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

The 911 call made by Isaias Cervantes sister: she immediately announces the emergency is a mental health crisis but a Mental Evaluation Team is not dispatched nor do the responding deputies call one to the scene.

Autistic Man Shot Within 83 Seconds of First Contact by LASD: Why Is this Still Happening?

By Sahra Sulaiman | May 7, 2021 | No Comments

Eighty-three seconds. That’s how much time passed between the moment deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) first stood at the door of the Cudahy home of Isaias Cervantes, a 25-year-old autistic man who is hard of hearing and suffering from depression and anxiety, and the firing of the shot that may have […]

John Weber, the father of Anthony "A.J." Weber, the unarmed 16-year-old who was killed by sheriff's deputies in 2018, speaks on the ongoing harassment of his family during the recent "Stop L.A. Sheriffs Attacks" forum organized by BLM-LA and Centro CSO. BLM-LA's Paula Minor moderated the second half of the forum. Interpretation was provided by Pro Bono ASL.

Families of Those Killed by LASD Describe Ongoing Harassment by Deputies as Part of a “Triple Assault”

By Sahra Sulaiman | Apr 13, 2021 | No Comments

"I don't have another life to give. I don't have any more breaths to take. I don't have any more hashtags. I don't have any more energy to be marching with my fist up in the air [only] to come back to the same thing," declared Khadijah Shabazz. "Right now, it needs to be all broken down, torn down, and started all over again."

Mrs. Willa Bruce (left) with her daughter-in-law Meda (center) and her sister - near Bruce's Lodge in Manhattan Beach, ca 1920s . Photo via Living the California Dream by Alison Rose Jefferson, courtesy California African American Museum

L.A. County to Return Bruce’s Beach Property to Rightful Owners

By Joe Linton and Sahra Sulaiman | Apr 9, 2021 | No Comments

"The county isn't gifting anyone anything. The county is returning property that was inappropriately taken. We are returning to the Bruce family... property that they rightfully owned."

The February 9 encounter near Manchester and Figueroa began with officers telling Travis Elster he was illegally parked in a private parking lot, but the placement of the officer's hand inside the vehicle was one of several forms of escalation. Elster ultimately fled the scene and was shot at eight times by LAPD officer Carlos Tovar. Screenshot from the critical incident video released by LAPD.

Officer Fires 8 Wildly Out-of-Policy Shots at Man Fleeing Pretextual Stop; Evolving LAPD Statements Attempt to Pin Blame on Driver

By Sahra Sulaiman | Mar 17, 2021 | No Comments

LAPD is accusing 30yo Travis Elster of assault with a deadly weapon to justify the shooting.

Metro is relaunching its community engagement process around Segment B of the Rail-to-River project and seeks input on stakeholders' preferred routes. The Randolph St. route through Huntington Park is not wide enough to support both the WSAB line and the bike/walk path. The yellow indicates the larger study area Metro is surveying for potential alternative routes. Source: Metro

Metro Relaunches Rail-to-River Community Engagement Process to Choose New Southeast Cities Route

By Sahra Sulaiman | Feb 10, 2021 | No Comments

The planned WSAB rail line won't leave enough room for a bike/walk path on Randolph, forcing Metro to seek an alternative route

Twenty-five-year old Fred Williams III was killed in Willowbrook by Los Angeles County Sheriffs on October 16. A medical examiner's inquest into his death was held January 28, 2021. Photo source: family gofundme.

LASD Won’t Name Deputies Involved in Killing of Fred Williams III at Otherwise Uninformative Inquest

By Sahra Sulaiman | Feb 1, 2021 | No Comments

LASD once again proves unwilling to cooperate in an inquest into a questionable shooting by a deputy.

Documentary by Gardena High Alum Centers Stories of L.A.’s Unhoused Black Women

By Joe Linton and Sahra Sulaiman | Dec 22, 2020 | No Comments

Watch Zorrie Petrus' film 'Defining Ourselves For Ourselves: Unhoused, Black, and Female in L.A.'

The 124-unit mixed use project replacing the car wash at 4218-4248 S. Crenshaw Blvd. was just approved by the Planning Commission. It will next head to City Council for final approval. It is one of several changing the landscape along the corridor.

124-Unit Project at 4242 S. Crenshaw Approved by City Planning

By Sahra Sulaiman | Nov 10, 2020 | No Comments

The largely market-rate project is one of over half a dozen that were recently completed or are in the works along Crenshaw between Exposition and 61st.

A view of the courtyard of the SEED school looking northward. The lots the project will rise on stood vacant for nearly 30 years. It will open its doors to students in the fall of 2022.

Metro’s Transportation Boarding School Breaks Ground at Vermont/Manchester

By Sahra Sulaiman | Oct 28, 2020 | No Comments

"Groundbreaking celebrated without construction to follow had been the norm at a certain point," said Ridley-Thomas. "But no more."

Screengrab from the Sheriff's press conference on the killing of 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee. Two videos obtained from Kizzee's phone were shown to prove the gun found at the scene was his. The audio was removed from the videos, LASD said, because the song Kizzee was listening to contained vulgarities. But the intention seemed to be to present him as menacing, rather than being true to what he actually doing, which was showing off a bit while enjoying some music.

Gun Visible Sliding Along Ground Before 2nd Deputy Opens Fire on Dijon Kizzee, Contradicting New Sheriff Account

By Sahra Sulaiman | Sep 18, 2020 | No Comments

The 2nd deputy doesn't draw his gun until nearly 2 seconds after Kizzee's gun has skittered along the ground to its final resting place

Jermaine Welch mourns the loss of rapper, artist, entrepreneur, and visionary Nipsey Hussle in this image from 2019. While out making deliveries just after midnight on June 3, Welch passed through an intersection on Broadway, just south of Manchester, and was shot six times, possibly by the LAPD. He has been under investigation ever since. Image courtesy Jermaine Welch.

Bystander Shot Six Times During Officer-Involved Shooting Left Homeless, Struggling to Recover while LAPD Treats Him as Suspect

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jul 14, 2020 | No Comments

“Wow, I wake up from my death and it was like I was in jail...I’m treated like a criminal," says Jermaine Welch. "[Yet] I'm the victim in this situation."

Bystander Shot Six Times During Officer-Involved Shooting Left Homeless, Struggling to Recover while LAPD Treats Him as Suspect

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jul 13, 2020 | No Comments

“Wow, I wake up from my death and it was like I was in jail...I’m treated like a criminal," he says. "[Yet] I'm the victim in this situation."

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