Photos: Thousands take to South LA streets for CicLAvia 2014
From Leimert Park to Central Avenue last Sunday, bikers took over Martin Luther King Boulevard, enjoying the mild weather, live music and food from local businesses. Check out our snapshots of the day:
Q&A: Daniel Miller on ‘Finding Marlowe’ in South LA
Samuel B. Marlowe (top left) appears in an undated family photo placed at his grave in Inglewood. | screenshot from latimes.com
The two most famous detectives of classic noir literature – Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe — just may have been inspired by the first Black private investigator licensed west of the Mississippi River – Samuel B. Marlowe. That’s according to a former Hollywood executive who brought Marlowe’s story to Los Angeles Times reporter Daniel Miller. In “Finding Marlowe” published last month, Miller attempts to trace just how much this Black private eye living in South Los Angeles in the mid-20th century shadowed lives throughout Hollywood. [Read more…]
South LA tech mentor contender for national STEM award
Daphne Bradford invites Mayor Eric Garcetti to watch her students tackle coding projects at the “Coding with STEAM” event held at Dorsey High in July 2014. | Willa Seidenberg
The nationally acclaimed founder and president of a South L.A. tech-education nonprofit, Daphne Bradford, was nominated this fall for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. The White House Office of Science and Technology and the National Science Foundation gives this award to organizations and individuals who have shown outstanding leadership with aspiring scientists and engineers from underrepresented communities.
Bradford will be competing against college level professors for this award; her students are high schoolers. The teacher said she feels younger students have not had enough exposure to science, technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) in their schools’ curricula. Her program, Mother of Many, which offers digital media skills for students at Dorsey and Crenshaw high schools, aims to bridge this teaching gap. [Read more…]
Winter shelters open in South LA + Thief steals wheelchair from boy with cerebral palsy
Skid Row | Photo by Anna-Cat Brigida
Winter shelters open: Homeless advocates have successfully persuaded additional shelters to open ahead of schedule due to heavy rainfall. (Daily Breeze)
Thief steals wheelchair from boy with cerebral palsy: A wheelchair custom-made for 9-year-old Arthur Day was stolen from the lobby of the family’s apartment complex at 120th Street and Vermont Avenue. (ABC)
Residents protest expanded drilling: West Adams residents protest the Freeport-McMoRan’s request to drill one new well and two existing wells at Jefferson-Budlong site. (Streetsblog L.A.)
Protestors march to Ezell Ford shooting site: Protestors demonstrate against police brutality by marching on Monday night to the site of Ezell Ford’s death. (Huffington Post)
Network of charter schools announces South L.A. campus: ICEF Public Schools, a network of 12 charter schools in South L.A. and Inglewood announced a plan to build a $19.8 million facility in South L.A. (Market Wired)
New health center for gay South LA
The new Gleicher / Chen Health Center is located at 3743 S. La Brea Ave. and officially opened on Oct. 1. | Kevin Tsukii
Vallerie Wagner swears she’s not the sex police.
“Sex should be fun,” Wagner said in a new office still smelling of fresh paint.
She’s sex-positive, but fighting a battle to keep the citizens of South L.A. HIV-negative. Wagner runs the Gleicher/Chen Health Center which is part of APLA Health & Wellness, the first Federally Qualified Health Center in South L.A. aimed at serving both HIV-negative and -positive people of color. According to the Federal HIV/AIDS Web Council, this is the population most affected by AIDS.
The health center resides at the intersection of La Brea Avenue and Rodeo Road in the Baldwin Hills Shopping Center and aims to serve the predominantly Black gay community of South L.A.
The 6,700-square-foot building is outfitted with five exam rooms, a blood lab, a state-of-the-art dental clinic and three counseling rooms. The modern furniture and vibrant colors make the space feel like a welcoming lounge.
LA moves closer to legalizing street vending
By Emily Goldberg
Vendors at the Los Angeles Street Vendors Campaign rally chant “Si se puede” as councilmen Jose Huizar and Curren Price take to the lectern.| Emily Goldberg
Street-side bacon-wrapped hotdog carts arguably contribute to L.A.’s identity just as much as its traffic and celebrity sightings. Although the delicious service that street vendors provide has remained illegal throughout the city, that may soon change.
In its meeting Tuesday, the Economic Development Committee approved a framework for citywide street vending regulations, moving the long awaited policy goal one step closer to completion. The framework outlines the tasks and responsibilities of several city departments including the Bureau of Street Services and the Los Angeles Police Department.
“I agree with my colleagues that this plan, as we would say in Sacramento, is not cooked yet,” said councilman Gilbert Cedillo. “But …this is an idea whose time as come. This process of legalization is a process that cannot be stopped.”
See also: South LA street cooks could soon go legit [Read more…]
5 great places to eat in South LA + Uber driver stabbed, robbed
Delroy Beckford with his daughters, Lauren, 18 and Melissa, 21 behind the register of Ackee Bamboo. Beckford and his wife Marlene have owned this Jamaican restaurant on Degnan Boulevard for the past nine years.
Five great places to eat in South L.A.: The L.A. Times selected five restaurants that serve dishes ranging from Jamaican curry to southern-style ribs as the best of South L.A.’s food scene. (L.A. Times)
Ferguson protestors disrupt church service: Protestors of the grand jury decision in the Michael Brown shooting arrived at a South L.A. interfaith service that sought to promote communication between LAPD and the community. (ABC)
Uber driver stabbed and robbed: Police responded to a robbery call early Tuesday morning and found an Uber driver with stab wounds on his neck and face. (CBS)
CicLAvia comes to South L.A.: Sunday December 7 will be the first CicLAvia route through South Los Angeles. (L.A. Observed)
Apartment gutted by fire: An apartment near the 9800 block of La Salle Avenue was gutted by a fire on Saturday morning. (NBC)
Pedestrian killed on freeway: A pedestrian was struck and killed on the 105 freeway on Saturday. (Daily News)
Man riding bicycle shot to death: A 27-year-old man was fatally wounded while riding his bicycle early Monday morning in the 1800 block of East 54th Street. (Daily News)
Ferguson protest marches through South LA
Ferguson protesters reach the site where Ezell Ford was killed last August. | Daina Beth Solomon
Protests continued to unfold around the country on Monday, a week after the Grand Jury in Ferguson decided not to indict the officer who killed Michael Brown last summer.
In Los Angeles, the action was in South L.A., where a group of 30 clustered at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Newton Division waving signs that declared, “Ferguson is everywhere.”
Then some protestors took to a bullhorn to tell stories of just how the events of Ferguson are linked to their own lives in Los Angeles – particularly the cases of Ezell Ford and Omar Abrego, both killed by officers from Newton Division last August. [Read more…]
Century Liquor becomes Century Market, bringing freshness to South LA
Residents gather around the fresh produce samples at Century Market grand opening. | Jordyn Holman
A store stayed true to its new title of “Market” instead of “Liquor” by introducing fresh food options after years of pressure from the community. And with that, the number of stores offering fresh food options in South Los Angeles increased yet again.
Century Market is the most recent liquor store in the area to commit to stocking its venue with fresh produce. The store located at Western and 39th streets opened in its new incarnation last weekend, debuting shelves with fresh fruits and other healthy food options.
See also: South L.A. corner stores turn full-service
“We now have something that’s local for folks,” said Ansley Jean-Jacques, who helped press for the transformation along with activist organization Community Coalition. “They can now buy their eggs right here on 39th and Western.” [Read more…]
