tag:blogs.uscannenberg.org,2008:/streets/2 2007-08-28T19:07:57Z Comments and observations about Orientation Week field trips from new USC Annenberg journalism grad students Movable Type 3.34 tag:blogs.uscannenberg.org,2007:/streets//2.117 2007-08-28T07:52:16Z 2007-08-28T19:07:57Z

I kept expecting to see a stubbly-faced private-eye, a Mike Hammer or Philip Marlowe, clad in trench coat and fedora, awash in black and white, sitting at the corner of the 70-odd year old counter, smoking a cigarette and preparing...

Deborah Stokol I kept expecting to see a stubbly-faced private-eye, a Mike Hammer or Philip Marlowe, clad in trench coat and fedora, awash in black and white, sitting at the corner of the 70-odd year old counter, smoking a cigarette and preparing himself for a quintessential Noir voice-over… “There she was. And boy was she a looker. A better broad I never seen. She could woo a man with lips to make Helen of Troy look like a sea cow who’s had her day. I knew she was trouble. I knew it from the moment I first saw her. But I was helpless. I was helpless, and she knew it. She came over to me like a pirate wantin' to bamboozle its next ship, like a kitty getting ready to play with a meal. I was a soggy rat, a nothing and a nobody just waiting, waiting, and I didn’t move an inch. She could smell my fear…I could see it in the way the nostrils flared on that perfect nose of hers…” (Or something like that.) It’s nice to see that places like this are not only around to be admired and gawped at, but that they are used daily by those for whom they were intended. L.A.’s a young city. But it’s a place like this, that has changed little if at all since its opening, that reminds visitor and resident alike that the city has a history. Often a murky history, but a history nonetheless. Besides, which city can lay claim to a lily-white past? And while New York, San Francisco, and Chicago could give it a slight run for its money, only Los Angeles is the true and full center of Film Noir, with its hardboiled cred evident in cafés such as these. And if having a clean past would rob L.A. of such relics, maybe good civic memories aren't worth it. Of course, it's always easy to say such things form this side of history. -Deborah Stokol tag:blogs.uscannenberg.org,2007:/streets//2.116 2007-08-28T06:35:50Z 2007-08-28T06:57:03Z

It takes only a five minute drive off USC’s campus, outside the gates that protect our prestigious university, to get a different view of Los Angeles. The locals refer to this area of crime, poverty, and urban deterioration as South...

Courtney Kabot It takes only a five minute drive off USC’s campus, outside the gates that protect our prestigious university, to get a different view of Los Angeles. The locals refer to this area of crime, poverty, and urban deterioration as South Central. It is a neighborhood that houses low-income families and lacks basic conveniences, such as limited fresh produce and healthy eating options. Locals shop at corner stores, where food quality is poor, perishable items are kept longer than the expiration date, and the meat is green. While these stores sell fruits and vegetables, these items are scant, overpriced, and located in the back. We met with Rosa, a community health promoter looking to better the community and create public awareness on the health issues associated with poor nutrition. Rosa discussed an increasing issue in the community regarding children’s afternoon snacking preferences. Unhealthy snacks come from vendors, corner stores, and quick getaway vans and typical snacks include pork rinds with mayonnaise, soda, and flaming hot Cheetos. Health officials have noticed a distinct correlation between poor nutrition and type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, is associated with obesity. According to Dr. Andriette Ward, one in five kids will develop diabetes; 50% will develop type 2. To prevent diabetes, one must be physically active, maintain a healthy weight, and start early! Unfortunately, some of the families in South Central don’t have the means to sustain a healthy lifestyle. A few of the individuals we talked with believed that community involvement can make a huge difference. The staff members at Healthy Eating Active Communities (HEAC) started two projects to empower people to make better eating choices. The first program, SB120, lobbies for chain restaurants to list nutritional facts on all their menu items. The second one petitions to revamp the corner stores to increase shelf space, and move fresh produce and other healthy snacks to the front of the store. Additionally, Valerie Ruelas, a licensed clinical social worker, is involved in a two-year diabetes prevention initiative that includes grocery store assessments, studies on food insecurity, and most importantly, a revised school meal plan. This field trip, for lack of a better word, was designed to accomplish three things: remove us from our comfort zone, find a story in everyday life, and prove that we have an obligation to our community. Perhaps the most important lesson I gleaned from this exercise was the last. After all, as journalists our number one responsibility is to the citizens. tag:blogs.uscannenberg.org,2007:/streets//2.114 2007-08-27T19:51:30Z 2007-08-28T00:02:36Z

As we approached King- Harbor Hospital, it did not stand as a relic of government oversight. The boarded up ER signs as seen on TV and in newspapers were there, but walking past, the sign seemed negligible. Instead of a...

Lata Pandya As we approached King- Harbor Hospital, it did not stand as a relic of government oversight. The boarded up ER signs as seen on TV and in newspapers were there, but walking past, the sign seemed negligible. Instead of a rundown ghost town, we stood in the shadow of a symbol of the Watts/Willowbrook community. An enormous facility struggling to survive an ER and inpatient shut down. A reminder of reconstruction after the Watt’s Riots, the hospital temporarily functions as an urgent care facility open from 8am – midnight seven days a week. The hospital along with its neighboring medical school and magnet high school stand as a testament to the community’s fight to encourage their youth to thrive and help their community. Imparting the idea that success and achievement are accessible. Yet, going to King – Harbor was more than just clinical. Rev. Madison encouraged us to challenge the stereotypes we had revealed on the drive to the hospital. Engaging the senses as we walked around the surrounding neighborhood suburban silence welcomed us. The steady hum of traffic and dogs barking served as the soundtrack to our visit not police sirens and gunshots. The entire visit served as a reminder that all too often perceptions not city lines serve as dividers. tag:blogs.uscannenberg.org,2007:/streets//2.113 2007-08-27T18:15:24Z 2007-08-27T18:29:03Z

Journalism as a whole is undergoing major transitions at the moment, and ethnic media outlets face many of the same challenges as more mainstream publications. In addition to decreased circulation, however, both the Korea Times and Panorama are saddled with...

Thomas Quinn Journalism as a whole is undergoing major transitions at the moment, and ethnic media outlets face many of the same challenges as more mainstream publications. In addition to decreased circulation, however, both the Korea Times and Panorama are saddled with the difficult task of capturing the attention of third and fourth generation immigrants, many of whom prefer English language publications over those printed in Korean or Russian. Our visits to both media outlets provided us with yet another example of publications that are scrambling to reestablish their niche in the unholy mess that is 21st century journalism. tag:blogs.uscannenberg.org,2007:/streets//2.109 2007-08-27T07:09:17Z 2007-08-27T08:10:44Z

As a British expatriate – raised in a series of small, countrified villages – I am unaccustomed to sights that truly astound and move me into silence. In the Hamlets of England, late buses and stolen buckets are considered newsworthy....

Elizabeth Henry Imagine living in Watts in the 1950’s. The landscape is composed of low-rise, dilapidated “housing” (for want of a better word), an ominous train track that splits the streets in half to serve passers-through, and housing projects whose occupancy consists almost solely of one race. The neighbourhood is rife with tension; the area is going through the motions of being quickly forgotten and swept under the carpet by the Suburbia-bound white community, leaving the growing Immigrant and Black population to “fight it out.” Things on the ground are ugly – so one man looks to the sky to find beauty. That man was Sobato (“Simon”) Rodia, an Italian construction worker. Low-rise housing For those who assume that Simon was suffering from a kind of psychosis, or an obsessive compulsive disorder concerning trash and Lego-like construction, the part of the story that doesn’t make sense is its conclusion. Simon didn’t die with a piece of broken crockery in his hand; he just up and left. He was finished. He and his towers were completed and there was no more to be done. Simon bequeathed his towers to the City and moved to Sacramento to be with his family. Is this the typical behaviour of someone suffering from a life-long psychotic disorder? No, indeed it is not. Psychological obsessions do not wither up or fade away; they hold their victims in a tight and life-long grip. Simon wasn’t yielding to a symptomatic condition of the mind; he was following a calling. “I knew I was going to do something, so I did something,” Simon said. This ambiguous justification seems almost prophetic. Simon seemed called to his purpose without fully understanding it; he was a simple man who simply followed an instinct to “do something”. And he did. The Watts Towers A glorious climbing frame, or a piece of art? A multi-colored playground of trash and stash Waste not, want not...crockery It might be a story of spiritual realization; it might be a story of psychotic fascination; it might not even be a “story” at all but more of a “hobby,” born of boredom and without reason. But I believe that Sabato Rodia had a vision that he pursued in blind faith, without answers or reasons—like an Italian Noah for the modern age. I imagine that Simon’s diligent and almost inhuman perseverance was an “if you build it, they will come” type of situation. Who will come? That is the question. Perhaps aliens; perhaps God; perhaps just “other people.” Rodia was an isolated, brilliant man who suffered – as we all do – from the anxiety of human sociability. Man’s predicament is that he both craves and despises interaction with his own people. “Other” people are rude, awkward, scary, aggressive, intimidating and vexing to the spirit of the individual. And yet, as John Donne said, “no man is an island.” So, Rodia tried to find a way to express this predicament and placate its tensions. Towers In his version of the Tower of Babel, Simon seems to have succeeded in reaching the God he was searching for. From the top of his tower, Simon was afforded the most splendid view of the quaint Church that sat peacefully amid the noise and haste of Watts. Having found his peace, Simon’s towers were left as an instruction to all those yet to find theirs. They encourage a low-rise community to cast their eyes heaven-ward, to inspire them and soothe them with a promise – like the rainbow that sealed the contract between God and humanity after Noah’s Great Flood. It is an old and universal tale of hope, where upward glances mean second chances. Church Rodia's signature Here's what I thought of it all, in a succinct doodle... ]]> tag:blogs.uscannenberg.org,2007:/streets//2.106 2007-08-27T06:23:26Z 2007-08-28T08:37:25Z

Increasingly, it seems as if the onus to maintain an ethnic group's cultural identity through its language is, by default, resting on the aging shoulders of the elder generations amongst the Korean and Russian communities in Los Angeles. That this...

Christopher Nelson The Korea Times and Panorama Media Group as part of our Thursday afternoon excursion. Both are all-encompassing media organizations that deliver content through the three main avenues of print, broadcast, and online to their constituents. But despite a combined 84 years on the market between the two organizations and a steady subscriber-base, both representatives we talked to cited the Westernization of their youth as one of the biggest challenges to their longevity. As the young Koreans and Russians successfully assimilate into American culture, they have less dependency on their own people, culture, and language as a means for survival and comfort. The dichotomy here is that every immigration to the US is at least partly motivated by the notion of a better future and more open doors for one's family, yet the further realized this dream becomes with each successive generation, the more cultural ties are severed. Perhaps the most telling similarity between each organization's business practices is the partnership each shares with the Los Angeles Times; no content is shared, only subscribers. Generational issues aside, however, The Korea Times is thriving. Whereas the death knoll of newspapers is sounding in every English language corner of the US, The Korea Times is seeing a 1-2% growth in subscriptions with a healthy ad revenue stream contributing to an overall annual revenue of around $70 million. Of the 11 North American cities they have a presence in, LA holds the largest Korean population outisde of Korea, with 1.5 million 2nd generation Koreans alone and approximately 30,000 entering Southern California every year. This number is expected to increase dramatically once South Korea gains admittance to the US Visa Waiver Program (click here for more details). Accompanying this influx is an inevitable exchange of power among those in control of US-based Korean media once the current power-brokers (mostly of the older generations) reach retirement age. That Korea itself as a country is very progressive yet The Korea Times still leans towards the conservative side of the fence is an interesting contradiction derived from who is calling the shots and may be a contributing factor to the waning influence over younger generations. The Korea Times is the largest sponsor of Korean cultural events in LA and as long as they continue to foster relationships with organizations such as the Dodgers, the Galaxy, the LA Philharmonic, the Hollywood Bowl, Samsung, Helio, etc, they should (at the very least) have a consistent channel for reaching the younger Korean immigrants. Though Panorama Media Group faces a similar plight with their youth turning more towards English, US-based media for their news, the organization also faces other issues unique to the political landscape of Russia. While the population of Russian speaking inhabitants of Southern California is significantly less (600,000) when compared to the over 1.5 million Koreans living in Los Angeles alone, the Panorama Media Group is still the largest Russian-language newspaper outside of Russia itself. They have correspondents all over the world and have been right in the thick of some international headlines surrounding Russia, most notably the polonium poisoning of ex-KGB agent Alexander V. Litvinenko and the murder of reporter Anna Politkovskaya, a PMG employee. The interesting conundrum here is that as the Russian speaking youth in the US drift away from their own ethnic media, those in the mainland itself would likely prove a rabid audience for PMG's journalistic content as it operates outside the power-sphere of Putin's thinly veiled totalitarianism. As of now, their website is purely informational and designed for potential advertisers, but because the cost of international postage puts a paper-based subscription out of reach for most in Russia, a full-fledged website that could garner subscription revenue while providing Russians with an unfiltered viewpoint on their homeland's politics may be a worthwhile safety net to safeguard against the decline in print revenue. Subversive oppression like that of Putin's government is the exact type that mobilizes a generation to take an active interest in where their country is headed so they can enact change where change is badly needed. In both instances, we heard facts supporting both the current prosperity of these two ethnic media organizations as well as their concerns for continuing that prosperity for years to come. Assimilation into American mainstream culture is inevitable and ultimately desirable for those attempting to make a home out of this country. The advantage these organizations will always hold over their American counterparts is the ability to authentically report on issues back at home as well the local ones untouched by US mainstream outlets because they are too esoteric. From what I gathered, the difficultly lies in balancing integration with nationalism so that the Americanized youths maintain enough pride and interest in the affairs of their native lands. As long as the dense Korean and Russian communities stay in tact and manage to retain their own identities, though, it's my personal opinion that youth strays towards pop-culture in the teens and early twenties but always re-discovers roots and national identity soon thereafter. The organizations we saw on our trips are entrenched and vital to their respective communities; globalization erases boundaries, not a person's heritage.]]> tag:blogs.uscannenberg.org,2007:/streets//2.99 2007-08-27T03:39:24Z 2007-08-27T05:35:45Z

An urban garden is not something of the ordinary, especially in Los Angeles. A few miles from the hustle of downtown, this community garden represents a unique sense of cultural pride and serves as a reminder that local pride can...

Michelle Phalen An urban garden is not something of the ordinary, especially in Los Angeles. A few miles from the hustle of downtown, this community garden represents a unique sense of cultural pride and serves as a reminder that local pride can exist in most unexpected places. This garden with its individualized plots represent the integrated cultures Los Angeles. Mexican herbs, Hawaiian fruits, and Guatemalan seeds found on these acres, serve as a reminder that this city is not of one race or culture, but a melting pot of many backgrounds and traditions. In this crowded metropolis, you can expect to find traffic, smog, high-rises, and business men and women rushing around with their Starbucks Coffee while reading emails from their cell phones. The last thing I expected to see on our tour of the city was a small garden within city boundaries. While interacting with the individuals whose plots sat on these grounds, I began to realize that this garden's purpose was not just to grow herbs and small plants, but to give the local residents something to be proud of. A refreshing break from the crime surrounding area, these plots give the locals a chance to practice something that they are skilled at and are proud to display. The men who gave our tour came from many different backgrounds but all shared a common trait- all were confident in their work and proudly shared a part of their culture. This experience has shown that no matter where you live or where you come from, people thrive on having the opportunity to contribute a part their culture and be proud of what they can generate. Michelle Phalen tag:blogs.uscannenberg.org,2007:/streets//2.101 2007-08-27T03:38:03Z 2007-08-27T05:52:05Z

On our bumpy ride to South Central LA, Rev. Madison attempted to pick my brain about the rumors I have heard regarding this supposedly sketchy area of California. I told him I was a blank slate; that I really had...

Victor Merina On our bumpy ride to South Central LA, Rev. Madison attempted to pick my brain about the rumors I have heard regarding this supposedly sketchy area of California. I told him I was a blank slate; that I really had not heard much of anything about South Central LA and if I had I obviously didn't pay much attention to it. While he had a tough time believing that I appreciated the idea of going into an area with an open mind. What I enjoyed most about the experience was listening to Rev. Madison. He encouraged us to engage all of our senses which enabled us to take in everything around us. The trip to the controversial hospital turned into much more than learning about the marvelous symbol, but realizing the effects of stereotypes versus reality. The LA Times bombarded their reading public with a deceiving headline implying that the entire hospital was shutting down. In reality, the hospital currently functions for sixteen hours of the day. The focus on success rather than supposed failure is minimal. The hospital and surrounding area was simply normal. But, obviously, normal doesn't make the news and that is what distorts reality. - Jaclyn Emerick tag:blogs.uscannenberg.org,2007:/streets//2.111 2007-08-27T02:28:59Z 2007-08-27T07:40:39Z

Tuesday morning I awoke without an inkling of the trip that was mapped out for my classmates and me. I understood that we might see some things we were ignorant of, but what I envisioned as a middle school...

Maritza Navarro MacArthur Park was a breath of fresh air… literally, it was hard to believe that only months before it was being trampled by riots and months before that the dope capitol of Los Angeles. Captain Beck gave us extensive history and toured the park with us to demonstrate the new safety measures that were taken, such as hidden cameras, undercover cops selling crushed macadamia nuts as substitution for cocaine and more police patrolling. He seemed to sincerely have a respect for the changes that Bratton is making in the force to affect the city, where police can make a difference. His biggest boast was that Bratton only ordered him to change the system, but never said how to do it. Places like the Park Plaza Hotel were once celebrity hot spots before MacArthur Park became unsafe. Now Beck hopes that restaurants and hotels in the area will attract crowds again to re-populate the area as a recreational place. Our last stop was in Watts to serve as witnesses to a community center meeting and meet key players in the intervention of gang members and mentors to the youth in the community. Truthfully, I had no idea that people are working to volunteer their time and practically risk their lives. But no no words can describe the mix of emotion that runs through you when you are sitting next to someone who should be serving a life sentence, but has now devoted at least part of his life to preventing the retaliation of gang members. I was scared, excited, nervous and felt the urge to cry and hug these people all at the same time. I had seen gang related news on television and who hasn’t read a death count after drive-by shootings…but to actually speak with someone that has kissed death and then lived to prevent it, is another story. It was that moment, my fellow classmates, when I realized I am studying to work in the right profession. Bratton’s prescription to us as journalists was to go into every situation and interview with an open mind, although I think it will take a bit more practice to make an unbiased account after meeting these graceful men… after all Chaleff said it best, we are their P.R... So we shall heed their advice and go into our new assignments by thoroughly checking all sides for evidence, much like detectives with newfound confidence, thanks to Joe Domanick for throwing us right in there. LAPD Chief Bratton and his "P.R." our guide, Joe Domanick]]> tag:blogs.uscannenberg.org,2007:/streets//2.93 2007-08-25T20:29:09Z 2007-08-25T20:52:38Z

Aha! I found them. I shall now attempt to sum them up. The Watts Towers were built by a man named Simon Rodia. The towers themselves are made up of pieces of what we would today call "garbage." I hope...

Winston Chua Aha! I found them. I shall now attempt to sum them up. The Watts Towers were built by a man named Simon Rodia. The towers themselves are made up of pieces of what we would today call "garbage." I hope I quoted that correctly. As I was saying, "garbage" consists primarily of, in this case, broken glass, tiles, sea shells, tires, and corn cob rhines--to name a few. The towers are in some ways like the human condition, where something in our lives is made beautiful by a whole the whole lot of garbage life throws at us. Steel, reinforced by cement enables the Towers' structure to stand. As for Simon, it is said that he was largely unknown, even by his neighbors. He was obviously a very handy man, who used simple tools quite impressively. There are unique features to each tower--for instance, one is decorated with the bottom of glass bottles. I noticed some of the 'Canada Dry' variety. Fire and rain threatens these Towers. The rain threatens the interior, and I assume the fire threatens the exterior and vice versa. The ethnic demographic has changed since Simon's time. Once primarily black, the area is now majority Latino. An interesting story about Simon is that he gave a nickel for each piece of glass, tile, or even corn cob rhind to the community's children. So he gave small, and he gave huge. I'm glad I know Watts for more than the Watts riots and its comparisons to the LA riots of 1992. I don't know anything about the Watts riots, so it's good we didn't have to write about that. Some say Simon was a poor communicator and even obsessed--maybe even a troubled man. I've never met him, so I can't tell you. For lunch we ate at a Watts restaurant. I like the fried chicken. I would go to Watts to eat fried chicken any day of the week. And if someone knows the name of the restaurant we ate at, please let me know. For some reason, in the presumptuousness (I hope that's a word) of my mind, I thought Watts was scary and dangerous. It really isn't. After Watts we learned about vegetation. My notes aren't so good on that one. My groups was cool--Kaitlyn, Jessica, Max, Evan Almighty, Emily, Michelle, and Kate. tag:blogs.uscannenberg.org,2007:/streets//2.92 2007-08-25T01:40:09Z 2007-08-25T18:26:39Z

I’ve lived in Los Angeles for about two years, and I am embarrassed to admit that I had absolutely no clue where Watts was located in the city. So our Thursday field trip to Watts Towers in South Central was...

Katherine Carroll I’ve lived in Los Angeles for about two years, and I am embarrassed to admit that I had absolutely no clue where Watts was located in the city. So our Thursday field trip to Watts Towers in South Central was a rendezvous to a part of LA I have NEVER frequented. Upon arriving at 107th and Graham, I was awe-struck to discover what is considered some of the world’s most astounding artwork amongst the bungalows of an impoverished neighborhood. Credit to such a magnificent project goes to Simon Rodia, an Italian immigrant who spent 33 years tirelessly assembling what is indeed nothing short of spectacular. Beginning in 1921, Rodia began his solo routine on a triangular plot of land. He gathered broken glass, porcelain, seashells, tiles, anything he could get his hands on (he had a particular fondness for 7-Up bottles, due to either volume or preference or both), from the beaches to the mansions of Malibu to the railroad tracks near his house (which was located adjacent to the masterpiece). Using only simple tools, a window washer’s belt and bucket, the artist imbedded these useless and discarded items in the cement, steel, and wire structures to create what he called “Nuestro Pueblo” (“Our Town”), the largest single work of art created by one man. These mosaics lie within a legion of structures, including a gazebo, three birdbaths, a fireplace, three towers, the tallest of which stands 991/2 feet, and a rendition of the “Ship of Marco Polo” (Rodia had a deep respect for the explorers and inventors of his motherland). Hand-drawn designs decorate the floors within and the walls surrounding the compound, including his initials, “S R” etched near the entrance. While his goal to “make something big” was duly accomplished, questions of what drove the artist to construct such a spectacle still remain. According to Virginia Kaser, Los Angeles City Cultural Affairs Historic Site Curator, she believes Rodia, like many artists before and after him, possessed the need for expression, unable to communicate such feelings through conventional avenues. He was able to maintain a fantasy world so to speak, that was his alone, undistracted by society and the outside community. After completing the monument in 1954, Rodia left for Martinez and entrusted the Towers and the property to his neighbor, never returning to the site again. Avoiding demolition in 1959 due to a group of concerned citizens, conservation efforts continue to this day. The cement parts, which are especially prone to cracks due to stress and time, go through a specialized process to repair the damage, while preserving the original intricacies of the structures. Never would I have imagined happening upon this oasis tucked away in quite a derelict part of town. Such a chance encounter only serves as encouragement to explore those unfamiliar areas of Los Angeles in hopes of stumbling upon even more hidden gems. tag:blogs.uscannenberg.org,2007:/streets//2.91 2007-08-25T00:00:52Z 2007-08-25T18:27:35Z

After watching a brief documentary on the Chavez Ravine, I thought the day was headed for something rather depressing. Dodger Stadium was built upon land that had been the home to poor Latino communities in the 1940s. Though unfamiliar with...

Shannon Carroll After watching a brief documentary on the Chavez Ravine, I thought the day was headed for something rather depressing. Dodger Stadium was built upon land that had been the home to poor Latino communities in the 1940s. Though unfamiliar with this interesting history lesson of L.A., I was looking forward to learning more. But we got sidetracked, and though we hit upon the subject briefly, our group was exposed to much more than any of us had anticipated Our day commenced with lunch at the Los Angeles Police Academy. The retro Los Angeles Police Revolver and Athletic Club Café offered the standard deli-fare, with a side of gruff waitress. Sergeant Steve Williams led us on a tour of the facilities that made up the academy. One of three academy locations in L.A., the landmark boasted a shooting range, swimming pool, gymnasium (where a time-capsule is supposedly buried), track, a picturesque rock garden (several movies have been filmed in front of the remarkable man-made waterfalls), and the “last” gun-shop in L.A. It was in this last place where I thought I would get the opportunity to hold a gun. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and had to move onto other things. Fortunately, those other things included a Force Options Simulator! The Tactics Training Center is a well-hidden room tucked behind the shooting range. Sergeant Eric Quan informed us that the Force Options Simulator (FOS machine) is used to test judgment and decision-making among the officers-in-training. The FOS machine is a large screen displaying a video of various situations officers may find themselves in while on-duty. Now, these were no computer-generated animations. Someone had filmed actors for the scenes depicting grave school shootings and insane knife-wielding men (more on that in a little bit). Both sergeants demonstrated how to assess a situation, communicate with all involved parties, and of course, handle the Glocks. Then it was our turn! Brian and I were up against two shady characters: a lady who left her vehicle during a routine traffic stop (in front of us) and a crazy S.O.B. dressed in fatigues and swinging a machete (to our direct left). We were encouraged to vocalize commands, though our efforts were in vain as the offenders proved hard-of-hearing. The lady continued to step toward us and reach for her license after repeatedly telling her to stop. Before we had the chance to deal with her, we were soon distracted by the maniac randomly romping around a field with what appeared to be a large knife. Initially, he failed to see us. But within a matter of seconds, he made eye contact and came directly toward us, raised machete and all. We yelled at him to stop and then BAM BAM BAM! Our shots hit leg and chest, but Sergeant Quan told us we were too late. We should have shot him as soon as he came bounding in our direction. So, we would have been sushi, but what a fantastic way to end our tour at the academy. After such an exhilarating experience, it was difficult to believe the day could get even better. We entered Dodger Stadium at the club level, a.k.a. the best level ever! We were shown sweet suites ($5000 a game) and stunning views of the diamond (worth every penny). Our group sat down with three employees essential to the Dodger experience: Howard Sunkin, Senior VP of Public Affairs, Director of PR Josh Rawitch, and team historian Mark Langill. Though all were very gracious in taking time to speak with us, the most intriguing was Mark Langill. He proved to be more than just a walking encyclopedia of Dodger baseball. He supplied us with touching anecdotes, rich team history, and some journalistic advice. The most crucial lesson he learned while a beat writer at the L.A. Times is that journalism is all about possessing people skills. Treat those you are interviewing like people and not stories, and you will gain much more than the same, insipid answers. Then came the ultimate tour. Mark showed us around the Vin Scully Press Box (the organist and modern music DJ are press box neighbors) and the inspiring hallways walked by players on their way to the field (spot lit jerseys inscribed with the team’s retired numbers line the walls). Last, but certainly not least, we walked out onto the FIELD. We climbed the same steps as Manager Tommy LaSorda had in the past and savored the feel of the perfectly-trimmed, emerald green grass under our bare feet. I swear, the air even smelled different. I can see why grown men have gone giddy after a trip down here. I left the park a little lightheaded. Ok, so I realize that I failed to mention anything about Chavez Ravine. It is a significant story and one that every L.A. resident should know. So if you would like to know more, you can borrow my DVD or do some research on your own. I apologize, but I think you can understand my lack of focus. tag:blogs.uscannenberg.org,2007:/streets//2.90 2007-08-24T20:40:23Z 2007-08-24T21:09:23Z

This fish is never going to be famous. He's never going to have a beer. He's never going to watch a Lakers game. In the scheme of life, he is pretty much completely insignificant. He doesn't even have a...

Marcus Mulick This fish is never going to be famous. He's never going to have a beer. He's never going to watch a Lakers game. In the scheme of life, he is pretty much completely insignificant. He doesn't even have a name. But this fish, who I will call Mr. Limpet, is going to make someone, or even an entire family, very happy. Soon, he will be picked by an eager customer and thrown on the stove to be eaten. The eager customer will devour the majority of Mr. Limpet's body without even thinking about story of Mr. Limpet's life. That is tragic. The fact that Mr. Limpet died in the first place is not significant at all. But it's tragic that his story will never be told. While it seems totally irrelevant to tell the story of a fish, it would none-the-less be interesting. Who wouldn't want to learn about the birth of Mr. Limpet, his migration patterns, his sexual encounters and the details of his untimely death? Even something as trivial as the life of a fish can be made interesting. That is the role of a journalist. If a journalist can tell the story of a fish in an interesting way, imagine what a journalist can do telling the story about a human being. But let's not limit it to a human being. Journalists tell stories about issues, locations, events...pretty much anything. When I was thinking about the fish, I started thinking about the location we were at. The San Pedro Fish Market. How long had it been there? Had it once been booming? What kind of people frequent a place like this? I was interested in knowing more. And that's exactly what happened at our first stop of the day in Hawthorne in our meeting with the city manager. When we walked into his office, I had no questions. I didn't care at all who he was. I wasn't interested at all in city politics. But as I walked out of his office, I realized that I probably asked more questions than anyone else. No matter how unintersting something may be, it can be a story. It can be reported. Unfortunately for Mr. Limpet, his story will go untold. ]]> tag:blogs.uscannenberg.org,2007:/streets//2.88 2007-08-24T18:11:09Z 2007-08-31T08:03:14Z

This year, like every year, a rookie ballplayer will walk down a series of corridors to the player’s entrance to the field at Dodger Stadium. On his way, he will pass a wall sporting the name of every man to...

Brian Frank This year, like every year, a rookie ballplayer will walk down a series of corridors to the player’s entrance to the field at Dodger Stadium. On his way, he will pass a wall sporting the name of every man to play for the Dodgers between 1883 and 2003. Next, he will pass a series of photo murals displaying some of the great moments of Dodger history, from Gibson’s home run limp (he had injured himself without anyone knowing, but he went to bat anyway, took a lame swing at the ball, and blasted it into the bleachers, the ball never to be found) to Steve Garvey nearly colliding with three of his teammates in a victory celebration at the pitcher’s mound. Next, the rookie will pass the retired jerseys of nine of the team’s greatest players, each framed on a blue background and hanging one after another along the walls. Just before he steps out onto the field, he will pass one more blue-background picture frame, this one curiously empty. He will ask if the jersey was stolen. No, they will tell him. This one is waiting for the jersey of the next great Dodger. And he could be you. Team Historian Mark Langill was leading us on a tour through Dodger Stadium and Dodger history. I am neither passionate nor knowledgeable when it comes to baseball, but entering as we did through the player’s entrance, I felt the tug of sentimentality. The whole trip evoked a sense of the history, the culture, and the future of the Dodgers all at once. It was like standing in someone’s home and viewing the family photos in his hallway. It was personal. I can only imagine the chills that rookie will feel when he goes out on the field for his first game. To speak with Langill, Director of Public Relations Josh Rawitch, and Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Howard Sunkin, and to spend time with them, it is hard not to get caught up in their enthusiasm. From the looks of it, they simply love their jobs. “This is like a kid gone to Heaven,” says Sunkin. Langill talks with simple pleasure about going to work every day. “It’s not, ‘Hey, I’m going to the DMV or the grocery store.’ I’m going to the ballpark,” he says. These guys seem to prove that “Dodger family” is not just corporate-speak. Rawitch is the son of both a journalist and a journalism instructor. He took journalism courses from his mother, and, at one point, so did Langill. They have that tie, that history. Langill jokes about the experience. On his first day of class, he was scared to death of his new instructor. She stood at the front of the class, taking a pull on her cigarette, just staring at her new students, not uttering a word. “It was like Clint Eastwood in a dress,” Langill says. All this positive energy and play makes the franchise seem too good to be true. Even the owner, Frank McCourt, seems like a dream-maker. “He really believes the reason to own the Dodgers is to do good,” says Sunkin. But some still say Dodger Stadium is founded upon the crushed dreams of 300 immigrant families who once lived in a shantytown called Chavez Ravine. In a political and bureaucratic bungle in the early ’50s, the city broke a promise to the people to build a new housing project and make them the very first residents. The full story is complex and worth reading about, but for those who lost their homes, it is a story of betrayal. As it turns out, the Dodgers franchise did not oust the people, but it now takes the brunt of the complaints, because, after all, it sits squarely on the land those people once owned (a few of the residents are still alive today). Listening to Langill speak, I see a similar story played out over and over again, but with the players, not the immigrants. Take Roy Gleason, for instance. Gleason got his World Series ring shortly before being shipped off to Vietnam in the ’60s. One day he was injured by some shrapnel and they pulled him out before he had time to clear his locker. He had left his ring in the locker, and he never saw it again. When Gleason returned to the United States, he did not return to the Dodgers, not even to watch a game. Here was a man who had battled to entertain baseball fans and then battled in service to his country, a man who later was too humble to return to Dodger Stadium to ask if the team remembered him. He thought he had been forgotten. Fortunately, this story has a happy ending. When an author called up Langill looking for some archival photos of Roy Gleason and the Dodgers, Langill went digging. Eventually, Langill heard Gleason’s story and decided to plan a secret celebration in honor of Roy Gleason. They invited him back to the park for a game in 2003 and asked him to throw the first pitch. It would be the fortieth anniversary of his rookie season. Gleason agreed, and immediately after the pitch, Vin Scully’s booming voice sounded over the P.A., saying that there was one thing missing, and that was his World Series ring. The team manager at the time, Jim Tracy, met Gleason at the third base line, the whole team trailing behind, and gave Gleason his ring (it hardly fit his pinky, but that was beside the point). Every guy on the team shook Gleason’s hand. Gleason hadn’t called to ask for tickets in about 20 years. But after his return, after seeing his name on that wall of Dodgers (“after two long tense minutes of searching,” says Langill, who was afraid that Gleason’s name might actually have been overlooked), Gleason occasionally calls to ask if he can come see a game. He uses one or two of the six home game tickets allotted to each former Dodger for each season. He is not forgotten; players and umpires with whom he had associated 40 years ago still recognize him. Langill says he is more interested in these kinds of stories than in the stats. “It’s not the books, not the numbers, just the fact that former players can come back and feel welcome,” he says. And he says the story he loved reporting most when he was a journalist wasn’t really about a Dodger breaking any record. It wasn’t even about a Dodger. He had reported on a father and son facing off in an exhibition match at a local field. The son was grown up and the father looked like “he had just come from ‘Leave It to Beaver.’” The son pitched a few and suddenly Dad hit a home run. The son was mortified. He couldn’t believe he had just thrown his father a home run pitch. But it was all in good fun. Here’s the catch: that father is now a groundskeeper at Dodger Stadium. That is why Langill loves his job. It is for the stories that pass through that stadium. So is it worth displacing 300 families to improve the entertainment of hundreds of thousands of baseball fans, create a home for old ballplayers, and provide a place where boys can be boys in a baseball Neverland? It goes to the very heart of the American sports tradition. Dreams are made and broken in that bowl, just as they are made and broken on the streets of Los Angeles. The people of Chavez Ravine found new homes. So did the Dodgers. So whose story is more important? tag:blogs.uscannenberg.org,2007:/streets//2.87 2007-08-24T17:30:37Z 2007-08-24T17:45:31Z

When I first got to Los Angeles I was completely overwhelmed by what I saw as a solid mass of people and noise. Boyle Heights was fascinating because our fearless leader explained so much about the history of the area...

Esther Pomeroy When I first got to Los Angeles I was completely overwhelmed by what I saw as a solid mass of people and noise. Boyle Heights was fascinating because our fearless leader explained so much about the history of the area and the waves of immigration that have led to what it is today--a mostly Latino area with a rich history of Jewish, Italian, Chinese and Japanese immigration following different periods of strife in their respective homelands. I think it was summed up best in a Santa Cruz flower shop sign (in Spanish) with a Star of David on it. It was important for me because it allowed me to look past the confusing crowds of people and see the history behind them, to get an idea as to how all these people came here, with different cultures and languages and ideas. I got to see citizens of LA as as individual artists, musicians, ex-gang members, priests, and social workers; and as members of concerned and rallying communities with strong cultural identities,