Los Angeles Downtown News - 10-24-22

Board of Supervisors to send letter in support of Iranian protesters

By Luke Netzley

LA Downtown News Deputy Editor

Three days after 22-year-old Irani an Mahsa Amini was arrested by the country’s religious morality po lice for incorrectly wearing her hijab, she was transferred to a hospital in Tehran, where she reportedly died of a skull frac ture caused by heavy blows to the head. While she was in custody, eyewitnesses described that Amini had been severely beaten. Iranian state officials claimed she died of a heart attack.

Protests gripped the Iranian capital be fore spreading across the country, then the world.

On Oct. 1, thousands of Angelenos marched through the streets of Down town before gathering in Pershing Square, where protesters rallied against the Irani an regime, called for women’s rights and demanded that the city’s leadership take notice.

The Los Angeles Board of Supervisors has now agreed to send a letter to Pres ident Joe Biden in support of the pro testers in Iran. The motion was led by Su pervisor Hilda Solis and co-authored by Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, who said she was “happy to see protests all over the world concerning the death of this wom en and the treatment of women in Iran” in a meeting on Oct. 18.

“This is not just one woman’s case,” Kue hl explained. “This is a reform movement now led by young women, old women, all women across all of our different commu nities. I hope this serves as a wake-up call for oppressive regimes worldwide.”

In a general comment during the meet ing, one public speaker thanked Solis and asked the board to “show solidarity with the brave women and girls of Iran and around the world. With the government cracking down on the protesters and lim iting access to the internet, this motion will help to show the Iranians that we are

with them. Please, no negotiation with the Islamic Republic of Iran. … They’re not representing Iran for Iranians.”

“As an Iranian, we expect to stop any kind of negotiation with a brutal regime,” another public speaker added. “As one in volved in the 1999 student uprising, I can echo the voice of not only women in Iran but the majority of the population, even young children, who are demanding re gime change.

“It’s women that are shouting in the streets in the cities of Iran for decades, in cluding during the Green Movement in 2009, which was ignored by our policy makers and instead led to another direc tion. Since then, hundreds of people were killed, including 32 children, and dozens detained and tortured and raped. Now the world must hear them.”

Los Angeles is home to the largest Irani an population in the world outside of Iran.

According to the Census Bureau, the city is home to more than 87,000 people of Iranian ancestry.

“I was active in Iran in the student upris ing in 1999,” said Roozbeh Farahanipour, president at West Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. “I was detained and tortured, a victim of torture with the Islamic Repub lic of Iran and continue to fight against this regime. I came here 22 years ago as a political asylum. I had a firsthand expe rience with the regime killing people on the streets in Iran. I demand the Board of Supervisors … to demand regime change and ask the federal government and ad ministration to not do any negotiation with Iran.”

Sharif University of Technology, report edly tear gassing, beating and detaining students at one of the largest engineering schools in the country.

“The crackdown has resulted in the death of at least 215 people … that we know of,” Solis said. “This board must show solidarity with the protesters in Iran.”

After approval from Solis and Kuehl along with Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Janice Hahn, the motion carried “four to zero.”

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

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

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Sara Edwards, Kamala Kirk

ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanie Torres

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After Amini’s death and the protests that ensued, a fire erupted at Evin pris on in northern Tehran that has killed at least eight people as police clashed with inmates and riot forces have raided the

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“These courageous women and young girls are inspiring to all of us, and we need to continue to fight for equal rights in ev ery corner of this planet,” Solis said. “With this motion … Los Angeles County is tak ing a stand in support of a better future for Iran and for its population, one that ensures equal treatment to Iranian wom en and girls to have access to all the op portunities that they deserve.”

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EDITOR: Luke Netzley STAFF WRITERS: Morgan Owen, Leah Schwartz CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Bridgette M. Redman, Ellen Snortland STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Chris Mortenson

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LA County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl/Submitted

After a wave of protests in DTLA in support of women’s rights in Iran, Supervisors Hilda Solis and Sheila Kuehl have led a motion to send a letter in support of Iranian protesters to President Joe Biden.

Water watchdog group moves to DTLA

By Morgan Owen LA Downtown News Staff Writer

LA Waterkeeper is moving its offices to Downtown LA after spending 30 years in Santa Monica.

According to Executive Director Bruce Reznik, the organization is moving so it can be closer to the governmental agen cies and water-focused groups that are doing the decision making.

“Our work is increasingly centered around Downtown Los Angeles, from wa ter agencies like the Metropolitan Water District to regulatory agencies like the Re gional Water Board,” Reznik said.

“Water groups have not been a regular presence at all those agencies. We want to be closer (to Downtown LA) so we can be that presence at city hall and the coun ty board.”

Reznik noted the proximity to Down town LA also puts LA Waterkeeper closer to its environmental justice partners and helps build better relationships with the communities most impacted by water pol lution.

According to the California Office of Environmental Health and Hazard As sessment, Downtown LA’s level water pollution falls in the 90th percentile for drinking water contaminants, while San ta Monica is only in the 30th percentile. Communities most impacted by that pol lution are areas that border the LA Riv er and the surrounding industrial zones, Reznik said.

In the past, LA Waterkeeper has focused on coastal and marine health, but Reznik said that over the years, it made more sense to target inland watersheds at the source of many marine pollutants. While he insists the organization will maintain its commitment to protecting coastal and marine health in Santa Monica Bay, the plan is to focus more heavily on social jus tice campaigns.

LA Waterkeeper is a watchdog organi zation focusing on litigation and advoca cy to safeguard LA’s inland and coastal wa ters. Ita mission is to eliminate pollution, achieve ecosystem health in LA’s water ways, and secure low-carbon water supply chains to the region.

A major milestone for the organization came just last month when the Los Ange les County Board of Directors approved the third round of funding for the Safe Clean Water Program.

Allegedly inspired by litigation put for ward by LA Waterkeeper, the Safe Clean Water Program focuses on clean water in

vestments that collect and treat stormwa ter and create nature-based infrastructure for communities in need of greenspace. The program operates on $280 million per year in perpetuity.

Another example of successful litigation by LA Waterkeeper was a lawsuit it won in 2020 against the State Water Resourc es Control Board. The lawsuit argued that the agency violated the California Con stitution, which prohibits wanton water waste, by dumping millions of gallons of wastewater into the ocean rather than re cycling it.

Reznik also wanted to emphasize that there is a softer side to the organization, which isn’t just about litigation.

“We also do outreach. We do have pro grams where we take underserved youth out on our boats and patrol our marine protected areas. I think it is important to do a variety of things, and it also brings you more connected to the community,” he said.

While Reznick is very proud of LA Wa terkeeper’s successes at fighting pollution, he said it’s treating the symptoms, not the causes. That is why LA Waterkeeper fights to uphold structural changes like the Safe Clean Water Program and the 1972 Clean Water Act.

Oct. 18 marked the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. Overall, the act estab lishes federal regulations to reduce pol lution and explicitly protects the public’s rights to clean and fishable lakes, rivers and waterways.

The most notable section of the Clean Water Act is the requirement for indus tries and sewage treatment plants to ob tain permits from the Environmental Pro tection Agency regulating the quantity of pollutants they can release.

The impetus for the Clean Water Act came primarily from the Cuyahoga River Fire in 1969, which started when an accu mulation of oil waste and debris caught fire. The resulting five-story blaze demon strated the level of contaminants in the river, which was reportedly the most pol luted waterway in the country at that time.

The act is enforced through the EPA and state-implemented regulation agencies. It also creates a framework for organizations like LA Waterkeeper to report violations and instigate litigation. Through LA Water keeper’s efforts, 90 industrial facilities in the LA area alone have been brought into Clean Water Act Compliance.

In a press release celebrating the anni

Chris Mortenson/Staff photographer

Bruce Reznik is the executive director at LA Waterkeeper.

versary, EPA Administrator Michael S. Re gan said the Clean Water Act has “played a transformational role in protecting peo ple’s health and safeguarding our natural resources for the enjoyment of future gen erations,” but Reznik said there is still work to do.

When the measure passed in 1972, it aimed to eliminate all pollution in navi gable waterways. Since then, many lakes and rivers that were once too polluted for swimming have improved enough to al low public recreation, but many navigable waterways still are polluted.

“It’s nice to celebrate what (the Clean Water Act) has accomplished, but it cer tainly has a long way to go to deliver on the promise of clean water,” Reznick said.

Reznik explained that to bring forward litigation using the Clean Water Act, LA Waterkeeper must demonstrate to the court that members of the public show in terest in the issue. It does this by reaching out to its membership for support during hearings and throughout the litigation process.

LA Waterkeeper also relies on its mem bership to report instances of toxic run off, pollution and other Clean Water Act violations through the Community Wa ter Watch Program. The program works to ensure community members living in the areas most impacted by industrial pollut ants have the knowledge and resources to identify toxic runoff and trains members to conduct water quality sampling in those areas.

But the little things count as well, Reznik said. Trying to reduce water consumption, switching greenspace on your property to more native vegetation, and remembering that storm drains aren’t treated for pollut ants make a difference, he said.

“In a region of 10 million people, if every body did a little bit better on using less wa ter and a little bit better about not putting things in storm drains, it would have a huge impact. But I think it’s important that the public make their voice heard,” Reznik said.

“Be a voice for clean water, resilient wa ter, and a more sustainable and equitable future for LA.”

RESTAURANT / CATERING / FOOD TRUCK / FARMERS M ARKE TS

Chris Mortenson/Staff photographer

Bruce Reznik said DTLA is better suited for his organization.

Covered California will helpDTCONSIDER THIS Mr. Groper: I wish you karma

by Ellen Snortland LA Downtown News Contributing Writer

In a sudden flurry of #MeToo reminis cences, after three decades, I finally decided to write to my groper:

Dear Mr. Groper,

I guess “Mr.” Groper is unnecessary since I’ve never been groped by a wom an, but I digress in my opening sentence. There’s so much I want to say to you that I barely know where to begin.

I finally spoke to your ex-wife. She was amazingly gracious and open to my phone call, describing your grop ing of me 30 years ago. You asked me to show you where our bathroom was and grabbed my breasts as I reached for the light switch. You don’t remember? Of course you don’t, because I don’t think women even “register” as people to you.

I called her because after you “honked” my breasts — do you think boobs are flesh toys, there for you to do whatever pops into your brain? That is so juvenile! Oh, here I am digressing again — any way, after you groped me at the dinner party at my house, I separated from her, too, not just you.

My then-husband Greg and I dis cussed your hands and where they’d gone. What should I do? He offered to call you, but as a feminist, was I going to have him fight my battles and under score the idea of women as chattel that their “owners” argue over? “You touched my woman! How dare you, sir! I will meet you in the grove next to the train in Grif fith Park, where we shall duel!” Gloves thrown.

No. I am a whole person, not a thing to manhandle as your little monkey mind may relate to women: as things or live stock to deal with according to whim.

I am keeping you anonymous, yet you may be assured that I have posted this on my social media feeds; I will send you a link on your Facebook Messenger. Oh, yes, I know you’re on Facebook. We

are “friends” there, although you are not my friend. I’ve wanted to keep my eye on you. From appearances, you are just as arrogant, shallow and clueless as you were 30 years ago.

Mainly, I keep you anonymous be cause of my love and respect for your ex-wife and grown kids. Here you are, benefiting from their protection. You won’t suffer consequences, unlike the “Big Boys” who are now finally facing some long-overdue music. You are in stellar company, although you’ve nev er been as big as those whose activities range from playground “naughty hands” to out-and-out rape.

As a group, your behavior doesn’t just impact your victims but your families, too. I couldn’t care less what you think of me, but your children? Should they know what a boor and a putz you are? I’ll leave that to the ex-wife whose children you share. I hope they can learn from your mistakes, even though they don’t know what those mistakes are.

On one level, I’m very aware that a breast squeeze is making mountains out of my molehills. That’s why I didn’t join the initial tsunami of #MeToo alle gations, as it didn’t seem as important as other women’s experiences. In the scope of the universe, it’s not a big deal;

Ellen Snortland

it is what we’re mindful of calling a “First World problem.” What is a big deal is the decadeslong accumulation of slights; grabs; being invisible; being treated like a second- or third-class citizen; and nev er being allowed to ever, ever forget that I’m a female. You don’t know how good you have it. As you have a man’s body, you don’t have to walk around receiving unwanted attention and remarks about your earthly vehicle: its size, its shape, its breasts. You have the luxury of being an individual. I’ve never had that luxury.

Are all men as rude as you are? No. I’ve actually dated “important” men who lis tened to me! I recall one media man in particular who — may he R.I.P. — was a professor of mine. I sent him a note in an adult education class he taught, tell ing him how attractive I found him and asking if I could take him to dinner. He wrote back and said that our power dy namic was such that, as my professor, he didn’t want to take advantage. Howev er, after a dignified six months, he called me, and we dated for about a year. Now that’s classy.

Yes, I have my share of complete pigs

in my roster of males I’ve related to … you being a champion blue-ribbon swine, having the gall to maul me in my own home? Really?! With your wife in the next room? Ewwwww! I wish I’d kicked you in the galls (intentional wordplay) or, at the very least, given you a swift kick in the shins. I would have loved to hear you scream.

I heard you were sued by women in your office; sweet payback from some one else since I missed my window of opportunity. Plus, my case wouldn’t have been viable since it happened in my home. Here’s hoping the judge threw the book at you … and that a woman in the courtroom honked you on the way out.

Very sincerely not yours, Ellen.

Ellen Snortland has written this col umn for decades and also teaches cre ative writing. She can be reached at ellen@ beautybitesbeast.com. Her award-win ning film “Beauty Bites Beast” is available for download or streaming at vimeo.com/ ondemand/beautybitesbeast.

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Museum combats hate with ‘An American Vocabulary’

By Morgan Owen LA Downtown News Staff Writer

During the pandemic, the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pa cific Islander community experi enced measurable increases in anti-Asian hate.

A report released by the California De partment of Justice this year marked a 177.5% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes from 2020 to 2021 in California.

But Jason Chu was reluctant to describe the wave of anti-Asian sentiment as any thing new, saying that those with ancestral remembrance know the AANHPI commu nity has experienced other periods of in creased discrimination. “What I would say is, since the pandemic, we’ve lost the illu sion of past progress.”

Chu, a rapper, and Audrey Chan, a visual artist, are the creators behind the art piece “An American Vocabulary: Words to Action.”

The project is part of a collaboration be tween the National Center for the Preserva tion of Democracy at the Japanese Amer ican National Museum and LA County’s

Artists at Work initiative.

The prompt given to Chan and Chu was to address the uptick in discrimination against the Asian American community.

“For me, the context of anti-Asian hate is a very intimidating subject,” Chan said. “It’s very raw, it’s really personal, it’s shared as well. I found (this experience) necessary for me as a human being to have a place to process together and make something, if not positive, constructive.”

Chan said she and Chu had many collab orative discussions about how they could address the prompt while working to build solidarity in the AANHPI community.

“When Audrey and I were tasked with coming up with an artistic response to an ti-Asian racism, my first thought was, ‘Let’s not accentuate the actions of those who are inflicting harm. Let’s build strength within the community,’” Chu explained.

The pair eventually settled on the con cept of representing four words — ances tor, voice, persistence and care — using multilingual vocabulary cards in the multi tude of languages the AANHPI community

Chris Mortenson/Staff photographer

Audrey Chan and Jason Chu’s “An American Vocabulary: Words to Action” is displayed on the outside of the Japanese American National Museum.

speaks. Each card has a visual component produced by Chan and a written compo nent by Chu.

For each card, Chan chose images from AANHPI’s fight against anti-Asian hate and erasure. Examples of images include Bighat Singh Thind, the first Asian American to ob tain U.S. citizenship; Queen Liliuokalani, the last Native Hawaiian monarch; and Connie Chunko, the head of AJSoCal, being arrest ed by LAPD at a protest on behalf of immi grant rights.

Chan said the most complex image to work on was one of the “Persistence” vo cabulary cards that shows an image repre senting the 72 Thai garment workers res cued from a sweatshop in 1995 in El Monte. According to Chan, there were no photos of the workers, so she worked from crime scene images released after police evacuat ed the workers.

On the reverse side of each flashcard, there is a description of the photo and a poem written by Chu using that vocabu lary word as a prompt.

“Who walked where we walk?

Who spoke what we heard?

Who lived the lives that led us to ours?

Those who went before, Where we will one day go.”

• Jason Chu, “Ancestor” cards

Ann Burroughs, the president and CEO of JANM, said that she most appreciates the way “An American Vocabulary: Words to Action” highlights the diversity of the Asian American community and creates a shared identity.

“A shared vocabulary is such a powerful way of giving agency to the AANHPI com munity,” Burroughs said. “That agency is so critically important now, in this context of anti-Asian hate, and because there is such a deep need for coming together around is sues of justice and healing.”

For both Chan and Chu, “An American Vocabulary: Words to Action” was a very personal project. Chan said one of her in spirations was her difficulties learning Man darin, one of three Chinese dialects spoken in her family. Chan said she never made it past her own introductory set of flashcards.

Chu said he explored his own Asian American identity through his career as a hip-hop artist and rapper.

“Being mentored in a genre that is so ex plicit about racial identity, the challenges, and the strength that comes from knowing your racial identity, has driven me to use my Asian American identity in the same way that I see Black or Chicano hip-hop artists understanding Blackness or Latinx identity,” said Chu, who hopes the No. 1 thing audiences take away from looking at the vocabulary cards is that there are

Your future starts at Cal State LA Downtown

By Cal State LA Downtown

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stories from the AANHPI community that people can draw inspiration, strength and beauty from.

To see “An American Vocabulary: Words to Action,” all one has to do is look at the

outside of JANM, where enlarged versions of Chan and Chu’s flashcards are displayed on the exterior of the building. Visitors can also view a complete set of the cards inside the museum and on JANM’s website.

Cal State/Submitted

Cal State LA Downtown, Grand Avenue, Sixth Floor, Los Angeles.

Chris Mortenson/Staff photographer

Audrey Chan holds vocabulary cards from “An American Vocabulary: Words to Action” in front of the Japanese American National Museum. Enlarged images from the project can be seen displayed on the exterior of the building.

Grammy Museum honors Bruce Springsteen

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor

experience.”

Eileen

Chapman, director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music, said con certs by “The Boss” will win over any mu sic fan.

The new exhibit at the Grammy Muse um “Bruce Springsteen Live!” offers ev idence of this, exploring the evolution of the rocker through the decades, and grants exclusive backstage access to Springsteen and the E Street Band’s per formances.

The Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University’s traveling exhibit runs through April 2.

“The Grammy Museum is excited to bring ‘Bruce Springsteen Live!’ to Los An geles,” said Jasen Emmons, chief curator and vice president of curatorial affairs at the Grammy Museum.

“We’re also thrilled to offer a special, ex panded exhibit with the help of Spring steen fans for a one-of-a-kind immersive

“Bruce Springsteen Live!” features 49 years of artifacts, live performance foot age, instruments and stage costumes, ex clusive interviews, concert posters and photography, as well as interactive dis plays.

“Few performers embody the soul and excitement of live rock ‘n’ roll like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band,” co-cu rator Robert Santelli said. “This exhibit will give fresh insight into how they’ve been able to remain one of the greatest live acts for five decades.”

Chapman said LA has been special to Springsteen.

“Since his first West Coast show as a touring musician at the Troubadour in 1973 to the present day, Bruce has per formed over 100 shows in the Los Angeles area and has thrilled millions of fans with his electrifying performances,” she said.

“This extensive exhibit provides a peek behind the curtain and a stirring trip down memory lane.”

Rebecca Sapp/Submitted

Fans at “Bruce Springsteen Live!” will have the chance to create their own encore. They’ll view Bruce Springsteen’s handwritten set lists and create their own encores to compare against Springsteen’s original.

•

Exhibit highlights include:

• “Born to Run” Esquire guitar: A staple of Springsteen’s career, the modified Fend er guitar was featured most famously on the album cover of “Born to Run” (1975), as well as “Live 1975/85” (1986), “Human Touch” (1992) and “Wrecking Ball” (2012).

• Clarence Clemons saxophone: Nick named “The Big Man,” the legendary sax ophonist played alongside Springsteen for 40 years. Upon Clemons’ death in 2011, the iconic instrument was passed on to his nephew, Jake Clemons, who, since 2012, has used it in performances with the E Street Band.

• Stage clothing: Outfits and accessories from Springsteen and members of the E Street Band.

“Tunnel of Love” ticket booth stage prop: From the 1988 “Tunnel of Love” tour, it symbolized the audience’s admittance to the onstage narrative of the rollerc oaster of love, loyalty, commitment and faith.

• Max Weinberg’s “Tunnel of Love” drum kit, plus a drum interactive with tips from Weinberg.

• Danny Federici accordion.

• Create Your Encore Interactive: This in teractive kiosk allows visitors to view his handwritten set lists and create their own encores to compare against Springsteen’s original.

Chapman said curating this exhibit was

a lot of fun.

“We thought it would be interesting to fans to go deep into the archives and identify every decade of Bruce’s career,” she said.

“It was passionate. It was fun. It was ex citing. In our research, we came across some items that we didn’t realize we had.”

That includes early press releases and letters. She said she was focused on pull ing material that music listeners would find interesting.

“We pay tribute to the fans, too,” Chap man said. “We have signs, ticket stubs, backstage passes, posters and other fan-related materials.

“The best of all are the interactive com ponents, the opportunity to hear inter views with Bruce and each of the E Street Band members, some interviews from management like Barbara Carr and Jon Landau talking about how a tour comes together. That’s very interesting. It’s a sneak preview into what happens behind the scenes on the day of the show.”

That is the key to this exhibit, she ex plained. There have been very few exhibits based on live performances.

“This was a nice change to really focus on the live experience,” she said. “I hear all the time, ‘I wasn’t really a fan until I saw a Bruce Springsteen show.’ For Bruce, hav ing a look at the live experience, it’s some thing that impacts everyone.”

through

Rebecca Sapp/Submitted

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s clothing are on display at the Grammy Museum as part of “Bruce Springsteen Live!”

& CULTURE

Printmaking society celebrates 60 years

By Leah Schwartz LA Downtown News Staff Writer

The Los Angeles Printmaking Soci ety is celebrating its 60th anniver sary with a monthlong exhibition at Mixografia Press in Downtown LA.

Running through Saturday, Nov. 12, the biennial, 22nd National Print Exhibition features innovative, modern artists from around the country selected by this year’s juror, Kenturah Davis, who teaches at Occi dental College.

In 1973 LAPS held its first National, just a decade after the organization’s inception, staged at the LA Municipal Art Gallery.

This year’s National honors mother and daughter Betye and Alison Saar, the for mer being an early member of LAPS and re nowned LA artist.

The LAPS is an artist-run nonprofit started in 1962 by Paul Darrow and Connor Everts. The post-war energy at that time drew art ists and students studying art on the GI Bill, creating an intellectual and artistic boom.

Darrow and Everts settled in the LA area after having served in WWII. Mary Sherwood Brock, the LAPS 22nd National Exhibition chair, said the two “were always in shows to gether, but they never met. They would be alphabetically listed in the catalog and see each other’s names on the poster.”

After years of showing in the same cir cuits, the pair finally met in 1962 and quick ly became friends. That same year LAPS was born. They created LAPS intending to edu cate and popularize the art of printmaking, creating community and education around the craft.

During this time, like many early mem bers who were either working artists or pro fessors, Darrow and Everts were teaching art, Everts worked as an itinerant professor, and Darrow taught at Scripps College in Cla remont.

Everts lived in Torrance, and Brock re called that he was a “real character.” In ad dition to teaching, Everts was a longshore man and had a studio in an old grocery store next to the railroad line in Downtown Torrance. Meanwhile, Darrow lived in Lagu na Beach, but the group had no problem driving to each other during a time when freeways were traffic free. They called them selves the “freeway fliers.”

In the early years, printmaking was an un known art. Many LA-area professors who were tasked to teach classes on the subject had little knowledge.

DT“The schools were either completely new or they had equipment that had not been used in years,” Brock said.

“So, equipment was sitting in corners and hallways; beautiful presses were under sheets and stuffed in garages.”

Another key figure at this time was art ist June Wayne, who started the iconic foot print studio Tamarind Lithography Work shop in Hollywood, which housed many early LAPS workshops and exhibits. Work shops like Tamarind and Gemini G.E.L. were collaborative spaces, different from past workshops, and encouraged modern and avant-garde expression that would influ ence the direction of the LA art scene.

“Printmaking put LA on the map in terms of art. … So much of the roots of what LA is all about is intricately involved with our or ganization,” Brock said.

Wayne was instrumental in reviving the art of printmaking in the United States. To learn traditional printmaking, she traveled to Europe and brought back printing tech niques, the idea of the apprentice system, and the art of lithography.

Other early group members included art ists Ynez Johnston, Emerson Woelffer, Leon ard Edmondson, Guy Maccoy, Dick Swift, Tom Fricano and Betye Saar. Early on, LAPS received support from generous bene factors: Ebria Feinblatt of the Los Ange les County Museum of Art; Ken Ross, who served on the Los Angeles Arts Commission; and Esther Lewis, who had gallery and stu dio space on two floors of a Downtown of fice building.

LAPS emerged during the cultural rev olution and civil rights movement of the ’60s, and members were heavily inspired by personal and political expression. Everts used his art for national and cultural reflec tion and was described by an LA publica tion as “a Bohemian with a cause.” In 1964, Everts was charged with obscenity in reac tion to a drawing he made in response to the then-recent JFK assassination during his show, “Studies in Desperation,” at Zora Gal lery.

What started as a postwar, local organiza tion run by two artists in LA has grown into an international society with members from across the globe.

LAPS has been a crucial aspect in shaping LA’s artistic identity and continues to do so, running multiple cutting-edge exhibits ev ery year. After 60 years, LAPS has thrived as a solely artist-run organization, depending

on community support and volunteers who run operations and events.

Giving back to the community that has allowed LAPS to grow and thrive is at the forefront of its mission. LAPS annually pro vides grants to three to four printmaking students through its Foundation Scholar

ship Grant Award. After students graduate, LAPS supports emerging artists with jobs and apprenticeship opportunities through its extensive network. Although they no longer have the two-floor studio on Spring Street, LAPS hopes to have a physical meet ing space for future members.

The 22nd National Print Exhibition

WHEN: Various times through Saturday, Nov. 12; artist talk 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 WHERE: Mixografia, 1419 E. Adams Boulevard, LA COST: Visit website for information INFO: mixografia.com

Submitted

Connor Everts is the founder of the Los Angeles Printmaking Society, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary with a monthlong exhibiton in DTLA’s Mixografia Press.

‘Recovering photographer’ rediscovers his love

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor

British photographer Steve Rapport photographed the most iconic acts of the ’80s music scene in London and the United States.

Then, he gave it all up after shooting R.E.M. in 1995 at the Shoreline Amphithe atre in Mountain View.

“That was the final straw,” he said. “It was on a work night, a two-hour drive from San Francisco, where I was living. They gave us one number, and this was for a big piece in (the now-defunct English music magazine) Vox. After one song, they marched all the photographers out of the amphitheater. I drove all that way and I didn’t get to watch the show.”

For the next 27 years, he called himself a “recovering photographer.”

He’s back and exhibiting his work from 1981 to 1995 at the Musichead Gallery, 7420 W. Sunset Boulevard. Artists featured in the exhibit include Eurythmics (for which Rapport did seven sessions), Duran Duran,

David Bowie, Joe Strummer of The Clash, Freddie Mercury, The Cure, Kate Bush, De peche Mode and Siouxsie Sioux.

Running from Oct. 27 to Nov. 12, Rap port’s first solo exhibition coincides with Eurythmics’ and Duran Duran’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Satur day, Nov. 5, at the Microsoft Theatre.

Other artists who will be honored by the Rock Hall are Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Eminem, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie and Carly Simon, along with Judas Priest and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis for Musical Excel lence; Harry Belafonte and Elizabeth Cot ten for Early Influence; and Allen Grubman, Jimmy Iovine and Sylvia Robinson for the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

“Now I call myself a photographer again,” Rapport said.

“I have a completely different attitude to ward my original photography. I look back at the old stuff and it seems like some one else’s life, someone else’s work. I have a completely different perspective than when I was a photographer.”

From 1992 to 2017, Rapport’s archives were packed in a storage unit in England. When he started scanning, printing and

hanging photos, he fell in love all over again.

“People would say things about the

Steve Rapport/Submitted

Freddie Mercury captured by British photographer Steve Rapport.

emotion in the photos or how they feel they were there,” Rapport said.

“They remember if they saw that band back in the day. I never knew I had a style of photography. I had to think of what that style could be.”

Musichead is a Los Angeles gallery that has become an authority on music-related art and photography, representing over 80 acclaimed photographers and artists.

It was founded in 1998 by Sam Milgrom, who had previously owned the Magic Bag concert hall and Sam’s Jams record store in suburban Detroit.

Milgrom has curated many renown exhi bitions, including showings of the work of Bob Gruen, Grace Slick, Jerry Garcia, Chuck D, Baron Wolman, Danny Clinch, Chris Cuffaro, Brandon Boyd, EMEK and Storm Thorgerson.

The gallery also offers album cover and poster art chronicling music’s rich heritage and artwork by some of its greatest leg ends spanning the dawn of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s onward.

Milgrom was introduced to Rapport

through the photographer’s manager.

“He knew about my gallery and intro duced Steve’s work to me,” Milgrom said. “I loved his photography. We were doing this exhibition, then I find out just a few weeks ago that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induc tion ceremony, which is always in New York, was in LA this year.”

He decided to host the reception the day before the ceremony in the hopes of get ting artists to swing by.

“If I fell in love with someone’s work, the world needs to know about it,” Milgrom said. “He’s really, really good. He’s had the opportunity to take photos of bands before digital photography and cellphones.

“Steve was on the scene in the U.K., at the right place at the right time. He was a photographer for the Guardian in the ’80s. He was well regarded and well known — more so there than here. He’s been quietly doing his own thing for all these years.

“Now he’s relocated to New Orleans, which is really fun for him. It’s a whole new chapter in his career, and I wanted to do something with him here.”

Photographer Steve Rapport Photo Exhibition

WHEN: Various times Thursday, Oct. 27, to Saturday, Nov. 12

WHERE: Musichead Gallery, 7420 W. Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood COST: Visit website for information INFO: musichead.com

Steve Rapport/Submitted

Prince photographed by Steve Rapport.

Robey explores pressures of an unethical workplace

By Bridgette M. Redman LA Downtown News Contributing Writer

If there isn’t an option to leave a job, is the worker really free? What happens when workers don’t have the privilege to walk away and the boss demands they make a “choice” to either do something reprehensible or lose their job?

Those are the themes explored in the world premiere of Kwik Jones’ “Man’s Fa vor, Devil’s Plan,” which runs through Sun day, Nov. 20, at the Robey Theatre.

The play explores the rights of women, workers and the underrepresented, accord ing to playwright and director Julian White. Set in 1938 Los Angeles, “Man’s Favor, Dev il’s Plan” tells the story of a group of hotel employees who are caught between doing what their boss asks them to do or losing their job.

“I think everybody has been in a situa tion where the boss asked you do some thing and you’re not exactly sure whether it is morally right or even legal to do so,” White said.

Then, he said, employees are faced with possibly losing their job.

White said that while some people are “lucky enough” to have a union and others will draw a line in the sand that they refuse to cross over, that isn’t true for everyone.

“But for some people in this life, that line in the sand is extremely faint,” White said. “In 1938, how do you say no to the boss who says to you either you do what I’m ask ing you to do or you lose your job? On the surface, most people say that they’d quit — until they are in that circumstance. Un til you recognize if you walk away from this job, what do you lose?”

Most cannot afford to quit. He pointed out that many people have mortgages, children, spouses or partners and even par ents or siblings to take care of. This is espe cially true for the underrepresented and for women.

Jones, whose parents were born in the 1930s and whose father worked in the ser vice industry, pointed out that people of color, especially Black people, had to sacri fice a lot to get and keep jobs.

Even today, amid the Great Resignation following the pandemic, Jones said many people are still unwilling to walk away from soul-killing jobs or those that demand they do things that go against their ethics or morals.

“They’re in jobs that they don’t want to be at,” Jones said. “They’re living lives that they hate because they have kids to feed and rent to pay. That is what this story is really focused on. It’s about that type of

struggle and how do you get out of it.”

The Robey Theatre — which sponsors a playwriting lab and encourages work by people of color — commissioned five plays over the past 15 months. In July, it hosted a staged reading of all five works with the goal of picking one to fully produce.

Robey Theatre Artistic Director Ben Guil lory sent White a copy of Jones’ script and asked him to direct the staged reading of it. After it was selected as the next show to produce, White was asked to direct the full version.

The collaboration between the two art ists was intense, and they immediately hit it off. They’re going to take on other projects together.

White said he loves working with a writer and asking about things such as the play wright’s intentions. Jones said White’s di rectorial approach fosters creativity.

“From our first conversation, we clicked as a playwright and a director,” Jones said. “He’s all about the words, the moments, and you love that about a director. When ever there’s a situation he’s not under standing, he comes to me. He doesn’t do what a lot of directors do and say, ‘I think this needs to be changed.’ He says, ‘What do you think about this?’ or ‘I have a ques tion for you about this.’ That’s so refresh ing because what it does is it makes me be come more creative.”

White said those conversations help them stay on the same wavelength and he can better key in to how the playwright wants to do the play.

“I think he’s a brilliant playwright,” White said. “I’ve read several of his plays since then, and I really like the rhythm that he writes and the way he writes dialog. He is a combination of funny but at the same time really direct in what he’s trying to say.”

White also said he felt that it is a ripe time to do this play because of its themes. He said they are not just racial or gender issues but human issues.

In the play, there are five Black characters and one white character — Mr. Avery, who owns the hotel. Jones said the Black char acters represent the souls of people of col or while Avery, played by Darrell Phillip, has more than a little of the devil in him, but, as Jones points out, he represents America.

“You have the drive to be someone in the world, to achieve things, and Ameri ca says, ‘Yeah, but you got to pay your tax. I own you right now,’” Jones said. “That’s what these people are going through. They’re being owned. They don’t even re alize it. Some of them realize it, but a lot of them don’t.”

Jermaine Alexander/Submitted

Darrell Phillip and Ashlee Olivia Jones play boss and employee in a 1938 Los Angeles hotel.

Jermaine Alexander/Submitted

Nic Few and Christina Childress play employees faced with perilous choices in “Man’s Favor, Devil’s Plan.”

The seventh character, White said, is the heat. He points out that heat can make a person grumpy and sometimes leads to bad decision making.

Nic Few plays the role of Butchie, Matt Jennings plays Laddie, Christina Childress plays Mabel-Lynn, Crystal Nix plays Ms. Pearl and Ashlee Olivia Jones plays DD.

White described them as talented actors and said his job is to let them do what they do best.

“With this particular group, I’m really blessed that they all come in with amaz ing ideas about who their characters are and where their characters are from,” White said.

“They all came in with an amazing amount of research into the time period and the people. Once we started standing the play up, I basically gave them entrances and exits and let them go. Literally, my job has been to stay out of their way. They’ve just been so smart and so dedicated.”

He said the actors have been really hun gry to work and have great ideas about

who their characters are and how to bring them to life.

The playwright and director describe “Man’s Favor, Devil’s Plan” as being a work that will spark discussions about how to live lives in the best way possible.

“It’s fun, it’s funny, it’s entertaining,” White said. “When you walk away, you walk away with a conversation about who’s right, who’s wrong and why are they right? Why are they wrong? There’s going to be some anger. There’s going to be some mo ments where we’re angry at the behavior of the people in the play. You’re going to laugh, you’re going to cry and you’re going to be angry.”

Jones agreed that people are going to be upset, but emphasizes that they’re going to be seeing truth.

“I want to be able to entertain while edu cating people,” Jones said. “I want them to know that this is the world that we are liv ing. I want (audiences) to start formulating those questions to ask, when do I draw the line to make myself happy?”

The Robey Theatre’s “Man’s Favor, Devil’s Plan” by Kwik Jones

WHEN: Through Nov. 20; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays

WHERE: Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles COST: $40;

Jermaine Alexander/Submitted

Nic Few, left, and Matt Jennings help bring the new work “Man’s Favor, Devil’s Plan” to life at Robey Theatre.

Jermaine Alexander/Submitted

Crystal Nix, left, and Christina Childress star in the premiere of “Man’s Favor, Devil’s Plan” at the Robey Theatre.

Superchief Gallery releases ‘Contagious Culture’ documentary and book

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor

In February of 2020, the face of DTLA’s Superchief Gallery changed forever as the building suffered a devastating explosion and structure fire. One month later, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of the world and the city entered into a period of uncertainty and unrest.

To help capture the events and reac tions of this period in LA history, the Su perchief Gallery has released a new doc umentary and photo book to showcase its group photography exhibition, “Conta gious Culture.”

Serving as a time capsule looking back on the last two years, the exhibition has drawn 100 artists to share their visual perspectives of unique moments that oc curred from March 2020 to April 2022, namely the George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests, the isolation and desire for human connection during the pan demic, and the Dead City Punx and illegal outdoor concert scene.

“The spirit of the show was meant to represent the counterculture of the pan demic era,” Superchief Gallery co-founder and “Contagious Culture” curator Bill Dun leavy said. “Every photo in the show is be tween March 2020, when the lockdowns began, and April 2022, when things were

pretty much starting to open back up and the vaccines were widespread.”

To provide a spotlight for the exhi bition and its artists, Dunleavy direct ed the 33-minute “Contagious Culture” documentary that featured interviews with artists Estevan Oriol, Erwin Recinos, Gigi Freyeisen, Jimmy Bonks, Josh ‘Bagel’ Klassman, Lolo 213, Michael Hawke, Nate Kahn, Nichelle Dailey, Raquel Natalicchio, Raz Azraai, Robert Penna, Ruben Precia do, Scott Free, Sean Maung and Zeitweitz.

In his interviews, Dunleavy asked each photographer what it was like to shoot during the pandemic and what their re actions were to that two-year period.

“We were kind of coming back to nor mal at that time,” he explained. “I was just like, ‘Tell me about your experience as an artist and a photographer and how it shaped your practice during a time of ex treme uncertainty and upheaval.’”

Dunleavy found extra significance in that the damage to the old gallery had occurred at the beginning of the pan demic, explaining that it felt like the gal lery’s history was interwoven with that of everyone else in the world.

“It was such a weird bookend situa tion,” Dunleavy said, before speaking to his own outlook on the pandemic era. “I found it to be a very liberating time be

cause I think it was this generation’s first time realizing that the way things are isn’t necessarily the way things should be or have to be, that everything can change through people power and it’s up to reg ular people to get organized together and make things the way that they want them to be.

“We are kind of just regular people liv ing within systems, and I think that it was super important for the younger genera tions of the internet to get a taste of that. … They’re never going to forget that. … Everyone’s lifestyles were shaken so much by lockdown and by protests and everything. I just think it was like a real moment of clarity for a lot of people to find themselves and find what they stand for.”

Dunleavy explained that the inspira tion behind the name “Contagious Cul ture” was three-fold: It’s a reference to the idea of contagion during the pandemic, the idea of virality on the internet, and the way that the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis quickly spread across the country and motivated nationwide dis cussions around police reform and jus tice.

“I just felt that there was a similarity be tween the pandemic ideas of contagion and the way that cultural memes were

spreading at that time through the me dia and leading to a contagious culture of rebellion and reform throughout our so ciety,” Dunleavy said. “(Another) thought behind contagious culture was like Dead City Punx here in Los Angeles and what they were doing with starting a new form of reclaiming public space for outdoor music and punk shows.

“They started doing it in LA and you saw it grow bigger and bigger as it caught on. Then they went to Oakland, and they went to New York and they did the same thing there. Other bands start ed to replicate that model for a show, which I thought was super cool be cause, besides the fact that it looked re ally cool by being like Mad Max outdoor post-apocalyptic punk shows, it was just awesome to see people say, ‘We don’t need music venues and we don’t need permission and we don’t need anything. We’ve just truly going to do this DIY from top to bottom and build a stage out of concrete when no one’s looking and haul a generator out there, promote the ad dress last minute and confront the cops when they arrive.’”

At the end of the documentary, which was edited by Robert Penna, Dunleavy explained that photography as an art form has changed since this explosion of

Superchief Gallery/Submitted

Capturing the resurgence of LA’s underground concert scene, Superchief Gallery co-founder Bill Dunleavy wanted to highlight the “counterculture of the pandemic era.”

Superchief Gallery/Submitted

Uniting the work of 100 photographers, Superchief Gallery’s “Contagious Culture” exhibition was founded as a time capsule looking back on the chaotic moments of the last two years.

social media and the increased empha sis on the popularity of an image over its historical value.

“The show is definitely meant to high light the types of images that aren’t real ly social media friendly,” Dunleavy began. “I think that we’re controlled a little bit by the algorithms and the social media mo nopolies, and they could get us to create the type of content that they want us to be creating.

“I wanted to celebrate photography for art’s sake and an unfiltered, uncen sored look at the visions of these artists because, for over 100 years, photogra phy was something that was just about a photographer’s vision. Now we live in a world where being a photographer is nothing special because literally every body is technically a photographer, and I wanted to draw focus back on the vision of photography … for documentary’s sake and highlight images that were ob viously extreme and raw but not neces sarily social media friendly.”

At a time of heightened mistrust in mainstream media, according to reports, Dunleavy emphasized the role of pho

tojournalists, on-the ground-photogra phers and documentarians and the im portance of bringing a diverse set of perspectives to an issue, free from the bounds of censorship or an algorithm.

“This book, exhibition and documenta ry is a tribute to the photographers and the culture of the photographers in the show because they were out there doc umenting life in a period of fear and un certainty, which took a lot of bravery,” Dunleavy said before expressing his fu ture hopes for the collection. “I’m defi nitely interested in touring the documen tary around, maybe remixing the show, remixing the documentary. I would love to make something bigger out of the ‘Contagious Culture’ name that could reach more people, because I think it’s done really well.

“I feel like the things that happened during the pandemic were the beginning of a new era that we live in as far as jus tice and protests and uprisings and cul ture. So I think it’s just the beginning, and I would like to keep these ideas in con versation for people and keep it all on ev eryone’s mind.”

“Contagious Culture” by Superchief Gallery

WHERE: Superchief Gallery LA, 1965 S. Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles INFO: superchiefgallery.com

Superchief Gallery/Submitted

Each photo featured in the “Contagious Culture” exhibition was taken between March 2020 and April 2022, with many capturing moments of social unrest such as the Black Lives Matter protests.

&

Rothenberg tells new tale

By Jeff Favre LA Downtown News Contributing Writer

AdamRothenberg, who millions of streamers last saw with a gun point ed at him as Mel in the “Ozark” fina le, had been spending time in his Ireland home, waiting for another exciting role. That’s when his manager contacted him to pitch a new play, one that impacted him like none ever had.

It scared him senseless.

Suspense and horror, while huge on screen, can be harder to execute effective ly onstage. But audiences, critics and now Rothenberg’s manager have declared “2:22 — A Ghost Story” as the rare exception, pro viding jump scares and creepiness that will last through the drive home from the the ater.

Written by Danny Robins, with scenic de sign by Tony nominee Anna Fleischle and a cast including Rothenberg and Constance

Wu (“Fresh off the Boat”), Center Theatre Group’s American debut of “2:22” opens Tuesday, Oct. 29, at the Ahmanson Theatre.

The show, which premiered last year in London, involves a potentially haunted house and two couples staying up late to in vestigate strange occurrences.

Guardian newspaper critic Kate Wyver wrote, “There are genuinely chilling mo ments, scary enough that the whole theatre is tense and pin-drop quiet. Scary enough that sections of the play have a beat after wards for the audience to catch their breath. Scary enough, perhaps, to have you turn on the light the next time you hear an unusual sound at night, just to check the time.”

Those chills leapt off the page for Rothen berg.

“All I know is that when I read the script, I had goosebumps,” he said. “Now we’re the beginning process of rehearsing, and even with the stage manager having to say, ‘OK, scary noise here,’ I still get goosebumps and I get thrilled by it. It’s there in the script.”

Rothenberg said the script builds ten sion and that the four-member cast has the task of making it come to life. He has never worked with Wu, Anna Camp of “Pitch Per fect” or Broadway veteran Finn Wittrock but feels confident they deliver the mood creat ed by Robins and director Matthew Dunster.

“In a play, you have to maintain that level of fear and suspense and what’s being inti mated about offstage, but you can’t really come out in a suit being a demon, because it would be really stupid,” he said. “You don’t get to employ the same tricks you do in a movie.”

Some assistance comes from Fleischer’s set design. Her previous work with Dun ster includes “Hangman,” which earned her Britain’s prestigious Olivier award. She said the pair share sensibilities and work styles, so they can communicate through a short hand. An ironic thing is that neither artist is a natural fan of the genre.

“I’m actually personally not a fan of hor ror, but what I find fascinating is how much as human beings we need a thrill and how actually it’s not really a negative emotion,” she said. “There’s a release in enjoying it. When people scream, the next thing that they usually is laugh. And the audience bonds really quickly. People start chatting to each other.”

One audience member who felt that was Center Theatre Group Associate Artistic Di rector Kelley Kirkpatrick, who pushed for the company to mount the show after see ing it during a visit to London.

“I hadn’t heard anything about it,” he said. “I saw four shows in a long weekend of see ing shows, and I had the best time,” Kirkpat rick said. “And there were all kinds of differ ent people all loving it. There are all these little things propelling you forward. And then when it finally leads you to the end and you’re like, ‘Oh, my God, it all makes sense now.’”

Where it goes, though, is what those in the know are asked not to tell — something Fleischle appreciates.

“It’s been really amazing in London that nobody has ever told,” she said. “You cannot tell anyone what happens. You have to go and see it for yourself.”

“2:22 — A Ghost Story

WHEN: Various times Saturday, Oct. 29, to Sunday, Dec. 4

WHERE: Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles COST: Tickets start at $40 INFO: 213-628-2772, centertheatregroup.org

Center Theatre Group/Submitted

Adam Rothenberg stars in the American premiere of “2:22—A Ghost Story,” at the Ahmanson Theatre. He is perhaps best known as Mel Sattem on the Netflix series “Ozark.”

Detroit culture, pizza move into DTLA

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor

Atrio of former Michiganders is bringing a piece of the Great Lakes State’s history to DTLA with Detroit Pizza Depot.

Co-founder Hunter Leslie described Detroit-style pizza as the crust having a caramelized border, a middle ground between New York- and Chicago-style pies.

“Our pizza, Detroit-style pizza, was invented in the 1940s by Detroit au toworkers who found it over in Italy during World War II,” Leslie said.

They tried recreating focaccia bread they discovered in Italy. However, when they couldn’t find square pans to form the dough, they grabbed oil pans from the auto factory in which they worked.

The result wasn’t focaccia bread, but a creative take on the classic Sicilian reci pe now known as Detroit-style pizza.

“The cheese would crisp up on the edge, and it ended up being De troit-style pizza,” Leslie said. “We do sauce on top of our cheese. That’s a pretty big characteristic of the De troit-style pizza. They’re made with love, made with hands.”

Detroit Pizza Depot opened in ear ly September to “pretty good sales,” ac cording to co-founder Zach Wigal. It of fers delivery and pickup through a ghost kitchen Wednesday to Sunday.

“People are loving the pizza,” said Wi gal, whose third partner is Zak Poole. They hail from the Ann Arbor area.

“We’ve been getting five-star reviews across the board. So many people are stopping through who have never had Detroit-style pizza. It’s hilarious. People are saying, ‘Oh, my God. I’ve been miss ing this my entire life.’”

The restaurant offers three styles: build-your-own pizza, specialty pizzas and pizza of the month. Sticking with the Motor City theme, Detroit Pizza De pot offers Zingerman’s brownies and Faygo pop — not soda.

“We’re probably the only place on the West Coast that sells Zingerman’s brownies,” he said about the Ann Arbor staple. “We’re the only one outside of The D Hotel in Vegas, west of the Mis sissippi that has the ability to sell those.”

Engrained in the pizza community, Leslie is the tastemaster behind Detroit Pizza Depot. For three years, he ran a food truck in Michigan selling Neapoli tan-style pizzas and then transferred to Detroit-style pizza.

He traveled the country trying pizza recipes and competing in pizza-baking contests. Leslie is hoping to take the top 10 next year.

“We’re coming after that trophy,” he said.

Wigal is in the video game industry, having moved to LA six years ago. When he moved here, he couldn’t find a fix for his cravings.

“A lot of the pizza spots I was trying just weren’t landing with me personally,” he said. “I needed a place that reminded me of Jet’s or Buddy’s back in Michigan.

When I started showing people photos of Jet’s Pizza, I was surprised to learn that a lot of West Coast folks had never seen this style of pizza before.

“I thought, ‘This needs to exist in LA. Why do we not have Detroit-style pizza in LA? I started making the pizza from my apartment selfishly so I could have something from back home.”

His friends saw his pizza photos on In stagram. After explaining the story be hind the pies and researching what’s available in LA, Wigal reached out to Hunter about a pop-up.

“I invited him to come out and do something really great,” Wigal said. “LA has all different walks of life. We’re add ing to this overall pot of what makes LA

so special. Hunter was crazy enough to come out here to join us.”

Wigal called himself the “investment guy” who’s also in charge of marketing.

“We’re an LA-based company, but we’re just as much a Michigan-based company,” Leslie added.

“We’re really just trying to bring that hospitality and Midwestern feel to peo ple out here. I think it’s sorely missed. You can go to other places, but they don’t care as much. They aren’t from there. It’s all fine and dandy. I’m not diss ing them. They’re just doing it as an add-on. We’re doing it to share our cul ture with people. We take pride in what we’re doing. We do it the right way: the Detroit way.”

Detroit Pizza Depot

W. 38th Street Kitchen 13 Los Angeles detroitpizzadepot.com

4 to 11:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays

4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays Noon to 8 p.m. Sundays

Detroit Pizza Depot/Submitted

Detroit Pizza Depot specializes in Detroit-style pizza, with the sauce on top and caramelized edges.

Detroit Pizza Depot/Submitted

Detroit Pizza Depot founders are, from left, Zak Poole, Zach Wigal and Hunter Leslie. They hail from the Ann Arbor, Michigan, area.

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