Brandon Spencer’s father speaks out against son’s 40-year sentencing



James Spencer at a press conference in Leimert Park | Camille Requiestas

James Spencer at a press conference in Leimert Park | Camille Requiestas

Brandon Spencer, a 21-year-old South L.A. native, was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison last week for four counts of attempted murder. On Halloween night in 2012, Spencer opened fire at a party at the center of campus at the University of Southern California.

Spencer’s father, James Spencer, has declared the sentence unjust. He held a press conference at Leimert Park on Tuesday to protest the decision, saying it was motivated just to placate USC.

Listen to his comments and the response from the District Attorney in a story from Annenberg Radio News

[Read more…]

New era for business in Leimert Park



Within a month, a quiet closure and a successful opening on Degnan Boulevard

Michelle Papillion | Kevin Tsukii

Michelle Papillion at her gallery. | Kevin Tsukii

March 15 marked the first month of business for Papillion, a contemporary gallery created and run by Michelle Papillion. The art space opened amid construction on the neighborhood’s anticipated Metro stop and the Leimert Park Village Committee’s plans to restore the historic Vision Theater. The gallery is the first new business to emerge from the “renaissance” of Leimert Park. Despite the closure of a neighboring business and anticipated rent increases due to the neighborhood’s proximity to the light rail, Papillion said the cutting-edge gallery has been a success.

She called the first month “amazing,” explaining, “We had our grand opening on Feb. 15 and 500 people showed up…what happened at our opening was exactly how I envisioned it.”

Papillion added that the initial days of any business are especially tough because the period of time usually requires a higher overhead cost to establish the business and deal with unforeseen issues.

But as Papillion began to look forward to more successful months, Zambezi Bazaar, a family-owned shop and Papillion’s next-door neighbor, quietly closed its doors.

“I didn’t know they were actually leaving,” Papillion said with a surprised look. [Read more…]

Leimert Park Art Walk: Audio slideshow



Leimert Park art walk in March | Intersections

Leimert Park art walk in March | Intersections

Intersections staff members took a trip to the Leimert Park Art Walk on a blustery Sunday last month for a lively afternoon of music, art and conversation. Dozens of people were drumming and dancing, shopping and eating, and of course, checking out all kinds of art — like the special “Pop Up Plaza” that closed off a stretch of 43rd Place in front of the Vision Theater. Created by USC’s “Tactical Media” class in collaboration with Kaos Network and the Leimert Park Phone Company, the plaza featured five interactive art installations: a re-imagined phone booth, a spray-painted newspaper distribution box, a community garden planter, a magnetic poetry display and a bench-turned-drum machine.

Check out some of the sights and sounds in our audio slideshow with commentary by Kaos Network’s Ben Caldwell, musician Steve Billionaird, and USC’s “Tactical Media” professor Francois Bar. (Also visit our Flickr page to view more than 150 photos from the event.)

Caldwell and Bar are helping to develop a “People Street” proposal for Leimert Park that would create a permanent “Pop Up Plaza” at 43rd Place.

See also: Leimert Park envisions the neighborhood in 2020

The next Leimert Park Art Walk will be Sunday, April 27.

Credits: Stephanie Monte, Daina Beth Solomon, Sinduja Rangrajan, Olga Grigoryants and Willa Seidenberg.

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South LA loses trees in Crenshaw/LAX Metro line construction



Construction for the new metro rail line on Crenshaw blvd.

Construction for the new metro rail line on Crenshaw blvd.

The new 8.5 mile Crenshaw/LAX light rail line could change the look of South L.A. by bringing an influx of businesses and pedestrian traffic. It could change the South L.A. landscape in another way, too: By cutting down about 100 trees along a two mile stretch of Crenshaw Boulevard between Exposition and 48th street to make room for the train.

Romell Pace, a local who sells shirts at the corner of Crenshaw and Slauson Boulevards, said the trees need to stay.

“Once the trees are removed… it’s going to be slow on business,” he said. “I believe that the trees should stay there because they are landmarks.” [Read more…]

Leimert Park arts center auditions princesses and frogs for South LA production



Director Brandon Rainey sat behind a piano in a practice room at the Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center — a nonprofit in Leimert Park that provides free music and arts classes — and asked the 11-year-old girl standing in front of him to yell. Aiyana Lopez-Spaari responded with a shriek. Aiyana is one of many girls who are auditioning for the part of Princess Tiana in Rainey’s live-musical adaptation of the Disney film, “The Princess and the Frog.”

The idea of putting the first Disney film to have a Black princess on a stage in an area known as an enclave of Black culture in Los Angeles originated with a conversation between Rainey and Fernando Pullum, the nonprofit’s founder, late last year.

After working with high school students on productions such as “The Lion King” and “Dreamgirls,” they both wanted to work with elementary and middle-school-age children.

“We wanted to give back to the younger generation with the production,” said Rainey. “It’s a reminder to little girls across the community that they’re princesses and they can have dreams and standards too.”

See also on Intersections: Leimert Park’s World Stage fights eviction

[Read more…]

Earlez Grille relocates to make way for Crenshaw/LAX line



Earlez sign | Ela Bernal

Earlez Grille sign at Crenshaw and Exposition. | Ela Bernal

There’s something special about a place that adapts to changing times while remaining true to its origins. For more than 25 years, Earlez Grille in the Crenshaw district has done just that.

Earlez owner Duane Earl said his secret recipes for hot dogs, burgers and chili have less to do with ingredients than simply “paying attention to how you cook” and using “common sense.” Oh, and one more thing: “People can tell when you don’t put love into food.”

Hear the sizzle of the Earlez grill in an audio piece from Annenberg Radio News:

[Read more…]

Vergee’s Palace de Bella Donna hair salon prepares for Leimert Park changes



Vergee’s Palace de Bella Donna is one of several small businesses concerned that the expansion of Metro’s Crenshaw/LAX line will drive them out of business. The hair salon is a cultural icon in the predominantly African-American neighborhood of Leimert Park. Owner Vergie Huddleston has been there for several decades and says construction of the line would not only endanger her business but also many others in the area.

Huddleston has led many apprentices to become hair stylists and has also raised foster children. She says the most important thing in her life is to continue doing just that, fulfilling her mission to help the many young people who seek her guidance to succeed. And of course, to pass on the legacy of her unique way of hairstyling.

 

Read more about Leimert Park on Intersections: 

Leimert Park art renaissance in bloom at Papillion gallery

Metro’s Crenshaw/LAX line brings promise of jobs, revitalization to South LA

Leimert Park envisions the neighborhood in 2020

Leimert Park Phone Company debuts reinvented pay phones

Leimert Park art renaissance in bloom at Papillion gallery



Art by | Stephanie Monte

Art by Raksha Parekh at Papillion. | Stephanie Monte

“L.A. is a beautiful flower of art right now,” said San Pedro-based artist Stephen Scheffle at the opening Saturday of Papillion. The contemporary gallery and the newest addition to Leimert Park Village, part of local efforts to restore the neighborhood’s reputation as an African-American artistic hub.

Papillion’s first exhibit, called “OPEN,” showcases the work of artists at the beginning of their careers from all over the world: the U.S., Great Britain, South Africa and Angola. “OPEN” features a variety of fine art elements, including sculpture, drawings, paintings, installations and digital media.

In the main room, you’ll find an installation of caramelized sugar cane paper that hangs like rope, created by South African-born Raksha Parekh. Each string of actual sugar cane is carefully tied and aligned to create boat shapes, meant to symbolize slave ships that were used in trade, Parekh said. For her, Papillion’s opening show is about re-emergence.

Jeffrey Deitch, former director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, said the exhibition shows artists “creating a fresh vision.” “This is just the beginning of something very big in this neighborhood and in the art world,” he said. “It will get international attention.”

Michelle Papillion, the gallery owner, said in a press release that she chose Leimert Park because the neighborhood has “its finger on the pulse” of the arts scene both locally and globally. “The historic, artistic and culturally rich legacy that this community has built is unmatched anywhere else in the city,” she said.

The building was once home to the Brockman Gallery, one of the first places to exhibit Black art in the ‘60s and ‘70s. In the next few years Papillion aims to promote Leimert Park’s art renaissance by introducing a wave of emerging and high profile artists working together.

Visit Papillion at 4336 Degnan Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90008. Its hours are 12 – 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday and by appointment. “OPEN” runs through April 13.


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Photo slideshow: Artist stories from South LA’s Pan African Film Festival



An artist at work at the Pan African Film Festival. | Sinduja Rangrajan

An artist at work at the Pan African Film Festival. | Sinduja Rangrajan

Every year in February, which happens to be Black History Month, the Pan African Film Festival comes to L.A. to celebrate the rich world of Black cinema. Apart from offering hundreds of film screenings, the 12-day event (considered the largest Black film festival in the U.S.) attracts Black visual artists from all over the world. This photo essay explores the color and vibrancy of their art, which will be on display through the end of the festival. View the slideshow on Flickr to see captions and follow the artists’ stories.

The Pan African Film Festival runs through Feb. 17 and is based at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. The ArtFest is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.


Created with flickr slideshow.

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Leimert Park envisions the neighborhood in 2020



Brenda Shockley of Community Build addresses the audience| Photo credit: Sinduja Rangarajan

Brenda Shockley of Community Build addresses the audience. | Sinduja Rangarajan

Community members and leaders share the same bold vision for Leimert Park: By the time the Crenshaw/LAX Metro line links Leimert Park with Inglewood, the Los Angeles International Airport and other parts of the city six years from now, they envision their South Los Angeles neighborhood evolving into a tourist destination that showcases African-American arts and culture.

More than 150 people — a mix of architects, urban planners, activists, artists, bankers, realtors, lawmakers and local residents — began assembling as early as 8 a.m. Saturday at the historic Vision Theatre to discuss what they could do to shape the future of Leimert Park.

Last year the Metro Board approved to construction of a Leimert Park Village station on the Crenshaw/LAX Metro line. Since then, property owners reportedly have been bumping up real estate prices and forcing long-time commercial tenants out of business. Eviction notices sent to the iconic World Stage Theater by a real estate company in November prompted the neighborhood to come together to preserve this African-American cultural hub.

“Our property is going to have a lot more value than it does today,” said Roland Wiley, a community organizer and owner of the architectural and urban planning firm RAW International . “A lot more people will be interested in living where you live. A lot more people will be happy if you can’t pay your mortgage anymore and you gotta sell.” [Read more…]