Last Sunday as I was heading home, I noticed the increasingly familiar sight of a helicopter swooping in circles around the heights area of Lincoln Heights. Things have been heating up around Northeast LA and by things, I mean gangs and related activities. They usually confine their exploits to the wee hours of the night so I was surprised at all the commotion on a Sunday afternoon.
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This afternoon, during 4th period, self-organized and self-motivated students walked-out. Now kids ditching or skipping out on school is nothing new. And definitely nothing new at Lincoln HS, let me tell you. But I could see the conviction of why the kids were doing it.
The landmark street sign for long time Eastside favorite “CHRONI’S FAMOUS SANDWICH SHOP” recently fell victim to a “hostile makeover.”
The former original version had featured a flickering neon outline that animated the doggie’s wagging tail and tongue. The new flat paint job reduces the sign to a shadow of it’s former self. By simply filling in the original outlines with bright primary colors instead of attempting to restore the original design, the management continues to further alienate us purists by continuing a string of Chroni’s atrocities such as putting lettuce in the hamburgers.
As an avid preservationist and historian, I lament yet another loss of our city’s original flavor. My only consolation at this point is that I had managed to document images of the original version.
The original Chroni’s sign now becomes yet another bit of L.A. history that we’ll have to find in some future coffee table book. (Sigh) At least we’ll have the pictures, and the memories…………….
Boyle Heights  by Los Poets Del Norte. Check out their myspace for their music and their new B-sides mix.
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kogi truck line
Sometime last year my homegirl Karen told us about the Kogi truck and she had asked if we were hip to the game. We weren’t. When I asked Karen how she liked the tacos she said it was “BOMB†(that’s exactly what she texted me)
One day back in Feb. I was on my daily blog stroll and read that the Kogi truck was going to be right around the corner, in front of the Golden Gopher at 9pm. My man and I decided to see what all the hype was about. The truck didn’t arrived until about 9:30-ish. The line was already to the corner. The line did not move for a long ass time. We were starving and I’m not in the best of moods when I’m that hungry.Â
Quite unfortunately the Eastside (& NELA) seem to be hit by a wave of shootings. The local (il)legitimate media is pretty much silent about it. Working at a high school I have often first hand accounts of the going-downs in Lincoln Heights. Whether it’s drive-by’s or kids I know getting beat up, things are getting crazy.
Is it La Crisis? Is it an extension of what is going down in México?
from Rolling Stone:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/26793903/the_big_takeover/print
“It’s over — we’re officially, royally fucked. no empire can survive being rendered a permanent laughingstock, which is what happened as of a few weeks ago, when the buffoons who have been running things in this country finally went one step too far.”
That’s right he said royally fucked, the article is in Rolling Stone so they let him get away with a lot. This article really clearly, and passionately explains how and who was involved in a lot of the horrible transactions that led to taxpayers having to bailout the super rich. It is a call to arms. We should be pissed off and taking these guys down, taking their assets and locking them up. We shouldn’t be paying a dime for their money making schemes that made them even richer but bankrupted the economy.
Here is a video of the author talking about his article. I hope more people read and see this and we start doing more than paying for rich guys gambling.
Me : Hey ! I saw Rosannas facebook and it said there’s aztec dancers at Self Help right now, is it still going on?Â
Victoria : Yeah dude I was there earlier it was crazy.Â
Me  : So why didn’t you tell me or announce it !?
Victoria : I forgot. I’m too busy writing up blog post that I can’t keep track of everything.Â
Me : Yeah cause you post SOO much hahahah
Victoria : Anyway I though you worked on the weekends ?
Me : I do, I just got out and I was checking facebook through my phone at work. So i’d figure I’d call you and get the down low.Â
Victoria : Well go down and check it out. I bet your girlfriend Pachuco 3000 will be there. I know you guys hang out together as if your lovers.
Me : Sigh…just cause we hang out every now and then doesn’t mean we’re lovers. Besides I’m sure he’s up to something already.Â
Victoria : Ohhh I see.
Me : So did I wake you up just now ?
Victoria : Not really. I was taking a power nap because I rode my bike six miles today. Man my ass hurts.
Me : Damn !! you rode around that much ?!?!
Victoria : Nah, I have an exercise bike in my house. My knees are killing me tambien
Me : Ohh so is there anything else going on tonight ?
Victoria : Umm I’m not sure, but I’ll just end up staying home or doing something.
Me : Aight. I’ma head down to self help then and go take pictures.
Victoria : Ok puez. Give us your report about it. Â
Follow the link to see my report….
Is it just me, or does this soon to open Mexicatessen place in Eagle Rock have a name that’s bound to be a source of many jokes, especially for those that speak Spanish? Or am I the only simpleton with a Jr High sense of humor? I’m just saying…
I know that many of us eastsiders have an embedded belief that using marijuana connects us to our ancient sacred roots, much like the spiritual use of cannabis to the Rastafari. A sprig in rubbing alcohol or as a tea, has been a part of our grandmothers’ homeopathic medicine cabinet for many generations. As an artist, I have questioned the culturally profound and the political correct. [Note: Above image is a self-portrait connecting me to MarÃa Sabina and Bob Marley through marijuana.]
I feel that my obligation as a human and artist is to speak out on matters that I find unjust, using whatever power I have. Being a Chicana artist, I have used my body of work as a platform for creating exhibits and art that have a social message. I have worked with many other artists around the world to keep the sadistic murdering of young women in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico current and on our minds through various artistic campaigns. One of the reasons we have come together as a community in LA to demand righteousness for the people of Juarez is because of our history of resistance to injustice. That’s just the way we have been, since California became part of the United States. It was not by chance that in 2001 Raul Baltazar, Rigo Maldonado, Azul Luna, Erika Elizondo and I were invited by the victim mothers of Juarez to strategize on finding a resolution to these crimes—we were a small group of representatives of the greater Los Angeles consciousness.
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Saturday night, I’m still bummed out and sad over the two kids that were shot down on the sometimes-mean streets of the Eastside a few days ago. Across the street from my house there is a memorial for a kid I knew since he was in diapers, shot to death a couple of years ago at 18 yrs old, over some bullshit. Sometimes I think about all the people I knew and grew up with who aren’t with us anymore due to violence, drugs, prisons, all useless bullshit. But then I see something like Art posted up this AM, positive action, good karma, pictures of his kids, I hope all our youngsters have a chance at enjoying the good things that life has to offer, family, friends, a creative and useful time here on earth.
When the blues start to rain down on me I can always count on the Les Blank film “Chulas Fronteras†to snap me out of it, Los Alegres de Teran, and the good life, no matter how humble, there’s no place like home.
 
I have mentioned that I paint murals to make up for karmatic wrongs and have something to talk about at bus stops, maybe one day when i dont have 2 screaming monkeys keeping me from blogging I can elaborate.
Here are my 2 chongos, and their primos whom I am sole zuramaro of:
(PS, the trouble of taking this pic for tia/mama was the foundation for cleaning up Downtown on weekends when they get older, i primed them with LA river cleanups already)
 Me and my wife started a small nonprofit about 7 years ago that paints murals and promotes art awareness in working class comunities, blah, blah ,blah…
So Ive been busy the past week or so securing the permits and painting a mural regarding watershed and indigenous philosophy in Cypress Parque on Macon st. and San Fernando Road. The mural theme is Tlaloc, the aztec deity of water, creating rain on the city of LA (behind tlaloc is map with the LA River and Arroyo Seco highlighted) which flows into the LA harbor.
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