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

Police body cam footage captures Joshua Hatfield yelling that police are shooting at him. The distraught 28-year-old ran into a residence after Officer Justin Freund fired two shots at him. Hatfield never threatened officers and appears to have been unarmed - police were unable to find any weapons on the premises. But LAPD booked him on Assault with a Deadly Weapon on a Peace Officer with a Firearm anyways.

“Y’all shot at me!”: LAPD Shoots at, Misses, then Tries to Charge Unarmed Black Man with Assault with a Deadly Weapon

By Sahra Sulaiman | Aug 6, 2022 | No Comments

LAPD chose not to transcribe the officer's attempt to slow her partner down and keep him from shooting at Joshua Hatfield

In 2019, Jermaine Petit and his mother, Charlotte Blackwell, sat down with ABC7's Carlos Granda to talk about his mental health issues and the many run-ins he'd had with law enforcement before he was able to get help and access to supportive housing. Petit was shot by LAPD at Bronson and King on July 18.

LAPD Describes Car Part as Resembling “Nonfunctioning Firearm” During Contentious Town Hall on Leimert Park Shooting

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jul 29, 2022 | No Comments

Jermaine Petit was unarmed when shot by LAPD, but LAPD remains reluctant to admit that

Renderings of the future of the Slauson corridor show shade trees, improved lighting, and safer crossings. Source: Metro

Rail-to-Rail Bike/Walk Path Breaks Ground on Slauson; Officials Speak to Its Significance for Corridor

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jul 12, 2022 | No Comments

Construction was to have begun in 2018, but the community had been waiting for something to happen there for much longer than that.

LAPD spokesperson Jáder Chávez joined anchor Gabriela Teissier to talk bike/scooter laws on June 24. It was a disaster.

LAPD Peddles Misinformation about Sidewalk Biking to Spanish Speakers

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jun 28, 2022 | No Comments

Chávez reassured Univisión that LAPD wasn't trying to extract money via sidewalk biking tickets. But sidewalk riding is legal.

A vendor sells salvaged bikes along Manchester Avenue. Under the ordinance proposed by councilmember Joe Buscaino, this kind of activity would be criminalized. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog L.A.

New L.A. Ordinance Cracking Down on Bicycle “Chop Shops” Ghost of Defunct Mayoral Campaign

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jun 15, 2022 | No Comments

The ordinance was part of Buscaino's larger effort to position himself as The Only Candidate for Mayor Prepared to Reclaim Streets from Utter Lawlessness.

During Tuesday's press briefing, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he would be sending Metro boardmembers helpful graphics like the one he is pointing at so they could learn the difference between transportation and housing.

As Election Nears, Embattled Sheriff Announces Plan to Expel 5700 Unhoused from Metro System, Acts Like April Ultimatum Never Happened

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jun 2, 2022 | No Comments

Step #1 of the "multi-layered" plan to remove unhoused people from trains and platforms is removing unhoused people from trains and platforms.

Cyclists at CicLAvia in front of L.A. City Hall. Photo by Joe Linton/Streetsblog

L.A. Mayoral Candidates on Transportation

By Joe Linton and Sahra Sulaiman | May 13, 2022 | No Comments

Candidates Bass, Buscaino, Caruso, de de León, Feuer, Greiwe, Viola, and Wilson in their own words

Mayoral Candidates’ Thoughts about Metro Given Only Brief Moment to Shine in Cal State L.A. Forum

By Sahra Sulaiman | May 2, 2022 | No Comments

In between some weird questions and the sparring matches with Caruso, candidates were asked when they last rode Metro

Sheriff Alex Villanueva points at a slide on his power point presentation during a press conference Wednesday, April 13.

Villanueva Threatens to Pull LASD Out of Metro’s Multi-Agency Policing Contract this July in Grievance-Laced Press Conference

By Joe Linton and Sahra Sulaiman | Apr 14, 2022 | No Comments

In which the sheriff neglected to explain why Metro had moved to a multi-agency contract in the first place

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. Tovar managed to hit Elster's vehicle as well as the vehicle of a passing Lyft driver, but thankfully no one was injured. Screenshot from the critical incident video released by LAPD.

LAPD Shooting at Manchester/Fig Ruled Out of Policy, but Officer’s False Claim About Threatening Finger Guns Allowed to Stand

By Sahra Sulaiman | Mar 22, 2022 | No Comments

Officer Carlos Tovar also managed to hit a passing Lyft driver's vehicle with two rounds. Part I in a series on pretextual stops.

Broad Motion by Homelessness Hardliner Takes Aim at Streetside Bike Sales and Repairs; Council Critics Call Out Political Theater

By Sahra Sulaiman | Feb 9, 2022 | No Comments

In which CM Krekorian details how annoyed he was when police asked him why he believed the bikes he saw at an encampment were stolen.

Although LAPD claims they shot 22-year-old Margarito "Junior" López because he "advanced" toward officers while holding a knife, an examination of the body cam footage shows the standby warning for a "less lethal" projectile went unheeded, resulting in contagious fire. The warning (in green) is added by Streetsblog; LAPD elected not to include it in their transcription.

Officers Who Killed Margarito López Didn’t Heed Standby Warning for “Less Lethal” Fire

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jan 26, 2022 | No Comments

Half a second after the projectile is fired at López – who is in the midst of turning away from officers – a burst of contagious fire erupts.

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