Saturday, February 25^th, 2012

11am until 2pm

SAN JULIAN STREET/ VOA-DROP IN CENTER

This is 2012 Operation Face-Lift/ Skid Row effort to “finally clean-up Skid Row” once and for all. We are targeting San Julian Street since it is “the very heart “of the Skid Row community. In addition, it is Black History month and there will be a number of activities on San Julian. For example, San Julian Park will have an event sponsored by SRO Corporation and Agape International.

We will begin at 10:30-until

This February 25th event will also allow for information to be circulated concerning Operation Face-Lift/ Skid Row and the need to beautify the entire Skid Row from Main to Alameda but especially, San Pedro, Winston Street, Gladys Avenue, etc.

So, this clean-up campaign will be hosted by Skid Row Brigade, Volunteers of America/Drop In Center, Issues and Solutions, Little Tokyo Lofts, Row Vision, Love LA and others. Come out and join in. Be counted in the positive movement of Skid Row.

It’s going to be a long year. We are putting out a call for 100 hundred trash cans and 100 brooms.

Contact: Commander Ron Crockett, Skid Row Brigade (626) 277-3457. Commander Benito (OG) (213) 622-1621.

(on facebook under, “OPERATION FACE-LIFT/ SKID ROW 2012)

thank you for the color!

I cruised up 4th today and did a double take at this eye-catching paint job. Someone must have just decorated this thing recently. Address is 607 4th St. That’s what I’m talkin’ bot. Makes me smile.

Scott returns to Skid Row for the second time to plant stuff

Scott from Socal Guerrilla Gardening popped by the neighborhood again today to help plant our second Guerrilla Garden in Skid Row. The first one is directly across the street on the southeast corner of Boyd and San Pedro St. This one is on the northeast corner of Boyd and San Pedro. Boyd St. sure is getting green!

Scott has explained to me that my attempts at guerilla-style gardening in my ‘hood are not technically “guerrilla”. True guerrilla-style gardening is undercover of the night, without asking permission from anyone and specifically on public property. I get this- I like this idea- I think it’s one of the coolest things around. So, out of respect for Scott’s mission- I can’t actually be claiming I am a true guerrilla gardener just yet. I’m just…a gardener- but, an enthusiastic one! I figure since I’m trying to work with the City moving forward on several issues concerning greening- the prudent thing for me to do at this time, is to ask permission before planting things. The next time I do this though- it has got to be on public land in keeping with THE CAUSE. Once again, thank you Scott!

Aeoniums

a landscaping pro showed up named Ralph- thanks, man!

Scott gives the succulents a little water before taking off

done deal!

http://www.dlanc.com/completestreets/

This photo was taken by my friend Catherine visiting from San Francisco. She's a fan of Skid Row and I take credit for introducing her to the magic. Winston remains my favorite street in all of DTLA- it's all in the curve- doncha' know?

5th St. between Los Angeles & Maple

By Hal McMath

In 2009 Toy District property owners voted against renewing the contract with the local business improvement district operator the CCEA which currently covers much of the Industrial District. As a commercially zoned district, Toy District businesses are responsible for their own trash removal. But without the CCEA to keep the streets clean and without any municipal trash removal the streets quickly became filthy. Not only do area businesses routinely dump commercial garbage in the streets but area food vendors and charitable entities engaged in public homeless feedings (as well as their respective patrons) discard food in the streets as well.

5th St. & Los Angeles

This has led to a serious public sanitation problem. Rats have now infested the area and can routinely be seen at night scurrying between curbside drain outfalls and food garbage strewn about the streets and sidewalks. And this in an area where homeless individuals sleep on the sidewalks and two health clinics operate. The situation became so egregious that as area residents we decided to act.

Los Angeles St. & Winston

The first step was to request 6 city-provided public trash receptacles through Jan Perry’s office. In early January Ron Lee at the Bureau of Sanitation had these receptacles installed. While the city empties them once a week, the two placed on San Pedro Street at 4th and Winston Streets are emptied daily by the CCEA (as this stretch is still within CCEA territory). Although area business illegally use these receptacles for their commercial trash, the garbage accumulating in them for the most appears to be non-commercial garbage (especially discarded food) that was previously ending up on the streets. Depending on the day of the week, the streets can still be littered with garbage but the situation is much improved over just a few weeks ago. As such we reported back to Ron Lee at the  Bureau of Sanitation on this initial success and asked for 3 more receptacles this time along Los Angeles Street between Winston and 5th Streets. (Beyond Los Angeles Street to the west the Historic Downtown BID operates and the streets are clean.)

5th St. & Los Angeles St.

With the area well covered by public trash receptacles, we next plan an outreach effort to area food vendors and charitable organizations feeding the homeless to strongly encourage them and their patrons to use these receptacles and desist from dumping food in the streets. Finally, the last step involves getting the curbside drain outfalls covered with grates to prevent them from being used as hangouts for the local rat population. This will require the cooperation of property owners many of which to date have shown little interest in improving the neighborhood.

Winston St.

Although this all represents a modest step in the right direction, hopefully in time it will not only eliminate the public sanitation issue but also create more inviting streets. Inviting streets in turn could help draw more pedestrian traffic into the area from the Historic Core which would be in everyone’s best interests including residents, businesses, and property owners.

(Thank you Hal for this guest blog piece!-Katherine)

oh no!

(2) trees have been killed out of the (7) we planted on December 10th, 2011. Am I upset? Yes- of course. Am I discouraged? Not even close. Not even if all (7) trees were damaged and killed would I stops doin’ what I’m doin’. And I’m doin’ what I’m doin’ because it has to be done. Did the people who know better tell me to plant bigger tree? Yes- they did. Would I have done this differently if I could have? I’m not so sure. TreePeople has a system whereas they involve the community with their plantings- this is why I was ultimately drawn to them as  non-profit organization. TreePeople plants 15 gallon trees (on the small side) so that people don’t get hurt planting them. On the “event day”- all sorts of people showed up and ate and planted trees together- it was a beautiful thing. No regrets. Moving forward though, I will take a decidedly different approach to tree planting.

I don’t want to speculate as to who or what did the decimating but one thing I can say is that every time I go outside to water the trees or to check on them, which is at least once a week if not more- the amount of positive feedback I get from the people on the street is enough to keep me motivated to do whatever it takes to make more trees happen here in Skid Row.

breathe...breathe...must re-plant. must re-plant.

Next plan of action- replant using larger trees where possible and go from there. I called this tree planting a “project”- and that’s what it is. I will need to learn and grow and change according to the environment. Planting things is, to my mind- somewhat trial and error anyways- you win some, you lose some. I know I have lost several houseplants for reasons only mother nature knows. People come into the mix when you plant things in the public space.

One thing that I noticed on a baby tree is some new growth. Green shoots! Hope grows here on the ‘Row. This is what I live for. I hope it rains this weekend. Our trees need a shower.

green shoots on the top of a Golden Trumpet tree

Public Enemy headlined this amazing FREE show yesterday, January 15th 2012. It was beyond cool to see so many people come out to this ‘hood in peace- havin’ a good time while keeping in mind the reason for the show- social and economic disparity among the largest population of homeless people in America- right here in Skid Row. Thanks to all the performers who came out, the organizers and to people who came to share the love.