“Who can tell me what is a grain?” asked a coach at a “Soccer for Success” session with young children last summer on a South Los Angeles playing field. “Wheat!” a young boy called out. “Who knows the difference between a good wheat and a bad wheat?” she asked next. “One is a brown one … READ MORE
Journalist Author Speaker
A new community garden springs up after land group adopts health perspective
Alina Bokde, executive director the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, wasn’t quite sure how a new push to view her organization’s work through a public health lens would work. She’s been acquiring open space in urban areas for years, with an eye toward conserving land, providing recreation and helping to mitigate climate change. But having … READ MORE
Police helicopter above high school elicits resigned shrugs
In this photo, you’ll see a helicopter hovering in South Los Angeles, right above a high school. It’s an LA Police Department copter, and as I learned from some mothers sitting on the bleachers at a soccer field nearby, it’s not an unusual sight in South LA. I was startled at it, but they just … READ MORE
Street vendors furtively do business in Los Angeles
We first saw this street vendor standing next to his cart in South Los Angeles one hot afternoon last summer. Someone was purchasing one of the frozen desserts he sold from his bike/street cart, keeping it cold with dry ice. He was leery, though, when Rudy Espinoza and I approached him, but still lifted a … READ MORE