Category Archives: El Centro

2 Minutes on Broadway and 5th

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Not my usual 2 minutes of random street corners, but I thought this one might be of interest. A makeshift memorial for Olivia Gamboa, a bus driver killed in an early morning crash. People seemed to be moved by this tragic accident, showing their empathy for another working person, someone they might have encountered at some point on their way to and from work.

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Rest In Peace Olivia Gamboa, fellow worker that helped us get to our destinations.

More info here http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-bus-driver-killed-20130612,0,1359034.story

Cinco de Mayo: A Cultural Holiday

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We were driving thru the Westside today, somewhere along the border of Silver Lake and Echo Park, when we thought we saw something stupid headed our way. Sure enough, and cuz I had my camera handy, we were able to take a picture of some innocent dolt dressing up as a Mexican captain of sorts on his way to some shitty place to drink his shitty Tecate beers. Oh yeah, it’s Drinko de Mayo! We of the Chicano variety are not so learnededed on this American holiday so we decided to seek out an experience. Might as well get to know the Ethnic people that live in your city and figure out why they do the things they do.

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Councilman to Occupy LA: “Don’t Despair, Job Fairs Are Coming! “

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This morning on the Madeleine Bland show councilman Dennis Zine got the laughs going when he bestowed some words of wisdom to all those participants of Occupy LA: Get a Job! You know, in the jobless “recovery”.  His great plan to accomplish this feat of full employment? Throw a “Job Fair.”

Haha! For reals? Yes, for reals.

[audio:https://laeastside.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/getajob.mp3|titles=getajob]

I went ahead and snipped together some of his inspiring babosadas, cuz I doubt you’ll want to listen to the whole thing. Oh yeah, aside from his “get a job” message he also complains about the “homeless that don’t have anything to do”, the movement is “generated by some international group”, something about socialism, “when you go to the city hall you like to see a nice environment and its sad to see people who are camped out because they have a cause, they can’t get a job”.

How very sad and disturbing it is to see the unwashed poor and the unemployed riff-raff. They should stay over in skid row where we don’t have to see them.

Fucking Hilarious.

Here’s another solution:

Happy Labor Day!

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International Ladies Garment Workers Union, Spanish Speaking Branch. Los Angeles, 1933.

While the history of Labor Day is a sketchy one, it was meant to replace the more radical anarcho/commie tinged May Day, it is at least the one day people pay homage to the working class of the good ol’ USA. Except there’s not much ‘good’ around here anymore and – are you working class if you don’t have a job?

This photo is from a 1933 Labor Day parade in Downtown Los Angeles possibly near Olvera Street. It was common for many Mexicans of early Los Angeles to adopt Spanish style clothing when celebrating holidays. It was a fashion thing I think, maybe too much Ramona and Fiesta on their mind. Eighty or so years later and we’ve ditched the ruffles for huipiles.

Jesus Pleads

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Moses had his 10 commandments on some wifi tablets (or so I’ve heard) but here are the modern supplications of Mural Jesus set in cinder blocks, and they total 11!

1. NO DRUGS
2. NO DRUG DEALERS
3. NO LOITERING (BOO!)
4. NO WEAPONS
5. NO LOITERING! (uh dude, yer repeating yerself)
6. NO DEFICATING! (he might mean defecating)
7. NO URINATING!
8. NO TIRAR BASURA! (don’t litter)
9. NO ORINAR! (don’t urinate while speaking Spanish)
10. NO DEFECAR! (keep your feces out of here, while grunting in Spanish)
11. NO PARKING! (unless you’re with a movie shoot, then you can park anywhere)

I walk by this sacred area quite often, but it wasn’t until Mr. Desmadre guided us through here for his recent Sunday outing that I noticed these holy signs, an eleven point plan to spiritual enlightenment. I try to live up to the pleadings of Chuy but eventually the dirty sins overcome my soul and have their way. I’m gonna litter right now!

I don’t think I’m the only one that succumbs to their nature. Click ahead to see what I mean.

Actually, don’t click ahead, you will not like what you see.

You better not be eating either, and don’t you blame me for nothing.

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