LAUSD software inflicts scheduling chaos

October 31, 2014 By Leave a Comment


In South L.A. and elsewhere, the L.A. Unified School District’s

buggy software has thwarted plans for students and teachers alike.

Misis | Matt Tinoco

Crenshaw High senior Simone Al-Alim and her father, Kahllid Al-Alim, are pressing the L.A. County Superior Court to investigate the district’s handling of its glitchy software.  | Matt Tinoco

Speaking to an audience of stakeholders in the Los Angeles Unified School District’s boardroom who seemed to already know what he was going to say, Superintendent Ramon Cortines announced that the district is, indeed, committed to resolving the slew of issues stemming from its new My Integrated Student Information System, MISIS for short. Doing so, however, will cost the district both time and money, Cortines said.

MISIS is LAUSD’s attempt to improve and standardize computer records across the district. The system is supposed to provide a centralized location for teachers, administrators and parents to access student information about all of their classes at any time. In addition, the system is supposed to assemble student schedules and class rosters, automatically, as well as to provide teachers with a place to take attendance. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, More on Intersections Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Teens Exploring Technology celebrates grand opening of community space

October 31, 2014 By Leave a Comment


A student at TXT. | Stephanie Monte

A student stays focused on his laptop at TXT. | Stephanie Monte

Teens Exploring Technology, or simply TXT, celebrated the opening of its multi-purpose, innovative space called “The Cube” last weekend. The Cube, at 1481 West Adams Boulevard, provides the community with a variety of technological services and educational programs.

TXT, formerly known as Urban Txt, believes that technology should be accessible to people of all socio-economic statuses. The organization hopes to use The Cube to develop a culture of innovation, collaboration and resilience to make a social impact in disenfranchised communities. The space is designed to cater to the wishes and needs of South L.A. residents to offer support with tasks such as research for school assignments or creating a resume for job applications. The Cube will also host a variety of free workshops involving technology. Community members can learn coding for websites, Adobe Photoshop and Avid Pro Tools. A library of books on entrepreneurship, technology and coding is also available. TXT’s founder and executive director, Oscar N. Menjivar, received a $25,000 grant from the Annenberg Foundation to launch The Cube.

See also: Teen tech leaders compete in Demo Day 2014

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Education, More on Intersections, Technology Tagged With: , , , ,

#TBT South LA: Wrigley Field, 1955

October 30, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Fans are pictured here watching a baseball game in LA’s Wrigley Field. | Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection.

Fans are pictured here watching a baseball game in LA’s Wrigley Field in 1955. | Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection.

Before Chicago made Wrigley Field an internationally recognizable Major Baseball League landmark, a minor league team called the Angels was playing at another ballpark with the same chewing gum name in South Los Angeles.

The field was located at 42nd Place and Avalon Boulevard, back when the area was known as South Central Los Angeles. According to the National Pastime Archives, the field was dedicated on Sept. 29, 1925 with a crowd of 18,000 attendees. The Angels won their opening game that day against the San Francisco Seals, Los Angeles Magazine reported. [Read more…]

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Zumba boom in South LA’s concrete desert

October 30, 2014 By 11 Comments


A new crop of Zumba studios have taken root in South LA,

helping people lose weight and transform their lives.

Students get some air time while jumping in a Zumba class. | Daina Beth Solomon

Students get some air time while jumping in a Zumba class. | Daina Beth Solomon

This article was recently featured in the Huffington Post’s “What’s Working” campaign. It originally appeared on Intersections on October 30, 2014.

“She used to be fat!” a woman said after Patricia Campos’ class on a recent weekday morning, nudging her elbow at a fellow student.

“No, I used to be fat!” a friend chimed in.

“I was fat, too!” added another.

Just minutes prior, the trio of 30-somethings were among 20 women clad in black leggings and neon hued tops twisting side to side as a Dominican cumbia song blasted from the stereo.

“Get movin’!” commanded Campos in Spanish, pointing to one women’s waist with a mock serious expression of indignation.

Patricia Campos

Patricia Campos tells her students: “Forget about your kids, about your husband, forget about your work. Give yourself up. This hour is yours, enjoy it.” | Daina Beth Solomon

Campos herself bounced with energy, demonstrating each routine without resting between numbers. She paused only to snag a paper towel with her foot and wipe it across the floor to soak up flying beads of sweat.

Nearly 40 Zumba studios have cropped up in the 50-square-mile region of South L.A. over the past few years, offering homegrown exercise facilities in an area that had long lacked affordable options. In an area of Los Angeles where the population faces a surfeit of obesity, the classes may be one way Angelenos in South L.A. can work toward shrinking their waistlines. [Read more…]

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Historic Watts Coffee House hopes for revival + Leimert Park’s People Plaza set to open

October 29, 2014 By Leave a Comment


 

Watts Coffee House | Photo by The Javelina (Flickr Creative Commons)

Watts Coffee House | Photo by The Javelina (Flickr Creative Commons)

Historic Watts Coffee House hopes for revival: Watts Happening Coffee House, which began as a gathering space for artists after the Watts Riots, wants to once again serve as an outlet for creativity. (L.A. Weekly)

See also by Katherine Davis-Young for Intersections: South L.A. corner stores try to get healthy + Q&A: Donald Jolly on ‘Riot/Rebellion’

Leimert Park People St. Plaza soft opening in December:  Community organizers for Leimert Park’s people street plaza are promptly finalizing plans in order to have the space ready to open at CicLAvia. (South L.A. Streetsblog)

See also: Plaza aims to boost Leimert Park community

Mother, 2 children injured when car plows into bus stop: A mother and two young children were seriously injured on Monday when a car ran into a bus stop near USC. (L.A. Times)

Residents push to transform railway into green space: Metropolitan Transit Authority approved a $2.8 million plan to turn 8 miles on Slauson Avenue to greenway. (KPCC)

Videotaped hit-and-run in South L.A.: Police seek a couple in a videotaped hit-and-run Monday near the 4200 block of Vermont Avenue. (L.A. Times)

Man shot in the face: A man shot in the face Monday night survived the gun battle with another man in South Los Angeles. (Daily News)

Man killed in gang-related shooting identified: A 30-year-old man killed on Saturday at 88th Place and Wall Street was identified as Londale McNeil. (My News L.A.)

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

Yo, Brother: Teach me to be Black

October 29, 2014 By Leave a Comment


A powerful book and a community of elders help a

young man to learn “how to be Black so I could live.”

 

The author with his mother around 2000, the year he discovered "Yo, Little Brother" | Courtesy Christian Brown

The author with his mother around 2000, the year he discovered “Yo, Little Brother” | Courtesy Christian Brown

Last Saturday, Oct. 25, 600 Black boys and men congregated on the University of Southern California’s campus to learn survival techniques from Omega Psi Phi, a fraternity that originated in 1911. Among them was Christian Brown, who credits the group with providing him with the tools so he could grow up to be a professional Black man in Los Angeles, and in particular exposing him to a book he received from one of Omega’s elders called “Yo, Little Brother.”

I was halfway through my jog around my suburban Los Angeles neighborhood when a White police officer stopped me.

“Hey! Do you live around here?” he demanded.

I was angry with the police officer, but also wondered if some of the blame was mine. I had forgotten the 145-page book that taught me how to be Black so I could live. One of the key lessons: I should never run at night. [Read more…]

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Watts Towers makes list of America’s Endangered Landscapes

October 27, 2014 By Leave a Comment


wattstowerThe Watts Towers was declared an endangered site last week by The Cultural Landscape Foundation. The iconic South L.A. art piece was one of 11 landscapes that made the “Landslide” list of at-risk landscapes. The foundation cited “thermal effects, vibration and earthquakes” which have cracked the cement case around the towers’ wire structure.

According to Lucy DeLatorre, a tour guide at the Watts Towers Arts Center, Simon Rodia singlehandedly made the towers of recycled materials, including steel bar, wire mesh and cement. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Arts, Community, More on Intersections, Watts Tagged With: , , , , , ,

1 dead, 3 injured in shootings + LA Clippers give back to South LA

October 27, 2014 By Leave a Comment


 

LA Clipper | Basket Streaming (Flickr Creative Commons)

LA Clipper | Basket Streaming (Flickr Creative Commons)

1 dead, 3 injured in shootings: 4 men were shot, 1 fatally, in two gang-related shootings in South Los Angeles on Saturday. (L.A. Daily News)

LA Clippers give back: The entire Clippers team including coach Doc Rivers partnered with the U.S. Army and Feed the Children to serve 1,600 families at the Salvation Army on Central Avenue. (Fox Sports)

Man shot, killed: Police are investigating the death of a man who was shot early Monday morning near the 1700 block of West 125th Street. (ABC)

Metro bus hit by BB gun: An unknown suspect fired a BB gun at a Metro bus near 111th Street and Avalon Boulevard Friday night. No one was hurt. (My News L.A.)

Lawyer for city says Ezell Ford responsible for his own death: Deputy City Attorney Denise Zimmerman said in a court filing that Ford’s death “was caused and necessitated” by his own actions which forced officers to act in self-defense. (L.A. Wave)

Chief Beck concerned over possible excessive force incident: Beck said in a statement that he was “extremely concerned” about the use of force in the arrest of a 22-year-old in South L.A. last week. (NBC)

School for ‘johns’ educates offenders: A new program to educate johns hopes to better address the problem of prostitution in Los Angeles, which greatly affects South L.A. (L.A. Daily News)

1 killed, 4 injured in Watts shootings: Two related shootings on Sunday night left 1 woman dead and 4 injured in Watts. (L.A. Times)

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

Boy killed by ice-cream truck + South LA grandmother starts “Gang Talk” radio show

October 24, 2014 By Leave a Comment


 

Christian Brown | ATVN

Memorial in honor of 7-year-old killed by ice cream truck in South LA | Christian Brown (ATVN)

Family disputes police account of ice-cream truck death: Grieving family of 7-year-old killed by an ice-cream truck on Wednesday dispute the police account that he was holding onto the truck while riding his bike and slipped and fell. (L.A. Times)

Woman stabbed to death over parking space: A man and woman from South L.A. have been arrested for stabbing a woman to death over a parking space at a swap meet. (L.A. Times)

Radio Show ‘Gang Talk’ takes on violence in South L.A.: Lita Herron, a grandmother in South L.A., has started a talk show to deal with gang violence in the community. (L.A. Times)

Young Black men in Crenshaw discuss racial profiling with Attorney General: A dozen young men shared their stories of racial profiling with Attorney General Eric Holder at the Brotherhood Crusade Youth Source Center in Crenshaw. (L.A. Times)

Saturday Garden event will promote health and food security: On Saturday October 25, community members and celebrity guests will celebrate a new community garden and athletic facility at a school in South L.A. (Business Wire)

Flaw in Jefferson High scheduling plan: Attorneys claim the plan to fix the scheduling fiasco at Jefferson High does not properly address why so many students were given two or more non-academic classes. (KPCC)

 

 

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

300 cats and dogs vaccinated in South LA

October 24, 2014 By Leave a Comment


ASCPA

One of the vaccinated pets. | Anita Kelso Edson/ASPCA

Cat and dogs got free vaccines from ASPCA at Green Meadows Park in South Los Angeles last week.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is the first animal welfare organization in United States. Besides providing free vaccines, ASPCA also made appointments for free spay and neuter services at the South Los Angeles Animal Care center.

The ASPCA gave over 300 free vaccines to cats and dogs in South Los Angeles so far.

It also has a “safety net” program to keep pets in home and out of shelters. It is an animal relocation program to transport dogs from shelters to communities, where they can have a better chance to find an owner.

Local shelters often offer free or low-cost paying and neutering for dogs and cats. To find a shelter near you, check the ASPCA Web site at http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/spayneuter.

Scroll through photos below. All credit to Anita Kelso Edso for American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. [Read more…]

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