LA Eastside

All take place at Casa 0101 (a new spot– 1 block east from the old spot), 2102 1st Street, Boyle Heights.  Both days of art protest are free! Also, another opportunity to check out the Juarez protest art exhibit.

Friday, March 12, 8pm to 10pm

Writer/performer Claudia Rodriguez

Discussion with Dr. Ana Nogales on Human Trafficking

Music performance by Ramona Gonzalez & Carlos Zelaya

Music Performance by Big Joe Hurt

Saturday, March 13, 8pm to 10pm

Poets: Maestras Gloria Alvarez & Judith Terzi, Poetess of the Water

UCLA Professor & Chair of Chicano Studies Alicia Gaspar de Alba reading from her book, Desert Blood, followed by Q&A.

Writer/Poet Consuelo Flores, reading from her art activism work on Juarez, followed by Q&A

New performance by artist Vibiana Aparicio Chamberlin!

Writer/performer reina alexandra prado

New performance by Liliflor Kozmica & SPACE Intruderz!

Next week March 19 & 20, film screenings FREE! Señorita Extraviada, on March 19 & Border Echoes on March 20, 8pm to 10pm on each day

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The following is what I felt; what I saw. I lay no claim to objectivity: this is going to be heavy-handed. I am a student at CSULA. Been so for almost a decade. I have seen first hand the corrosion of the quality of resources, services, and education. I took no part in the organization of anything for March 4th. I was merely a participant at the march, as well as doing some acts of solidarity with the NO-CUTS COALITION at CSULA previous to the march. My lack of engagement was probably due to my tendency to not want to be an activist and also my perpetual business. As a student/worker, one is in a place that is extremely vulnerable: when one is not working, one is studying; and when one is not doing either of those, one is busy trying to get-by. This is a perfect place for the State and Global Capitalism to have us in: a place in limbo. The report continues after the jump…
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In the end, 6 students were arrested and one 72 yr old professor was pushed by police, and fell on her arm, breaking it.

We had a month build up on campus for this day. Chicana/o Studies had a teach in on Feb. 3 and began telling our students that today, March 4th the whole State was going to protest.
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For the second year in a row Self Help Graphics auctioned off some of the most eligible bachelors this side of the river. Can you believe that someone was bought off for $600 !?!?!? Yeah, $600 and I’m not talking about monopoly money here folks. Never in my life have I seen to women out bid each other like that. It was madness I tell ya, but all for a good cause, SHG. Here’s a few pics I took of the day and a quick rundown.

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On Saturday morning I had coffee with a Los Angeles city worker, who (among other of his colleagues), is disturbed at the direction city leadership is laying out the LA Game-‘o-Life board. This week Mayor Villaraigosa said regarding the economic crisis fueled job cuts, “I don’t do this because I want to, I do this because I must.” Within this “a man must do what a man must do” blanket statement are also choices. In a city of approximately 40,000 city workers, there are 10,000 police and between 5,000 & 6,000 in the fire department, making them 40% of the city workforce. LA city workers have been appraised that Villaraigosa wants to focus on public safety first, translated means that other services in the city will suffer, but not the police forces.

Across my desk this week were dialogues about student actions being planned regarding the cuts in education, the closing of more parks in the city, the dissolution of the city’s Cultural Affairs Department (I got somewhere around 50 email petitions, which helped overturned this plan—gracias artistas!), an alarming price increase menu on traffic tickets with added rules (drivers beware!), gentrification plans to mow down more eastside historic buildings, and Pearl Art Store selling everything at 75% off (looks like they are going down).

As the students have noted in their various cries for continued funding, this city spends more on prisons and those who can imprison us, than things that can uplift us as a humanity, such as community spaces, art and education. I cringe to think what sort of summer we are headed for in LA. More negative places to be pushed into, armed monitors of humans to catch you erring, climbing prices on everything, mom and pops closing all around us, polluted city drinking water, no jobs, gas that cost more than a blood transfusion and no light at the end of the tunnel. My free-thinking art friends say “let the whole thing crash, we have survived worse.” I am starting to picture myself teaching an impromptu class to eager students on the street corner where they have been locked out of their schools.

Go directly to jail. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

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With the city on the brink of anarchy and devastation, here is your chance to do something about it. By joining your local neighborhood city council. Fellow Boyle Heightian, “Rob” notified me about the  elections that are going to be taking place from March through June all over the city. How cool is that ? Neighborhood councils act as the eyes and ears of the the City council and of the council members in keeping up with what’s going on in the streets, but from the looks of things you would think that community blogs, like this one, are the new eyes and ears of the city. Anyway, having covered council meetings at school, I have some grasp and understanding as to how the councils work, the power they have and the positive changes they can make, with the right people in place. That and having utter contempt for Roberts rules of order. I motion to stick it where the sun don’t shine. I digress from my point, which is why you should join your neighborhood council or at the very least, be more active and show up to meetings.

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I cannot make this stuff up folks. My girl, Xicanisma pointed me to this most random and ironic scene of what a regular day in Boyle Heights looks like. Think about it ? This is the google car that goes around mapping things with that camera on top of the car, incognito. Yet, it manages to catch something like this, police officers stopping to a person who may or may not be a cholo, you can make that up for yourself. Having him get into pat down position. The address on here is 2030 E. 1st Things like this make the barrio look bad and might scare off potential investors who wanna develop, but that’s just the way things are here in Boyle Heights.

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If it’s one thing I’ve learned in life is that you don’t fuck with the Police. When interacting with standered issued street soldiers, you gotta be honest, to the point and most importantly not shoot at them. Ever. As of noon today, LAPD officers involved in a drug bust, possibly at a home on Michigan and Matthews NOT CONFIRMED, were shot at. I CAN’T CONFIRM that officers were hit, just shot at. However, considering that everything is on lock down from Wabash all along Mott all the way through Michigan. Then all along Michigan through Breed st. Then all along Breed up to Cesar Chavez continuing along Chavez to Fairmount, with traffic diverted all along First st. and Wabash. They got everything on lock down son. Now that you know what’s up, here’s some pics and my twitter feed as I made my way to First st. passing by and seeing all the craziness unfold.

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Starting last year, as proclaimed by our mayor Tony V, January is Art Month here in L.A. and it’s all about the arts. This is the second year of bringing attention to the plight that the arts are facing, which I’m sure a lot of people are already aware of because when things get tight, the arts go out the window. So, the whole point of Art month is to get people out and about into museums, galleries and events all month long to check out what L.A. has to offer and stimulate the local economy. Well I did some stimulating of my own on Wednesday at Corazon del Pueblo by listening to amazing poets put themselves out there. They even inspired me to get up there and read. Aside from that, I knew I had to hit up the Art Walk because not only is it Art’s Month, but it’s the first one of the year.  The cities website states, “we are urging Angelenos to enjoy the best the art world has to offer without leaving Los Angeles.  And we hope they will make it an adventure by discovering a new museum or performing arts venue!”Adventure ? I’m game.

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