Inside Fullerton Winter 2020

THE 50-YEAR FIGHT FOR ETHNIC STUDIES

HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTION DURING THE PANDEMIC

MURALISTS

HONOR KOBE

BIKE SHOP SALES SOAR DURING LOCKDOWN

WINTER 20 20

INSIDE FULLERTON STAFF

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Stephanie Bolton

MANAGING EDITOR

Salina Falcon

CULTURE EDITOR

Annisa Charles

ONLINE EDITOR

Sam Serrano

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Elise Galbraith

PHOTO EDITOR

Logan Martinez

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Margaret Trejo

DESIGN INTERN

Nallely de la Peña

PHOTO INTERN STAFF WRITERS

Keeth Barker

Matt Covarrubias

Kiara Espericueta

Angela Gonzalez

Thomas Murray

Christian Rangel

Mariah Winsborrow

ADVISER

Jessica Langlois

Special thanks to journalism department coordinator Jay Seidel and graphic design professor Steve Klippenstein for their assistance.

Inside Fullerton is produced every semester by Fullerton College’s magazine production class, Journalism 132, under the guidance of student editors and advisement of Jessica Langlois. Editorial and advertising content herein, including any opinions expressed, are the sole responsibility of the students in the class. Information published herein does not represent the position of the North Orange County Community College District, Fullerton College or any other officer or employee wihin.

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CONTACT: For tips, pitches, corrections or other editorial queries: InsideFullertonMag@gmail.com

For advertising, business or course enrollment questions: jlanglois@fullcoll.edu

EDITOR’S NOTE STEPHANIE BOLTON

Dear Inside Fullerton readers,

First of all, thank you for picking up this issue of Inside Fullerton. What an incredible time it is to be a journalist. For the firsttime ever the staff of Inside Fullerton was forced to meet strictly via Zoom for the entire semester. Working together through emails, text messages and video calls was an adaptation all in itself. Not to mention civil unrest, racial injustice, political tension and a global pandemic that have caused the world itself to turn upside down.

Throughout the semester I have found myself contemplating what it means to be a good journalist. How do we get to the stories that matter? How does one gain the trust of the public in a time when “fake news” is a weekly trend word? How do we walk the line between unbiased journalism while still advocating for basic human rights and justice? Who is journalism really for? I am so proud of this semester’s Inside Fullerton team for committing themselves to the bittersweetness that is journalism and answering these questions for me through their work.

Our staff has not shied away from the hard stuff and gave voice to local and global stories that deserved a spot in the limelight. On this semester’s cover, we

celebrate the victory in the battle for ethnic studies, a story that Annisa Charles researched and revised tirelessly for weeks until it was perfect; Christian Rangel and Logan Martinez attended a protest with masks and all to see Ivette Boyzco in action advocating for her cause; Kiara Espericueta spent countless hours talking with local street vendors through a translator for her story on Fullerton’s new street vending permit law; Keeth Barker and Mariah Winsborrow spent days shadowing at the RON Academy to get the inside look on Coach Myles and his team. This issue of Inside Fullerton would not have been possible without the dedication of all of our staffers and the constant reassurance from our incredible adviser, Jessica Langlois.

This issue is for you, the reader. Thank you again for believing in journalism. Thank you for supporting our student publication. Thank you for reading about the importance of big issues even when we may feel small. In a time where everything feels so uncertain, I hope you find peace between these pages

PEOPLE

A former pro baller now inspires youths

Keeth Barker

8

Student video game designer makes his dreams a reality

Angela Gonzalez

10

LOCAL

Bike shop sales soar during COVID lockdown

Thomas Murray

12

Fullerton street vendors struggle with new permit laws

Kiara Espericueta

16

FEATURES

African American history you weren’t taught in school

Kiara Espericueta

28

Local activist spotlight: Ivette Boyzo

Christian Rangel

29

CULTURE

Dr. Martens laces used as political statements

Margaret Trejo

38

Punk music meets Christmas to bring holiday cheer

Thomas Murray

41

4 films that question the status quo

Matt Covarrubias

42

FIGHTING FOR ETHNIC STUDIES

Annisa Charles FEATURE -20

New CSU ethnic studies requirement is a victory after 50 years of advocacy

MAMBA OUT

Thomas Murray

PHOTO - 32

BEHIND THE LENS

Matt Covarrubias

INTERVIEW - 6

Cinematographer Pietro Villani gives an inside look on Hollywood production through a pandemic

Grieving muralists honor Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant and others from the crash

Cover Illustration by Nallely de la Peña

Cover Photo by Mary Anne Kramer, courtesy of SAN FRANCISCO HISTORY CENTER, SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY

CINEMATOGRAPHERPIETROVILLANI

GIVESUSTHEINSIDELOOKON

HOLLYWOODPRODUCTION THROUGHAPANDEMIC

BYMATTCOVARRUBIAS

the Behind Lens

An artist in any fieldfaces many challenges in their craft; from finding the perfect muse to making a living. But artists whose work is inherently collaborative—like those working in film—ae facing unique challenges in getting work and staying safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pietro Villani has been a cinematographer for the past two decades. Originally from Brooklyn, this Chapman University graduate and now L.A. based freelance artist has worked on films,music videos, shorts, documentaries and commercials. Villani started his career as a set lighting technician, working on the sets of movies like “Spider-Man 3” and “Dreamgirls.” He is now an established cinematographer with a wide range of experience. He has filmedeverything from TV commercials for companies like Farmers Insurance, Ford, Hyundai, and Heinz Ketchup to movies like “I’m Not Here” starring J.K. Simmons, Mandy Moore and Sebastian Stan.

But all production stopped when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, with most shows and movies halting all operations on March 14. Hollywood was shut down until June 12, when Gov. Gavin Newsom allowed filmand TV production to resume. But things were very different when work started back up again. Villani tells Inside Fullerton his experience during this time. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

IF: What was it like being on set in the middle of March right as the virus was starting to hit?

PV: We knew it was coming. I had friends calling me and texting me saying, “Hey, my show just went down.” First thing I was concerned about was the safety of my crew, my people.

IF: Sounds like it was a waiting game. Production crews didn’t know when it was coming until it did. What was the closure itself like?

PV: There was no trail off. Everything just completely shut down. All the friends I know, each one of their shows went down at the same time… It was like turning the engine off, and it was quiet. No one was working.

IF: Just like that, Hollywood was shut down. How long were you out of work? What was that period of time like?

PV: I didn’t come back to work until the end of June. My kids were home; they were still doing school. I was doing nothing but working on my house. Just waiting for it to end. With no date in sight. Nobody talked about doing anything because no one knew what was going to happen.

IF: So no new projects, and any projects you were attached to were cancelled. With productions now resuming, what are some major changes within the work environment that affect your workflow

PV: The process gets slowed down, and it’s an industry that doesn’t like to be slow. Now, you have more things to do, meaning testing. In the beginning you were getting the nasal swab where they would go into the back of your skull, now they are doing it just in your nostril—they’re doing rapid tests.

IF: What’s a day in your life like as a cinematographer now?

PV: You come in, you answer questions, you go to work. People come on set, and certain people need to clear out. Only certain people are allowed on set… I’m allowed on set, but they want the lighting crew to step off. Then we have to go around and wipe everything down at the end of the day… So you’re wiping down the whole camera package—you’re wiping down your lights… It’s a lot of added steps.

IF: Are there any other challenges to working in production right now?

PV: I did a commercial… That was done small and all remote. Director was remote. Client was remote. Producer was remote… a lot of people were remote, it was very interesting. When I’m shooting a commercial and my director is not there, it’s weird. It’s very detached.

IF: Are you concerned about your safety while working?

PV: Am I concerned? Yeah. But I don’t think there is any model out there that’s going to be perfect.

IF: In your experience, are people following the guidelines?

PV: Some of these people have to be reminded. I did a short after we opened… you’d findtheir mask down below their nose. And then the monitor would have to remind them “Hey, pull your mask up.” It’s just natural to gravitate back to that and forget. You know what I mean? Because you’re in the moment.

IF: Are you starting to get more work and what are your thoughts on future productions?

PV: I’ve been working here and there, and it’s been great, but it’s not like it was before this whole thing went down. I mean I’m dying to get back to work. I’ve been fortunate… I’m not as busy as I used to be, but I am working… Some people got nothing still, and that’s scary. And we’re not out of the woods. I mean, is this going to shut back down? The plug can be pulled at any point, and we could go back to silence.

LEFT ABOVE: Villani and crew on set during the pandemic, masks on.

LEFT BELOW: Villani on set before the pandemic. Once Hollywood was shut down, he was out of work for three months with no projects lined up.

ABOVE RIGHT: Michelle Schumacher, J.K. Simmons and Pietro Villani on the set of the 2017 film “I’m Not Hee.”

Photos courtesy of Pietro Villani

Relentless or Nothing

BY KEETH BARKER

For an athlete, their sport was their world. It is said that when the ball finallystops dribbling for most athletes, they have to figue out life all over again. Nobody knows this better than Myles Thomas, a kid from Inglewood who went on to play pro basketball until an injury at the age of 22 triggered his journey onto a new path. Instead of wallowing in the loss of his pro career, Coach Thomas built something new out of it.

A trailblazer, an athlete and an entrepreneur, Thomas, 26, turned his experience playing pro basketball into becoming a mentor to young kids who, in his words, “are overlooked and have the same fightand grit as I did growing up playing ball.”

His college prep school, the R.O.N. Institute, stands for Relentless or Nothing. It currently enrolls over 20 students who all come to the Inglewood campus and learn their academics, train and live together. Students work closely with tutors and coaches and earn a high school diploma through the Academy of Sports Science, an accredited K-12 online private school. For some, it’s a big sacrificeto be away from family so much. But Thomas says this journey will not only bring them all closer and create lifetime bonds, but also get them ready for what it will be like when they go on to college or professional sports.

According to NCAA.org there are about 483,000 athletes who play the game at a high school level and only 36,000 that play basketball at an NCAA level. This means only 7.5% of the high school athletes get to play at a college level. Fewer than 2% go on to play at NCAA Division I schools. Thomas has used stats like these to motivate his players to get them to strive to be part of that 2% that gets to play at a DI level.

While Thomas was attending Susan Miller Dorsey Senior High School in the Crenshaw neighborhood of Los Angeles, he was recognized as MVP on the court and excelled academically off the courts. Coming out of high school Myles also felt that he was one of those overlooked players, so he always had to play with a chip on his shoulder. He uses this experience to connect with his players, who he says have also felt overlooked, even though they play hard every time they step on the court.

After two years in college, he was recruited to play pro ball in Chihuahua, Mexico, for Los Nuceros. That’s when he tore his ACL and couldn’t continue playing pro basketball.

When he came back home to Los Angeles, he looked for something that would give him the same feeling that playing ball did. He decided to use his experience to train kids, building a clientele while working as a trainer at the local 24-Hour Fitness. At first,he didn’t get paid for the training sessions he ran for young basketball players at 24-Hour Fitness, but it helped him build relationships with youth and their families as he developed the model for the R.O.N. Institute.

Myles didn’t just want to start his business, he wanted to develop his own team and help these kids accomplish their own goals with basketball.

Eventually, he had enough kids to train with him, and in the summer of 2017 he started his own Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team for students ages 13-15. Thomas says one thing that really stood out about the kids on his firstteam was that every kid only wanted to get better at the game. Some kids

COACH MYLES THOMAS AND HIS UPHILL JOURNEY FROM PLAYING PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL TO FOUNDING THE RELENTLESS OR NOTHING INSTITUTE.

Relentless Nothing

were able to make the teams at their schools that year and some weren’t and this made things like practice, games and training mean so much more to everyone.

“Some just needed someone that actually cared about them; some needed a coach that pushed them harder than they’d ever been,” says Thomas. “I was willing to be there and help develop them.”

In 2019, Myles founded the R.O.N. Institute with a gym full of kids who were hungry and wanted their opportunity to play ball at a higher level than just high school basketball.

“Myles has been a complete game changer in my life, he took a kid that really cared nothing about the academic portion of school and made me lock in as a senior,” says Akil Johnson, a former player. Johnson played basketball at Rio Hondo College while continuing his education, and is now part of the coaching staff at R.O.N. Institute.

Though Myles says that he has a long way to go, he feels that he’s on the right path.”Stay tuned and you’ll see where I can take this thing.”

ABOVE: Coach Myles Thomas give instruction to his team about blocking at Champion’s gym in Carson

RIGHT: Thomas smiles as he watches the team learn more about how to shoot at a 7 a.m. practice

Photos by: Mariah Winsborrow

Photo by: Angela Gonzalez

BY ANGELA GONZALEZ

THE FUNDAMENTAL FACTOR IN A FULLERTON COLLEGE STUDENT’S MAKING OF A VIDEO GAME

One night in a vivid dream, Armando Salazar found himself in a society that had been struck by a mysterious disaster which had wiped out seemingly everything. Salazar was in a constant state of confusion; the main protagonist trying to make sense of his surroundings. Eventually, he came to the startling conclusion that somehow he had created the entire mess around him. In his dream state, Salazar set off on a mission walking through the ruins to find answers with his companion Catdroid. This is how Salazar’s original video game, Stolen Stimulation, was born. Waking up from the dream filledSalazar with a desire to make this vision come true. Alongside his friend and fellow game developer Riley Cooper, Salazar has been doing just that. In this role-playing game, players can succeed alone but like in real life, it is much easier to have the help of a friend to get to the end.

“You can make it through the whole game by yourself, but you might need somebody to help you out, just like in my case. The whole concept of Stolen Simulation is that friendship, in the end, really freaking matters. If it weren’t for somebody like Cooper, I wouldn’t be able to do these things and I wouldn’t be able to know what he and other people like him have gone through,” says Salazar. He and Cooper’s friendship possesses a parallel to the friendship that players in the game can experience. When the main character Arm and Catdroid set off on the journey, they befriend other non-playable characters along the way. If the player, who experiences the world of Stolen Simulation through Arm’s perspective, chooses to play alongside other characters, it can result in a mutual benefit.The characters receive a boost in their mechanism and Arm is able to complete the game with someone he relies on.

Salazar and Cooper met at Fullerton College during a visual basics course and the two became friends almost instantly. Cooper, being a bit older and more experienced in the game development process, helped Salazar and gave him advice from the beginning. Initially, Salazar’s idea for the game was too complex and Cooper helped him narrow it down to something manageable to create. “He was thinking really big and really complex and I helped him start at the basics,” Cooper recalls.

Since he was a little kid living in Mexico, Salazar has been in love with video games. He began playing video games on arcade machines at his mother’s little shop and has been hooked ever since. These fond memories of playing games as a young boy have transformed into an undeniable passion for gaming as an adult. Games such as Undertale and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, are amongst Salazar’s favorites and inspired him to develop a game of his

very own. Using GameMaker Studio, a popular game development engine, Salazar created the basic design and storyline for his game. Although he has sorted out most of the main details now, Salazar admits he struggled in the beginning trying to navigate the ups and downs of GameMaker Studio. “I was really frustrated. I was starting out and I was already like, ‘oh my God, I feel so incompetent,’” he says.

Some of the most helpful reassurance that Salazar remembers his friend giving him was, “Listen, people that were in your position back then that are really good now started out like this.” This reassurance has helped Salazar ease his way into the long game development process. He has begun to create a soundtrack for the game, aiming for more suspenseful music to accompany the mystery of the game’s plot. This music along with the blend of realistic and cartoony 2D art in the game have set the stage for Salazar’s imagination to come to life. The dedication and attention to detail that Salazar places towards the game often results in him working up to 12 hours a week on it. He admits to the process being difficultand often draining, but his desire to feel accomplished keeps him going. Salazar’s enthusiasm and dedication towards the game have not gone unnoticed. Cooper said, “He seems like he’s very happy, actually. It’s kind of like his baby. He’s watching it grow and become a real thing and he’s getting very excited as he sees progress.”

“Money isn’t the focus here, it’s more of an accomplishment,” says Armando, “If [the game] gets far enough, I’ll be happy because I won’t feel like a burden.”

LEFT: Salazar spends long hours at his desk, working on and improving the game.

RIGHT: Original graphics of characters from Stolen Simulation

BIKE SHOP BOOM

WHY LOCAL COMMUNITIES CONTINUE TO NEED THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD BIKE SHOPS THROUGH QUARANTINE AND ALL THE OTHER CHALLENGING MOMENTS OF 2020

BY THOMAS MURRAY

Small businesses across the country have been plagued with uncertainty by the COVID-19 shutdowns. In September, a study by Yelp showed that 60% of businesses that closed down due to COVID-19 are to remain permanent closures. The unsuspected standing small business among the rest is bike shops. However, local cyclists, bike mechanics and leisure riders alike found little surprise in the sport’s upward soar.

Local bike shops have managed to thrive over the past year despite the obstacles that 2020 has presented to them and small businesses alike have seen a tremendous increase in business. In March, NPD reported that adults were buying bikes for their own leisure at 121% and BMX bikes were being bought by a 56% increase. When the pandemic began, spring was about to begin, and days were getting longer. People were no longer able to go to the gym, which means they had to findother ways to stay active and stay busy, while maintaining social distancing guidelines. This led to the bike boom of 2020. Roy Diaz, 33, owner of Aljek Skate Shop in Anaheim has seen his fair share of struggles throughout the pandemic. “It is hard to get sale products because companies are mainly sold out of all their inventory,” says Diaz.

Diaz had his shop closed for four months and has not seen an increase of business since he reopened. “Customers mainly want our old name brand products to be on sale still but don’t understand that there is a shortage of skateboard products. However, they don’t want to go pay full price at another store.”

Mike Franze, owner of Fullerton Bicycle Co. and Buena Park Bicycle Co., has seen a tremendous increase of business. He said that his business has gone up 300% in sales. Franze mentioned that running a bike shop during this time has been very chaotic. “We saw people transition from taking the trip to Hawaii to buy a bike,” he says. Franze believes this bike boom emerged because people were not able to travel anymore and were forced to stay home.

Kerrie Von Korper, co-owner of Papa Wheelie Bicycles in Garden Grove believes cycling is good for families.

“It’s something the entire family can do,” Von Korper mentions. Her business has seen success early on from the bike boom and bikes were selling at a rapid pace. She has seen an influxof people come in to buy bicycles, it’s not just people doing it for sport or recreational use but that it’s everyone. “Recreation makes up the majority of our sales. We're more than happy to support any type of riding,” says Von Korper. Some brands Papa Wheelie Bicycles have consistently carried throughout the pandemic are SE, Haro and Fit. Von Korper is hoping to get more brands in the coming winter.

ABOVE: Rodger Kirby, a part-time worker, fixesthe brakes on a bike at Fullerton Bicycle Co.

BELOW: Mike Franze, the owner of Fullerton Bicycle Co., checks out a customer for an item they bought.

Photos by: Logan Martinez

Mike Franze has also has seen an influxof people come shop at his two stores and he is all for it. “You get a whole slew of different types of people who are looking into bikes,” says Franze. He believes that small bike shops are good for people who want to get into cycling because the shops are going to be very helpful for new riders.

Franze explains that bikers can get a more personalized experience at a local shop because of their expertise. “You come to Fullerton, we're gonna get you the right size. Cause you’re 6’2 so I’m 5’6. You and I aren’t gonna ride the same bike. Target doesn’t do that. Target just sells bikes that fitmost,” says Franze. Buena Park Bicycle Co. and Fullerton Bicycle Co. have stayed true to brands like Giant, Santa Cruz Bicycles and Electra.

However, It has been difficultfor Kerrie Von Korper’s shop to get new bicycles in stock because of back orders from overseas.“ Part of business has declined because of supply chain issues,” she says.

Franze has faced similar issues with supply. Around March he had about 150 bikes out on the floorand when he came back to work after the weekend he only had five bikes left on the flo.

Both have been able to maintain business by performing maintenance on bicycles. They both said that other local shops had to cut off performing service on people’s bicycles because the demand has been so high. These shops were unable to return people’s bikes on time or take new maintenance requests until they could catch up on orders.

Franze said that some of the other local shops have had to stop scheduling maintenance appointments for six to eight weeks because the demand has been so high since there has been more bike sales for shops. That created more work for other bike shops. Von Korper says maintenance is 30% of their work right now. “But as difficultywith obtaining bicycles continues, this percentage will increase,” she says.

Franze said that they will work on any bike and that it doesn’t matter if they bought it from a major department store or if it’s a recreational bike.“ Our policy is as long as a bike comes to our shop. I don’t care if it comes from Target or Walmart you know,” says Von Korper. She had to close her shop up to three days a week just to meet the demand of maintenance. Currently they close for one day a week just so they can service bicycles.

Prices for maintenance varies for these shops. Bearing checks, derailleurs and cable inspections are what typically get checked whenever someone brings a bike in for a tune up. Papa Wheelie charges $10 for a tube replacement per wheel and $25 for tubeless mounting per wheel. Some of the more expensive types of services they offer are box build, which can vary from $45-$125 or a frame build-up which is $150.

Cyclist Rosie Navarro, 30, has owned her road bike and mountain bike for 11 years now and agrees with Ortega that biking can be a form of stress relief. “The freedom and sound of gliding through the wind, hearing the birds while riding through the forest or listening to the ocean waves makes everything so peaceful.” Navarro has shopped at Fullerton Bicycle Co. for four years now and believes riders need these smaller shops because they take the time to help you more than a major business would.

“Cyclists need bike shops because of time and expertise. If you have time to fixyour own bike, that’s awesome but, some people are busy and others need help,” says Navarro.

Mike Russel, 39, also rides a road bike and a mountain bike. “I get to connect with nature and disconnect with the digital world, and have time to myself to decompress,” says Russel. The way Russel and other bikers alike see it, bike shops are what makes biking so great. “Bike shops provide the missing piece between riders and riding.”

BIKE SHOPS PROVIDE THE MISSING PIECE BETWEEN RIDERS AND RIDING.

The Street Vendor Struggle The Street Vendor Struggle

THE CITY OF FULLERTON HAS LEGALIZED STREET VENDING, BUT NEW MANDATORY PERMIT FEES ARE MAKING IT HARD FOR VENDORS TO MAKE ENDS MEET

BY KIARA ESPERICUETA

At 5 p.m. on a recent Saturday in October, Maria Matteo parks her fruit cart at a busy intersection in Fullerton, ready to start business for the day. She sells “fruta picada,” which includes mango, cucumbers, oranges and jicama cut up with lime and tajin. Matteo takes care of her four kids in the morning, and at 3 p.m. she starts her work day, fillingthe ice chest inside her cart and preparing the fruit by pre-cutting it and arranging the cups. She works until sundown, selling fruit in order to help her husband pay the bills. But she does so at a risk. Like many street vendors in the area, she doesn’t have a permit.

“Yes, I am aware about permits but I take the risk of not having one because I cannot afford one,” explains Matteo.

The city of Fullerton recently legalized street vending, but with mandatory fees and insurance coverage, some officials question whether this will really help street vendors.

Fullerton City Councilmember Ahmad Zahra expressed concern at the Sept. 15, meeting, that high fees in the new city ordinance would make a sidewalk vendor permit unaffordable.

“The spirit of the law is trying to help vendors, especially the lower income, but then suddenly all these costs are coming up that they can’t afford, so even if we’re allowing this… they aren’t going to conform to any of this because they cannot afford it,” said Zahra.

The ordinance went into effect on Oct. 15, 2020, after it was approved by the Fullerton City Council on Sept. 15, 2020. However, enforcement of the new ordinance will not officially take effect until Jan. 1, 2021. Officialssay this will give the city more time to publicize the new process and vendors time to request a permit. According to Dave Langstaff, an analyst for the city of Fullerton, the city encourages applicants to obtain their permits as quickly as possible.

Under the new ordinance, the annual fee for a sidewalk vending permit is $80 per cart. But vendors are required to pay a Live Scan fee for electronic fingerprintingof $22, business registration fees of up to $68, and obtain $1 million in liability insurance. The LiveScan fee requirement was conditioned by the police department, to protect the health and safety of Fullerton and its residents. Street vendors typically pay a fee of about $30 per month, or $375 annually for general liability insurance. This policy would protect street vendors against customer injuries and customer property damage.

According to CareerExplorer, the average wage for a street vendor in California is around $13.79 per hour. However, the top 20% can earn up to $31.41 per hour, and the bottom 20% earn $10.83 per hour. This makes the average salary $28,680 in California.

Prior to the approval for sidewalk vendors in the city of Fullerton, they were not permitted unless it was for a specific city event. On Sept. 17, 2018, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 946, which requires all cities in California to create a permit process for legalizing street vending.

Rudy Espinoza, the Executive Director of Inclusive Action for the city of Los Angeles, says it is important for street vendors to be recognized for their hard work and efforts.

“Most of the time, vendors advocate for affordable permits to have an opportunity to build their business and reserve a place, without having to get up extra early,” says Espinosa.

Most vendors just want the opportunity to gain affordable permits to build their businesses so they may be recognized as part of the economic community.

Espinosa expresses, “A city does not have to have a permit. You can create rules for vendors because it is not always about a permit, but having a system that recognizes vendors as a part of the economy is essential.”

The state law declares that sidewalk vending provides economic development opportunities to low-income and immigrant communities, increases access to desired goods and contributes to a safe public space.

LEFT: This Fullerton flowervendor has only been vending for six months. He, like many other vendors, was unaware of Fullerton's new permit requirement. He is now in the process of acquiring one.

Photo by: Kiara Espericueta

“Obtaining a permit legitimizes their presence to operate within the city’s right-of-way, without questioning or confrontation from police interference,” says Langstaff, the analyst for the city of Fullerton. He adds that the city has a process of guidelines established that vendors must comply with to protect public health, safety, and welfare.

Enrique has been vending “elotes cocidos,” also known as “cooked corn,” for a year and a half in Fullerton. His days usually consist of waking up at 6 a.m. to cook around 50 elotes. At around 10 a.m., he starts his journey to different spots around the city, like in front of the Northgate market and various parks, and opens his truck for business.

“I work for around four hours, and by those four hours I usually sell all of the corn,” says Enrique. Street vending is his main source of income and how he supports his family.

“I don’t have a permit, and I wouldn’t know where to go to get one,” he explains.

In the meantime, the city will begin enforcing permits once they go into effect on January 1, 2021.

While some vendors findthe permitting process cost prohibitive, others simply don’t know how to access one. Meg Mcwade, the Fullerton public works director, explained that vendors would be monitored on the weekends to make sure they have insurance and are licensed.

“Police and code enforcement are responsible for monitoring vendors. They have to have their license with them and a form of insurance. They will have visible stickers mounted so a mobile viewer can see them,” said Mcwade at the meeting.

Edgar, who also asked to be identifiedby firstname only, has been a street vendor for only six months, and he sells bouquets of flowerson the streets of Fullerton. Edgar started vending because he wanted an extra form of income. “I have not had any problems with the city as a vendor, and I hope it stays that way,” says Edgar. He also mentioned he wasn’t aware of needing a vending permit, so he does not have one at the moment. However, Edgar says he is going to work on getting a permit so he can continue street vending.

Langstaff, the Fullerton city analyst, emphasizes that the city is committed to helping vendors through the application process.

“There are community groups and private donors who may be able to sponsor an application,” he explains. The city, however, is unable to sponsor or offer reduced fees to cover application costs.

“Cities need to invest in street vendor programs. There are hundreds of immigrant entrepreneurs who work hard every day to provide for their families, and a lot of women who can’t find a job elsewhee,” explains Espinoza.

HOW TO GET A STREET VENDING PERMIT

by Salina Falcon

STEP 1 - Visit the City of Fullerton website http:// www.cityoffullerton.com. CLICK “Business” in the top menu. Then click “Sidewalk Vendor Certificate” in the left menu. The application requires applicant's name, address, seller's permit/resale number, business name, hours of operation and area of operation, and signature.

STEP 2 - After fillingout the application, contact Fullerton Police Department for instructions on live scan fingerprinting

STEP 3 - If vending with open flamescontact the Fullerton Fire Department for further instructions.

STEP 4 - Visit the OC health care agency at www. ocfoodinfo.com. CLICK Food Facility Health Permit. Scroll until “health permit application” and fillout the application.

By visiting the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration website www.cdtfa.ca.gov you are applying for a seller/resale permit. CLICK register for permit.

STEP 5 - Submit completed application to the business registration division on the firstfloorof City Hall, 303 W. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton. Call (714) 738-6531 or (714) 738-5328 with questions.

STEP 6 - A business registration certificateis required by law, it lets the public know who is running the business. Visit the City of Fullerton website again. CLICK “Business” then business registration and download or print to fill out

Since 1984, Byron has been preparing and selling fruta picada. Some of the many fruits that Byron sells include: mango, cantaloupe, melon, coconut, cucumber and pineapple.

Photo by: Mariah Winsborrow

FIGHTING FOR ETHNIC STUDIES

A VICTORY FOR STUDENTS, PROFESSORS AND ALLIES IN THE HALF-CENTURY FIGHT FOR A CSU REQUIREMENT OF ETHNIC STUDIES

BY ANNISA CHARLES

In the midst of the growing Black Lives Matter movement, changes are starting to be seen as a growing movement of activists and civic leaders works to dismantle systemic racism across the country. Systemic racism, also known as institutionalized racism, is the practice of normalizing racism within many parts of civic life, including criminal justice, health care, employment, politics and even education.

A new law in California is attempting to challenge that.

Gov. Gavin Newsom approved Assembly Bill 1460 on Aug. 17, requiring California State University students graduating in the 2024-25 academic year to have completed a 3-unit class within Native American, African American, Asian American or Latina/o studies.

CSU is the largest public university system in the country, and AB 1460 makes California the first state to require ethnic studies as a graduation requirement in public universities. That means all 430,000 California colleges will increase course offerings in these fieldsto accommodate the new requirement. According to the CSU chancellor’s office,this is also the firstsignificantchange to the Cal State Universiy’s GE requirements in 40 years.

Edward Robinson, African American studies lecturer at Cal State University, Fullerton, explains that he can see universities in other states making this a requirement as well. He says it would look bad to the public to not follow in California’s progressive footsteps. Robinson points out that students of color will see this change and begin to push to have these changes made within their university campuses.

Ethnic studies is the interdisciplinary study of race and ethnicity, and includes sexuality and gender, along with other parts of society.

For example, in African American studies, students are taught more in-depth about slavery. Rather than in traditional education where students are taught brieflyabout slavery and how Abraham Linclon abolished it, in African American studies, people are taught the roots of African civilization and the lost arts that many people do not know about. Lessons about the tribes and how they traded is an important factor in history, but is rarely taught outside of these classes. Students are then taught about the laws that were made during the founding of the U.S. that took all rights away from Africans and made them slaves. This is just a very small portion of what people need to be taught and may not know about unless taking African American studies.

Amber Gonzalez, associate professor and chair of ethnic studies at Fullerton College, says the change is critical for students of color.

“This really validates their experiences. Giving them a language to be able to understand their experiences is also very empowering and really necessary because oftentimes students have absolutely no reflectionof themselves in their course work their entire lives. So absolutely one course in their entire college career is a small gesture on part of the CSU to say ‘your stories matter.’”

CONTROVERSY OVER ETHNIC STUDIES

This bill has caused a debate between ethnic studies supporters and CSU. In March 2020, Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White’s officeapproved a separate ethnic studies and social justice requirement that would have included Jewish, LGBTQ and women’s studies, giving students more options from this broad spectrum of classes to fulfillthe graduation requirement. That bill could have ultimately allowed them to avoid ethnic studies all together.

PHOTOS: Fullerton College Dia de los Muertos 2019 celebration

The NOCCCD chancellor does not project a significant cost incease to accommodate students wishing to fulfil the new CSU requirement at Fullerton College.

Newsom had a choice to then either allow White to go ahead with this proposal, which was basically a middle ground between ethnic studies allies and those opposed to the bill, or approve AB 1460, which overrides the requirement passed by CSU.

According to Gonzalez, many institutions have been against including a dedicated ethnic studies requirement because the courses challenge the status quo and shed light onto hidden histories.

“The CSU chancellor created the social justice and ethnic studies requirement as a way to kill AB 1460 and as a way to detract from the original intentions of what ethnic studies is, because ethnic studies does look at gender, sexuality and religion,” says Gonzalez. This means that ethnic studies already goes into the same detail that individual social justice classes would.

AB 1460 was written by Assemblymember Shirley Weber, Africana Studies professor at San Diego State. She wrote this bill on behalf of the California Faculty Association and with support from the legislative ethnic caucuses. In an interview with KUSI News, Weber explains that this bill is something she has been working towards for 50 years, dating back to the student-led strikes that gave students their firstethnic studies courses.

Chancellor White and his officedisapproved of this bill because they did not believe the government should have power over the CSU’s curriculum. They also argued they already have required courses that would fulfilla broader ethnic studies requirement like anthropology or women’s studies. But proponents of Weber’s bill ultimately argued that those courses don’t teach the disproportionate, lesser-known histories of ethnic minorities.

Ethnic studies advocates oppose casting such a wide net for a “social justice” requirement. They say it detracts from the importance of studying these specificethnic groups and also devalues the importance of these other fields.The CSU Ethnic Studies Task Force in a report in 2016 discussed how it is harmful for institutions to group these courses together. “Some were concerned when their institutions treated one form of diversity as interchangeable with any other,” the report states.

CSU’s proposal would have cost an estimated $3 million to $4 million a year, according to the chancellor’s office,while AB 1460 would cost upwards of $16.5 million a year.

Hazel Kelly, public affairs manager of the CSU chancellor’s office,explained, “The estimates are based on potential increases to the number of faculty needed to teach additional courses in ethnic studies and to revise transfer pathways with the community colleges so that CSU can comply with previous mandates related to the associate degree for transfer.”

Cheryl Marshall, chancellor of the North Orange County Community College District, explains that Fullerton College will be making adjustments as well for the students to have ethnic studies options.

“Adding a course to the department will cost, on average, $3,600 per section. However, it is anticipated that students who chose to take an Ethnic Studies course to meet the new requirement may not have to take a course in another discipline. As such, we may not see a significantincrease in costs due to a realignment of resources across the campus.”

ROADBLOCKS TO CHANGING HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM

At the time AB 1460 was passed, a similar bill was gaining support from the legislature. Assembly Bill 331 would have required high school students to take a one-semester ethnic studies class to graduate. On Sept. 30, after both the state senate and assembly passed the bill, Newsom declined to sign it, saying the bill needed more revision.

Gonzalez explained this has been something advocates have been wanting since the late 1960s and early 1970s. AB 2772 in 2018 was another version of this bill, which was also created by Assemblymember Jose Media, but was struck down as well.

“Teaching everyone American history from the lense of Native American, African American, Lantia/o or Asian Americans would give them the language and knowledge needed to make a change in U.S. society,” says Gonzalez. “Those opposed to these classes would prefer to keep their hierarchies that we see today in different forms of privilege and their way of life.”

Robinson explained he isn’t too worried about AB 331 not being passed. “There is always a white backlash to any perceived advancement of people of color in the United States,” says Robinson. “Voting matters and minorities in California have built a strong voice since the 1990s and those who struck down the requirement will face consequences.”

Taking an ethnic studies class in high school prepares students sooner on how to be empathetic towards others in their jobs and daily lives. Not every student goes to a community college or CSU. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, 66.2% of high school graduates in 2019 were enrolled into a college or university. The other 33.8% go straight into the workforce or go to a trade school, thus leaving this percentage out of the ethnic studies education. Expanding ethnic studies to high school will help young minds be able to start being more inclusive at a younger age.

TOP: UC Berkeley Professor Jesus Barraza created this poster in 2009 to show solidarity with students who are still fighing for ethnic studies.

Photo

Jesus Barraza,

THE ROOTS OF THE STUGGLE

In 1968, the fightfor ethnic studies started at San Francisco State College. This was the longest student-led strike in U.S. history, started by the first-everBlack Student Union and the Third World Liberation Front, from November 1968 to March 1969. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X had been assassinated, the Vietnam War was ripping families apart and drafting people of color at higher rates than their white counterparts, and the Black Panther Party was demanding systemic change.

Acceptance rates for minorities were low at San Francisco State College at the time. Black students joined together and formed the firstBlack Student Union, demanding the administration accept a higher rate of Black students. They asked for 400 Black students to be admitted in fall 1969 and the administration acquiesced. But, when the Latinx and Asian students heard about this, they wanted to be better represented as well. They asked for the same thing, but were told to ask BSU to share a portion of the 400 spots. This caused BSU students to be angry, so the Black, Asian and Latinx student groups joined together in solidarity to form the Third World Liberation Front. They wanted to challenge administration for better representation in greater numbers. They had 12 demands, including that the university set up a school of ethnic studies, increase admissions of people of color and rehire an English Professor and member of the Black Panther Party who had been fied for speaking out against the Vietnam War in his class.

Demonstrations led to unrest, and the police were called the firstday of the student strike. They started macing and beating students with batons, which caused a full war on campus. Students started throwing rocks and setting off cherry bombs under staircases and in toilets. When word got out about this, faculty and local Black activists joined

in the protests to help the students. According to NPR’s Code Switch podcast episode, “The Long, Bloody Strike for Ethnic Studies,” on day 79 of the protest, 483 students were arrested and several ended up serving anywhere between 30 days to beyond one year. Some activists tell how they turned 19 in jail or spent graduation in their cell.

In March of 1969, a negotiation came together. After five months of protesting, San Francisco State agreed to create the firstCollege of Ethnic Studies and the school promised to accept all students of color who applied in fall 1969. But George Murry, the English professor and minister of education for the Black Panther Party, was not rehired. Many saw this as a settlement rather than a win for people of color.

Since then, it has been a struggle to get the rest of California on board with more widespread policies that create inclusive courses and campus environments. Newsom’s approval of this bill shows how important that strike was and how the struggle has remained active over the last 50 years.

Former student activist, Jose Castaneda III, explains in 2014 he fought and won ethnic studies as a graduation requirement for incoming first years and transfers at CSULA

He says, “I am glad the CSU implemented an ethnic studies requirement because it means Black, Indigenous and young students of color will finallyhave our histories taught just as any U.S. history course is required because ethnic studies is U.S. history, only it goes a step further to empower BIPOC students and families to become more civically engaged.”

There have been movements since then for ethnic studies to be funded in universities and colleges. In 1999, Third World Liberation Front students led a hunger strike and protest at UC Berkeley after an ethnic studies budget cut. On the sixth day of the protest, 81 students were arrested. This strike resulted in the creation of the Multicultural Community Center and more faculty being hired for the ethnic studies department. In 2017, students at USC started a petition for more Black history courses at the university. Fullerton College is now offering an Africana Studies AA degree and plans to offer American Indian and Indigenous and Asian PacificIslander AA degrees by fall of 2021, according to Marshall. And there has been the ongoing fightfor ethnic studies in high school, despite recent hurdles.

But the fightfor ethnic studies is not over. “We know things don’t change in history because those in the ruling and oppressive classes grant it to the oppressed out of their own goodwill,” says Gonzalez. “It takes the oppressed people to push the envelope to make these changes happen, to create a better world for all of us.”

MIDDLE: Police showed up and started macing and beating students with batons, which led to a war-like atmosphere on campus.

BOTTOM: Police were called in large numbers on the first day of he 1968 ethnic studies strike at San Francisco State College.

TOP: Students, teachers and allies came together at San Francisco State College to fight for ehnic studies in 1968.

Photo Credit: Mary Anne Kramer, courtesy of SAN FRANCISCO HISTORY CENTER, SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY

Photos courtesy of: SAN FRANCISCO

BY KIARA ESPERICUETA

The U.S. has a record of underrepresenting and inaccurately portraying African American history to students. A 2015 report conducted by the National Museum of African American History found that only 8% of history class time in U.S. schools is devoted to African American history.

Here are six facts in African American history you may have never learned previously.

1700S - THE IDEA OF VACCINATION WAS INTRODUCED BY AN ENSLAVED MAN.

As smallpox became a glaring issue in 1700s Boston, Massachusetts, a slave named Onesimus introduced inoculation to the town. This included rubbing infectious pus to a wound of the uninfected, thus making them immune. Doctor Zabdiel Boylston was intrigued and decided to test this on his son and his slaves. Of the 242 people inoculated, only six died. This was one in 40, as opposed to one in seven deaths among the population of Boston who did not undergo inoculation.

1800S - ONE IN FOUR COWBOYS WERE BLACK.

In movies and books, society is constantly learning about cowboys of the great Western Plains, but in almost every depiction, these cowboys are white. The cowboy lifestyle originated from Texas when American settlers would invade the Mexican-owned territory in the 1800s. Americans moving into the territory brought enslaved people with them, and they began setting up plantations. By 1860, according to the Texas State Library Archives, when Texas was unionized, an estimated 30% of the population was Black.

1954 - BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION LEFT MANY BLACK TEACHERS JOBLESS.

Brown v. Board of Education was a decision made on May 17, 1954 of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the court ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional. White and Black students were now attending school together, but due to racism still being an issue, Black teachers were not being hired, says Fullerton College ethnic studies professor Arnetta Smith.

1955 - CLAUDETTE COLVIN CAME BEFORE ROSA PARKS.

According to NPR, Claudette Colvin was a 15-year-old African American who had refused to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama, just nine months before Rosa Parks had. Colvin was arrested and became one of four women in the Browder v. Gayle court case which overturned the Alabama bus segregation laws. In an interview, Colvin says organizations felt Parks was a better "icon" for the public.

1967 - INTERRACIAL MARRIAGE IN THE U.S. WAS BANNED IN 1664 AND NOT LEGALIZED UNTIL 1967.

Interracial marriages were prohibited once the firstanti-miscegenation law was enacted in the colony of Maryland in 1664. This was due to the growing number of interracial marriages between Black and white people in the seventeenth century. Loving v. Virginia was a landmark civil rights decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the court ruled that laws banning interracial marriage violate the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

1969 - A BLACK TRANSGENDER WOMAN HELPED LEAD THE STONEWALL UPRISING IN 1969.

Marsha "Pay It No Mind" Johnson was completely left out of the movie "Stonewall," despite leading major advocacy for gay rights. The Stonewall riots began on June 28, 1969 and lasted fivedays in response to a police raid of the gay bar at the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan, New York. Johnson went on to march in the firstGay Pride rally on July 1, 1972. Johnson’s family and LGBTQ advocates announced on Aug. 28, 2020 that a monument will be erected in her hometown Elizabeth, New Jersey in honor of her legacy.

BY CHRISTIAN RANGEL

IVETTE BOYZO SPENT HER CHILDHOOD ADVOCATING FOR HER OWN LIFE AND NOW ADVOCATES FOR IMMIGRANT FAMILIES AND VICTIMS OF POLICE BRUTALITY

FREEDOM FIGHTER

When several hundred people gathered in Lake Forest, California, for a Black Lives Matter protest on June 3, 2020, over a week after the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, something new was in the air. Hundreds of young people were lining the streets, most who had never protested before, and releasing pent up anger at injustice and systemic racism. A woman in her early 30s, with dark short-cropped hair and a fiery voice, stepped in font of the crowd.

“Say his name!” she began. At first, thee was no response.

“Say his name: George Floyd!” she emphasized, completing the chant for them to emulate. The hundreds assembled there joined in, and soon she was leading the march several blocks to a nearby park.

Ivette Boyzo did not expect to be leading demonstrations against police brutality at the start of this year. Not too long ago, she was fightingfor both her life and her freedom in very different ways, in court and in the hospital.

Dying is incredibly peaceful. And when you are on the brink of death, you know it. At least that’s what Ivette says. She’s been on the brink of death multiple times. In 2015, when she was 27, while driving to get medications from her local pharmacy, she noticed that something was very wrong. The feeling of a jolt of electricity pulsed through her brain, then moved to the rest of her body. Then she felt a great heaviness in her chest, as well as nausea and the urge to vomit. Although she didn’t know it yet, Boyzo was suffering from a seizure.

At that moment, she was pulled over and arrested for a DUI.

After her arrest, Boyzo was left in a cell alone, firstin Orange, and then transferred to a jail in Santa Ana, where she lived at the time. Meanwhile, she was seizing all through the night, in incredible pain. The cause of the seizures was epilepsy, for which she had been misdiagnosed, despite suffering from this since she was 8 years old. The next day, her husband bailed her out of jail and took her to the hospital, where she was told she had tendonitis, given steroids and sent home.

As days went by, the pain did not let up. She started having large gaps in her memory and felt that she was losing touch with reality. The experience took a mental toll on her and led her to attempt suicide.

Just after 2 a.m., her youngest son, then just 5 years old, woke up to findhis mother losing consciousness on the couch. He rushed to her and tried to wake her.

“I just thought, ‘What did I do? What was I thinking? My children are always going to need their mom. There is no one ever who is going to replace me,’” recalls Boyzo.

She did lose consciousness that night and woke up in the hospital several days later. It was there that she found new resolve.

“There and then I promised: If I make it, I am going to dedicate my life to do my best to turn this into a better place for my children, and not just for them, for all of the children.”

In the years since, Boyzo has made good on that promise, engaging in relentless work in both the courts and in the streets, fightingfor families with few resources who find themselves in the middle of the justice system, struggling to get representation, mental health resources and sometimes to just navigate paperwork.

Boyzo’s health issues originated in her youth, when she lived in Mexico. She says that neither her family nor the medical system in Mexico took her seriously when she complained about the chronic pain and seizures. Because she does not always suffer from convulsions, the diagnosis for epilepsy was never prescribed.

“In Mexico this is such a big stigma, a taboo, that the families would even say that ‘She is just attention seeking. She’s just faking it,’” Boyzo recalls. “When I was 12, and I was having seizures, they thought that I was pregnant. At the time I had no idea what that meant. I was just a kid.”

Boyzo would findout much later that her form of epilepsy is both uncommon and intractable—meaning that it does not respond to treatments. She suspects that this is due to her gastroparesis, an incurable disorder which can prevent proper digestion and lead to malnourishment.

In addition to a childhood marked by physical ailment, when she was 8, Boyzo’s father lost his job, the key source of income for their family. Even before he lost his job, her father was often violently abusive. Boyzo says that her earliest memory of her parents is of her father physically assaulting her mother, often beating her.

Photos by: Logan Martinez

PREVIOUS PAGE: Boyzo passionately talking to a group of protesters before a unity march in Santa Ana on Sept. 12, 2020

RIGHT: Three people holding up a banner that says “El Brinco Morelos Del Chinelo” during the unity march, organized by Boyzo (second from the left)

When Boyzo was 15, fleeingthe violence, her mother took her and her brother to the United States. She’s grateful for this, despite the present domestic political and cultural situation where she sees her community struggling against police brutality and deportations.

“Yeah, things are kinda hectic and bad,” she says, reflectingon the country she has called home for over 17 years. “But I think this is the place in the world where we can actually change things. This has become home. I want to fight for my people hee.”

The inspiration for helping people materialized as she was fightingto keep her own freedom. After Boyzo was arrested for the DUI, Orange County prosecutors filedcharges against her, using the evidence of traces of medications in her blood. She says those traces of medication were from a prescription she took for stomach ulcers that her body couldn’t properly absorb because of her gastroparesis.

She fought the charge, and it was through the course of her four-year legal battle that she came into contact with people who she felt could not be ignored.

One day, when dropping off paperwork at the Santa Ana Superior Courthouse, she saw a man, an immigrant who did not speak English, in distress. He had ridden his bike all the way to Santa Ana from San Clemente, only to have it confiscatedat the front of the courthouse. Boyzo saw that the bike was the least of his worries; he was about to be detained. She advised him to not go before the judge again without a translator and a lawyer. She stayed with him for hours until they could both walk out of the courthouse together.

After four years of hearings, motions and appeals, Boyzo got her one-year jail sentence reduced to 75 days of home confinement. As she resolved her own case, she began to take on new ones. She advocated for clients and families, especially those who were without substantial resources, undocumented or who just did not know their rights. Boyzo found her way to fulfillthe promise she made to herself in that hospital room.

Now, more than fiveyears on from that day, she’s advocating for six families at once, through work that involves everything from making phone calls, drafting and delivering documents, and fightingto get proper legal representation. She does this all in addition to taking care of her family, organizing and leading marches and protests, and founding and leading a new group focused on education and empowerment in the Latinx community: Hijxs de Tonatiuh, a project that she hopes will one day become global. But some days her work is as simple as volunteering in a busy teacher’s classroom, helping students learn English as a second language.

One of those students in the second grade classroom where she volunteered until schools closed because of COVID-19 in March 2020, came from Guatemala. Much like Boyzo, he did not know any English upon his arrival. They had both come to this country with their parents, hoping for a fresh start, while still missing home very much. Boyzo recounts the story with tears in her eyes, how she told him her story and let him know that he and his family were not alone.

The last time that Boyzo saw him was before quarantine, and he told her that when he grows up, he wants to be just like her.

FEATURES

BY THOMAS MURRAY

GRIEVING MURALISTS HONOR KOBE BRYANT, GIANNA BRYANT AND OTHERS FROM THE CRASH

Something so tragic...

...can bring people together.

Jan. 26, 2020. A day the city of Los Angeles may never forget, a day it lost legendary basketball player Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant, along with seven others who all died in a helicopter crash.

When the news broke, people around the world paid tribute to Kobe. Lakers fans wore old Kobe jerseys. Candles were lit on street corners. People dropped off flowersat countless memorials. But those memorials would eventually have to be taken down. Artists have created more lasting tributes to Kobe all over Orange and Los Angeles County.

PREVIOUS PAGE: Andaluz The Artist’s mural is located on the side of a restaurant in Costa Mesa that features not only Kobe and his daughter GiGi but also the rest who died in the accident.

Photo credit: Thomas Murray. Photo editing: Mariah Winsborrow

ABOVE: Muralist that goes by HungFineArt portrays Banksy’s painting “Girl with Balloon” with a tribute to Kobe outside Landmark Surf Co. in Laguna Beach.

Photo credit: Logan Martinez

Vonn Sumner, an art professor at Fullerton College, believes murals are made by artists as a way to define themselves collectively as a group rather than individually. “We use art to memorialize the dead, sometimes, and to try to give the dead a kind of ‘life’ beyond their own lifetime,” says Sumner.

Mike Asner, who operates the website “Kobe Bryant murals” has counted nine murals in Orange County and 188 in Los Angeles County. Asner has learned about the murals through Lakers fans, Kobe fans and muralists who have reached out to him worldwide. Asner started tracking the murals when they firststarted appearing the day after the crash, Jan. 27. He wanted this to be a way for him to pay tribute to his idol.

Many of the artists felt the same way as Asner. They all were huge Kobe fans and wanted to pay tribute to their idol.

Sebastian Vela has painted between 15-30 murals of Kobe. One is on the wall of London’s Pub and Grill in Artesia and another is in Boyle Heights, on the side of Boyle Heights Dental Care. The Boyle Heights painting is Kobe surrounded by Black Mamba snakes. “The Black Mamba” was his nickname on the basketball court. The Artesia painting has Gianna sitting on top of her dad’s

shoulders while he is shaking hands with late rapper Nipsey Hussle. The background displays Downtown L.A. as a view from the heavens.

Hussle was a rapper from Los Angeles who was shot and killed at his clothing store, Marathon, on March 31, 2019. He was 33. Known for his songs “Grinding All My Life” and “Racks in the Middle,” Hussle was devoted to revitalizing the Crenshaw neighborhood by supporting local businesses.

Vela wanted to have a mural featuring Kobe and Hussle because he thought both were L.A. legends.

Vela’s friend and owner of London’s Pub and Grill, Raj Patel, held a community unveiling of the mural at 8:24 p.m.—referencing Kobe’s two jersey numbers, 8 and 24—on Feb. 24, the same day as the memorial at Staples Center. Over 500 people came in Lakers gear, holding candles to honor Kobe.

ABOVE LEFT: Artist Sebastian Vela’s mural piece in Artesia behind London’s Pub & Grill. Vela said that he’s only been in California for a few months and that the Kobe murals he’s done have gotten him more work. Photo credit: Mariah Winsborrow

ABOVE MIDDLE: Artist Tyke’s mural right across from El Toro Bravo Tortilleria in Costa Mesa. The busy streets between the two tell a story of those who admire and loved Kobe. Photo Credit: Mariah Winsborrow

ABOVE RIGHT: Sebastian Vela painted his mural of Kobe with a black mamba snake on Jan. 29 on the corner of 2200, East Cesar E Chavez Avenue, Boyle Heights. Vela says he moved to Los Angeles because there was such a great demand for Kobe murals.

Photo credit: Thomas Murray. Photo editing: Mariah Winsborrow

So many people for not only the

but for Kobe

“So many people came for not only the artwork, but for Kobe,” says Vela.

Andrew Dorsey, the owner of the restaurant Social in Costa Mesa, hired artist Efrin Andaluz, to do a painting on the side of their restaurant. The piece features Kobe looking at the other victims who died in the crash and Gianna holding onto him. “We didn’t really want to do something that was just Kobe and his daughter. We wanted to include the whole family of everyone involved in the helicopter crash that day,” said Dorsey.

Former Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, who perished in the accident, alongside his wife, Keri Altobelli and their daughter, Allysa Altobelli is featured within the painting, bringing a complexity of togetherness throughout the mural.

Dorsey believed this mural held a special connection to Costa Mesa because everyone on the flight lived within 5-10 miles of Social.

The most satisfying part to Andaluz was drawing Gianna.

“I wanted to make sure I took my time on her face and her curls and to bring out her purity from the youth, to bring out that sincere vibe,” says Andaluz.

Santa Ana has always been a city known for the arts, hosting over 20 galleries and 10 in the downtown area. Three Kobe murals have gone up in Santa Ana, just 12 miles away from where he lived in Newport Beach.

One mural, located on a wall behind a house in Santa Ana, by Alepsis Hernandez, features Kobe and Gianna playing basketball. Gianna is bringing a ball to her team’s side of the court, while Kobe is doing his signature look, biting the inside of his jersey. Hernandez said the homeowners asked her to do this piece because they wanted to find a way to give back to the communit.

Thomas Ngo, whose mother owns the house, says they always had murals on the back wall. This Kobe mural was to replace an old one that was hit by a drunk driver. Ngo wanted a Kobe mural not to just pay tribute, but to unite the city of Santa Ana at a time when it was being torn apart due to COVID-19 and politics.

This piece was one of Hernandez’s personal favorites, because of how it brought people together.

While she was working on this piece, people were constantly driving by, honking their horns and cheering her on. Locals dropped off water, Gatorade and snacks as she painted in the heat to have the mural ready by Kobe Day, Aug. 24, 2020.

“What really drives him to me, was the mamba mentality,” says Hernandez. “His drive was crazy and that’s what I tried to embody in my work. I wanted to be him but in the art world.”

Mamba mentality was something Kobe preached about to athletes and non-athletes. It is about obsession, mastering your professional craft and putting it before your regular life. It is about wanting to be great no matter what you are doing, whether you’re someone striving to be league MVP, a 4.0 student or an artist with the stroke of a paint brush.

Louie Pallasino started painting a piece outside of GCS Clothing Store and Art Gallery in downtown Santa Ana. His mural of Kobe took him three days to do and was featured on local news stations in Southern California.

Pallasino was in disbelief when he heard about the loss of Kobe. “Losing him was like losing the king of L.A.,” he says.

The noblest art is making others feel something, whether its joy, empathy or comfort. Art always knows how to hold the wary. A thought by Pallasino: “Something so tragic can bring people together.”

RIGHT: Detail from Mike Trujillo’s mural on the side of a Pavilions in Corona Del Mar. Local residents say Kobe frequently went to this store.

Photo by: Thomas Murray.

came artwork,

THE PUNK COMMUNITY HAS USED LACE CODE AS AN INFORMAL MODE OF POLITICAL ACTIVISM, BUT IS IT STILL BEING USED TODAY?

BY MARGARET TREJO

Fashion can communicate what kind of person you are. If you carry a canvas bag with groceries in it, people may assume that you’re an environmentalist. If you have piercings, you may look like a hard rocker or a deviant. Even though the way you dress doesn’t have to label your personality, that’s where our firstimpressions come from. When it comes to punk culture, you can tell a lot about a person by their shoelaces.

Lace code is a way for those in the punk community to communicate their views on race, sexual orientation and gang activity. It was once a popular way of communication in the punk scene, and today it is recognized by some. This begs the question: is lace code dead?

Cross burnings, confederate flagsand white hoods are all associated with Nazis and white supremacists. In the 1960s, there were members of the punk scene called the Skinheads, who were a symbol of racism. Skinhead is a close shaven haircut paired with aggressive behavior. A majority of them came from working class backgrounds, so their everyday work attire became the uniform of skinheads. They wore cuffed jeans, white shirts, overalls and Doc Martens. However, even though there was exceptions to the rule, there were those who were the poster children for the idea of racist Skinheads in the first place

Lace code was a skinhead subculture that began in 1970s London, according to an essay by Mary McMican. During this time, those in the punk scene wore steel-toed Doc Martens for work, but they were also helpful in a fight.

In order to prevent laces from crossing each other, ladder lacing became popular. It was developed into a communication tool by using colored laces and it then spread to other countries. In Southern California during the ’80s, punks began using this trend to communicate a complete opposite message than its skinhead forebears. Colored laces told someone if you were gay or anti-racist.

Dan O’Mahoney says, in an interview with L.A. Magazine, race-related violence was not tolerated by the L.A. punks. When you grow up in a very racially diverse area like Los Angeles, you typically accept all races. However, places like Fullerton and Costa Mesa were floodedwith the Neo-Nazis that the L.A. punks wanted to keep out of their community.

Orange County has a long history of involvement with the KKK. They attracted prominent members into their ranks and Plummer Auditorium and Fanning Elementary are both named after KKK members. Recently, the auditorium had Plummer’s name removed and Fanning is considering changing their name as well. This is a step forward for the city, but back in the ’70s when there were still KKK rallies in the O.C., skinheads felt comfortable spewing their racist ideologies. The most notable ladder lacing colors worn in those days by skinheads and antiracist punks were yellow, purple, white, and red.

Yellow means you’re anti-racist. S.H.A.R.P. members, or Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice, will wear these to separate themselves from racist skinheads who they are commonly associated with. Today, the social justice warriors of the new generation make their voices heard and want to make it clear they stand with all races through activism and social media. The punk scene takes a stand by incorporating their activism into their fashion.

If you see white or red laces, turn the other way. This means they are white supremacists or Nazis. These laces typically have to be earned by shedding blood for the skinhead movement by attacking anyone who was non-white. However, some use it if they identify with this group still. To punks that still follow the code, seeing red or white laces gives them full rights to call white supremacists out for their views.

Blue means that you killed a cop. In the current climate of Blue vs. Black Lives Matter, this ladder lacing method could carry a lot of weight depending on who sees it and knows the meaning.

Purple is another popular color, and it stands for gay pride. For a long time, it was dangerous to be gay. It still is today in many areas, and the LGBTQ+ community is fightingto be protected. In the United States, you are legally allowed to have a same-sex marriage, but it wasn’t like this until half a decade ago. Ladder lacing gave them the freedom to let their sexual orientation be known among their peers, but without anyone outside of their community judging them.

In order to stay neutral on all matters, you would wear black laces. They are the default laces color for most Doc Martens, making them the safest color to wear if you are uneducated on lace code.

This trend was popular back in the day, but it has died down significantly with today’s generation. It is still recognized, which can be seen when there was an outcry after Doc Martens released an ad in 2017 that showed red laces on a pair of their boots, which is associated with racism. With the increase in political interest among the youth, from 47% of planned voters in 2016, aged 18-29, to 63% in 2020, according to a Harvard youth poll, you would think that lace code would make a comeback, but it hasn’t.

There are the purists who take the meaning of your laces seriously, but there are also those who do it for the look. If you look at social media platforms like TikTok, you will see people who are new to the punk scene wearing red laces on their docs without even knowing the meaning behind it or not caring. With that in mind, it could mean that lace code is officially ded, or at least dorment.

ABOVE: A pair of Doc Martens exhibiting ladder lace code. Purple laces represent LGBTQ+ pride and yellow laces stand for anti-racism.

Photos by: Logan Martinez

BY THOMAS MURRAY

The holidays are usually a time of festive cheer, but when combined with the rebellious nature of punk rock something new takes shape. From 1977 to today many Punk artists have made their own version of these timeless songs. Punk rock has a rebellious attitude to go against the norm and stand out, which is what all of these artists have done to the standard Christmas song you would hear on the radio.

MXPX “PUNK RAWK CHRISTMAS” - 2009

MxPx released the song “Punk Rawk Christmas” in 2009 via Rock City Recording Company. The song opens with guitars slamming on power chords that are very loud and a harmony of people singing “Nananana-nanana.” The lyrics are about someone who is struggling to afford presents for the holiday and seeking to find Christmas chee.

DESCENDENTS “CHRISTMAS VACATION” - 1987

The Descendents have never shied away from showing their Christmas Spirit. “Christmas Vacation” is a song about heartbreak and how the holiday spirit can be taken away from you during the holiday.

RAMONES “MERRY CHRISTMAS” (I DON’T WANT TO FIGHT TONIGHT) - 1988

The Ramones might be the most iconic and influentialband in punk rock. Singer Jeffrey Ross Hyman, more famously known as Joey Ramone, wrote this song about avoiding conflictwith his significantother during Christmastime and not wanting to fight because of the holida.

THE VANDALS “OI TO THE WORLD” - 1996

THE KINKS “FATHER CHRISTMAS” - 1978

“Father Christmas,” written by The Kinks, refers to children asking Santa Claus for money instead of toys for Christmas to help their families:

“Father Christmas, give us the money

Don't mess around with those silly toys

We'll beat you up if you don't hand it over”

THE DICKIES “SILENT NIGHT” - 1979

The Dickies have taken over the show with the famous song “Silent Night” and have created their own punk rock masterpiece. Right away the song opens with a loud fast guitar. Midway through the song the band constructed a guitar solo followed by a reverb echo.

BLINK-182 “I WON’T BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS” - 2001

“Oi To The World'' is a classic Christmas punk rock ballad. The Vandals pay tribute to punk rock by the phrase “Oi!” said continuously throughout the song. “Oi!” goes back to the early roots of punk rock from the 70s. The song is about a boy named Haji facing discrimination from a group of skinheads until he decided to stick up for himself and fight back

Blink-182 made their own version of the song “I’ll be home for Christmas,” titled “I Won’t Be Home for Christmas.” Throughout the song Hoppus explains that he’d rather be left alone throughout this joyous holiday with the lyrics: “It's Christmas time again. It's time to be nice to the people you can't stand. All year I'm growing tired of all this Christmas cheer.”

Captain ameriCa: Civil War

(2016)

“Captain America: Civil War” is about government regulation, more specificallyfreedom versus security. In the film, the famous Marvel heroes have to grapple with the issue of government surveillance and oversight after several instances where their actions caused major collateral damage.

Joker

(2019)

“Joker” is about Arthur Fleck, a severely mentally ill man who was let down by the mental healthcare system. The filmexplores the flawsand outcomes of the failures of our country’s healthcare services and places a spotlight on how valuable and lifesaving those services can and should be.

BlaCk panther inCrediBles 2

(2018)

“Black Panther” tackles the issues of isolationism and differing ideologies on justice. The core conflict of the movie was that Erik “Killmonger” Stevens was so outraged by the oppression of black people in America and other parts of the world that he wanted to rise up and lead a violent revolution to dethrone those in power, believing that justice was not being served by the government.

Now more than ever, Americans are questioning their government institutions, and so are our movies. “You really do look to art to reflect the politics of the day,” says Jodi Balma, political science professor at Fullerton College. This reflectionof the failures of institutions isn’t just found in political films,but in blockbuster comic book and superhero films.These filmsaddress everything from lack of mental health services to the debate over individual liberty vs. national security. According to Mental Health America, a recent study shows that mental health is worsening in youth and adults, even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

(2018)

“Incredibles 2” explored unfair laws, by outlawing “supers,” meaning the heroes would be acting outside of the law if they were to use their abilities. This filmexplores the idea of vigilantes, and how the government was not able to provide justice, so an outside source had to.

An astounding 60% of youth with depression have not received any mental health treatment. Ongoing injustices against communities of color have caused people to search for justice, for the greater good and take governmental issues into their own hands. Especially after the killing of George Floyd, civil unrest sparked protests calling for racial justice, and roughly 26 million people participated in Black Lives Matter protests and demonstrations. Here are four Hollywood films that mirror these societal issues and bring them to the big screens. These movies encourage conversations about difficulttopics, and some hope this will lead to action. “In a society we don’t know how to talk about something until art shows us how,”Balma says.

BY MATT COVARRUBIAS

Writers, Artists and Photographers Wanted Creativity Always Needed

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