Category Archives: East Los

Radio Sombra presenta…

Posted on by
1

Broadcasting out of somewhere East LA comes Radio Sombra.  Their site says:

“From the shadows comes the light!”

An independent community internet radio station that will bring a new voice to the communities in East Los Angeles.

Programming will be open and accessible to the community.
From community organizations to political artists like Zack de La Rocha, Radio Sombra will keep it real on the dial.

As a way to fund the project, Radio Sombra will  be presenting Film Nights on varied topics at Centro de Comunicación Comunitaria.

This Thursday brings :

Continue reading →

The Big Move

Posted on by
8


The Big Move: a new path and a new identity? -graphic courtesy of LA Creek Freak

It was inevitable, some folks just can’t stand to be wrong or admit their mistakes but luckily in our modern and hi-tech world, these things can be fixed. I’m talking about the latest in the Eastside name grab debacle. You remember all those poor confounded souls, new arrivals, Echo Park hipsters and journalists who somehow believed neighborhoods west of the Los Angeles River were part of the Eastside. The Eastside issue is a moot point now, discussion and debate are needless. Thanks to articles in the Los Angeles Times and the numerous posts on this here site, EVERYONE knows where the Eastside begins: East of the Los Angeles River.

However, some folks are not so easily deterred, oh no! Some people will stick by their story, even when they are so very wrong. They’ve told us: “History and geography in Los Angeles are fluid” “Eastside east of the river? Essentialists!” and other cute put-downs created to entertain the post-modern sense of wit so popular with residents of hip neighborhoods. The problem is they know they were wrong but have grown tired of deflecting the truth. So they put their resources together, gathered their connections and called in favors to make things right. That’s how it’s been done in the past – contracts, paperwork, legalese and the proper connections have always made things “right” for the privileged in this country, so why let a little thing like geography stop them? The solution was simple: make the west, east!
Continue reading →

Unincorporated East LA marries three

Posted on by
2

On April 1, 2010, the entire board of supervisors for Los Angeles County witnessed a historical event at the East Los Angeles civil court: the marriage of Juana Juanes-Robinson and her two husbands, Juan Juanes and Bob Robinson. After twelve years of protest and push from community residents and supporters throughout the county, thousands of supporters for PWWMT (People Who Wanna Marry Two) waited outside of the civil courthouse for Juana and her two husbands to tie their knots.

Thirty seven more 2+1 marriage ceremonies are scheduled through the summer of 2010.

Macy’s Throws it’s Sombrero into the ELA Market!

Posted on by
2

Macy’s Department store has acquired a small department store which had been struggling for many years and finally closed its doors in December of 2007. The First Street Store aka La Primera at 3640 East First Street, was the only department store in East LA for 70 years and (according to business sources) way over due for a make over.  Xavier von Dido, Regional VP of Marketing for the Macy’s stores, was quoted as saying, “I am so proud to be part of the team initiating this mega deal for the community of East LA.”

Macy's of ELA will be a beautiful contribution to the community. Architect's rendering above.

According to von Dido, Macy’s is planning a fresh array of Hispanic feeling products that will have mass appeal to the forward looking East LA consumer. “If these products go well in East LA,” von Dido said, “we will look towards a national and international saturation campaign of similar products.”
Continue reading →

Break Out Reporter for The El Paso Times in Boyle Heights Saturday

Posted on by
Reply

prayer4JuarezIMAGE2

Last weekend of art activism– A Prayer for Juarez closes.  This Friday and Saturday doors open at 7:15pm for final viewing of the protest art exhibit. Casa 0101 Annex, 2102 1st Street, Boyle Heights.  All events are FREE!

Friday, March 26, Film  Screening of El Traspatio/Backyard from Mexico. Not yet released in the US.  Stars Jimmy Smits & Ana de la Reguera. [Mexico, 2009 – 122 mins].  Screening starts at 8pm

Saturday, March 27, Award Winning Reporter Diana Washington Valdez updates us on the latest from Ciudad Juarez, from an insider’s point of view. Starts at 8pm.

Diana Washington Valdez, an investigative reporter for the El Paso Times, has covered the murders in Ciudad Juarez since 2001. In her book The Killing Fields: Harvest of Women, Washington Valdez contends the killings are part of a circuit of parties hosted by prominent Juarez citizens. Former FBI official Frank Evans said, “Diana Washington Valdez is a witness to the truth.” Ms. Washington Valdez has taken the message about the femicides in Ciudad Juarez to 30 cities in the United States and other countries. She is featured in the documentary Border Echoes, produced by Lorena Mendez Quiroga of Los Angeles and in Bajo Juarez by Alejandra Sanchez and Jose Cordero. Both films feature author Washington Valdez’ examinations of the Texas-Mexico border atrocities. Diana Washington Valdez has been interviewed for features on CNN, the New York Times, Aljazeera, Televisa, Channel 4 (London, England), and other news media.
Continue reading →

Butoh of East LA

Posted on by
1

Endyendy2

Pictured is a Butoh dance entitled Cihuatl 15 performed by endy, at a Prayer for Juarez on Saturday, March 20.  Her endurance piece on Saturday offered time and opportunities for inquiry, contemplation and processing in response to the femicides in Juarez.  In preparation for this dance movement, she laid still on the sidewalk in front of Casa 0101, as sand was poured over her body, representing the women who had died in Ciudad Juarez and buried in shallow graves.

Butoh’s source is the Japanese avant-garde of the 1960s, a period when Japan struggled with the lingering effects of the atomic bomb detonations at Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended World War II. Originally called “ankoku butoh,” or “dance of darkness,” the medium created a space for the intensely grotesque and perverse on the stage. In Japan endy studied  “Sankai Juku” which means “studio by the mountain and the sea,” and implies the serenity and calm which is characteristic of the work.  She also studied and has performed with Guillermo Gomez-Peña.

Random’s Rundown: Chicano/a socialites unite

Posted on by
Reply

It gets harder and harder each week to keep up with everything that’s going on sometimes you know. I gotta deal with student life at taco tech, activism work with the team I’m a part of and of course keeping up with my community reporting. Then some how in between all that I gotta make time to earn some cash here and there moonlighting.  Such is the life and I am forever thankful for it. Idle hands are the devils play things you know. In fact, a friend commented to me that I was dropping the ball on my reporting, which is kinda true. So, with that being said, here’s a list of things to do with weekend East of the river. I’ll catch up on here when I’m on spring break next week. In fact, I should be studying rather than blogging. Fuck it.

Continue reading →

Movie Screenings–All Weekend in Boyle Heights!

Posted on by
Reply

prayer4JuarezIMAGE2

“A Prayer for Juarez” has been a month long of international events raising awareness on the Femicides in Juarez, Mexico. After the slaying of three embassy workers this past weekend in Ciudad Juarez this tragic situation intensifies.  Filmmaker/Producer Dianna Perez is hosting two evenings of FREE film screenings  March 19 & March 20 at Casa 0101 Annex, 2102 1st Street, Boyle Heights. These films are rare and hard to get a hold of, and really amazing.  We invite you to join us!

Friday, March 19th, 8:00 pm
Senorita Extraviada by Lourdes Portillo
Missing Young Woman tells the story of the hundreds of kidnapped, raped and murdered young women of Juárez, Mexico. The murders first came to light in 1993 and young women continue to “disappear” to this day. The evening begins with a short film Sangre y Arena by Rigo Maldonado & Shakina Nayfack, followed by Q&A. This art film shot on location in Lote Bravo (a cotton field irrigation ditch) where 8 women were found at one time in 2001.

Saturday, March 20th, 8:00 pm
Border Echoes by Lorena Mendez Quiroga
Border Echoes-Ecos De Una Frontera, is a documentary that tells the story of the slayings of girls and women in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, through the eyes of investigative reporter Diana Washington Valdez. [Save the date! Award winning El Paso Times reporter Diana Washington Valdez will present in person at Casa 0101 Annex on March 27, 8pm) The evening begins with a short performance called Cihuatl 15 by endy and a screening of Sangre y Arena.
Continue reading →

Boyle Heights Paranormal Project’s Meet and Greet

Posted on by
6


Boyle Heights Paranormal Project at Linda Vista Hospital

As I mentioned previously, I was too chicken to attend BHPP’s meet and greet/website launch party at the creepy Linda Vista Hospital but a LA Eastside reader attended and gave this review:

“The meet and greet was really interesting and informative. From the big crowd outside to the standing room only inside… One could feel the chills just being in line outside…Once inside you sure felt this creepy feeling alright. They held their main event inside the chapel of the hospital. I couldn’t help but wonder how many people sat in there with their health fears at hand.
It was pretty overwhelming for me. You got a few jerks in line of course cracking jokes..They quickly shut the hell up once they made their way in. I was pretty mad at myself for not bringing my camera. Also for wearing heels…So not recommended by the way. Never the less the fact that I was actually inside Linda Vista made it all worthwhile. There’s some pretty cool pics on BHPP’s Facebook page.
From the music, they played (Ink Spots) to the BHPP cookies they made to the wannabe meds (mints) they served, all was well thought out.
As I walked down the hallways, I peeked through the lonely rooms and noticed an old school baby incubator. Boy I’ll tell ya, that was an intense moment for me. But if I were to be asked to go back, I sure would. Don’t know why…but I would.”
-Pistol Pack’n Momma


BHPP’s pics from the event

Boyle Heights Paranormal Project has been getting some good press lately including features on KNBC TV and KPCC. Hope it inspires them to investigate more places on the Eastside!