diesel trucks, freeways, etc) sources of pollution,” said the group’s website. “This translates into higher exposure to chemicals that cause illnesses such as asthma, cancer, reduced lung function, reproductive harm among others.”

Proposition 23 proposes to set aside prior legislation that requires California to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to the levels that existed in 1990. California would have until 2020 to comply.

Ganata said that residents of Southeast L.A. would benefit from defeating this statewide measure. “People want to see this change because their environment and communities are being impacted.”

Supporters of Proposition 23 say that the state should worry about jobs first, and the environment second. The measure proposes to suspend Assembly Bill 32 until unemployment is at or below 5.5 percent in California. Currently, the unemployment rate is 12.4 percent in California, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“We all want to do our part on global warming, but with 2.3 million Californians already unemployed and the state facing a $20 billion budget deficit, protecting jobs and the economy should be our first priority,” said yeson23.com, the official website for those supporting the measure.

“Proposition 23 would simply suspend California’s global warming plan until the economy stabilizes, we get people back to work and we can afford these investments.”

The city of Huntington Park has not taken an official stance on Proposition 23, but Councilwoman Ofelia Hernandez said that the clean air requirements spelled out in Assembly Bill 32 are going to be extremely difficult for cities like hers to meet. “The state ties our hands because they don’t give the funds for the changes,” she said.

The California Environmental Justice Alliance, a partner organization to Communities for a Better Environment, also operates from Huntington Park. Strela Cervas, a coordinator with the alliance, said the Yes on Proposition 23 campaign is misleading because “Prop. 23 claims that it will create lots of new jobs if it passes,” she said.

Ganata and Cervas both emphasized that bad air quality in Southeast L.A. is harming its residents, and the passage of Proposition 23 would only prolong efforts to improve air quality.

“If Prop. 23 passes, it will allow polluters to continue to pollute, and it will actually prevent the creation of more green jobs,” Cervas said. “Additionally, if Prop. 23 passes, our communities will continue to suffer from high rates of asthma, lung disease and other types of environmental health issues that are plaguing our communities.”

Huntington Park and Wilmington are two cities that Communities for a Better Environment and the California Environmental Justice Alliance serve because they are heavily industrial. In the past, these organizations have campaigned for the removal of power plants.

Opponents of Proposition 23 are criticizing two Texas-based oil companies, Valero Energy Corp. and Tesoro Corp., for supporting the measure. The oil giants have donated $5,606,273.20 to the Proposition 23 campaign, according to stopdirtyenergyprop.com, the official website of those opposed to the measure.

Valero and Tesoro both have refineries in Wilmington.

“They are not doing their part to be better neighbors,” Ganata said.

She said they should be looking at ways to benefit the communities by using alternative technologies.

Currently, the city of Los Angeles is in a three-way tie with Long Beach and Riverside for being the cities with the worst ozone-polluted air in the nation, according to the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2010 report. Los Angeles County ranks fifth in the nation.

Additionally, out of the top 25 counties in the U.S. that have the most ozone-pollution, 17 are in California, according to the report from the American Lung Association.

If Proposition 23 passes, “I think that sends the message to the community that industry wins,” Ganata said. “It would feel a little bit disempowering because I’m living next to this, and no one really cares.”

Photo courtesy of California Student Public Interest Research Group

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: , , ,

Report reveals lack of city contracts with women and minorities

October 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment


Listen to the audio story:

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Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other city leaders gathered at the Los Angeles City Hall to show support for the Minority Business Contracting Reforms, which would award more contracts to minority businesses.

The Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce unveiled a report that showed small, minority and women-owned businesses do not receive an adequate share of business contracts from the city.

“We just wanted to point out that there were so many deficiencies in the lack of contracts being awarded to minorities,” said Gene Hale, Chairman of the organization, which is also known as the GLAACC.

The chamber proposed the reform by making a series of step-by-step recommendations to the city’s leaders.

Hale said the city needs to implement a series of strong programs that would be in accord with the legal aspect of minority contracting. One of those programs, he added, should be a comprehensive review of past discrimination cases.

“They need to do what’s known as a disparity study that will discover any past discrimination against women and minorities,” he said. “If there is, then the city can implement some set-aside programs for those groups. It’s just some things that other cities are doing, that the city of LA is not doing.”

The Los Angeles City Controller said city leaders will begin taking steps to improve the situation because minority business owners play a crucial role in the city’s economic recovery.

“In Los Angeles, small businesses, and in particular, minority- and women-owned businesses, are the backbone of the city and the backbone of our economy,” Greuel said. “[We are] invested in their future.”

Gale said he hopes this initiative will be the first step to starting a dialogue with the mayor and opening more doors of opportunity for minority businesses.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: , , ,
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