Category Archives: Eastside

Birds Fall From Sky

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Spotted Sunday on Ave 50 near El Paso, Highland Park

Just the day before, I heard This American Life’s show on supernatural fowl. I was surprised to hear that others have had similar strange bird experiences.

I’ll never forget the time I was walking with some friends and came upon three dying doves laying on the ground. One dove was still able to move and was walking around the almost dead doves nervously and making cooing sounds. I turned to my friend and said “So this is what it sounds like when doves cry.”

While I was taking these photos, a family stopped to check out the creepy scene. They found a plastic bag in their van and gently picked the pigeons up off the street and placed them in the bag. It was quite touching. How or why the birds died is a mystery.

The Homicide Report Blog. Part 2. The Browne solution.

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Dear La Opinion and the LA Sentinel,

Ignacio E. Lozano founder of La Opinion.
Founder of La Opinion Ignacio E. Lozano

In these hard economic times we all need ways to make money, though I read in Editor and Publisher that newspapers that were neighborhood or ethnic based were doing surprisingly well. I hope both of you are in the doing well group. As you know the LA Times got lots of mileage out of the deaths of readers who looked pretty similar to your readership though their Homicide Report Blog.

I personally didn’t care for it that much owing to their lacking of coverage areas of Latino and African-American life. I felt that it was a sort of one sided type coverage that just perpetrated stereotypes. Many people of color did not agree with me. They feel that living on your knees is better than being dead. Even though we all agreed that the coverage was going to do absolutely nothing in regards to stopping crime. Continue reading →

Missed connections

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If you know new commenter India and want to contact her, you can, um, leave a comment. Maybe that will connect you two.

Im india From East Side Primera Flats. Stuck over here in Las Vergas. Im tring to get ahold of some of my people. I just got out of prison, i did a two year rip for some bull shit and lost track of everone. orale pues i hope i here from someone, anyone.

Ceiling of Union Station east lobby

Reminds me of a time I was in Union Station last summer, enjoying some air-conditioning before re-entering the hot sun of Los Angeles. I was looking for a Metro timetable when a man, probably no older than 35, in a white shirt, blue jeans, and dark bushy mustache, asked me, “Hey, you know what bus I got to take to El Monte?”

“Naw, man, don’t know.”

“Thanks, ese. I just got out la pinta [SEM: Twin Towers?] and my homies me están esperando en El Monte. You sure you don’t know which bus I got to take to El Monte?”

I looked at his right wrist and sure enough, he had one of those plastic bracelets I’ve only seen on recently released convicts and hospital patients.

“No, no sé. I think you should ask someone over by the counter. I have some change you could use for a phone call on the pay phone. Here, take it.”

“Thanks, ese. Nos vemos.”

Off he bounced away, looking around the building and enjoying the sun filtering in through the roof, with a cholo bounce in his step (you know what I’m talking about), while I stood there, holding a timetable, astounded someone so calmly told me they had just been released from la pinta.

Resurrection of the “Resurrection of the Green Planet” Mural

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“No tienen valor” are the words that an older gentleman muttered to Ernesto de la Loza as he was working on restoring his mural on Cesar Chavez Ave. and Breed. For the last few months, idiots tagged up the mural pretty bad and Loza was called up by the store to come and fix it up. I was on my way home from school and I saw him painting.

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Tree falling in the hood

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If a tree falls in the hood, does it make a sound ? Hell yeah it does. My friend “Yesca” sent me this picture of the tree that fell over night in Boyle Heights. She said that the tree fell at 3 a.m. and seven fire trucks, along with paramedics and cops, showed up at the scene to help the family in the house. Turns out that two woman had to be pulled out from the wreckage. When my friend told me what happened I realized that the family is going to have to find somewhere to stay because the damage looks extensive. Not only that but I’m sure it’s ruined their plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Here’s a link to video from one of the local media stations.

Don Tosti and Eastside Vernacular

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DON TOSTI AKA ‘EL TOSTADO’ Y PACHUCO BOOGIE

Don Tosti on “Latin Eyes” a San Francisco news show, 2002.
Video courtesy of the excellent Proyecto Pachuco collecting oral histories of Pachuco culture for a future book and documentary.

Even before Julio’s excellent post on the value of urban language, I’d been thinking about the ephemeral variations of Los Angeles accents. When I was growing up, the typical (or stereotypical) Eastside Chicano accent was similar to the dialog you’d find in a Cheech and Chong movie. The words themselves are a mixture of Caló (derived from Gitano Caló and indigenous words), English, archaic Spanish and dashes of African-American vernacular. The accenting comes from Northern Mexico and their version of Spanish with it’s high and low, somewhat sing song tonal variations – regularly sounding as if a question is always being asked.

Don Tosti is a good example of this early way of speaking Chicano Caló. Born In El Paso, Texas and then moving to the Eastside when he was fifteen, he brought this unique argot with him. At Roosevelt High School I’m sure he found numerous others from El Paso who were also conversing in this cool, “Pachuco” slang. This patois has lived on in the Eastside until now, although the accents and the vernacular are quickly changing. Maybe it’s due to increased immigration from the central and southern parts of Mexico and from Central America. Or it could be the ever present influence of the global media and their official representations of urban lifestyles. It’s important though to capture this language before it’s gone, a project I’m currently working on.

I’m grateful to Don Tosti for recording his delightful dialect in-between the verses of his songs. It’s obvious that his Pachuco culture was integral to his music. The excellent documentary above explains more.

Many members of my family and many of my neighbors still speak a version of Chicano Caló. Even many of the college educated folks will slip back into it after awhile. One of my favorite speakers is Shorty, a 94 year old Chicano who is now living in South San Gabriel. You can listen to him speak in this clip.

A community united by tacos

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 With the inception of the newly formed Asociación de Loncheros L.A. Familia Unida de CA.taco truck owners and workers banned together to fight for their rights to sell tacos. The community forum hosted by the union was held at the Casa del Mexicano and everyone and there mother showed up to support the trucks, the union and to bask with fellow taco lovers under a full moon and a full plate. During the meeting, the union reassured everyone in attendance that the union is organizing and working with both city and state officials to find a solution to the harassment the trucks face. The one of the biggest priorities mentioned during the forum was that taco truck owners and workers have rights that cannot be ignored and have to be respected. The trucks all operate with city and health permits that require rigorous regulations that require trucks to be within 100 feet of a public restroom and to house their at a commissary.

Continue reading →

Community forum with the taco truck union

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Join me and other’s in this forum with the La Asociación de Loncheros L.A. Familia Unida de C.A. on Thursday at La Casa del Mexicano starting at 6 p.m. To provide information to community members regarding the recent events that affected the catering  truck industry. 

 

LA CASA DEL MEXICANO 

2900 PEDRO INFANTE 

LOS ANGELES, CA 90063 

 

Brooklyn and Boyle, Now Out!

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Subtitled “Art & Life in Boyle Heights and Beyond”, the first issue of Brooklyn & Boyle is now out and probably available somewhere near you. Published by Abel Salas of Ombligo Sereno de la Luna, this first printing shows a promising start for this paper that bases itself around a part of the city many of us either live in, work in, or still care about; that ignored area East of the river. At a slim 12 pages it still packs in a long piece by Luis Rodriguez recounting some memories of Boyle Heights, Claudia Huerta giving her take on changes in BH and warning that we not lose “our essence”, a guide to Dia de Muertos celebrations, a bit of poetry, and even a piece that was first featured here on LA Eastside!

There was a small stack of copies at Metro Balderas this morning and there might still be some at Tropico de Nopal if you are west of the river. Just keep your eye out for them, it’s worth a read!

The East Los Angeles Classic

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It’s that time of the year again, grab your blankets, put on your schools colors and make your way to East Los Angeles College this Friday for the 74th Annual East Los Angeles Classic. 74 freaking years !!!!! It astounds me that Roosevelt and Garfield have been going at it on the football field for that long. For seniors at both schools, this is THE GAME to win. Last year Garfield lost after beating the Rough Riders two years in a row. You can almost literally feel the electricity in the air from both the players and the fans.

74 th Annual East Los Angeles Classic

Friday, November 14, 2008
East Los Angeles College
Frosh/Soph Game: 4:00 PM – Varsity Game: 7:30 PM

Tickets:

$12 General Admission

$10 Presale to Students ONLY

Children Under 3 Free

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