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Including Inglewood Airport Area • Baldwin Hills • Crenshaw/LA • Ladera Heights VOL. 24, No. 24
June 11, 2015
Forest Whitaker Film About Inglewood Debuts June 19 Indie Film Featured at Sundance Festival
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ife in Inglewood will be played out on the big screen beginning next week when “Dope” comes to local theatres. The coming of age film, produced by Forest Whitaker, Nina Yang Bongiovi, and Pharrell Williams opens in local theatres on June 19. Subtitled, “It’s Hard Out Here For A Geek,” the film centers around high-school senior Malcolm (Shameik Moore) and his friends Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons). Malcolm has dreams of going to his school year, bonding with Harvard, as he finishing out friends over ‘90s hip-hop culture, studies and playing music in their own punk band. A chance encounter with a drug dealer named Dom lands Malcolm and company at the dealer’s nightclub birthday party; when the scene turns violent, they flee—with the Ecstasy that Dom secretly hid in Malcolm’s backpack. A wild adventure ensues as Forest Whitaker the youths try to evade armed
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thugs who want the stash. “Not only is it set in Inglewood and it’s dealing with black culture,” Whitaker said. “It (also) deals with identity—being being able to find your authentic voice … and it deals with issues of profiling and how we perceive people. And I think that’s important to talk about.” Whitaker and Bongiovi also produced the critically acclaimed “Fruitvale
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n an overcast morning on the athletic field of Crozier Middle School, teams of residents, city employees, families and friends, set up tents, tables, chairs, and banners, and laced up their walking shoes for the City of Inglewood’s 2015 Relay For Life. The fundraising campaign is designed to help raise aware(Continued on page 7)
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he state’s Judicial Council announced on Monday that California drivers can now appear in court to challenge their traffic tickets without paying a fine first. The new rule was adopted unanimously and will go into effect immediately. “It has become clear that we are funding our judicial system through unfair fines and fees that act as a hidden tax on poor people—who may not be able to afford contesting their citation— and people of color, who are disproportionately pulled over and cited. This has to Station,” a biopic of Os- stop, and we’re pleased that car Grant III, the unarmed black man, shot in the back and killed by a white Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer in Oakland on New Year’s Day 2009. Described as “Nerds In the ‘Hood” and named by L.A. Weekly as one of the 10 Movies to See at L.A. Film Fest 2015, the indie hit from the Judicial Council is takthis year’s Sundance Film ing action,” said Christine (Continued on page 3) Sun, associate director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. The new law is aimed at helping the millions of lowincome California drivers who are often saddled with unfair fines and fees, and are limited in the ability to contest charges. However, supporters say more needs to be done because it still leaves low-income people and communities of color in the lurch if they miss their initial court date for any reason. Sun said she hopes the Judicial (Continued on page 2)
Inglewood Joins the Fight to End Cancer By Thomas Bunn
Ruling Bans Paying Traffic Fines Upfront
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