Call for ‘Black Lives Matter’ to Apologize



 

Pastors and community leaders came together at Mount Moriah Baptist Church to call for an apology from the Black Lives Matter movement. The actions of members of the local chapter upset leaders last week after a meeting with Mayor Eric Garcetti took an ugly turn.

“We say today to Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, do the right thing,” Rev. Xavier E. Thompson said. “We are not against you. But certainly, you have offended not only a house of worship but you have offended the entire faith based communtiy.”

At Monday night’s forum, protesters turned their backs to the mayor as he spoke, and then surrounded his car as he tried to leave.

The mayor released a statement the next day saying “[I] will continue to be there to hear those concerns and find solutions to our most pressing problems. We must move forward and I remain committed to our shared concerns.”

Rev. Kelvin Sauls, the pastor of Holman United Methodist Church, revealed that he was threatened by members of the Black Lives Matter movement that night.

“I was there,” Najee Ali said. “I saw with my own eyes Pastor Sauls be physically threatened with violence in his own church. That’s unacceptable for Black Lives Matter activists to threaten anyone with violence.”

Although many people think this could cause division within the Black Lives Matter movement, Rev. Paulette Gipson, the president of Compton NAACP, believes they are together though their methods are different.

 

Content originally posted by Annenberg TV News.

 

George McKenna wins LAUSD School Board, LAPD reacts to South LA death + USC attackers plead not guilty



George McKenna | electmckenna.com

LA School Report: George McKenna won the District 1 seat of the LAUSD School Board covering a swath of South L.A., beating opponent Alex Johnson with 53 percent of the vote. Just 8 percent of eligible voters turned out for the runoff election.

LA Times: The LAPD provides details on the controversial killing of 25-year-old Ezell Ford in South L.A.

Reuters: Four teenagers pleaded not guilty to the fatal attack of USC engineering graduate student Xinran Ji.

LA Weekly: South LA’s KIPP Empower Academy Charter School in the Vermont Knolls neighborhood is named as one of the “awesome LAUSD schools in affordable neighborhoods” in a piece by our colleague Ani Ucar from Annenberg Radio News.

NBC: School is back in session, and things are starting to get back to normal at Miramonte Elementary, the South L.A. campus plagued since 2012 by reports of child abuse.

KCET Artbound: The old church at 49th and Compton is actually a modernist gem by architect Rudolph Schindler.

CityWatch: Is predatory loaning happening in South L.A.?

South LA councilman Bernard Parks reflects on 50 years of public service



At ease behind a desk in the conference room of his Crenshaw district office, Councilman Bernard Parks sat down recently with Intersections South LA, in shirtsleeves and a tie, surrounded by poster-sized District Eight maps from yesteryear and took stock of his career and legacy of service in Los Angeles.

In July of next year, Parks’ third and final City Council term will come to a close, marking five decades that he has served the City of Los Angeles.

[Read more…]

Celes King IV, 1943 – 2014: Always on the Go



The son of legendary South Los Angeles bail bondsman Celes King IV was a master community advocate in his own right.

King doesn't have a bail agent's license. His sister and his niece operate the bond business, but he knows the pathway through the criminal justice system, inside and out.

Celes King IV pictured in 2013. | Matt Hamilton

He walked with a slow gait, but Celes King IV — the South Los Angeles community advocate who died March 15 of heart failure — was always on the go.

“Can we schedule a time to meet tomorrow?” I asked him last spring, when I was profiling him for class.

“Tomorrow I’ll be in Sacramento at a protest in the morning,” he told me. “I’ll be there for the rest of the week.”

A deadline loomed, so at midnight, I hopped in my station wagon and made the 400-mile drive – a route Celes made at least once a week.

Read Matt Hamilton’s profile of Celes from last year on Intersections: South L.A.’s man in Sacramento

On the steps of the Capitol in the morning, he greeted me, wearing a white suite with cyan-hued leather shoes. Our day began. [Read more…]

Greuel a no-show at South LA forum, Garcetti addresses crowd



Mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti spoke out about his plans to improve South Los Angeles on Saturday, May 11, at a candidates forum at Angeles Mesa Elementary School in South L.A.Garcetti

The forum, organized by the South Los Angeles Alliance of Neighborhood Councils (SLAANC), was supposed to engage a debate between Garcetti and his opponent, Wendy Greuel, along with city attorney candidates Mike Feuer and Carmen Trutanich. But Greuel and Trutanich did not attend.

Garcetti was animated as he addressed his audience, which was comprised mainly of Neighborhood Council members and local residents. His platform points all echoed the potential of neighborhood turnaround.

“We’ve got a hinge of history where this city has to decide which way it goes,” said Garcetti. “It doesn’t matter where you live you deserve good city services….We’re going to turn this from a big city into a great city once again.”

After saying he was sorry for being the only mayoral candidate in attendance and disclosed that it was the third or fourth debate in South L.A. that Gruel has not participated in, Garcetti addressed why he cares. He said the forum was important to him not just to pay his respect, but also to talk about his agenda to improve South L.A., if elected.

He kicked off the forum with a personal touch, sharing that his family has deep roots in South L.A. He said his grandparents raised his father in a home around the corner from where the forum was held and his relatives were humble, hard workers.

“My grandmother was a meatpacker who woke up early every morning at 4 a.m. and did an eight-hour shift,” said Garcetti. “And then came back home to make sure there was food on the table for when her children came back from school.”

Garcetti said since South L.A. helped his own family lead a more successful life, he wants to help its current residents experience a more “livable” community.

With a vision influenced by the improvements he made in District 13, Garcetti said he wants to improve the street-level beauty because it is good for business, transit riders and residents. He comically referenced how he successfully transformed the community Atwater Village in District 13, which was previously struggling.

“You didn’t shop or eat there [Atwater Village]…the only store that was doing well was a casket store,” said Garcetti. “So literally, the business was dead.”

The forum later allowed audience members to ask their own questions about Garcetti’s policies. Harvey Spotts, a resident of Rancho Cucamonga, asked Garcetti how he plans to get citizens working in the Los Angeles area as opposed to resident immigrants or guest workers.

“Boys need to see men going to work every day and coming home tired,” Spotts said. “That will stop them from gang banging.”

Garcetti said that too often he sees people come back from war or jail without jobs available to them. He said he wants to “ban the box” on job applications that asks if an applicant has ever committed a felony, and wants to ensure that workers are not missing opportunities if they do not speak Spanish.

After also asserting his plans to better control medical marijuana dispensaries, Garcetti concluded with his plans to make city government more accountable by working directly out of South L.A. regularly.

“I don’t want to be a mayor who is just stuck in City Hall and then coming out for press conferences,” said Garcetti. “What I want to do is come to South L.A. and work…because people need to see and know that the mayor is in their community. It starts from the top.”

Sukey Garcetti, Eric Garcetti’s mother, attended the event and said she was proud of her son’s campaign efforts and his message at the forum.

“I am proud,” said Mrs. Garcetti. “It’s been a great Mother’s Day weekend.”

OPINION: Who’s that white lady?



With the Isley Brothers’ hit song “Who’s That Lady” playing softly in the background, if I had a dollar for every time someone Black said to me “who, that white lady?” or “who’s that white lady?” when referring to Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel, I’d be rich.

Even though Greuel’s been in elected office since 2002 when she won a runoff election against then Assemblyman Tony Cardenas to represent Los Angeles’ 2nd District and has served as city controller since 2009—around most parts of South Los Angeles—she’s simply known as the “white lady” running for mayor. Which by all accounts, isn’t good for her campaign.

[Read more…]

Bill Clinton endorses mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel



Bill Clinton announced Monday that he endorses Wendy Greuel for mayor of Los Angeles, according to a Clinton press release.

Clinton highlighted Greuel’s strength in making “government work for ordinary people…especially during periods of crisis.”

Click here for more of the story.

9th District Candidate Closeup: Mike Davis



image

A shocking amount of sunlight permeates the “Mike Davis for City Council” campaign signs that paper the front windows of his campaign headquarters. Inside, precinct maps and outreach goals accent lime green and bright orange walls. Six volunteers sit at two temporary tables, munching on pizza and tacos and shuffling call sheets. [Read more…]

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa endorses Curren Price for L.A. City Council



In a dramatic sign of the growing and diverse coalition behind a campaign to transform the 9th District, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has endorsed Sen. Curren Price for L.A. City Council.

The mayor cited Price’s deep roots in the 9th District, and his impressive record of achievement in the areas of immigrants’ rights, public safety, expanding healthcare coverage and providing opportunities in education.

“Curren Price was born in the 9th District, attended a school in the 9th, and then went on to serve residents and families in the 9th District in the legislature,” said Villaraigosa. “As State Senator, Curren Price helped champion the California Dream Act that expanded access to college for children of immigrants, he helped protect funding for neighborhood schools and for anti-gang programs, and he successfully expanded health care coverage for all families.”

Price welcomed the enthusiastic support from one of America’s most visible leaders, and said he looked forward to coming to City Hall and building on the progress that has been made during Villaraigosa’s time as mayor.

“Mayor Villaraigosa is a good friend who loves Los Angeles and cares deeply about its future,” said Price. “He understands that it will take a record of leadership, integrity and experience to move the 9th District forward, and a champion to fight for its fair share of resources and city services. The advances in public transit and neighborhood safety that have resulted from Mayor Villaraigosa’s leadership have set the stage for the 9th District to become a model for how diverse communities can unite behind shared goals, and make their neighborhoods a better place to live for our families.”

Mayor Villaraigosa’s support is the latest development in the campaign that demonstrates mounting support for Sen. Price’s campaign. Among elected leaders, Sen. Price’s City Council candidacy is also endorsed by Gov. Jerry Brown; Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom; former State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez; Congressman and former L.A. City Councilman Tony Cardenas; Congresswoman Karen Bass; Congresswoman Gloria Negrete McLeod; L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas; L.A. City Council President Herb Wesson Jr.; and State Sen. Kevin de Leon.

Sen. Price has also won endorsements from the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO; United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA); SEIU; AFSCME Local 685, UNITE HERE; United Farm Workers; and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

9th District Candidate Closeup: David Roberts



imagePhoto provided by David Roberts campaign.

The Ninth Council District in South Los Angeles is up for grabs and supporters, ranging from the local community to the Los Angeles Times, claim former economic developer David Roberts is the man for the job.

“The musical chairs from Sacramento to city hall has changed the culture here for the worst,” said Roberts. “It’s very disturbing for someone who has worked in government. It sounds corny, but I’m doing it for the right reasons. I’m running [in order to] improve the quality of life here in South L.A.”

For years, Roberts watched local officials attempt to satisfy the needs of the residents living in South LA. However, the finalization of the redistricting of the Ninth was the last straw, ultimately motivating him to run.

Last year, the Los Angeles Redistricting Commission approved the removal of portions of Downtown L.A. from the Nint District, including the financial district, Little Tokyo and the Civic Center.

“They created a poverty challenged district,” said Roberts. “It was pretty obvious early on that deals had been cut and there were conflicts of interest. I don’t think we will ever recover from that. South L.A. was totally dismantled and the culture was stripped away.”

Roberts added that local officials need to bring more resources to the community and fight for those residents because “it is imperative that somebody is there to fight for them. I’m not afraid to.”

imagePhoto provided by David Roberts campaign.

Roberts was born and raised in Southern California. After graduating from high school, he went on to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a minor in Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Roberts eventually went on to work as the Economic Development Director for Council members Bernard C. Parks and Mark Ridley-Thomas.

Roberts also serves on a number of local boards including Figueroa Corridor Partnership, Friends of Expo Center and the South LA Initiatives Working Group. Roberts hopes that his wealth of experience exhibits his potential to revitalize the Ninth District better than his opponents.

“Government can be a positive impact on people’s lives. I want to restore some credibility and confidence in city hall,” said Roberts.

His supporters recognize and understand his efforts. The Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative honored Roberts with the Outstanding City Partner Award for his expertise and passion for the community. Additionally, in a recently released campaign video, supporters describe Roberts as a man of integrity and passion.

“My support is from inside this district. [I can do this] because these folks are pushing me along and encouraging me,” said Roberts in a recently released campaign video.

Critics might pin Roberts as just another politician with conflicts of interest. Most recently, Roberts worked as the Associate Director of Local Government Affairs at the University of Southern California.

South L.A. residents could be turned off by Roberts’ ties to USC. Some residents are unhappy with USC’s Master Plan, a development project creating mixed-use spaces, including student housing, with the potential of displacing current residents.

“When I went over to USC, I was told I could not work on that plan. I have not done any work on behalf of the university for that plan. There is no contradiction with me and the university,” said Roberts.

Roberts listed the unemployment rate, education system, sidewalk repairs and average household income as some of the district’s most pressing challenges. He plans to redevelop South L.A., expand educational opportunities, ensure safer streets and create job opportunities, which he is already doing by hiring local adults to canvass neighborhoods on his behalf.

“They’re going out and registering some of their friends and family members to vote. It’s a real grassroots level,” said Roberts. “For some of these kids, it’s the first time they’ve had a real job or a real paycheck. It feels so good to be involved in that.”