25 minute read
LIFE
8April 29, 2021
LIFE
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- joe strummer
BRIAN CALDERON | VIEWPOINTS A collection of punk rock cassettes is on display at the Punks in the Park market at Riverside’s Fairmount Park on April 10. Katie Cox, 32, a member of the Inland Empire Harm Reduction, compiled the collection over the years. She gave out drug harm reduction kits at her booth. Others sold vintage punk rock clothing and jewelery.
Punk scene advocates for Autism awareness
Vendors gather at Fairmount Park to raise funds for research
BY CHEETARA PIRY NEWS EDITOR
An energetic and intimate gathering of people found themselves at a park browsing vampire-fanged earrings, chunky chain-linked chokers and intentionally offensive t-shirts calling out the KKK.
A punk scene girl duo and behavioral therapists spearheaded their first mutual aid event to promote autism awareness to extend research featuring dozens of female-ran vendors at Riverside’s Fairmount Park on April 10.
The girls brought their own stereo to liven up their section of the park. The speakers blared sounds of electric guitars and aggressive head-banging bass that attracted a generous crowd to the vendors.
The event successfully raised $700 in donations in honor of Autism Awareness Month. The organizers said the funds aim to further investigate autism since there is currently a limited amount of information on the condition.
Sylvie Hanaoka, 30, and Karina Jones, 29, both specialize in applied behavioral analysis, working closely with children who have autism.
“We want to contribute to the research,” Jones said. “We want to do our part to help figure out what is causing it.”
According to The Hub, Johns Hopkins University’s health and innovation news platform, the diagnosis of autism is more frequent now than ever before.
“The prevalence of autism is on the rise, but its causes remain unclear,” The Hub said in a 2017 article.
Jones expressed deep compassion for helping contribute to behavioral science. She is currently working toward becoming a board certified behavioral analyst.
The platform Punks in the Park originated in 2017. While the market April 10 was their first event coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, they said helping the community has always been prevalent throughout the punk scene world.
“What a lot of people don’t know about the punk scene is we try to do a lot of things to benefit other people, especially the homeless, disadvantaged, disabilities all of it,” Hanaoka said. “So a lot of the vendors are very supportive of what we’re trying to do and accomplish.”
Hanaoka and Jones tagteamed in creating the event by joining forces with several independent vendors — all but one happened to be women-run.
The vendors were very supportive of the event’s community awareness.
They were able to showcase their products and donate if they chose to, which many did. It featured an assortment of items ranging from racks of ripped clothing held together by safety pins to Harley Davidson goods, vintage items and custom woodburning art.
One vendor even distributed free drug safety kits.
Several vendors work with autistic children, want to enter the medical field or have had family members diagnosed with autism.
Ember Lorraine Contreras, who runs a small business called Boob Ross, showcased her wood burned art as well as live paintings for sale.She is on track to become a nurse and was well aware of the event’s intent to raise awareness for autism research.
“I was excited to join and help raise money for the research,” she said.
Katie Cox, 32, a vendor who is also a band member of Headdress, spread awareness by offering free narcan, an opium overdose reversal drug, as well as safe snorting kits.
As a member of Inland Empire Harm Reduction, her intention is to humanize individuals who use drugs and to promote a safer environment for the community, she said.
“Drug use is a part of our world,” Cox said, quoting one of IE Harm Reduction’s founding members. “We seek to minimize its harmful effects rather than ignore and condemn those who use.”
Patrons who came to support expressed appreciation for the event happening here in Riverside.
Yessie Ramirez, a customer from San Bernardino, attended with her boyfriend. She found the event through social media and said the awareness behind the occasion was the specific reason for her attendance. Ramirez made sure that the first thing they did upon arrival was drop money into the donation box.
“That was the main focus,” she said. “We did that first, because we don’t want to distract anything from that.”
She expressed gratitude for the event’s gathering and was glad to be surrounded by the positive and approachable group of punk scene women. She said events like this usually happen in the Los Angeles area, so it was refreshing for her to be able to attend an event close to home.
“Everyone was so kind, everyone was helpful and everyone’s here not only for a good time, but to support something that they think matters,” she said.
ERIK GALICIA | VIEWPOINTS Los Angeles-based protest photographer Joey Scott, 31, captures a shot of Deanne Sullivan, the mother of David Sullivan, at the doors of the Buena Park Police Department on April 17. David Sullivan, 19, was shot and killed by police in 2019. Scott has covered over 50 protests in Southern California since the murder of George Floyd last May.
Shots from the front lines
Protest photographer details experience documenting demonstrations
BY ERIK GALICIA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Los Angeles police officers — geared up with the riot equipment that came to characterize law enforcement over the past year — moved in formation through an Echo Park alleyway.
An intense protest of hundreds faced off with police March 25 over the city’s intent to clear the park of homeless encampments. While the arrests of dozens of demonstrators were of no surprise to anyone, what made this assembly different was that officers began arresting news reporters.
Los Angeles photographer Joey Scott was within hearing distance of the journalists.
Scott said the night at Echo Park was the scariest moment he has experienced as a protest photographer. But when police enforced dispersal orders to Los Angeles Times reporter James Queally and Spectrum News reporter Kate Cagle, Scott knew he had to stay.
“If they’re asking them, the two people that document what police do, to leave, something’s about to go wrong,” he said. “That’s when I got really scared.”
Scott has covered over 50 protests across Southern California during the past year. He began showing up to protests after the murder of George Floyd last May.
But Scott decided to go fulltime with his pursuits in protest photography after he was laid off from his job of seven years as a sales manager for a floor covering company in October.
He has documented movements ranging from Black Lives Matter to immigration and LGBTQ+ rights.
In his experience, these protests are intersectional. Black Lives Matter, indigenous rights advocates and LGBTQ+ activists all show up for each other.
But most of these protests, he said, are sparked by the common theme of police violence.
Scott, a 31-year-old White man, grew up in Iowa and was raised a conservative. But he became socially active as a teenager, listening to punk rock and eventually earning a philosophy degree in college.
The photographer began picking up left-wing ideologies such as anti-facism and defunding the police in 2017. He said his eyes began to open and he began delving deeper, but his beliefs in social justice were shaped by his experiences at protests.
“Listening to people of color share their stories,” Scott said. “Listening to parents speak about their children killed by sheriffs. People’s experiences have informed my political views. That’s just been my goal: to show up to these things and listen, and then share their stories so people can be informed better.”
The stories he’s heard from families of victims of police violence have been the ying to the riot police aggression’s yang. While there is certain danger at many protests, these families have uplifted him.
Not only do these families speak within days of losing their loved ones, but they show up week after week with a willingness to retraumatize themselves in the call for justice, Scott said.
Many of these families have linked up and become each others’ support systems.
They travel to each others’ hometowns across the Southland to march in the streets.
“I try to show that interconnectedness,” Scott said. “Little things like people singing ‘Lean on Me.’ One-hundred people singing together and showing that they care for each other.”
Scott has also been on the front lines of hateful confrontations.
A “White Lives Matter” rally held in Huntington Beach on April 11 was drowned out by counter protesters, but there was a presence of White supremacists donning swastika tattoos.
Although he has covered standard right-wing rallies in other areas, he said the typical proTrump crowds were ambiguous when it came to White nationalism.
He called the experience at the Huntington Beach Pier surreal.
“These are people who are very explicit about their beliefs about the ‘superior race,’” Scott said. “To see that veil pulled back and to see it so in public, it’s very unsettling. Personally, it’s cool to see them escorted out and maybe punched once or twice. I think that’s something we can all agree on: Nazis should not be welcomed.”
The Iowa transplant carries a helmet, goggles and a respirator for safety during protests.
He has even worn a bulletproof vest to demonstrations and been followed by protesters while covering right-wing rallies.
But he admitted there is an addictive rush that accompanies covering the front lines.
“It’s essentially like a flow state,” Scott said. “Everything kind of gets tuned out, all the other background noise in your life gets tuned out and it becomes very in that moment.”
Physical confrontations with police at protests Scott has covered have generally been spontaneous — a protective reaction to intimidation tactics employed by a menacing wall of batons and armored vehicles.
“It’s never a plan like ‘alright, let’s go face off with police and get shot at with less-than-lethal rounds,’” he said. “It’s always a big unknown if something like that is going to happen because it’s never planned. So you have to anticipate that violence.”
As an advocacy photojournalist, Scott abides by the principle of doing no harm to protestors, especially demonstrators of color and never photographs them without consent.
His aim is to hold police accountable at the protests he covers while using his privilege to protect his minority colleagues.
“Many of my counterparts that I roll with are people of color and they get treated in a very different way as press than I do,” he said. “I can kind of navigate these spaces and put myself in between police and protesters.”
Scott hopes to start an agency for photographers of color and shed light on issues such as gentrification and labor disputes.
“I want to grow the scope out,” he said. “Cover more things that aren’t direct actions, tell more stories of specific people.”
A starry night under groovy lights
Riverside art business hosts first in-person event since pandemic began
BY JACOB QUEZADA ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR
Adapting to COVID-19 restrictions proved difficult for downtown Riverside’s art scene, but recovery for these small, local businesses is on the horizon.
Chelsea Franzer and Chris Perez, art enthusiasts and owners of The Paint Sesh, see this hope rising as pandemic restrictions are lifted.
Known for their inclusiveness and judge-free attitude, the couple have found an appreciative community of patrons curious to attend the “Paint and Sip” and “Paint and Puff” events throughout Southern California.
Before the pandemic, those wishing to learn how to paint would gather for artistic instruction accompanied by a drink or a “sesh.”
But due to COVID-19 restrictions during the past year, the duo heavy-heartedly canceled all public events and with it, the revenue to stay afloat.
“When (COVID-19), hit we took a month hiatus and didn’t really know how to proceed,” Franzer said. “Canceling all those events hurt. It hurt really bad.”
Then came the difficult conversations with customers.
“We were upfront and honest in telling people who bought tickets we weren’t sure when we would be back in person and offered full refunds or credit,” she said. However, the duo said a lot of people told them ‘no, you guys keep it.’
“This is a hard year for you,” the understanding customers told the couple. “We’ll wait until we are able to paint again.’”
Their loyal “Paint Sesh Family,” as Franzer called it, stuck with them during their transition into virtual events.
Perez took up the task of converting their apartment into a functional streaming studio, rigged with multiple camera angles.
Franzer credits Perez’s creativity in illustration, photography and web design as the tools necessary for expanding their reach. People tuned in from
JACOB QUEZADA | VIEWPOINTS Chelsea Franzer guides the The Paint Sesh’s first in-person art seminar since the start of the pandemic. Guests were invited to paint their Riverside inspired rendition of starry night. Japan to Ohio. Their diversity in virtual attendees was duplicated during their first in-person “Paint and Sip” event since the pandemic hit, which was hosted by The W at Worthington’s restaurant in Riverside on April 21. Edgar Orozco, who was enjoying the night out with family, was among the pool of first-time attendees. As a downtown Riverside resident, he noted the increased presence of art in the area.
“I think it’s really good that Riverside has invested into the arts,” he said. “It’s made it more social for families.”
Lucia Orozco, the mother of the family, said she enjoyed the family’s first outing since the start of the pandemic and left the twohour session feeling good with her Vincent van Gogh-inspired “Rubidoux Night” painting.
Teresa Keller, another attendee, returned to the Paint Sesh with her friend Joan Parish. “We haven’t seen each other since the start of the pandemic,” Keller said.
Keller booked the event three weeks in advance and was excited to be back to paint in person alongside her friend.
“I’m not used to being tied in a house for a year,” Parish said. “I’m used to being out and being able to socialize with my friends. Painting has helped. If you’re stressed, if there is something going on, it’s therapeutic.” Franzer and Perez said they don’t intend to stop virtual sessions and that it is important to keep the connectivity with their base.
“Without our community we built online, we probably wouldn’t even be here today in person,” Franzer said. “We survived as a business and it only made us stronger.”
Gage Canal highlights best of Riverside
Beautiful trail provides perspective of area’s citrus history, city plans revamp
BY TIMOTHY LEWIS STAFF REPORTER
The Gage Canal recreational trail is up for renovation.
The nine and a half mile trail follows Riverside’s historical Gage Canal and highlights the city’s finest attributes.
The City of Riverside announced April 1 that it plans on adding an additional five miles to the nature walk and has reached out to the community for thoughts on what type of improvements people would like to see.
Opinions varied on the topic.
Some suggested that the city spend taxpayer money on building more parks or improving roads, but very few had anything to say about the current expansion.
This is rather daunting given the fact that the Canal is not only a momentous figure in the city’s history, but also a crucial component of its agricultural economy as well.
Originally constructed in 1889, the Gage Canal was founded by Irish-Candian immigrant Matthew Gage, who wished to build the canal in order to bring water to the more desolate parts of modern-day Riverside.
The actual construction of the Canal, which spans 21 miles, took only three years to complete and lies within the heart and soul of Riverside’s agricultural community.
The impact the canal has had on the city of Riverside over the past 130 years is evident: It has created countless businesses and employment opportunities for many individuals.
Aside from its historical context, but not completely, the Gage Canal recreational trail is worth not only proper acknowledgment, but improvement as well.
This lovely multi-purpose trail is not only a great way to exercise and get some sunshine, but is also a great way to get to know a side of Riverside that few ever see.
The Gage Canal, being as old as it is, follows Victoria Avenue and leads those who follow it along on a tour of the beauty that is Riverside.
Walking along this trail, one is sure to see some sites that truly change one’s perspective of what makes Riverside, Riverside.
The trail starts in a lovely residential area showcasing the many beautiful homes in Riverside and takes you through Old Town into the more rural and agricultural parts of the city.
This is where the magic is found.
Robust navel orange trees as far as the eye can see are stretched out along acres of land. The bright colors along with the sound of rushing water is enough to make one feel as though they were in another state altogether.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PIXABAY Girls on the Run is a program that employs physical activity and life-skills education to teach school-age girls to be active, kind, to build self-esteem and about consent. ‘Girls on the run’ for life-skills
BY TYRESE BLUE STAFF REPORTER
A unique program for schoolage girls founded 24 years ago on the other side of the country has made it to Riverside.
Girls on the Run is an afterschool program for third to eighth grade girls.
It aims to teach girls to be active, kind and about consent. It also combines both physical activity and life-skills education.
Before the program made its way to Riverside in 2018, it’s locations in California were primarily in Orange and Los Angeles counties.
It was not until Stephanie Witkowski, executive director of the organization, believed there was a need to expand the program and chose Riverside as a new location.
There are plans for expansion to different cities throughout Riverside County, including Temecula, Menifee and others.
Building self-esteem in the girls is at the top of the program’s list of priorities.
The following interview with Erin Munro, a staff member of the Riverside program, provides insight on the functions and purpose of Girls on the Run.
Q: What makes your program different from other programs ?
It accompasses both emotional and physical aspects. So it really incorporates the mind, body and soul.
It’s just, you know, a learning program. It’s not strictly just a sports program. We really do it all. We also focus on girls.
It’s a delicate age in that age range, so I think that makes our program unique in itself.
Q: Why is the program geared toward girls specifically?
It’s geared towards girls to bring up topics in a safe environment and build their self-esteem, since girls can be mean to one and other.
Q: What’s the purpose and message you want girls to learn from being in the program?
Thats a tough one. Personally, I would want girls to form the program with self esteem, confidence and learn how to be kind to one another, and how to stay physically active. There’s a lot you can learn from the program.
Q: What precautions are you taking to ensure the health and safety of both the staff and children during the COVID-19 pandemic?
For safety, our program is also available virtually if someone wanted that or felt more comfortable with that. We also provide masks and hand sanitizer, and plenty of water.
We also make sure the girls are in good health when they arrive at practice.
All of our activities are outside and we’re also six feet apart. So we adapted quite well.
Q: What is the cost of the program?
The cost per girl is $175. That includes two lessons and we meet twice a week. It also provides a t-shirt and medal.
Q: What is “the council” and how do you start one in your city and residential area?
The council is a chapter. How you start one would be to go to the national organization itself and there would just have to be funding available and to provide oversight mainly.
Q: How does one start a Girls on the Run team?
It’s really easy. Before our summer or fall season, go online and check the website and do it directly there. Literally any school, any organization or any parent or coach might start their own team.
Q: How inclusive is the program? Does it include transgender girls? Girls who have mental or physical disabilities?
We include everyone. We have yet to have a transgender person that wants to register. I don’t think there would be an issue because no girl is turned away.
Physical, developmental, intellectual disabilities or delays — no one is turned away. We include everyone.
The program is always in search of help and especially encourages college students to volunteer. To apply, visit the volunteer section at gotrriverside.org.
Those looking to start their own Girls on the Run team should apply ahead of time, as teams follow a season schedule. Applications for the summer season are open.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WARNER BROS MEDIA Mortal Kombat satisfies your thirst for blood
Video game giant takes to the big screen for a third time
BY TIM NACEY STAFF REPORTER
This movie contains the most blood that I’ve ever seen outside of the horror genre.
If that got your attention in a positive way, “Mortal Kombat” was made for you.
Video game movies haven't been in a great place historically. In fact, they’re a bit of a laughing stock.
The Hollywood machine seems to have absolutely no idea what to make of this relatively new and rapidly growing medium.
The majority of cracks that have been taken at bringing the interactive world into the linear world of cinema have resulted in overthought messes.
Filmmakers seem to think they have to directly translate the gameplay experience to the big screen and it always leaves audiences wishing they had just stayed home and played the likes of “Resident Evil,” “Ratchet and Clank” and “Super Mario Bros.”
In the last few years, however, younger filmmakers have begun to crack the code with films like “Sonic the Hedgehog,” “Detective Pikachu” and “The Angry Birds Movie.” The new generation is proving to the world that it’s far easier than Hollywood has been making it out to be.
It pleases me to say that, while it’s a little bit of a mess, “Mortal Kombat” continues this trend.
Directed by Simon McQuoid and based on the fighting game franchise of the same name, “Mortal Kombat” centers around a group of humans that fight off beings from a parallel dimension called Outworld in a brutal fight for the fate of the universe.
The film is anchored by Lewis Tan, who plays Cole Young, an original character created for the film who is chased by an ice-magic wielding ninja warrior named Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim), his master Shang Tsung (Chin Han) and a host of other baddies from the video games.
Cole finds the temple of an ancient martial arts master named Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano), who trains him, along with a bunch of iconic heroes from the series, such as Sonya Blade, Liu Kang and Kung Lao to face The Outworlders for the fight for the fate of Earth in a tournament called Mortal Kombat.
The plot is really nothing to write home about. What really makes this movie worth watching is the fight scenes. They are slickly choreographed and shot in a way that makes it easy to track the action — a frustratingly rare thing in a world where blockbusters are dominated by CGI.
You won’t confuse this with “John Wick,” but there’s more TLC given to the fight scenes than I thought there would be.
What impressed me most about this film is that it knows exactly what it wants to be and keeps its priorities straight. As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, “Mortal Kombat” is extremely violent.
It’s clear that the utmost passion and love went into the simultaneously savage and darkly hilarious fatalities. I won’t spoil any of them here, but the majority of them are a sight to behold.
I’ve been saying it for years: creating a solid video game adaptation isn’t rocket science.
There is absolutely no reason to think that turning a game into a movie should be any different from doing the same with a novel, TV show or comic book. You take the characters, the world and the essence that makes this universe special and you turn it into a movie.
“Mortal Kombat” may not be a cinematic classic, but it’s certainly one of the baby steps that could very well lead to a golden age for video game movies in the not too distant future.
“Mortal Kombat” is now streaming on HBO Max and playing at theaters.
Greta Van Fleet rebounds with latest studio album
BY STEPHANIE ARENAS STAFF REPORTER
Greta Van Fleet shot down my high expectations after the release of their 2019 album “Anthem of the Peaceful Army.”
Due to the generic lyrics and repetitive sound, I was expecting a fairly disappointing album this time around.
However, the opposite happened and I was left pleasantly surprised by the band's newest release, “The Battle at Garden’s Gate.”
Formed back in 2012 in Frankenmuth, Michigan, Greta Van Fleet consists of lead singer Josh Kiszka, guitarist Jake Kiszka, bassist Sam Kiszka and drummer Danny Wagner.
The band was inspired by the sounds of blues and hard rock and has often been labeled as a Led Zeppelin copycat. Many have even noted that the singing voice of Josh Kiszka sounds eerily similar to that of Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant.
“I hate (Josh Kiszka),” Plant joked in an interview with The Project Exclusive. “And he borrowed (his voice) from somebody I know very well.”
Because of their similarities, many have praised Greta Van Fleet’s sound and have even claimed that they will bring back rock ’n’ roll. However, opinions quickly changed once the band released its first album.
I was extremely dissatisfied by the band’s first album, “Anthem of the Peaceful Army.” Most of the songs felt repetitive and the lyrics seemed unoriginal.
The song “You’re the One” is a great example of what happens when an artist gets lazy with their writing: “You're the one I want / You're the one I need / You're the one I had / So come on back to me.”
These lines may seem simple at first, but when it is basically repeated five other times throughout the song, it becomes aggravating.
While the same could be said about the band's newest release, there is definitely a lot more love and passion in this project than the last.
The lyrics feel more imaginative and the songs themselves feel as though a lot of thought was put into them rather than just rehashing old songs.
“Sorrows of the Earth / May our tears of rain wash down to bathe you / This is what life is worth / When the fires still burn and rage all around” are some visionary lines from the song “Heat Above.”
Josh Kiszka has stepped away from the Robert Plant comparison and has really come into his own vocal style. It seems as though the boys have found their form and are stepping up to the plate with that enchanting and imaginative sound.
Of course, there are quite a few flaws with this record, such as the occasional generic line and questionable instrumentals. But the bad definitely does not outweigh the good.
While many fans would describe the band as a mini-Led Zeppelin, Greta Van Fleet is so much more than that. The boys hold a lot of love for their band and deserve to be a separate entity than those who came before them.
I am looking forward to what the future has in store for Greta Van Fleet.
It seems as though the band is finally figuring out who they are. I am highly expecting a great record next time around.
“The Battle at Garden’s Gate” is a breath of fresh air from Greta Van Fleet and is definitely a record that needs to be on repeat for the next few months.
PHOTO BY ALISON CLARKE | WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Joshua Tree National Park
Southeastern California’s unique desert landscape
PHOTOS AND STORY BY ANGEL PEÑA PHOTO EDITOR
Located about 50 miles east of Palm Springs lies a protected area of desert that is home to stunning rock formations, unique wildlife and several different types of desert plants.
Named after its iconic trees, Joshua Tree National Park became the 54th national park Oct. 31, 1994. Since then, it has been a hub for rock climbers and nature enthusiasts.
This area is made up of the Mojave and Colorado deserts, creating two distinct ecosystems. The terrain in the park is constantly changing due to wind and rain storms.
Over 730 different species of animals perfectly adapted to handle extreme temperatures and an infrequent water supply call this park home.
Despite the extreme temperatures and dry climate, more than 2.4 million people visited the park in 2020 to take in the serene environment.
Rock climbers are a common site at Joshua Tree. These thrillseekers come from all around the country to scale the peculiar rock formations scattered around the park.
The park welcomes beginner and veteran climbers as it features a variety of formations ranging in difficulty.
Nature and landscape photographers are drawn to the park to catch a glimpse of the multitude of species and plant life that the area has to offer during the day.
However, once the sun dips below the horizon and the landscape goes dark, visitors can gaze at the millions of stars and other astral objects they are deprived of in the city due to light pollution.
