Sahra Sulaiman

Sahra is Communities Editor for Streetsblog L.A., covering the intersection of mobility with race, class, history, representation, policing, housing, health, culture, community, and access to the public space in Boyle Heights and South Central Los Angeles.

Recent Posts

In the critical incident briefing video of the July 18 shooting of Jermaine Petit, LAPD juxtaposes the view from inside Sgt. Brett Hayhoe's vehicle with footage from the officers pursuing Petit on foot. Hayhoe opens fire from inside his vehicle, sparking contagious fire from Glover.

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LAPD Sergeant Fired at Jermaine Petit from Inside Patrol Vehicle

By Sahra Sulaiman | Sep 6, 2022 | No Comments

If the shooting had been committed by anyone else, it would have been labeled a drive-by.

The full Rail-to-River project runs approximately 10 miles across South and Southeast L.A. Segment A, currently under construction, runs along the Slauson corridor before heading southwest at Western and paralleling Hyde Park Boulevard. Segment B will run along the length of Randolph to the river. Source: Metro

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LA Metro Re-Approves Original Rail-to-River Route After Dedicated Bike/Walk Path Scuttled

By Sahra Sulaiman | Aug 29, 2022 | No Comments

The planned bike/walk infrastructure has been significantly downgraded

Police body cam footage captures Joshua Hatfield yelling that police are shooting at him. The distraught 28-year-old ran into a residence after Officer Justin Freund fired two shots at him. Hatfield never threatened officers and appears to have been unarmed - police were unable to find any weapons on the premises. But LAPD booked him on Assault with a Deadly Weapon on a Peace Officer with a Firearm anyways.

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LAPD Shoots at, Misses, then Tries to Charge Unarmed Black Man with Assault with a Deadly Weapon

By Sahra Sulaiman | Aug 9, 2022 | No Comments

LAPD's briefing video neglects to transcribe Jennifer Alvarez' attempt to slow partner officer Justin Freund down and keep him from shooting at 28-year-old Joshua Hatfield

In 2019, Jermaine Petit and his mother, Charlotte Blackwell, sat down with ABC7's Carlos Granda to talk about his mental health issues and the many run-ins he'd had with law enforcement before he was able to get help and access to supportive housing. Petit was shot by LAPD at Bronson and King on July 18.

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LAPD Describes Car Part as Resembling “Nonfunctioning Firearm” During Contentious Town Hall on Leimert Park Shooting

By Sahra Sulaiman | Aug 1, 2022 | No Comments

Jermaine Petit was unarmed when shot by LAPD, but LAPD remains reluctant to admit that

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Rail-to-Rail Bike/Walk Path Breaks Ground on Slauson

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jul 14, 2022 | No Comments

Construction was to have begun in 2018, but the community had been waiting for something to happen there for much longer than that.

LAPD spokesperson Jáder Chávez joined anchor Gabriela Teissier to talk bike/scooter laws on June 24. It was a disaster.

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LAPD Peddles Misinformation about Sidewalk Biking to Spanish Speakers

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jun 28, 2022 | No Comments

Chávez reassured Univisión that LAPD wasn't trying to extract money via sidewalk biking tickets. But sidewalk riding is legal.

A vendor sells salvaged bikes along Manchester Avenue. Under the ordinance proposed by councilmember Joe Buscaino, this kind of activity would be criminalized. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog L.A.

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New L.A. Ordinance Cracking Down on Bicycle “Chop Shops” Ghost of Defunct Mayoral Campaign

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jun 16, 2022 | No Comments

The city attorney inserted a clause meant to protect individuals whose bikes break down in the street, but didn't address the role curbside repair sites play in keeping those individuals moving

During Tuesday's press briefing, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he would be sending Metro boardmembers helpful graphics like the one he is pointing at so they could learn the difference between transportation and housing.

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L.A. Sheriff Villanueva Plans to Expel 5700 Unhoused from Metro System

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jun 3, 2022 | No Comments

Step #1 of the "multi-layered" plan to remove unhoused people from trains and platforms is removing unhoused people from trains and platforms.

Cyclists at CicLAvia in front of L.A. City Hall. Photo by Joe Linton/Streetsblog

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L.A. Mayoral Candidates on Transportation

By Joe Linton and Sahra Sulaiman | May 13, 2022 | No Comments

Candidates Bass, Buscaino, Caruso, de de León, Feuer, Greiwe, Viola, and Wilson in their own words

LA Mayoral Candidate Forum at Cal State LA

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L.A. Mayoral Candidate Thoughts on Metro Given Only Brief Moment at Forum

By Sahra Sulaiman | May 3, 2022 | No Comments

In between some weird questions and the sparring matches with Caruso, candidates were asked when they last rode Metro

County Sheriff Villanueva Threatens to Pull LASD Out of Metro’s Multi-Agency Policing Contract

By Joe Linton and Sahra Sulaiman | Apr 15, 2022 | No Comments

In which the sheriff neglected to explain why Metro had moved to a multi-agency contract in the first place

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Broad Motion by Homelessness Hardliner Takes Aim at Streetside Bike Sales and Repairs in L.A.

By Sahra Sulaiman | Feb 10, 2022 | No Comments

In which CM Krekorian details how annoyed he was when police asked him why he believed the bikes he saw at an encampment were stolen.

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