Ancestors v. Polka Dots: Some Thoughts on Approaches to “Place-Making”
In many historically marginalized urban neighborhoods, decades of disenfranchisement and the repressive policing that accompanied it created great insecurity in the public space and, over time, eroded bonds of social trust between neighbors. With the public space essentially rendered off limits for too many, community had to be nurtured in private spaces.
June 28, 2017
Tamika Butler to Step Down as Head of LACBC; Leaves Behind Strong Legacy of Inclusion in Transportation
Perhaps the most powerful thing Butler did during her tenure was to consistently give of herself to create space for others on the margins in a field where there is currently precious little.
June 16, 2017
Southeast L.A. Cities Walks Away from Active Transpo Commitment; Advocates Say, “Not So Fast…”
The report is much more than just a discussion of the region's active transportation needs. It's a call to arms - a plea to the Southeast cities to take a leadership role in investing local return dollars from Measure M in infrastructure that serves the area's most vulnerable road users.
June 2, 2017
When a Progressive Community Fails to See Its Own Biases, Bullying and Bigotry Get a Pass
So I resorted to the sincere query that I’ve made to him on several occasions, namely: Help me understand why consideration of the needs of the most vulnerable among us - particularly lower-income black and brown communities - is so offensive to you?
May 9, 2017
USC Poised to Displace Black-Owned Bike Repair Business…Again
The relationships Flournoy has with the people he has long served are the kinds of relationships that make communities feel like communities. And those relationships are some of the first casualties as folks begin to lose their footholds in the neighborhoods they have built their lives around.
May 2, 2017
Mark! Lopez Named Winner of the “Green” Nobel – the Goldman Environmental Prize
In the immortal words of our former Vice President Joe Biden, “This is a big f*cking deal.”
April 25, 2017
New Traffic Signal Going Up Where Jorge Alvarez Was Killed in Hit-and-Run
Central Avenue has long been known as one of the more pedestrian- and bike-unfriendly streets in the city. It is a fast-moving thoroughfare (especially at night) whose traffic patterns are made more complicated by the number of heavy trucks that trundle down it around the time that school lets out.
April 18, 2017
LACBC’s Tamika Butler Talks Bikes, Equity, Intersectionality, and Tokenization on Bike Nerds Podcast
"Does it feel like you're the...you're the token black woman who's making the circuit in the bicycle and transportation realm to fit...an ideal of inclusiveness and diversity?"
April 13, 2017
Amigas Who Run Reclaim Streets for Women/Women-Identified Folks of Color in Boyle Heights and Beyond
Reasserting their presence in the streets via a massively well-attended event like Amigas Who Run is a way to reclaim - as people of color and as women - some control over how they and their community are defined and a voice in determining the future trajectory for both.
March 20, 2017
Plans for Former South Central Farm Lot Go Before PLUM Committee
After hearing an appeal from Mr. Tezozomoc on behalf of the South Central Farmers, the Planning and Land Use Committee will likely vote to certify the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and approve the subdivision of the lot as proposed for the former home of the South Central Farm.
March 8, 2017
