Category Archives: Photos

From White Memorial to Self Help Graphics ~ Murals in Boyle Heights

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On January 11 I attended the “Resistance and Respect II” forum on murals in Los Angeles. Having missed out on last years, I made it a point to attend this one and I was not disappointed. From the press release, Panelists include: L.A. mural pioneer and founder of the Social & Public Art Resource Center, muralist/professor Judy Baca; pioneer muralist/painter/professor, Yreina D. Cervántez; muralist/painter Noni Olabisi; co-founder of pioneer mural collective, East Los Streetscapers, painter Wayne Alaníz Healy; godfather of LA Graffiti art Chaz Bojórquez; Graff artist/muralist Man One (Director, Crewest Gallery). The panel will be co-moderated by Elizabeth Morin, Director, Youth Arts & Education Program for the Dept. of Cultural Affairs, L.A. and former teen Graff writer/muralist and renowned poet/author, Luis J. Rodríguez.

These are all great people who I’ve met or heard of before going to the forum, so to be able to hear all of them speak and chime in with the current state of murals in L.A. was a rare treat and opportunity. It was there where I learned about the Siqueiros mural on Olvera St. and where the future of murals in L.A. might go. The discussion got me thinking about some of the murals in Boyle Heights and their conditions. Murals are integral parts of any community and I for one can’t picture a world without them. It’s also part of my Chicano heritage that I’m learn more and more about everyday. I’m currently reading “Diary Of a Brown Buffalo.”  I also realized that during the forum that graffiti is having growing pains because of the wording in city laws that make it a target for politicians who wanna make a name for themselves by going after them.  

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Awkward moments in Los Angeles

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My grandmother, her mother, her sisters, my grandfather (in the baggy pants), friends and neighbors at their first Echo Park home. The home no longer exists and the neighborhood is now called Historic Filipinotown.

I wrote this a couple of months ago but was hesitant to post. But as a friend of mine (a prolific emailer and a notorious drunk – a bad combination) once told me “just close your eyes and press enter”

My friend and I tried to go to the Stories Bookstore opening in Echo Park. We walked by 15 minutes before the opening party was due to start and got a handful of stares from the young guys silk screening in the store window. Hmmm, no sign of opening party anywhere and the sign on the door says “open next week”. Perhaps it’s a private party, oh well.

We walked into the Time Travel Mart, I’d been curious about the place. It looked cool in photos. My friend walked in with me but leaves immediately because he cannot tolerate pretentious irony and the store was chock full of it. I thought the place would be more interesting somehow but it wasn’t. It could be me, I just didn’t get it.
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Evergreen Cemetery jogging path ~ Boyle Heights

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For the last three years, I have been walking and sometimes jogging around Evergreen Cemetery with my Harley by my side. In fact, the only reason I even started the 1.5 mile walk around the cemetery was to get Harley some exercise because a tired dog, is a happy dog. So for those of you too lazy to actually go and walk around the cemetery, this is your lucky day. Strap on your running shoes and follow the black labrador down the jogging path…

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La Crisis: One Bad Solution

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Okay, it can’t be that bad. Let me tell you what it reads:

1. Sevende ropa exclusiva interior para hombre.

2. Masaje de hombre para hombres y mujeres, que quieran salir de la rutina experimentar algo nuevo, llamadas serias por favor $ open

And if you read between the lines (literally) in english it reads:

Sale interior man ander weres different sizes & models.

Man to man masage women’s welcom IM BI

And if you read between the lines figuratively, it’s an ad for sex, complete with phone number and address. Sex for pay is nothing new but I thought it was a bit desparate to see it at a crosswalk, with so much information on where to get these services. And I thought knock-on-my-door-pupusas were brazen! Salir de la rutina indeed.

Sas!

PS. info blurred to protect the job seeker.

Botanitas: January 29, 2009

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The infamous tumbleweeds of Lincoln Heights. This one was found at the foot of Holgate Square.

Botanitas is an ongoing feature bringing you stories and news from various sources, upcoming events and other bits of ephemera that might be of interest to LA Eastside readers. Suggestions welcome!

Read below for ten-cent conchitas, North Broadway nightlife, CNN tacos, the Eastside extension, details on who is Taking Over and a bonus guilty pleasure!
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Happy Year of the Ox!

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Ji Chou 己丑-Year of the Ox-新年快乐

It’s the Lunar New Year’s Eve and here in Lincoln Heights, the normally dark houses are lit, the front doors are open, the altars are decorated and the smell of incense wafts through the streets. The firecrackers started up around 4pm. They are not so numerous as in years past when the rat-tat-tat seemed to go on endlessly for days ahead of time and the acrid smoke drifted in the windows. Perhaps US customs is much stricter with checking for illicit cargo or maybe many of the Chinese and Vietnamese families have moved on to the easterly suburbs such as my neighbors who recently moved to Rowland Heights.

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La Crisis: One Solution

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It’s not uncommon for people to sell stuff from their homes in working class communities; every little bit helps to make ends meet. And I don’t mean ebay either, though I bet that computer route is getting popular too. Often it’s food items, sold mostly via a mobile setup (ala eloteros, tamaleros, etc) or from a makeshift outdoor kitchen that hangs the open sign during the evening dinner rush. I’ve known of places where you can knock on the door and ask for a plate of something, and the lady would get to cooking. But since these sorts of kitchens are probably illegal, they were kept kinda quiet, advertising being done by word of mouth. But I guess things are really getting rough: in Lincoln Heights, Jose the pupusa vendor put up a sign with his phone and Apt. number so you can purchase some of his $1.50 Salvadoran treats. “Savado y Domingo Solamente.”

When you don’t have a trust fund to fall back on, parents that can pay your rent or front you the money for a house, an inheritance that’s just a heartbeat away, the right connections, or the various forms of plan B middle class people crazily assume everyone has, then you learn to be resourceful. Hats off to Jose and his knock-on-my-door pupusa solution, a self-bailout plan that we can all emulate!