Author Archives: chimatli

About chimatli

In the fourth-grade, I won second place in the Humphreys Elementary School poetry contest. It's been all downhill from there.

Los San Patricios de World Cup

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The celebration of Blanco’s penalty to make it 2 nil to the Mexico! Filmed in Blakes Of The Hollow Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, N Ireland by Claire Gillen, and edited, directed and all that jazz by her also.

“The Irish are the Mexicans of Europe.”
– Luis Valdez

The past couple of weeks I’ve been bleary-eyed mess. My day consists of waking up early, watching a World Cup game, going to work and then planning my breaks so I can catch snippets of the midday games. Yes, I am a World Cup fan and I have been since World Cup came to Los Angeles in 1994. It was during this time, that I began to understand the passion of game, of how it’s not just what happens on the field that’s important but also what happens in the stands with the supporters. One of the best parties I’ve ever been to was the after game celebration in Old Town Pasadena when Brazil won the World Cup in 1994. Wild dancing in the streets followed by public amorous interactions, the most innocent being spontaneous hugs from strangers – really, that’s the best way to celebrate a victory!

It’s this global communal aspect of the game, of folks around the world who cheer and sometimes cry together, that draws me into the competition. The video above is a perfect example of this cross-cultural and international phenomenon. It’s a video taken in an North Irish pub, full of Irish folks in Mexico jerseys celebrating Mexico’s win over France. They even have their own Mexico supporter’s song, that starts with “Oh, Mexico is wonderful…” There’s been a long history of Mexican-Irish connections and it’s nice to see the traditions carry on.

This Sunday is the big match-up between Mexico and dreaded Argentina, who despite my prejudices, I must admit are playing very well. It will be a tough game but if Mexico pulls through, expect wild revelry in the streets. Hopefully this revelry will consists of spontaneous dancing and an amorous atmosphere but we Mexicans are no Brazilians, so most likely it’ll be flags and honking horns. I’ll take it! Viva Mexico!

Whittier Blvd: Still the Heart of East Los

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Whittier Blvd, East Los, June 17, 2010. Photo by ciscorocks*

While the fate of the Lakers is still up in the air, there was much celebration around the Eastside today with the stunning win of Mexico over France in today’s World Cup game. This win helps Mexico reach the next round, which in turn gets them closer to the almighty World Cup championship.

All over the Eastside, cheers erupted from restaurants, bars and houses for Mexico’s two excellent goals. Here at the LA Eastside HQ, the cacophony of twirling, clacking matracas resounded through the streets. Who needs vuvuzelas?

Many commented on how June 17th is our new Cinco de Mayo, the day Mexico defeated the French at La Batalla de Puebla.

If Lakers manage to pull through, expect more celebrating folks to spill onto Whittier Blvd to celebrate tonight. LAPD has already shutdown buses along the boulevard.

*ciscorocks tweeted earlier “RAIDERS NATION is gonna be amped for the LAKERS championship if Mexico wins!” We love it, only in Los Angeles!

UPDATE: Lakers win! (I don’t like basketball but I do love happy Angelenos!)
Huntington Park: Crowds on Pacific Blvd get police attention and dispersal this afternoon.

Ole, ole, ole!

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Cute video made by the Afghan Football Support Organization giving a brief overview of the Mexican team

We here at the LA Eastside headquarters are frantically preparing for early morning festivities to celebrate the World Cup opener tomorrow. Our beloved team Mexico will face the home team South Africa in what will surely be an exciting match. It’s rumored 20,000 Mexicans found their way to the African continent to cheer on El Tri. I knew we could cross rivers pretty good but a whole damn ocean? That’s impressive! Even more impressive is the cheer the Mexican fans are bringing to Soweto, literally pouring out of the airplanes with mariachis and fanciful costumes.

So how about you folks? Where are you watching the game manaña? Perhaps you all are already asleep or maybe you’re gonna do it paisa style and stay up all night drinking tequila so you’re in the perfect state for partido viewing in the morning. Wherever folks are, expect the sound of cheers, matracas and whistles to ring through the early Los Angeles morning air.

By the way, someone please tell me Huntington Park has finally came up with a good solution to accommodate the thousands of fans that show up on Pacific to celebrate. Every four years, it’s riot cops and stun guns. H.P.. listen up! You could actually make some money off this, be smart and forward thinking for once!

Que Viva Mexico, cabrones! Ole, ole, ole, ole!!!

P.S. I’m excited for Honduras and the US team too, go CONCACAF! Who are you all supporting?


More music to get you in the mood…

Save the Spring Street Bridge!

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Photo courtesy of Bridgehunter.com

Despite the city going through one of the worst financial times in it’s existence, they are pushing forward on tearing down the perfectly fine historic Spring Street Bridge to spend tons of city funds to build a brand new one. Very few folks who live in the adjacent communities support this project but despite their protests and objections, the Board of Public Works approved the bridge demolition. It’s now up to the City Council Transportation Committee to approve the project. The Los Angeles Conservancy is asking folks to show up at a hearing tomorrow to protest this unneeded new project and to call for the protection of our beloved little Spring Street Bridge.

Here’s more info from the Los Angeles Conservancy:

The city’s Bureau of Engineering (BOE) is rushing to approve a project that would dramatically widen the 1929 North Spring Street Viaduct — nearly doubling its width, stripping away all historic ornamentation, and eliminating the bridge’s eligibility as a city landmark.

After years of inaction, the BOE is now scrambling for quick approval of this project in order to qualify for $5 million in state funds.

The Conservancy has been advocating for an alternative that would retrofit the historic bridge and construct a separate pedestrian-cyclist bridge alongside it.

The Conservancy, the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission, and residents from communities on both sides of the river are protesting the project. Yet our voices have been largely excluded from the planning process.

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Drill Baby Drill

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The Arrivals-Drill Baby Drill

We’ve mentioned them before but one of the finest music publications in print at the moment is Razorcake Magazine published locally in Highland Park.

The Arrivals new 7″ is one of their latest releases and their song “Drill Baby Drill” is quite timely considering the infuriating news coming from the Gulf region these past weeks.

By the way, I wonder how that cap is working out?

Lummis Day 2010

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From the Lummis Day website:

“The fifth annual Lummis Day Festival will move its main stages to a new location, Heritage Square Museum (3801 Homer Street) this year, where the best of home-grown Northeast L.A. music, dance, food and community resources will be presented amid the historic buildings that are preserved on the Heritage Square site.

Before shifting to Heritage Square, the two-part Festival will stage its opening event at Lummis Home (200 East Avenue 43), beginning at 10:30 am with readings by some of L.A.’s most critically acclaimed poets along with music, art exhibits and refreshments.

Nearly 100 performers and artists from 17 bands and dance troupes, plus dozens of artists, craftspeople, and community groups are participating at this year’s event. In the tradition of the Lummis Day Festival, performers on the three stages at Heritage Square Museum will represent an eclectic mix of cultural traditions and artistic styles.

Admission to all events is FREE !!!”

The Eastside of Town

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Melinda Marx-The Eastside of Town

Hold up, I am here to right a wrong, inform you of a great historical overlook – this is a song about the Eastside and yet, has never been heard on any Chicano Oldies compilation. How did this happen? Please don’t tell me it’s cause the song is no good, that the chick can’t sing (or dance) or that the lyrics are insipid. This is a song about the Eastside! Thankfully, a random Youtube click lead me to uncover this early example of Eastside oldies. True, it has no soul but it’s catchy in it’s own way. Someone please inform Art Laboe…

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LamPosts

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These old lamposts being devoured by creeping nasturtium vines were spotted outside the back gate of Heritage Square Museum in Lincoln Heights/Montecito Heights (the neighborhood designation is variable). The nasturtium has been growing wild there for at least twenty years and it’s amazing to me how large and prolific the vines grow.
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Golden Gate Theater now showing…

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Photo by Al Desmadre

Perhaps you’ve all heard the bad news by now – instead of East Los getting a new theater or cultural arts center, we can now say with pride, we are home to a new CVS drugstore. Start the celebration! According to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, this CVS will bring jobs to the area. Yay, minimum wage part-time jobs! What more could we ask for?

Here’s more from the Los Angeles Times article:

Los Angeles County supervisors unanimously voiced support Tuesday for the conversion of the long-abandoned Golden Gate Theater in East Los Angeles into a 24-hour drugstore despite passionate last-minute appeals by some residents to block the project.

“This is not just a building. It is a theater … a monument, the last one in East L.A.,” Sam Barraza told the supervisors. “This is not just a geographic or development battle … the spirit of East L.A. is at stake.”

and from the business side:

“The addition of a national pharmacy chain will be a tremendous benefit,” said Jesse Torres, chief executive of East L.A.-based Pan American Bank.

“We have to have those stores and retailers,” said Al Rivera, who supports the plan. “CVS will be looked at by other corporations. We want to make sure other corporations and investors look at East L.A. as a business-friendly community.”

In my opinion, “business-friendly community” means “hey, we are willing to do whatever you want, come exploit us!” Is that what might happen if East Los Angeles is able to incorporate itself as an independent city? No thanks!

About a year ago, LA Eastside posted a story about efforts to save the theater from commercial development. You can read the piece here.

King of the Hill

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Spotted by Rosa Delgado at 5:16 pm today

After twelve years of searching, the good folks of Audubon Center at Debs Park finally spotted the elusive California King Snake today in the park.

Jeff Chapman, Director of the Audubon Center told LA Eastside:

“These guys have been seen in City Terrace, Ascot Hills, and Flat Top. I used to do reptile monitoring with kids from Franklin before the center and we never found them. Three years ago, we put out boards in the park and checked them periodically, but again we never detected them. So, this is very exciting for us and for the whole human/non-human community in the Northeast!”

If you live on the Eastside but have yet to visit the Audubon Center, now’s the time! There are all sorts of activities for children and adults and a very enjoyable trail from which you can take in the local floral and fauna of Debs Park.

Audubon Center at Debs Park
4700 North Griffin Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90031
(323) 221-2255

Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 9 a.m to 5 p.m.

The Audubon Center at Debs Park opened in 2003 as an environmental education and conservation center for the communities of northeast Los Angeles. The Center is located in the third largest park in the city of Los Angeles. More than half of the park is covered in walnut-oak woodland, grassland, and coastal sage scrub, a remnant of the native habitats that once rimmed the Los Angeles Basin. Over 140 species of birds have been recorded here.

http://www.audubondebspark.org

Low End Theory

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Low End Theory at the Airliner
 “What part of town is this? This is Lincoln Heights”

There’s been an under-the-radar, beat-thumping musical revolution going on right here in Lincoln Heights. More specifically, it’s been happening at The Airliner, a popular music venue on North Broadway. It’s where a collective of DJs, who favor beats over vocals, has been putting together shows for the past few years under the banner of “Low End Theory.”

As a frequent listener to NPR, I got a thrill out of them mentioning Lincoln Heights in a recent piece they put together about Flying Lotus, a Low End Theory DJ. Here’s an excerpt:

Ellison began creating new-school hip-hop in his bedroom. For years, he traded tracks with other budding DJs and played music in nightclub parking lots. Then the scene got organized, at a club in L.A.’s Lincoln Heights neighborhood.

“Eventually, there was this party started called Low End Theory, which was geared toward this sound,” he says. “It was more of a producer’s lounge, basically. If you got talent and you got tracks and you hang out enough at Low End Theory, eventually someone will hear something and you can do something.”

Visit the site to hear clips of the music and interview with the DJs.
Flying Lotus: ‘Beat Music’ And The Coltrane Family Tradition

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