Los Angeles Downtown News 12-19-22

Citizen assemblies work to reform LA’s democratic process

By Morgan Owen LA Downtown News Staff Writer

As part of a wider investigation into how social and political systems can be reshaped, the LAbased Berggruen Institute is looking at how the political process in LA can be reformed in the wake of growing public distrust. The organization has looked into the LA City Council audio leak of Nury Martinez released to the public in October.

“When the (leak) happened just a few months ago … there was a lot of discussion about how we can make sure the redistricting process can’t be manipulated by our politicians. In light of that, the (institute) … thought this might be a good time to see if folks in or around city hall would be interested in pursuing citizens assemblies,” said Dawn Nakagawa, the executive vice president of the Berggruen Institute.

A citizen assembly is a panel of public citizens called together to inform the democratic process by deliberating on specific issues. The assembly’s goal is to render recommendations that the government, ideally, has guaranteed they will follow. In the case of redistricting, that insurance might include a promise of instituting a permanent panel for independent redistricting or at least putting the option on the next election ballot.

In Los Angeles, some other examples of issues a citizen assembly might address are homelessness, water policy or amending the city charter. Likewise, on an even larger scale, citizen assemblies could address social and political issues statewide.

Citizen assemblies have been very successful in Europe and work best when focused on divisive issues that are politically precarious to address. For example, Ireland used a citizen assembly to determine if gay marriage would be -

come legal. In a highly Catholic country, the issue was stalled in the conventional political process, but through forming a citizen assembly, everyday Irish citizens, both conservative and not, decided to legalize same-sex marriage.

“Citizen assemblies are particularly effective in times of great controversy (because) policymakers feel a certain level of pressure to do something differently,” Nakagawa said

The Berggruen Institute has studied a multitude of successful citizen assemblies from California to Paris to see why cities formed them and what conditions produce the best results. Based on the trends, the institute believes citizen assemblies can be a tool to create less partisan politics with better public governance.

One way citizen assemblies accomplish this is by creating a more accurate representation of a city’s demographics, leading to a more proportionate cross-section of public opinion. Although participants can be selected through appointment or an election, according to the Berggruen Institute, the best results come from processes that randomly identify potential participants.

On some level, however, our society isn’t arranged in a way that makes citizen assemblies easy to form. Barriers to participation, which can also skew results, include child care, elder care, transportation, inability to take time off work, lack of translation services, and ready access to the postal system. All these factors ultimately impact who can participate in citizen assemblies and who can not.

One way to combat this is by providing adequate funding, either through impartial sponsors or governmental budgets, to provide an hourly wage and services to those who wish to participate in the citizen assembly. In examples studied by the Berggruen Institute, aver-

age wage compensation for participants typically ranges from $20-$50 per hour.

Despite these barriers, the Berggruen Institute has already assessed significant interest from the LA public to begin approaching local politicians and institutions in search of a sponsor. Sponsors are typically public officials, such as a city councilmember, who would act as a coordinator and ensure the decision brought forward by the assembly is fairly considered and actioned upon.

or folks that have been there before and see if we can convince them that this is a good moment and a good approach for solving some of the distrust we’re seeing,” Nakagawa said.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

STAFF WRITERS: Andrew Checchia, Andres De Ocampo, Julia Shapero

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Sara Edwards, Kamala Kirk

For those who want to become involved in the process, the best way is to reach out to the Berggruen Institute. In the coming months, Nakagawa expects there will be several opportunities for canvassing.

ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanie Torres

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Luis Chavez

Following a public teach this December, Nakagawa said the institute expects to begin approaching city councilmembers in January.

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Myriam Santos

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Michael Lamb

FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris

“(We plan to) approach folks that are entering the city council for the first time

“It’s time for democracy to live up to the promise of being a government for people,” Nakagawa concluded. “And the current form of democracy we have — our electoral representative democracy — doesn’t effectively do that. It hasn’t for a long time.”

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

DEPUTY EDITOR: Luke Netzley

STAFF WRITERS: Summer Aguirre, Morgan Owen

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Moeller, Bridgette M. Redman, Leah Schwartz, Ellen Snortland

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Chris Mortenson

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Mara Friedman, Monica Nouwens, Eric Scire, Elizabeth Waterman

ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanie Torres

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway (213) 308-2261 Michael Lamb (213) 453-3548 Denine Gentilella (323) 627-7955

FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris

LA’s 1st female mayor takes oath of office

By Morgan Owen LA Downtown News Staff Writer

After 241 years and 42 mayors, Angelenos gathered on Dec. 11 to celebrate the breaking of glass ceilings as Vice President Kamala Harris administered the oath of office to LA’s first female mayor, Karen Bass. Bass took office Dec. 12.

The crowd cheered as Bass took the stage to thank some of California’s trailblazing women who joined her in celebration, including the first openly LGBTQ president pro tempore, Toni G. Atkins, and the state’s first female lieutenant governor, Eleni Kounalakis.

“Making history with each of you today is a monumental moment in my life and in Los Angeles. … And let’s not forget our all-female county board of supervisors,” exclaimed Bass, addressing them directly. “We are going to make so much history together.”

The Dec. 11 celebration at Microsoft Theater was the only mayoral inauguration in LA not to be held on the steps of

the city council, as it was moved due to rain concerns. However, the event was largely ceremonial, as Bass was formally sworn in at a private ceremony on Dec. 10. Bass said she will serve LA at an “inflection point.” In a rapidly changing world of pandemics, inflation, climate change and cost-of-living increases, 40,000 people are sleeping on the streets. Bass is committed to fighting the challenges of working-class families and to combatting the

housing crisis that faces the city.

“This is why tomorrow morning, I will start my first day as mayor at the city’s emergency operations centers, where my first act as mayor will be to declare a state of emergency on homelessness,” Bass said. “My emergency declaration will recognize the severity of our crisis and break new ground to maximize our ability to urgently move people inside, and to do so for good.”

The inauguration also celebrated LA’s deeply rooted history of Angelenos of color. The performance lineup included a list of Black and Chicano artists, including gospel duo Mary Mary; a surprise set by Chicano band Las Cafeteras; and poet Amanda Gorman, who also shared original poetry at the presidential inauguration in 2021.

Bass’ commitment to solutions-based governance earned her the most votes out of any mayoral candidate in the history of LA. That accomplishment comes despite Rick Caruso spending 11 times more money than Bass on his campaign, the

most out of any state campaign in California history.

The six-term congresswoman representing the 37th Congressional District made history throughout her career — starting with 2008, when she was the first Black woman to serve as a speaker in the state Legislature.

Bass said she intends to call on all her resources to help serve LA and her mission to solve the housing and homelessness crisis.

“Vice President Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom, my colleagues in Congress who are here today, look for me on your caller ID, because I will be calling,” Bass said with a laugh.

“If we come together and focus on solutions rather than jurisdictions, on locking arms rather than pointing fingers, if we just focus on bringing people inside and comprehensively addressing their needs and moving them to permanent housing with a way to pay their bills, we will save lives and we will save our city. This is my mission as your mayor.”

Make time for your mammogram.

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LA Mayor Karen Bass

DTOPINION

Gilbert Cedillo: Why I did not resign

By Los Angeles City Councilmember Gilbert Cedillo (Ret.)

Most people find the subject of redrawing political boundaries based on census data as boring as watching paint dry. In Los Angeles, though, a year-old, illegally recorded conversation about the subject touched off a political firestorm.

On the tape, City Council President Nury Martinez, Councilmember Kevin de Leon, County Labor Federation head Ron Herrera and myself — all Latinos spoke frankly about how districts based on the 2020 census could best represent the city’s evolving ethnic balance.

At one point, the discussion turned to the jarring discrepancy that Latinos are half the city’s population but hold only four of 15 seats on the council. That led to assessing which councilmembers might support expanded Latino representation and who might see that as a step back for other communities, particularly districts represented by African Americans.

Balancing Black and Latino interests has always been difficult, but that’s a skill I honed as head of the LA County employees union, Service Employees Local 660. Both Black and Latino voices have been historically marginalized and silenced, and the subject can easily raise the temperature in a room. Conversations can also turn raw when people think they are speaking privately — which happened that day. No one denies that the conversation crossed a line at several points, and I deeply regret not speaking up when it did.

Overlooked in the furor of their statements is that we were doing our jobs: census-based redistricting as mandated in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Ethnicity and income levels are major factors in drawing relatively balanced electoral maps, and we wanted to ensure that Latinos and all communities are represented fairly.

That mission was especially difficult this cycle because former President Donald Trump and his lackeys intentionally

intimidated immigrants so they wouldn’t fill out their census questionnaires. My former council district “lost” untold thousands of residents, and I have yet to see the media outrage for that crime against our Latino communities.

Since our conversation, the redistricting process has played out, and new council districts were set. Did Latinos get a fair share of representation based on the percentage of our population? No, we didn’t! Census data reflects that Latino and Asian populations increased more than the Black population, which kept pace with the city’s 3% growth.

There were calls for a new map with six Latino districts and one Black seat (two less than before), but my colleagues and I supported maintaining the number of African American seats higher than the percentage of the city’s population. We also supported our Black colleagues over Latina opponents in the June elections for those seats. We saw opportunities for Latinos to earn additional seats in future elections, and that

is a win for all of Los Angeles.

Soon after incendiary snippets of the audio were released, there were calls from across the country for all of us to step down. Martinez resigned from the council, and Herrera stepped down at the Labor Federation. De Leon has two years remaining in his term and has vowed to stay.

I refused to resign before my term ended. That’s not who I am, and I did nothing that warranted it. My life’s work has been about fighting relentlessly for those who do not have a voice — regardless of their ethnic background.

My family has Tarahumara roots in the Mexican states of Durango, Chihuahua and Sonora. My parents were born in Barstow, and my siblings and I were raised in Los Angeles’ Eastside. Postwar Boyle Heights was a special community where Latino, Black, Japanese, Chinese, Jewish, Italian and Armenian families loved and respected each other.

I have had African American friends and mentors my entire life, from sports

and school to politics. I am eternally grateful to the guidance of Dr. Winston Doby at UCLA.

During the 1970s, I was active in the Center for Autonomous Social Action, a community group founded by U.S. labor giant Bert Corona. CASA mainly fought for immigration reform and other Latino causes, but we also built community support for the three imprisoned Soledad Brothers, for Nelson Mandela and for Jesse Jackson’s first presidential campaign.

I worked for Mayor Tom Bradley in 1980 and was a Jesse Jackson delegate to the 1988 Democratic Party convention and a Barack Obama delegate in 2008.

In the 1990s, I led the union representing 40,000 employees of Los Angeles County. Service Employees Local 660 had more African American members than any other union in LA. When county supervisors planned to close Martin Luther King and County General hospitals, we fought to keep the doors open and serve the African American and Latino communities. That dual victory was a milestone for a rising labor movement and for Black-Latino unity.

I publicly apologized for not cutting off my colleagues when their comments crossed a line. But to resign for staying silent, with no look at who said what in that room, and ignoring the totality of

my work and history? That is unacceptable.

This isn’t how the media covers other racially insensitive conversations. For example, the week before news of this year-old conversation broke, then-candidate for mayor Karen Bass made some regrettable comments in a debate. Bass apologized, and the public — myself included — accepted her explanation. And San Francisco Mayor London Breed, also a Black woman, has a history of outlandish remarks about Latinos and Asians. We clearly are not being held to the same standards.

My critics’ warped zealotry isn’t a sign of a growing movement for racial justice. It’s a glaring problem. Satirist Trevor Noah recently came to the defense of singer-songwriter Lizzo, who used “spaz out” in a song. When told that the term was offensive to disabled people, she re-recorded the song with new lyrics. Nothing, however, satisfied her critics.

“We’re living in a world,” Noah observed, “where people have gotten used to parading as the most virtuous or righteous person. They’ve gotten to the point where they make it seem like language has no nuance or context and want to imply that people have some sort of intention, even when there isn’t.”

For all my critics’ calls for me to “do the right thing,” I say unequivocally that not

resigning was the right thing.

We hold elections to decide who shall hold office. We also have courts to decide if an official should be removed between elections, but no one believes I broke any laws. There is no doubt, however, that recording someone without their consent is illegal. Los Angeles Police Department investigators will con -

clude who are the criminals here.

In the meantime, I will never turn my back on the communities I have represented or the people for whom I have fought. This modern version of McCarthyism is a danger to democracy, not a defense. It’s “cancel culture” at its worst, and this kid from Boyle Heights never resigned.

Submitted

Councilmember Gilbert Cedillo

Covered California will help DT

Webs are Mother Nature’s gift for catching undesirables

By Ellen Snortland LA Downtown News Contributing Writer

Pencil poised, I lick the tip and wonder, “Why do people lick the tips of pencils?” See how deep I can be? In 2016, after Hillary’s loss to the Orange Foolius, I desperately needed to do something to distract myself. I straightened up my office in late November. When I straighten anything, it’s a sure sign of despair. I found an exquisite spider web stretching from my window to the top of my bookshelf, where I have my FCTRY Hillary action figure and my picture of Dolores Huerta and me. I lifted my feather duster, then stopped. “Wait a minute,” I thought, “What if I use this web to commemorate the web of lies that Drumpf and his supporters wove all his life to get him to the Oval Office?” So I dedicated it as a “performance art” piece: I cut a little Drumpf figure and put him smack dab in the middle of the web.

Eight years later, the web is still there. However, like the mental anguish Drumpf has caused us, the web is disin -

tegrating. I pray this deterioration mirrors Drumpf’s inexplicable power over a segment of society that is, as Hillary so aptly described, “a basket of deplorables.” I check my web daily. It is definitely getting weaker. Is it an apt metaphor for the MAGA maniacs?

As we approach another New Year, this is a time to reflect on 2022 as we set our sights on 2023.

2022? As is often the case, it was a mixed bag. We’ve seen glimmers of hope via the House Committee on Jan. 6. Rep. Adam Schiff made my heart swell with pride and appreciation, as he always does. We witnessed the enormous brass ovaries that Republican Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) had to even be a committee member, let alone hold Drumpf and his minions accountable for a semiarmed insurrection. And Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) has some big brass ovaries himself. (If people refer to courageous women as having balls, I can refer to brave men as having big ovaries. So there!)

On the yucky side, we were often consumed by psychic puking almost every morning at the astonishing cruelty and reckless disregard that Drumpf and his minions continued to inflict on fellow human beings. I wonder how this soap opera will wrap up?

Regarding those treasonous, poison -

ous, putrid Republicans: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, Rep. Matt Gaetz, Rep. Lauren Boebert, Rep. Madison Cawthorn (remember him?)… the list is too long for this (or any) column. However, I am forever grateful that most of these Drumpf-endorsed clowns lost in the midterms! Woo-hoo! That spider web is getting weaker and weaker. Even Sen. Mitch McConnell directly blames Drumpf for the weak Republican showing.

One of the things about social revolutions is that you don’t see what the turning points will be. The journey to personal and social liberation is often fraught with hairpin turns, collisions, cliffs and washed-out bridges, no matter how many road signs you’ve put up.

I am hopeful that 2023 will usher in a time of consequences, real consequences, for MAGA heads and their leader. A possible signpost was the conviction of Oathkeepers co-founder Stewart Rhodes for seditious conspiracy. One has to wonder how a group of militant right-wingers could follow someone

Ellen Snortland

who had shot his own eye out. Wow. Meanwhile, there continues to be progress concerning sexual harassment. The following was a dialogue between two men (no attribution given) posted on Facebook:

Him: This “sexual harassment” BS is frickin’ ridiculous. Now I can’t even tell a woman she is pretty without getting crap for it?

Me: Well, we’ve worked together for two years, and you’ve never told me I’m pretty.

Him: That’s different because you’re a dude like me.

Me: Gotta tell ya, that’s a little disappointing, because I think you’re pretty.

Him: Cut that crap, bro. You’re creeping me out.

Me: Soooo, me telling you that you’re pretty when you neither asked for nor welcomed comments about your appearance makes you feel uncomfortable. Interesting.

Feminist can men use the above as a script or role model for what to say

when a guy takes you into his sphere of confidence about sexual harassment.

What I long for — and, yes, pray for — in 2023 is for more men who will dig as deep as possible into their hearts, souls and spirits to speak up for the gender hubris that has run rampant throughout the world. Someone to facilitate forgiving each other at a cultural level. Could it be you?

Meanwhile, I keep my eye on my “spider web art installation.” As Rebecca Solnit says in her must-read book “Men Explain Things to Me,” “Spider webs are images of the nonlinear, of the many directions in which something might go, the many sources for it…”

No, I’m not all peppermint, puppies and Pollyanna yet, but I believe we can come out of this tumultuous period in our republic stronger and better. OK, maybe I’m a little bit of a Pollyanna, who, by the way, was a courageous girl!

Happy New Year!

Ellen Snortland has written this column for decades and teaches creative writing online. She can be reached at ellen@ beautybitesbeast.com. Her award-winning film “Beauty Bites Beast” is available for download or streaming at vimeo.com/ ondemand/beautybitesbeast.

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The world responds to the Walk the Talk Archive

By Morgan Owen LA Downtown News Staff Writer

It was standing room only at Skid Row’s Historical Museum as the Los Angeles Poverty Department screened a series of newly added materials to its digital Walk the Talk Archive. The videos were a series of responses filmed by people who have used the archive, produced by the LA Poverty Department as part of its Walk the Talk initiative, where it honors influential members of the Skid Row community.

As he introduced the five respondents featured at the screening, John Malpede, founder of LA Poverty Department, explained how Walk the Talk evolved out of LA Poverty Department’s performance archives.

“In 2012, the Community Redevelopment Agency targeted us at a conference for the National Endowment for the Arts, and they asked us to develop a public art project,” Malpede said.

“Initially, I said we would want to do something like the Hollywood Walk of Fame to acknowledge the people that have done transformative work in Skid Row. … Instead, we got (Walk the Talk.)”

LA Poverty Department’s Walk the Talk Parade honors activists and community members who have done transformative work in Skid Row through a biennial parade of performances. The performances each take place at locations integral to that honoree’s story that are strung together along a parade route. Thousands of people in Downtown LA came together to view this year’s Walk the Talk Parade, which took place in April.

To create each performance, the LA Poverty Department conducts one-hour and two-hour interviews with each honoree and distills them into 10-15 minute videos. The live performances and the interviews used to create them are all recorded and stored in LA Poverty Department’s Walk the Talk Archive.

“The LA Poverty Department had been keeping an archive of the voices of the community for the past several decades, and not only that, they were using performance to activate (the archive) and also gather material,” said Clancy Cornell, one of LA Poverty Department’s volunteers who helps manage the digital archive.

The responses

Victoria Romano, one of the respondents, said her biggest mistake when she started working with the LA Poverty Department’s Walk the Talk Archive was grammatical. Instead of saying “in” Skid Row, Romano kept saying “on” Skid Row. At the time, she didn’t realize how important that distinction was.

By referring to Skid Row as a concept, Romano inadvertently diminished Skid Row’s identity as one of Downtown LA’s vibrant neighborhoods, reducing a community to a concept of poverty. And that distinction is what the LA Poverty Department’s Walk the Talk Archive is about.

In their responses, each individual spoke about how they’ve used the archive and how it has influenced them. For example, one of the respondents, a Vancouver-based collective called Right to Remain, used the video to engage in discussions with the homeless community it serves in British Columbia.

Douglas Mungin, a professor at Solano Community College, uses the Walk the Talk Archive in his classroom. His response reviewed how he has used LA Poverty Department’s interviews with prominent Skid Row community members to explore how Skid Row has used activism and civil disobedience to bring about change in the community.

Lorinda Hawkins Smith, another respondent, pointed out that the archive isn’t just for academics and professionals. For her, the archives serve as a way to create shared experiences amongst those living in Skid

Row and create a sense of validity around her experience of homelessness.

“Yes, I can tell my story to people,” Lorinda said. “But being able to pull from the archives … it feels like I’m not alone. I’m not just this voice crying in the wilderness. … And it’s not just professionals, but people who are experiencing similar stories as mine.”

Lorinda became homeless after fleeing from domestic violence. Unfortunately, that meant breaking custody agreements, and both her children were taken from her. She ended up living at the Union Rescue Mission, but as her time limit approached, it looked like she would have to move onto the streets. At the last minute, the LA Poverty Department came to the rescue.

Because Hawkins Smith was involved with the LA Poverty Department while it ran the Change Exchange, a program where people moved from across the country to Skid Row to experience homelessness, the LA Poverty Department was able to find her housing in a Single Room Occupancy unit at the Panama Hotel. From there, she moved into permanent housing and ultimately regained custody of her son.

Now, Hawkins Smith is an award-winning filmmaker, playwright, actor, author and advocate. She recently published a book, “Justice? Or… Just Me? The Bite,” the first of a trilogy detailing her experiences as a domestic violence survivor and homelessness.

About LA Poverty Department

With the largest concentration of homeless people in any neighborhood in the na-

tion, and as the poorest community in Los Angeles, it’s estimated that almost half of Skid Row’s population is homeless, approximately 2,000 of whom live unsheltered and on the streets. Those numbers have been Skid Row’s legacy for over a century, with little thought to the culture and identity of the people who live there.

John Malpede founded the LA Poverty Department in 1985 to create a theater group for people like Hawkins Smith. It became the first performance group in the country composed primarily of homeless or formerly homeless individuals.

Over the years, the LA Poverty Department’s success in cultural activism brought acclaim. It became a small organization with a big voice. Since 1985, LA Poverty Department has started the first annual Festival for All Skid Row Artists and initiated their biennial Walk the Talk Parade.

For most of its history, the LA Poverty Department has been, like those it served, without a place to call home until it had an opportunity to open up the Skid Row History Museum and Archive in 2015. Although the digital archive is now available to the public online, the Skid Row History Museum and Archive are open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Current exhibitions include “Blue BookGreen Paper,” “The World Responds to the Walk the Talk Archive” and “How to House 7,000 People in Skid Row.” Both exhibitions, “Blue Book - Green Paper” and “The World Responds to the Walk the Talk Archive,” will be on display until the end of January.

Monica Nouwens/Submitted

Monica Nouwens/Submitted

The Walk the Talk parade honors Skid Row community members and activists by hosting an array of performances and interviews.

Los Angeles Poverty Department’s Walk the Talk Parade was held in April.

Little Tokyo’s Oshogatsu festivals welcoming 2023

By LA Downtown News Staff

Ring in the 2023 new year, the Year of the Rabbit, with two free, family-friendly events in Little Tokyo presented by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Southern California on Sunday, Jan. 1, and the Japanese American National Museum on Sunday, Jan. 8.

Known as Oshogatsu, the Japanese New Year is one of the most significant holidays in Japanese culture. Celebrate the first weekend of the new year from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 1, by indulging in the sights, cultural performances, crafts and activities for families and guests of all ages at the Japanese Village Plaza.

Presented by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Southern California, the day will feature live entertainment and cultural activities including Mochitsuki, a Shamisen Show and a Kimono Fashion Show. For more information, visit

littletokyola.org/calendar.

The Oshogatsu Family Festival: Year of the Rabbit runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 8, at the Japanese American National Museum.

It will boast Year of the Rabbit-inspired crafts, origami, scavenger hunt, and candy sculpture demonstrations by Shan Ichiyanagi. Join in person to experience cultural activities and live outdoor musical performances performed by Kodama Taiko. RSVPs are strongly recommended. Those who RSVP and scan their ticket at the JANM membership table at the Oshogatsu Family Festival will be entered into a drawing for a JANM gift bag. For more information, visit janm.org/events.

Go Little Tokyo is a community-led effort aimed at highlighting the cultural programs, community events, and dining and shopping experiences found in Little Tokyo. For more information, visit littletokyola.org/golittletokyo.

Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Southern California/Submitted

Japanese New Year, also known as Oshogatsu, is one of the most significant cultural holidays in Japan.

Rooftop Cinema Club: The film experience transforming DTLA

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor

Rooftop Cinema Club founder Gerry Cottle was born in a world of entertainment. As a child, he followed his father, Gerry Cottle Sr., an English big top legend who founded Gerry Cottle’s Circus and presented both the Chinese and Moscow State Circuses, on his journeys around the world during the ’70s and ‘80s.

“I was born in the circus,” Cottle described. “I always just loved seeing people having a good time. I definitely got that from my dad.

“One of the things about actually being on the circus, I did go to school but also did a lot of touring. Often, we’d fall into a ground and we couldn’t find the local TV and stuff like that, so I just ended up watching lots of films at night after I finished performing.”

Cottle went on to live in London and work in the PR and marketing industry, but had a dream to combine his love of entertainment with his love of film. In 2011, Rooftop Cinema Club was born.

“I wanted to do something which wasn’t in a field, and I just thought, ‘What about if I did it right in the city?’ And I thought, ‘Rooftops are kind of empty sometimes.’ And that’s what I did. It was a great film plus a great location equals a great experience,” Cottle said. “I started playing my DVD collection … things like ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Back to the Future’ and ‘Dirty Dancing,’ stuff that I loved when I was growing up but I didn’t see in the cinema because I was too young when those films came out.

“I did it on a rooftop and I thought, ‘I real-

ly want a beer.’ … I wanted to make it really social, really fun, and that’s what I started doing. … I always joked I’ve gone from big tops to rooftops.”

From its founding location in London’s East End, Rooftop Cinema Club expanded to the United States in 2015, landing in New York, Houston, Miami, Chicago, Fort Worth, San Diego and Downtown Los Angeles.

“Our first venue in London is surrounded by buildings, and that really was what made the magic,” Cottle explained. “We wanted to find a Downtown location (in LA) because there’s something magical about having that visual around you of all the buildings. … Through a broker, we found this place at Level (888 S. Olive Street), which was fantastic.”

Rooftop Cinema Club has celebrated six seasons in DTLA. The location includes a new projector that allows screenings of both fan-favorite classics and newer releases, including films still in theaters. Guests can also play table games; buy concessions like popcorn, hot dogs, nachos, pretzels, candy and soft drinks; and visit the new bar sponsored by Hi-Lo, bringing in local craft beers, regional wines, and cocktail and mocktail creations.

“What’s magical about Rooftop, which I’ve always loved, even from day one, and we have it Downtown, is this idea that … it’s more than just a movie. It’s a whole night out,” Cottle described. “There’s so much to do. It’s really a social experience as much as it’s watching a movie.

“I think it’s really important to have events like this. They’re cultural. They allow

people to escape when you finish your day at work. (If you) have a rubbish day at work, come and watch a movie outdoors.”

From themed cocktails to hot chocolate, Cottle said that Rooftop Cinema Club always tries to do “something different” for the holidays. The lineup of upcoming films for December includes “Elf” on Wednesday, Dec. 21; “Home Alone” on Thursday, Dec. 22; and “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “The Holiday” and “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” on Friday, Dec. 23.

“Playing those movies that mean something to people, that are nostalgic, bring beautiful memories,” Cottle said. “Those are the movies that we really get into, and they’re the movies that people request all the time.

“We really think through and create our program making sure we’re supporting diversity. … We’re always big on making sure that we know this is as good as any cinema, but it’s outdoors. … All you need to do is have a nice warm jacket and a desire to have fun. We’ll do the rest.”

Another core part of Rooftop Cinema Club’s mission is to repurpose underutilized outdoor spaces in the hope of revitalizing them to breathe new life into neighborhoods. The company uses silent-disco style wireless headphones to ensure that guests are not creating noise pollution for surrounding buildings and to allow for

guests to continue listening to the movie during trips to the concession stand.

“The team, all of us who work on it, we believe that film has healing powers. I believe it’s one of the best forms of escapism. … You really can switch off,” Cottle said. “The reason we’re doing this is we believe it’s important to entertain people. I can tell you now in the old days, even during the early wars and stuff like that, the last thing people sold were their radios. People were selling their fridges before radios, and I think that says a lot about the human psyche. When times are really tough, people need escapism and they need entertainment.

“One of the things that really encouraged me when I was starting this was my parents used to say, ‘Oh, well, we used to go to the cinema,’ when they were kids. ‘We’d meet up in town, we’d have fish and chips … and then we’d watch a movie. And then after the movie we’d go back and we’d all chat about it.’

“That kind of got lost at some point. … That social aspect kind of collapsed in a way, along with a lot of some of the bigger cinema experiences. So I think for us, I had that in mind. I wanted to bring that community back to cinema, that shared love of film, that nostalgia, the excitement you get out of watching a movie and talking about it. That’s what we try to do at Rooftop.”

Eric Scire/Submitted

Gerry Cottle founded Rooftop Cinema Club to make moviegoing a more social experience.

Rooftop Cinema Club/Submitted

Rooftop Cinema Club moved to Downtown LA over six years ago, occupying the fourth floor of Level.

One in every 20 children in California is experiencing homelessness, and the impact on educational opportunities for these students is devastating.

School on Wheels is the only nonprofit that provides free tutoring and mentoring to children from kindergarten through 12th grade living in shelters, motels, vehicles, group foster homes, and the streets of Southern California.

The nonprofit trains and matches volunteers with unhoused students who are provided with one-onone weekly tutoring, school supplies, assistance in entering school, scholarships, and parental support. Make a difference in a child’s life. Become a tutor today! Visit schoolonwheels.org.

We’re honored to serve you and your loved ones. This year give a gi to your community by donating to PIH Health Foundation.

Your compassion and support can brighten the future for our patients, their families, and our entire community. Visit PIHHealth.org/Give2022 to donate.

Happy Holidays from your health and wellness partner – PIH Health.

Last-minute shopping? Find holiday ornaments, and learn a little Downtown history, at LA Tienda at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes!

Completed in 1888, the Vickrey-Brunswig Building is one of LA’s oldest five-story buildings. Built for retail and lodging, later retrofitted for the pharmaceutical trade, LA County acquired the building in the 1930s to house a courthouse, a crime lab and more. Vacated after the 1971 Sylmar earthquake, a rehab in early 2000 brought the building back as a museum, cultural center, and gift shop, located at 501 N. Main Street. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday, with free admission. www.laplazatienda.org.

Widely regarded as one of the nation’s most effective arts education providers, Inner-City Arts is an oasis of creativity and achievement in the heart of Skid Row.

It’s a vital partner in transforming the lives of young people in Los Angeles and beyond. Inner-City Arts’ beautiful, award-winning campus inspires all visitors. During the school day, after school, and on weekends, students work with professional teaching artists in well-equipped studios, receiving hands-on instruction in a range of subject areas within the visual, performing and media arts. Support at inner-cityarts.org/donate.

Change a life.

Tutor

school on wheels

“Working with Diego, I have realized that whatever has happened to me is nothing compared to what this little kid has gone through. He is very resilient, and that thought fills me with patience and a genuine desire to help him.”

– Laticia Wright, Volunteer Tutor

Apply online at schoolonwheels.org.

Para Los Niños was established over 42 years ago to provide a crucial safety net for the most vulnerable families in Los Angeles County. Today, as an integrated service or ganization, Para Los Niños brings together education, early interven tion, mental health, public health, community engagement, and lead ership development to serve the whole child, whole family, and com munities in which they reside.

Serving more than 10,000 people annually across 200 ZIP codes, the unique work of Para Los Niños is not able to operate without the support of individuals. You can be the difference in advancing the opportunity for thousands of children, youth, and families to thrive. Make your gift today at paralosninos.org/donate

Learn more at paralosninos.org

Para Los Niños educates and partners with over 10,000 children, youth, and families each year in Los Angeles Get involved today by donating, volunteering, or joining our staff!

Discover Downtown with this year’s DTLA Holiday Adventure scavenger hunt

By Leah Schwartz LA Downtown News Staff Writer

For the second year, the Downtown Center Business Improvement District (DCBID) is hosting its DTLA Holiday Adventure scavenger hunt, where participants can complete over 40 festive challenges, win prizes and explore the Downtown area. Last summer, DCBID also organized a DTLA Summer Adventure scavenger hunt.

The contest began on Nov. 23 and will commence on Jan. 1. In total, the experience is 3 miles, and scavengers can take as little or as much time as they would like to finish the course. Hunters will need to download the app, Eventzee, and enter the code DTLA to begin the adventure.

“(The scavenger hunt) is a way for people to see holiday décor and find what decorations are out in Downtown,” said Bree von Faith, VP of marketing and communications at DCBID. “Participants will find hidden gems they may not be familiar with in Downtown, and it’s a fun way to start the holiday season.”

The scavenger hunt will be a comprehensive exploration of Downtown and will guide participants through The Bloc, the jewelry district, Grand Central Market, Bunker Hill, the library, FIGat7th, Grand Hope Park and FIDM.

The clues in the hunt vary between photo, video, text and quiz challenges. Scavenger hunters must snap cheesy holiday cards and discover Downtown public art pieces. During the course, participants will also film their favorite holiday displays with a 360-degree video.

The hunt will also test participants’

Downtown knowledge, with quizzes featuring St. Vincent Court, the jewelry district and the Los Angeles Central Library. Clues to specific locations will also be provided, where participants can do GPS check-ins. Bonus challenges include searching for two activations from DCBID’s Grand Avenue Augmented Reality (AR) experience.

The top 50 participants who have accrued the most points will receive $100 gift cards to a local Downtown business of DCBID’s choice, and the top 25 participants with over 1,000 points will receive two free ice skating tickets to the Holiday Ice Rink at Pershing Square. To qualify for a prize, participants must complete 50 challenges.

“Part of this experience is to not only help people explore Downtown but to support our local businesses Downtown and encourage people to come back and visit,” Von Faith explained.

The holidays are the perfect time to venture out into the city and explore with friends and family. The DTLA Holiday Adventure provides a means to engage and connect locals and travelers alike with the downtown area to discover new haunts and holiday traditions.

“We want people, whether you’re a visitor, a resident or an office worker, to explore Downtown, get in the holiday spirit, and find something they didn’t already know about Downtown,” Von Faith said. “We want to help support local businesses during the holiday season — whether through shopping, dining, exploring or even sharing what people have found around Downtown on social media. We want to create some energy and momentum around Downtown for the holidays.”

Participants will pose with festive decorations throughout the scavenger hunt.

During the course of the scavenger hunt, contestants will need to decipher clues and snap pictures to earn points.

Submitted

The scavenger hunt will guide players through Downtown institutions like FIGat7th, festooned with holiday decorations.

Submitted

Participants in the DTLA Holiday Adventure scavenger hunt will discover hidden Downtown holiday light displays.

Museum Tower creates a community

By Morgan Owen LA Downtown News Staff Writer

Nestled in one of Downtown LA’s quietest areas, the award-winning Museum Tower is a luxury residential property beloved by residents. Directly next to MOCA, the Broad, and a block away from the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Grand Central Market and the Civic Center/Grand Park Metro station, Museum Tower is all about location.

Built in 1992, the 20-story luxury apartment building has been completely refurbished, with 216 modern, open-plan units. Apartments range from studios to two bedrooms with a den. Despite the luxury element, units are priced near market rate for Los Angeles, with a 668-square-foot one-bedroom apartment costing between $1,830 and $2,655 per month.

Amenities include a pool, gym, theater, rooftop access, and views of Downtown LA stretching from the ocean to the San Gabriel Mountains. There is also a 24/7 concierge service, an on-site pet spa, valet dry cleaning service, parking and bike storage, to name a few other perks.

Submitted

This image shows Museum Tower from the exterior.

The Museum Tower rooftop lounge offers views of Downtown LA.

“They love (the amenities) and the community events that we put together. And they love feeling like this is actually a home and a place they are just renting. You’ll see people come into (the community spaces) and they’ll talk. We know everything about them and they know everything about us because we are like a family,” said Christina Hacobian, one of the building’s leasing managers.

Hacobian explained that the staff is one of the things that sets Museum Tower apart from other residential buildings Downtown. She said most of the employees have worked there for years, if not decades, because they love the community so much, and that makes a difference to residents.

That community and that dedication shines through in resident reviews, which frequently cite the staff as being one of the things they like most about Museum Tower. Another perk that several residents speak highly about are the frequent community events management puts on for residents. Food Truck Thursdays, wine and cheese mixers, and end-of-summer parties are a few of the regular events management organizes.

“This place is more than a home. I think that’s the overall message. When people come to see (this building), they instantly fall in love,” Hacobian said.

Submitted

Submitted

Submitted

Museum Tower penthouse apartments have views of Downtown LA.

Seating is aplenty in the Museum Tower rooftop lounge.

Apartments range from studios to two bedrooms with a den.

Covered California will help DT

Kx5 show breaks the Coliseum

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor

In a flurry of smoke and strobes, famed electronic artists Ryan Raddon and Joel Zimmerman, better known as Kaskade and Deadmau5, respectively, took to the stage at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the live debut of their new music project, Kx5.

The duo drew in a crowd of over 46,000 for the Coliseum’s first headlining electronic music show. According to reports, it was the largest ticketed dance event in the world this year.

The show, presented by Insomniac, was opened by John Summit, Anna Lunoe and Triple XL before the Kx5 project enveloped the stage with a melee of fire and flashing light.

Beneath the black clouds of an impending rainstorm, the tempest of smoke and bass roared on until a generator caught fire and killed the Coliseum’s power. For half an hour, the neon-clad crowd of cowboy hats, inflatable animals and glow sticks sat in wait until the stage flickered back to life.

“It’s not a proper rave unless you lose the power once,” Kaskade added.

Technicolor visuals coated the crowd before a fleet of fireworks shot through the sky for “Take Me High,” a track that Kx5 debuted during its EDC Las Vegas set.

Deadmau5’s 2009 single “Strobe,” which charted at 13 on the UK Dance Chart, and Kaskade’s 2015 track “Disarm You,” featuring LA-born singer Ilsey, shortly followed with the crowd singing every word.

“I don’t want to go home,” Deadmau5 said after playing “I Remember,” a joint hit with Kaskade that topped Billboard’s Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart in the U.S. and has been regarded as one of the most influential tracks in the history of electronic dance music.

For the farewell chorus of “Escape” with English singer-songwriter Hayla, sparks rained from above the trio of performers, silhouetting them in fire and light. The heat of the flames provided warmth on the cold night, until the show ended and crowds filtered out of the iconic Coliseum gates.

Chris Mortenson/Staff photographer

Chris Mortenson/Staff photographer

Chris Mortenson/Staff photographer

Chris Mortenson/Staff photographer

Grand slam fight champ happy to call Southern California home

By Jeff Moeller LA Downtown News Contributing Writer

From Brazil to the beach, handball to hand-to-hand combat, Cris Cyborg’s unique sports journey has led to a new life in Southern California. The career highlights are many.

Currently the Women’s Featherweight World Championship with Bellator MMA, the story of Cristiane Justino Venâncio, also known as Cris Cyborg, might very well be unmatched.

Born in the city of Curitiba, the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná in Brazil, her first athletic love was actually a sport quickly becoming one of the fastest-paced Olympic sports in a part of the world where soccer, volleyball and swimming rule.

“I like soccer, as I am from Brazil. In America, basketball is popular. So too are football, which is No. 1 in America and so popular, and hockey,” Cyborg said. “When I was young, I played handball, which has its own violence to it, too. I like rough sports.

“Here (in America) people think that handball involves a wall. In Brazil we actually played the European game. It’s a big difference, and I have found a lot of people here don’t know the difference.”

Participating in a handball tournament as a kid, Venâncio — she shares the nickname ‘Cyborg’ with her former husband and fellow mixed martial artist Evangelista Santos was spotted at a training session and asked if she liked fighting. She said had never done it before but took them up on their offer to participate in a muay thai class.

She said she immediately fell in love with the unique competition.

“This sport chose me because I was never going to be a fighter,” Cyborg explained. “The one guy saw me play handball and told me he thought I would make a great fighter, and I said I don’t like to fight. I was 19 years old. I loved sports.

“I did my first fight six months later and they said I am born for this, and I’m still doing it now.”

In 2005, an unlikely career began. The now 37-year-old known for working Brazilian jiujitsu style has been a star for various promotions including Strikeforce, Invicta Fighting Championships, Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bellator MMA, where Cyborg signed a multi-fight deal in September 2019.

She made major headlines winning the Strikeforce title in 2009, defeating Gina Carano by way of a first-round technical knockout. More significant strides were made with World Featherweight Championship titles while with Invicta FC and the hugely successful UFC. Cyborg smiles as she reflects on the early days of a career now destined for the Hall of Fame.

“I watch those early fights and realize now I knew nothing about the sport,” she said. “The journey then was hard. It was never going to be easy, and that is what I tell kids now. The struggles are real, but you have to keep going and keep believing. You will also have a lot of people tell you that you won’t make it, but you have to tell them you will make it.

“I can go a long time without a fight. Like I can go two years in between fights. It is how you use your time then to keep learning. When the opportunities do come, you need to be ready.”

Since 2009, Cyborg — a naturalized U.S. citizen but always a proud Brazilian represents Southern California. She has lived in Huntington Beach for nearly 15 years and enjoys hiking, visiting the beach, and traveling south and spending as much time in San Diego as possible.

It was also in nearby Inglewood where she won her current title, topping Julia Budd in their featherweight world title fight at The Forum.

The victory gave Cyborg her fourth major belt. It also came 10 years after her first one and was in front of more than 15,000 fans.

Cyborg (26 wins in 29 career fights) believes her transition to America has been made easier by the tremendous public support she receives.

“I love my fans,” she said. “They respect me very much. When I first moved to America, I didn’t speak English, so they have had a lot of patience with me, which was very nice. The community within martial arts is special, too.

“I love the weather here, and I love the people here. I feel that it’s very safe here, too. I love it here.”

Away from the cage, Cyborg adopted her niece, Gabriela, in 2018, making her the first mother to hold a UFC championship belt. Gabby is on her high school wrestling team in Orange County. She is also not that far in age from when Cyborg was initially discovered on that handball court in her homeland.

In the fight game, Cyborg recently added to her legacy, picking up an eight-round deci-

sion win in her professional boxing debut last September. Regardless of the chosen discipline, Cyborg is happy to provide inspirational words for anyone looking to get involved in combat sports.

“I think you can see in a beginner if the sport is going to be good for you,” Cyborg said. “You have to have a lot of heart. You’re gonna have to deal with a punch in the head. You have to quickly find out if this is for you. You have to love what you do because you are going to want to quit.

“I tell people not to think about the money. … I tell people to think whether this is what they love to do. I personally never think about money and MMA. I think about the fact I love this.

“Love it and work hard.”

Cris Cyborg is more than a highly decorated MMA champion. She has successfully established a new life for her ever-growing family in U.S., while proudly representing her native Brazil in the combat cage.

LA28 Games making an impact in hometown

By Jeff Moeller LA Downtown News Contributing Writer

Ask Erikk Aldridge his favorite Olympic moment, and the longtime sports executive and former Division 1 student-athlete has a hard time answering the question.

His first inclination is U.S. Hockey’s “Miracle on Ice” in Lake Placid 1980, but he is not sure that tops Carl Lewis’ four gold medals in Los Angeles 1984.

Then, of course, he remembers Michael Phelps and his eight gold medals in Beijing 2008; U.S. Basketball’s “Redeem Team” in Beijing 2008 featuring Kobe Bryant; and Muhammad Ali lighting the torch in Atlanta 1996.

And Aldridge — ever the proud Angeleno — would surely be remiss if he didn’t include the most decorated U.S. decorated track and field athlete of all time, Allyson Felix. She is a must on his list, and the plethora of athletic excellence by Olympians and Paralympians.

Fortunately for Aldridge he has a lot of time to ponder the question, which means a little more to him than most. After all, Al-

dridge is a key part of LA28, serving as vice president of impact.

“As a lifelong Angeleno who has spent his entire professional career working in and for communities where I have worked, LA28 presented a unique and special opportunity for several reasons,” Aldridge said.

“I was a teen in 1984 and have fond memories of everything associated with the Games, from the men’s basketball team starring Michael Jordan winning gold at The Forum, which is around the corner from the house I grew up in, to collecting pins in Exposition Park — the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles was magical for me and many.

“I also knew that my professional background, philanthropy through the years, and broad and diverse community knowledge, made me uniquely positioned to be a highly informed steward in LA28‘s efforts to deliver an event that the leadership, fans and community stakeholders envision.”

The job probably won’t be Aldridge’s last, but it may be his most important and most impactful. LA28 is the official Organizing Committee for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games, and Aldridge is

looking to accomplish so much in this position under the unique platform.

“We are deeply committed to the development, co-creation and implementation of our impact commitments, which includes youth sports, economic empow-

erment and environmental sustainability. Of equal importance to the commitments mentioned, we have established a sharp focus on disability inclusion, racial and gender equity, and keeping athletes at the front of the conversation when it comes to the

Jeff Moeller/Contributor

With a little more than 2,000 days from the start of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, Erikk Aldridge and team are hard at work preparing for the games on the field and economic empowerment and environmental sustainability away from the competition.

delivery of the Games, live event programming, community impact and legacy. We want to set the stage for the opportunity for LA people and LA businesses to share in the economic opportunities associated with the Games.”

Aldridge recently returned to Southern California from Seoul, South Korea. There he repped his organization at the Seoul Olympic Legacy Forum with other legacy leaders from around the world associated with the Olympic and Paralympic Movement.

On the other side of the world they discussed the impact of the Games in cities and communities in the areas of youth sports, facilities, economic impact and sustainability; he heard from various leaders and government officials from South Korea who talked about the impact and legacy of the 1988 Seoul Games; and he also had a chance to connect with and get important insight from peers overseeing the upcoming games in Paris 2024 (Summer Games) and Milan 2026 (Winter Games).

Seoul? Paris? Milan? Aldridge has his passport ready.

Born in Inglewood, Aldridge’s unique career path has included stops with AEG, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Venice, The Walk Disney Company, the Dodgers and the Lakers. Sports has played an integral role — Aldridge was a college baseball standout at UC San Diego; his son Chase played baseball at Harvard and now works in player development for the Dodgers; and daughter Drew competed as a gymnast at North Carolina at Chapel Hill — but each stop, both personal and professional, has seen him dedicate an enormous amount of time and effort to advocate for and develop youth programming.

“I am someone who has lived and breathed sports my entire life since growing up as a sports kid in Inglewood at Darby Park,” Aldridge remarked.

Despite all the unique personal experiences, even Aldridge has been shocked at the size and scope of hosting the world’s largest sporting celebration. It is also the ultimate learning experience.

“Outside of my work in impact and community engagement, the complexity of the selection of the sport program has been the biggest surprise for me. It is an extraordinarily complex process that involves several factors that I never thought about such as the number of athletes spots taken up by a sport, venue location, global popularity, market popularity and several other factors. It is a competitive and comprehensive process conducted by many brilliant members of the LA28 team who want to optimize the competitions selected for the final program.”

The final program for Aldridge and the city of Los Angeles will be the most important one: the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on July 14, 2028, and The Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony on Aug. 15, 2028.

“There are times when it feels far away and times when you feel that the clock is ticking. I can tell you that my Games tracker on my smartphone tells me exactly how many days a little more than 2,000 — away as of today. We are all in tune with the calendar and the shot clock. Paris 2024 is a good marker for those who want to know when things will really ramp up as we will officially be on the clock after the handover ceremony.

“When it comes to the work that we are doing on impact,” Aldridge continued, “each day is critical as we meet with a broad group of stakeholders to aid in our co-creation mantra, synthesize what we learn into meaningful and actionable plans and strategies, and establish the levers and tactics needed to execute our commitments.”

The final, final program for Aldridge will be revealing his answer to the initial question. By the end of the 2028 Games, check back with Aldridge about that favorite Olympic and Paralympic moment.

Jeff Moeller/Contributor

Erikk Aldridge has worked with an array of athletes over the years, including the creation of the Inglewood Baseball Fund nonprofit to give back to his hometown.

Covered California will helpDT ARTS & CULTURE

Photographer launches ‘Women of the Sidewalk Project’

By Bridgette M. Redman LA Downtown News Contributing Writer

Photos can empower, which fine arts photographer Elizabeth Waterman witnessed in her previous series photographing strippers.

This December, she’s turned her artistic eye to women who live on the streets, some of the city’s most marginalized populations. In a work called “Women of the Sidewalk Project,” she’s taken pictures that show their power.

She has partnered with The Sidewalk Project, and as part of the holiday seasons, they’ve been releasing 12 days of photos of

women who live on the DTLA streets.

The women are paid and will receive a portfolio of photographs. Anyone visiting the project can donate through an online campaign link.

Jen Elizabeth of The Sidewalk Project invited trans- and cis-gendered women to participate in the project, women who find themselves unhoused for a variety of reasons.

Waterman learned of The Sidewalk Project through a friend who works on its board. Impressed with the work that they do, she reached out to ask whether they could use photos.

The Sidewalk Project uses public health

acts, art, music, film and other mediums to empower people. It focuses on harm reduction, reaching out to unhoused people, in particular the drug-using and sex worker populations. They try to provide medical care and connect them up with housing and services. Their street team engages in crisis response, system advocacy, wound care, job placement, medication-assisted treatment and creative community resources.

When Waterman started her project, everyone on staff told her she needed to speak with Elizabeth, the director of street engagement and services and an HIV navigation specialist.

“Jen is a caseworker and the staff member who worked with sex workers,” Waterman said. “I tracked Jen down — she was always so busy helping everyone. She immediately said, ‘Yes, I have a lot of women I think would do this.’ They only came because they trusted her. It’s really a testament to her and their relationship with her.”

She ended up doing three shoots at The Sidewalk Project’s new offices with five subjects plus The Sidewalk Project staff.

Elizabeth heard that Waterman was an amazing photographer who had published a book on strippers.

“I got to finger through it a little bit online, and it was gritty and real,” Elizabeth said.

“I was like, ‘This is really cool that she wants to take pictures of the population that (we serve), it is just so inspiring and incredibly moving.’ To me, everyone in the unhoused community is the most marginalized — the sex worker population in general and then zoomed in on the transgender sector workers, then you have the Black transgender sectors, and it really doesn’t get much more delicate than that. They deserve to have a day, a moment, to feel beautiful and have their photos done.”

She said if many of these women dressed as men they’d face a lot less violence and hardship but that they are true to themselves. She’s protective of them because she some would injure them for being who they are.

“They are the most badass of this community, the most courageous, so I was excited for them to have an opportunity to get their pictures done and a portfolio put together,” Elizabeth said.

Waterman said she was immediately impressed by the women who volunteered to participate in the project.

“These women are so strong,” Waterman said. “These are brave women. They are moving forward in circumstances that are not ideal, and they have these complex lives. Those are the faces that really need to be

Elizabeth Waterman/Contributor

Bebe, one of the women photographed in The Women of The Sidewalk Project, styled her own clothes for the shoot.

seen. These are the people that need to be seen in a nice way, showing them as human beings and people that need attention and help and resources.”

The photos being released to the public come with quotes from the subjects. Elizabeth said it was important to compensate the subjects, who were treated like models.

“We don’t use Black women’s bodies,” Elizabeth said in talking about the fundraiser. “That’s very important to us at Sidewalk to always honor what’s happening and be very careful about it, so they are definitely going to be compensated and they’re very excited to get the full portfolio. They’re thrilled about that because it is super beneficial for them. Part of the proceeds of any of the donations we get are going to go to these women as well as a payment to say thank you for being so courageous and wonderful.”

Participant Bianca Copeland talked about how The Sidewalk Project — Elizabeth in particular — helped her to get a new start and was impressed by her compassion.

“Once I got out of jail, I was standing with some friends on the streets with nowhere to go and one of my friends recommended Jen of The Sidewalk Project,” Copeland wrote.

“She said Jen was a good friend who had helped her and her girlfriends get places to stay. And so I met Jen. She knew everybody. She gives out food and gift packs and stuff like that. She got me housing, a shelter for the time being. I couldn’t get anything be-

fore. So, it was a blessing.”

During the shoot, one of the women grabbed cloth she found, went into the bathroom with scissors and made her outfit for the shoot. Elizabeth said this creativity and resourcefulness impressed her.

She wants people to know they are incredible human beings, and she hopes this project will contribute to doing that.

Most of the photographed women live in a world that looks askance at them, which is why Waterman wanted Elizabeth to look at them as people who deserve respect, who deserve to be beautiful and deserve to be taken care of.

“It changes the perspective of how people see them,” Waterman said. “There’s not a lot of great media right now or great visuals of them in a powerful, respectful way.”

Waterman said artists/writers generally focus on their trauma and the images are depressing.

“I want images that are colorful,” Waterman said. “I wanted images that could be in Vogue. One of the women, Bebe, is wearing a red dress that she literally designed and styled in the bathroom during the shoot. She came up with this really cool custom piece. It’s showing them in a far different way than what is out there, and it’s a much-needed way. They’re really, really beautiful. They’re holding themselves with grace and dignity and like beautiful women who deserve to be respected.”

Elizabeth said she is always a bit terrified about having a photographer or a journalist witness their work because she never knows whether they will respect the best interests of those she serves. Words and images, she said, are incredibly powerful and can uplift or destroy.

“Meeting Elizabeth (Waterman), I have to trust a little bit,” Elizabeth said. “I am extremely protective of the women in Skid Row in general, of any woman that does not have housing. I tell them everything. The women that were in this particular project, they were very, very, very ready to do it.”

Waterman said she hopes this project will raise awareness of The Sidewalk Project so it can earn more grants. The project, she said, is all about the community and that was something she tried to capture with her photographs.

“A woman alone is extraordinarily vulnerable,” Waterman said. “But women together can take over the world; we can do anything. The resources of the community are a thousandfold more than any one person. These women that we pho -

tographed have been involved with The Sidewalk Project, and they help connect people.”

Elizabeth said most women end up on the street because they are trying to escape domestic violence. Then, once they are on the streets, drugs become a huge temptation because they help them stay awake, which keeps them safer.

“Maybe keep a slight little window cracked open for the possibility that maybe this person is doing the best they can in a life that maybe none of us could even fathom,” Elizabeth said.

“And they deserve love. They deserve to be appreciated and to belong somewhere. The streets are dangerous, rough and hard, and even in that, they’re still thriving. That speaks hugely to the type of women that other people want to judge. I see joy in the midst of this war zone that is super, intentionally created. Every day it keeps me motivated to keep fighting for what they deserve.”

“Women of the Sidewalk Project”

WHEN: Through Friday, Dec. 23

WHERE: instagram.com/the_sidewalk_project

COST: Free

INFO: thesidewalkproject.org

Covered California will helpDT ARTS & CULTURE

Arushi Gallery widens the art industry’s reach

By Summer Aguirre LA Downtown News Staff Writer

For new artists across the globe, Arushi Gallery is a stage for them to get their foot in the art world.

DTLA’s Arushi Gallery concentrates on post-war contemporary art from emerging and underrepresented international artists. The space is directed by 26-year-old Indian-born art dealer Arushi Kapoor, who aims to diversify the art world with her decade of experience as one of the industry’s youngest art dealers.

“My main motive is to give a platform to minority artists, including females, LGBTQ or minorities from different parts of the world,” she said. “A platform to showcase that artwork in a global arena where they can build value and increase value for themselves and for the people around them.”

Kapoor founded her gallery and advisory about two and a half years ago, which joins her spaces in New Delhi and London. She hosted pop-ups across the three cities for over seven years before establishing a permanent gallery on U.S. soil.

Her collective at Arushi Gallery comprises the work of over 500 artists that the gallery collaborates with, but does not exclusively represent to enable the artists’ growth and ability to make other industry connections.

In alignment with her focus on female artists, Arushi Gallery recently curated “A Hero She Needs,” an exhibit celebrating female figures that included collaborations with LA-based artist Sophie Kipner and Canadian artist Lindsay Dawn.

“I try to bring artists who are living in LA but are from different parts of the world, and different parts of the cultures that are fitting into this actually have a potential to showcase on a global stage,” she said. “I give them their first steppingstone.”

Kapoor specializes in Indian and African Diaspora art, and is one of a handful of U.S. West Coast art dealers to do so.

Her latest curation, “The Boundary Beyond Figures,” was a collective of artworks by up-and-coming Ghanaian artists.

“Ghana art has been making rounds in the art scene for a couple of years now, but people have a set idea. They put the artwork in a box, that it’s a certain type of figurative artworks,” she said. “What I wanted to showcase was emerging artists from Ghana that are coming onto the scene now and, at the same time, show the differences in figurative painting in the Ghanaian art scene.”

Before the exhibit, Kapoor noted that this type of art was something that had not been highlighted on the West Coast before.

Kapoor grew up in three different cities all on different continents: New Delhi, London and Los Angeles. As a result, she encountered a “melting pot” of cultures

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that built a skill set and understanding of the art world that ultimately influenced her passion for spotlighting international underrepresented artists.

“I realized that South Asian art did not have a big presence in America, or there’s a lot of American street art that did not have a big presence in the UK,” Kapoor said. “So I wanted to share these experiences with people from different parts of the country.”

Her extensive knowledge of the art world is rooted in her early involvement in the industry, having gained firsthand experience with the workings of the Southeast Asian department of Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London and the art auction house Christie’s.

While attending the University of Southern California, where Kapoor received her business degree, she began to put more of her time and energy into the arts. She has worked for Revolver Gallery, Artbook at Hauser and Wirth and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

During this time, she also became acquainted with art advising, as people would request her opinion from both an investment and aesthetic perspective regarding what should be included in their collective.

“Art very naturally came about. It wasn’t a forced experience for me,” Kapoor said. “I have been going to museums since I was a little kid. I’ve been to many museums across Europe and Asia. I grew up around art, so art was always something that was a part of me. But as I grew older, it turned out to be something that I wanted to spend my time in and also wanted to bring to other parts of the world.”

Now, she offers a platform for international female and minority artists and acquires art at the grassroots level for a clientele looking to invest for financial and aesthetic purposes.

To continue playing her part in bringing emerging artists onto the art scene, Kapoor is looking at extending Arushi Gallery’s reach into new countries by forming partnerships with galleries around the world.

“We’re focusing on what we’re doing (currently), but increasing it in scale,” she said. “At the same time, we’re looking at new ventures to invest in through the gallery that can uplift and ameliorate the art world as we know it through technology.”

She noted that they are increasing consulting in the Middle East, with plans to participate in fairs in the region and hopes to showcase Iranian artists at the Los Angeles gallery.

In DTLA, however, Kapoor has a second gallery space slated to open in the summer, in addition to a new show opening on Jan. 26, at the original location at 1243 W. Temple Street.

Arushi Gallery

1243 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles arushikapoor.com

Mara Friedman/Contributor

At 26, Arushi Kapoor is one of the industry’s youngest art dealers. She has over 10 years-worth of experience that includes working for Revolver Gallery, Artbook at Hauser and Wirth and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.