Students Occupy LA

October 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment


Jacob Hay, Good Jobs LA

More than 40 high school and middle school students from South LA, Compton and Inglewood, gathered at Occupy LA on Saturday to learn about the growing movement. The outing was organized by Good Jobs LA’s youth outreach program.

“I learned that a lot of people are struggling and about the inequality in our economy,” said Melissa Estrada student at Jefferson High School. “Wall Street corporations have all the money and they need to help fix our economy.”

“99% of the people are left with a scarce amount of money – and the top 1% has everything,” said Curtis Ray, a student at Lloyd High School. “They need to share some of that money. I’m working to do well in school but will there be good jobs for me? It’s too easy to be left behind.”

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The students interviewed activists, participated in music and dance activities, stenciled arm bands and made their own protest signs. Students also shared their stories on the impact of the down economy, lack of jobs and budget cuts on their families and communities.

“Right now, it’s the 99% against the 1%,” said Shamvoy Smith, a student at Perry Middle School. People don’t have money for food, we’re losing teachers at school and we don’t have enough good jobs in our communities. We need to work together so that we make it 100%.”

Good Jobs LA has engaged more than 50,000 families in struggling LA communities on holding wealthy corporations accountable for fixing our economy and creating good jobs. In August, Good Jobs LA brought 230 high school students together for a two day youth leadership conference at UCLA. Saturday’s event was part of an ongoing effort to develop youth leaders in LA.

Filed Under: Education, Featured Tagged With: ,

South LA seventh-grader fights for better healthcare

October 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment


by Marlene Brand

I met an amazing young man named Angel Martinez – a seventh grade student who skipped school to lobby for a cause he believed in: the extension of community clinic funding for the residents of South Los Angeles, which is set to expire soon.

The community clinic funding comes from the Affordable Care Act enacted by President Obama, with California being the earliest state to implement health benefit programs state wide. If funding were to be cut, it would affect just about every clinic in South LA. Clinics would no longer be able to provide the vital screenings and assistance that area residents who have no jobs or health insurance need, causing them additional hardship.

imageAngel was one of 16 Right to Health Committee members who recently marched into the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Office to plead with them to vote for extending community clinic health benefit programs.

Angel is no stranger to community clinic healthcare organizations, such as St. John’s Well Child and Family Center Clinics. He and his mom are patients there. Just like for the majority of the committee members, which is comprised of South LA residents, these clinics are an essential lifeline to receive basic health screenings.

By bringing their personal testimonies before the Board of Supervisors, Angel and the committee members hoped to appeal to their sensibilities and put a face on the issue.

“Don’t forget the little people,” Angel told the legislators. Before they were elected, Angel feels “they were the little people.” He pointed out that if any one of them had fallen ill as a child and had no place to get treatment, they may not be here today. He urged them to keep that in mind, given the great need that currently exists in South LA.

The South LA area, which has a high rate of poor health outcomes for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and asthma, needs community clinics to get preventive care and access to treatment. Even more so, because people in South LA have an estimated life expectancy of 68 years – that’s 10 years below the national average.

These issues are so important to Angel, that he went to all his teachers and told them why he was going to skip school. He asked them for his homework assignments and completed them ahead of time, so he could go to the Board of Supervisors meeting, with his mother’s blessing.

That’s what I call a conscious young man! It makes me feel proud to know that not every child in his generation has been sucked into a video-game abyss, and there are still leaders being born every day.

Among the other prominent speakers during that meeting was Dr. Michael Katz from the L. A. Department of Health Services (DHS), who came to report on Healthy Way L. A. health benefits, and proposed transitional housing programs for mental health patients.

Angel, who faithfully attends the South Los Angeles Right to Health Committee meetings, wants to be in politics when he grows up. He says he wants to be in a position where he can be the most effective for the people of South LA. Everyone can certainly learn from him.

Don’t be afraid to speak your mind, don’t forget where you come from, stand up and fight for your rights, and know your Representatives. We at the Right to Health Committee and the SEIU – UHW are looking for great things from Angel Martinez; Governor Martinez or President Martinez, perhaps. Wow! It has a nice ring to it!

Marlene Brand is a healthcare worker and a resident of South LA.

Filed Under: Community

Digital media helps amplify immigrant voices

October 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment


More than 100 people attended a special event at USC last Thursday to learn about projects that support immigrant communities in Los Angeles. Organizers showed how three different projects – VozMob, the LA Flood Project and the Transborder Immigrant Tool – help immigrant communities use mobile phones and poetry for daily communication.

Volunteers from all the projects say the want to improve the lives of immigrants and believe it’s important to show their contributions and the unfair treatment they often receive.

Voces Móviles/Mobile Voices (VozMob) is a collaboration between the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the institute of Popular Education of Southern California (IDEPSCA).

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VozMob makes use of technology to empower communities and get greater participation in the digital public sphere from people who don’t have access to computers. Eight day laborers, who were at the event, explained how Voces Móviles allows them to record and share their stories using cell phones.

“I have the opportunity to learn more every day and also share more with the community,” says Marco Rodriguez, a day laborer who uses VozMob.

This platform also gives immigrant workers the opportunity to report abuse and injustices, like when employers refuse to pay them after they’ve done a job.

Another project showcased during the evening was the LA Flood Project, a multi-media experience that simulates a flood in Los Angeles. People get to participate during the simulated crisis, calling in on cell phones to provide information and to hear the latest on the situation from wherever they’re located.

The event ended with a presentation of the Transborder Immigrant Tool, a mobile-phone app created by the Electronic Disturbance Theater 2.0/b.a.n.g lab, a group or artists, activists and performers. The phone app provides immigrants crossing the border into the United States with directions to water as a way to help them survive their journey.

The Mobile Voices of L.A.’s Immigrants was co-sponsored by the Institute for Multimedia Literacy, the Center for Transformative Scholarship, the Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration, El Centro Chicano and the Latina/o Student Assembly.

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A Very Healthy Happy Halloween

October 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment


Children from across South Los Angeles went “trick or treating” Friday night at the Los Angeles Expo Center. But at the end of the night, their bags weren’t full of candy — they were full of fresh fruits and vegetables.

The Brotherhood Crusade, along with several other retailers and service organizations, held the second annual “Very Healthy Happy Halloween” event Friday night. The event was candy-free and offered healthy alternatives for children and their families.

“We’re really encouraging our families to look at how can they have a better healthy lifestyle and showing them alternatives on how to do that,” said Charisse Bremond-Weaver, the president of the Brotherhood Crusade, which provides social services for underprivileged areas throughout Los Angeles County.

After filling their bags with plums, bananas, carrots and more, children were able to go through a haunted house, have their fortune read, play in a petting zoo or do arts and crafts.

Bremond-Weaver estimated that more than 1,000 people from around South Los Angeles attended the event.

“When you look at how underserved communities have a lack of fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, it is really this desert of not healthy eating,” Bremond-Weaver said. “We really want to educate our community on the difference between healthy and unhealthy eating.”

Parents said they were excited to get the fresh fruits and vegetables. In South LA, where fast food is more common than supermarkets, fresh produce can be difficult to come by. All produce was donated by Coast Produce.

“Usually kids eat only candy and junk food and this event is opening them up to a lot of healthy stuff that we can’t always get,” said Noemy Molina, who brought her 6-year-old son Phoenix Chavez.

Jefferson Castillo, who brought his two young sons to play the games, said his kids seem to be happier and calmer when they eat healthily.

imageChildhood obesity has steadily risen over the last 50 years in the United States. Los Angeles area doctors said that almost 50 percent of their patients are either overweight or obese.

The biggest culprit for the weight problem?

Children are eating too much processed food instead of eating natural and organic foods, according to Dr. Matthew Keefer from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

“Certainly most of us don’t have as much access to fresh fruits and vegetables as we probably should, but also we are eating too many things that come in a package that have extra calories added to it or extra chemicals added to it that are there to preserve it but that aren’t necessarily healthy,” Keefer said.

The best way for parents to encourage healthy eating is to set a good example – eating balanced meals and treating candy, junk food and sodas as treats and not part of a regular diet.

“When they are not under their parents’ control they are going to do what they’ve seen their parents do because they think that is what is adult-like,” Keefer said.

Though economic and time constraints can prevent parents form maintaining an ideal, Keefer said that finding a happy medium is critical for a child’s health.

“We just need to do all that we can to make sure there are safe places for these kids to play and an expectation that a regular part of your diet should be natural things that grow rather than hot Cheetos that are died with food coloring,” he said.

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Nina Nolcox: A Model That Works

October 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment


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Filed Under: Business

State of the Eighth address reveals new development

October 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment


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Councilmember Bernard Parks delivered his ninth annual “State of the Eighth” address on Thursday evening to a room full of students being honored for their academic achievements and their proud parents. Families gathered at the Expo Center to hear Parks reveal new plans for their area and update them on current developments. After the address, “STAR” students from the Eighth District were awarded medals and backpacks for being the most improved or earning the highest grade point average in their grade.

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Jan Perry, councilmember of CD 9, made a surprise appearance to introduce Parks. “I thought things were great over in the ninth, but they’re pretty great over here in the eighth too!” Perry said, “The kids are going to be the stars tonight!” But before the students had their time to shine, Parks took the stage to deliver his “State of the Eighth” address.

In less than ten minutes, Parks addressed some of the upcoming improvements to CD 8. These developments spanned from public transportation, to environmental, to recreational.

The “State of the Eighth” began with an explanation of the improvements to the district’s infrastructure. Parks said that they were able to receive funding to repave almost 18 miles of streets since July 1 of this year. Funds have also been allocated so that over 300 trees will be trimmed. Access ramps for wheelchair users will continue to be built around the city so that people with disabilities can go up and down curbs more easily.

Sewage improvement also received a moment in the spotlight. Parks said that the sewer work on Vernon “will be completed soon” but focused on a multi-million dollar sewer repair plan that was just approved by the city. Over the next 10 years, $170 million will be spent to improve the sewers in District Eight.

“We think it’s an absolute essential investment,” Parks said. “Because we have some of the oldest parts of the city, we certainly have some of the oldest sewers, so we’re going to get our fair share of the sewer improvement over the next 10-year cycle.”

Furthermore, Parks spoke about the multi-billion dollar public transportation system in Los Angeles. There will be an Expo Line that will run from Culver City to Downtown L.A. and another line from Culver City to Santa Monica. Locally, $1.5 billion worth of rail will be constructed starting next year linking Crenshaw from Exposition to L.A.X. The total of all of these projects is estimated to be between $2.5 and $3 billion of taxpayers’ money.

New upcoming additions to District Eight include the first animal shelter, which will open in the next three or four months on 62nd Ave and St. Andrews, according to Parks. This $15 million animal shelter will be the first in the history of their community. In about seven months, the new grocery store Fresh ‘N Easy is expected to open on 52nd Street and Crenshaw. By the end of the year, Northgate Market and a senior housing complex will have their groundbreaking on 94th and Broadway. At the beginning of 2012, a six-acre plot on Manchester and Vermont will be available for development.

Two achievements that were celebrated during the “State of the Eighth” were a substantial donation from Superior Warehouse and an increase in jobs. Superior Warehouse donated $250,000 that was split between View Park Prep Accelerated and 107th Street School. View Park Prep is located in the Hyde Park/Park Mesa Heights area and 107th Street School is in the Southeast area of District Eight.

Finally, out of all fifteen Los Angeles districts, District Eight was the only one that was “able to maintain and increase job creation” despite the recession, Parks said. In the last year, District Eight created 3,700 jobs. Parks continued, “We’re creating jobs in the community and with those jobs we hope that they bring people’s ability to be proud of their community and also the ability to withstand the economic downturn and help fund the issues for their family.”

But the evening was not just about the “State of the Eighth.” Excitement began to buzz when the councilman presented awards to Eighth District students. Constance Reese, Miss Black California 2011, and Leila Ford, from AT&T, joined Parks in passing out the awards to students. Students in 5th, 8th, and 12th grades from District Eight schools were awarded most improved or highest grade point average.

imageCouncilmember Bernard Parks poses with Miss Black California Constance Reese and a student

Even though Audrey Tieger is a resident from West L.A., she was still impressed by all of the changes coming to the Eighth District. Tieger said, “I’m a retired educator, so I know all of these schools. It’s really important that all of these things are happening. It’s wonderful.” Tieger was at the event supporting her grandchildren.

Jeffrey Frazier, an 8th grader from Frederick K.C. Price III, won the award for Most Improved student in his grade. Jeffrey said that the recreational changes Parks talked about would be “a great influence on kids to keep them out of trouble and out of jail.” Jeffrey’s proud parents, Jeffrey Frazier Sr. and Beverly Frazier, were also there cheering him on.

imageThe Frazier family, from left to right Jeffrey Sr., Jeffrey Jr., and Beverly

Frazier echoed her son’s thoughts on the improvements coming to District Eight. “I think they’re much needed,” Frazier said. “They’ll revitalize the community. It’s great to hear that dollars are being put back into the community like that.”

Frazier was especially grateful for the new skate park opening next week at Jackie Tatum/Harvard park. She explained, “They say, ‘An idle mind is the devil’s workshop,’ so it keeps [teenagers] off the streets and in a positive environment.” She hopes that Councilmember Parks will start offering educational resources to District Eight, such as math tutoring, mentoring, and guest speakers.

According to Councilmember Parks’ website, he represents over 250,000 people, making District Eight one of the most densely populated areas of South Los Angeles. The Eighth Council District includes the communities of Baldwin Hills, Crenshaw, Leimert Park, West Adams, Jefferson Park, Chesterfield Square, and other areas of South Los Angeles. In an evening when “star students” were recognized, Parks’ “State of the Eighth” shed light on a hopeful future for jobs, recreation, the local economy, and public transportation, to name a few.

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: , , ,

City Councilman Bernard Parks discusses the future of Marlton Square

October 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment


Listen to an audio story by Annenberg Radio News

imageFor years, Marlton Square has been an eye-sore for the Crenshaw community. That’s one of the issues City Councilman Bernard Parks will talk about tonight when he delivers the 9th Annual “State of the Eighth” address. Check out an interview with park with Annenberg Radio News to hear about what’s next for the square and Crenshaw.

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Central American leaders call for TPS extensions

October 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment


Listen to an audio story by Annenberg Radio News

imageImmigrant leaders from Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador gathered outside the federal building in downtown Los Angeles today to call for an extension of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) agreement that guards undocumented nationals from those countries against deportation.

Honduras and Nicaragua’s temporary protected status agreements began in 1999, after Hurricane Mitch destroyed much of their infrastructure. It began for El Salvador in 2001, after a series of earthquakes. The Department of Homeland Security has routinely extended these agreements since and the next round of extensions is expected to occur on schedule.

More importantly, the leaders want to remind the nearly 300,000 nationals from these three countries who will be eligible to extend their protected status to do so to avoid deportation.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced last week that the Obama administration has deported a record number of undocumented immigrants over the past year. For the Central American groups, extending these TPS agreements is only a small band-aid for a much larger problem. The ultimate goal is comprehensive immigration reform, citizenship for all undocumented Central American immigrants.

“We are living in the worst times in terms of anti-immigrant sentiment of the United States, said Francisco Rivera, President of Central American Round Table. “It’s in the best interest for the national security of this country to give a solution.”

While they want the TPS programs extended, the leaders note that beneficiaries end up spending a significant amount of money to participate. Julio Cardoza of Casa Nicaragua says the U.S. government has earned 60 million from Central American immigrants over the past decade from program fees for work permits.

“I think it’s enough money that they took from these people. We are supporting the economy, because it’s a tremendous amount of money,” Cardoza said. “That’s why we believe, in order to make justice for these people, we are asking to give them residency.”

The Department of Homeland Security is expected to announce expansion of the TPS program by November fifth.

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Town and Gown Disagree about the New University Master Plan

October 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment


Listen to an audio story by Annenberg Radio News

imageThe new plans call for a mixed-use development with retail space on the ground floor and student housing above. The housing is especially important, because USC students have moved into housing that would have been rented by local families. The proposed housing units in the new development should return 900 units to the community, according to the Master Plan for University Village. However, this may not bring the expected benefits to the neighborhood. Paulina Gonzalez, Executive Director of Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE), a South Los Angeles community housing and economic development group, said,

“…even though the analysis that the university has released says that there’ll be 900 units
that will be released back to the community, those units have been lost [from] the rent
stabilization ordinance, so previously, where they might have been affordable to local families,
now they’re no longer under rent control—those rents can actually be significantly higher than
when they were initially lost.”

SAJE also has concerns that local merchants currently in the Village will not find a place in the new development. Akim Alam, owner of Quik Pix, a photo shop and portrait studio which has been in the Village for 30 years, echoed these concerns:

“Well, it isn’t a priority or nothing like that , so whenever they are done [with rebuilding], they
[the merchants] can apply…but that doesn’t guarantee nothing. It doesn’t matter how long you
have been over here doing business…you’re just like any other people.”

Information given by the University to merchants like Alam states that 160,000 square feet will be allotted for ground-floor retail space and 400,000 square feet for academic needs and conference spaces. That’s a 40% increase over the amount for retail. The Master Plan projects that the redevelopment will generate $1.7 million dollars in tax revenue.

University Village is owned by USC. It was created in the 1960s, when the City of Los Angeles used its powers of eminent domain to claim land for the university. Such a heavy-handed approach has left a legacy of distrust in the neighborhood which underlies the skepticism about the benefits of the new development. The new project will be paid for completely out of private funding and will not claim any land not already owned by the university.
A further concern of SAJE, Alam, and other merchants interviewed for this piece is that they have not been an integral part of developing the plan. David Galaviz, USC’s representative for local government relations, said that the community has been deeply involved, with over 100 public meetings held between 2007 and 2009. Community members, both for and against the development, were able to give feedback at these meetings throughout the planning process.

The redevelopment is now slated to start in 2013 and is expected to take six to ten years to complete. Merchants currently in the Village do not know if they’ll be relocated during the building process.

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“Dream Team” recruited for Watts school make over

October 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment


More than 100 volunteers, professional athletes, and the mayor of Los Angeles teamed up this week to help renovate Florence Griffith Joyner Elementary School in Watts.

imageWasserman Foundation CEO Casey Wasserman, Trey Thompkins, Mayor Villaraigosa, Cesar Ramos and Alexi Lalas paint mural on handball court. (Photo: Larry Kahm)

U.S. World Cup soccer star Alexi Lalas, LA Clippers’ Trey Thompkins, Xavier Henry from the Memphis Grizzlies, Addison Reed from the Chicago White Sox, Cesar Ramos from the Tampa Bay Rays, and St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguer Kenny Peoples were part of the mayor’s “dream team” during the day of service this past Wednesday.

imageVolunteers paint mural by the school cafeteria. (Photo: Larry Kahm)

Volunteers painted murals, planted gardens, and repainted the cafeteria, as part of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s efforts to create public-private partnerships to improve the learning conditions of students in low-performing schools.
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The event, sponsored by the Partnership of Los Angeles Schools, ended two weeks of improvements and renovations to the school, thanks to the Wasserman Foundation, which donated new trees, a new student entrance, new cafeteria tables, and re-painted columns.

“The Wasserman Foundation’s make-over of Florence Griffith Joyner Elementary School shows the real power of a public-private partnership in improving our children’s learning environment and making an immediate and dramatic impact in their lives,” said the mayor in a statement.

L.A. Works also contributed to the school makeover, providing supplies, artists, and guidance. Diamond Landscaping provided discount fees on all landscaping and donated their paving services.

imageStudents celebrate the school improvements.(Photo: Cheryl Rodman)

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