As always, there is much happening in the streets of South L.A. this weekend.
First up tonight, a meeting in Huntington Park with the Ciclavia SouthEast Host Committee. If you love CicLAvia and want to support its expansion to other parts of Los Angeles, lend your voice at the meeting tonight and be a part of the movement. The meeting is from 6 - 8 p.m. at 6325 Pacific Blvd #300, Huntington Park, CA 90255.
At the CicLAvia expansion meeting tonight, you can meet up with the East Side Riders and join with them for their Friday night ride, which will take place after the meeting. I rode with them to Long Beach a few weeks ago, but the destinations change every week. Tonight, they are headed to Bob's Big Boy Broiler in Downey.
Saturday, check out Community Services Unlimited's workshop, Intro to Backyard Chickens and How to Preserve Summer Vegetables. They will convince you that raising chickens is much easier and more fun than you might think and teach you the basics so you can try it out yourself. They will also offer some simple home canning techniques for preserving your garden's summer harvest. For more information or to RSVP contact CSU by phone at 323.299.7075. The workshop runs from 9 a.m. to noon at their Mini Urban Farm at the Expo Center (at Bill Robertson Ln. and King Blvd).
On Saturday, If you're in the Watts area, stop by the YO! Watts youth center (at 1513 103rd St.) to meet the YO Watts Rydaz. The new group, launched by Javier Partida, will take an exploratory ride through Watts. The ride comes at a critical time -- just a few blocks east of the youth center, a one-year old child was shot and killed in his father's arms on June 4 by a teen on a bicycle. Authorities believe the shooting was gang-related, owing to the recent escalation in tension between African-American and Latino gangs in the area. The more folks that can make it out to support the Rydaz can help to show solidarity with those in Watts who are affected by violence and help youth take back the streets for recreation. The Rydaz will meet up at 10 a.m. and should return to the youth center by 1 p.m.
Things to look forward to:
June 12 and 13: Learn more about State Regulations and Fracking. Does the word "fracking" give you the heebie jeebies? It should, given that there no regulation in place that protects us from any potential harmful effects of the practice. The more I learned about the practice in the Baldwin Hills (see here and here), the more disturbed I became. Get involved in holding corporations accountable for the drilling practices in the Baldwin Hills area by attending one of the upcoming workshops and helping shape future regulation. The Department and the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) will be on hand to listen to concerns and take recommendations. The workshops will be held Tuesday, June 12, 7:00 pm: City Council Chambers, 9770 Culver Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232 and Wednesday, June 13, 7:00 pm: Cal State University Long Beach - Student Union Building, 1212 N. Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90815
Stop by TRUST South L.A.'s office Tuesday, June 12 at 10 a.m. to talk about how to improve life for residents in the area of the Figueroa Corridor in South L.A. Did I mention the free coffee and cool folks? You can have that, too.
On June 17, the East Side Riders and USC's ParTour team will be reprising their 10-mile ride through Watts starting at Augustus Hawkins Nature Park. You may have run into them at the Hammer last night and been handed one of the Ride South L.A. maps. Hang on to it and join us on June 17th! Event information is here.
July 1, the Real Rydaz will be holding a their South L.A. Peace, Love, and Family Ride and Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 86th and Vermont. The day will begin with a riding tour of South L.A. leaving from Exposition Park and led in style by the Real Rydaz themselves. And while it may be too early for you to be thinking about events in July, it is a great excuse for me to offer up a link to a new video from the Subculture Club about the group.
Have a great weekend!
