September 14, 2008
The 2nd International Indigenous Hip Hop Gathering
Music, Vision, Unity, Tradition
Ford Amphitheatre
2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood, CA 90039
3pm workshops / 5pm to 11pm show
$25 General / $18 Youth
Tickets: www.fordtheatres.org
323.461.3673
Presented in collaboration with Los Angeles Indigenous Peoples Alliance & Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural
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Before the days of Target and Walmart, when residents of working class neighborhoods needed to shop for clothes, they had small family owned neighborhood department stores to turn to. Here in Lincoln Heights, we have one of the last remaining examples of this bygone era, Frieden’s Department Store. It was with dismay that I recently spotted a big sign outside the building proclaiming “Retirement Sale.” After 61 years in business, the 91 year old owner Leon Frieden has decided to take a long overdue retirement. Throughout the years, Mr Frieden who can usually be found keeping accounts in his small back office, has displayed respect and affection for his customers by offering quality merchandise and personal service in a time when these practices seem to matter little other businesses.
I woke up this morning and see a horse tied up next to the stop sign at the end of my block, signifying el Dieciséis de Septiembre parade. Living in the hub of culture on the eastside is bitter (can’t get to the grocery store) and sweet (being instantly transported to Mexico with music, food and gente).
Si Amas Algo, Dejalo Libre
Si Regresa Es Tuyo Si No
Nunca Lo Fue
I went on a drive-by shooting today, click ahead to see the devastating results. Above, one of my targets: the Sombrero and Cap Gang out on an early mission! (BTW, all the following pics can be clicked to be seen in a larger size. Oh yeah, and the photos are kinda big, so the page may load slowly.)
Oh look, that newspaper subscription I keep meaning to cancel has put out a new magazine. Hmm, maybe this time it’ll be a little more reflective of the larger Los Angeles and stop being so Westside Provincial? Haha. As the cover says: Dream On!
“Last night, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin accepted the nomination to the vice-presidency at the Republican National Convention.
Originally the buzz about Palin, focused on her having a vagina. Her presence was analyzed as a calculated McCain strategy to lure disgruntled, hard core Hillary Clinton supporters.
Then the shift went internal, to her uterus, her identity as a mother to five, the youngest with some form of developmental delay, and a 17 year old daughter, unmarried and pregnant.
So what does this Palin parranda of information and analysis mean to mamis of color, Latina mamis like me? Not surprisingly, nada.
Sarah Palin wants to put herself out there as “every womanâ€. She wants to be seen as “just your average hockey momâ€, and other mommies see themselves and their reality reflected through Palin, except, mamis of color, that is.”
excerpt by Maegan “La Mala†Ortiz, Racialicious from the post: Mccain’s VP pick Palin and the Politica and Privilege of White Woman’hood/ Mommy’hood
Check the poles.
According to Javi of lincolnheightsla.com the fairly new carousel in Lincoln Park is set to close on Sept 28 due to low ridership. There’s no mention of it on the official park site but you can trust Javi with this info, he knows what’s going on around LH. From his email:
Due to low ridership the LP carousel will have its final spin on Sept. 28, 2008. So if you haven’t seen or taken a ride then do so before it’s too late. I encourage everyone to visit and take a spin.
That’s kinda sad but it did seem like many people were unaware of the new ride. You really might want to heed that warning and go take a spin. I took some pics less than a year ago over at my site if you want to see a bit more. Or click ahead for a short video clip.
(photo by Flickr user pastamaster 39 )
Sad news in Lincoln Heights today. A pedestrian crossing near Griffin and Broadway was struck and killed during a police car chase. I saw the blocked off street and activity on my way home.
Call me overly cautious but when I wait to cross the street, I often will stand behind a pole or some other kind of object in case some car jumps the curve or loses control. I know of at least two times something like this has happened right here in Lincoln Heights and I’m not taking any chances.
More on the car chase at the KCAL website: Pedestrian Killed After Chase Ends in Crash
Biting off Chavos post about the swap meet I figured I would dig up an article I wrote about the swap meets history and the vendors there. As an East Los Angeles College student I will be posting a few ELAC related post from time to time because so many people have and will come through here. ELAC has been around since 1945 and needless to say there is a long history. To me, ELAC is the school of second chances because it’s here that I was able to put my life together and start on the path of making something of myself. If it wasn’t for ELAC, I would be out there in the streets doing God knows what. The pictures are pre-solar panel days.   Â
The ELAC swap meet has been catering to the shopping needs of students and the surrounding communities for the last 22 years. The swap meet was formed from a combination of necessity and community growth. Martin Garcia, who is a full-time Biology instructor at Los Angeles City College, has been a vendor since the swap meet’s inception in 1986 with his two brothers Sergio and Jose Garcia. Garcia and his brothers primarily sell heavy metal music CDs along with miscellaneous objects they might have or that people specifically ask for.
I spent three weeks of August with my family in our town of origin in Los Altos de Jalisco. Not much to say, other that I found it relaxing and what I needed. Seeing relatives is always great, especially some whom I had not met and who my parents last visited in 1981 (After 27 years, they still recognized my parents!)
I’ll share some pictures and anecdotes. Not particularly related to L.A. Eastside, but since the school year is starting soon for many (including myself), let’s turn this into “What did you do in the summer?” show-and-tell. Continue reading
