Sahra Sulaiman

She had had enough of hearing her community spoken about in offensive ways by well- (and not-so-well-) meaning planners and advocates, enough of giving 110 percent of herself only to realize a fraction of what she put forward was being seen as having value, enough of how disinterested those with power over what happened in marginalized communities remained in the larger picture, and enough of being tokenized.

The ability to isolate specific zoning changes along the river and see the shift toward lighter industry is a reminder that the city has yet to launch a meaningful dialogue with Boyle Heights about what it means to create an "Innovation District" on its western edge.

This Saturday, city planning will be hosting an open house at Boyle Heights City Hall offering residents updates on the Boyle Heights Community Plan.

"We have to ask ourselves, 'If this was any in other community being impacted like this...would they have been allowed to continue [to emit] these odors [that are] going out and affecting the community?'"

So much of what we do within this field is aimed at addressing vulnerabilities - including threats to health, safety, and overall well-being - in order to build healthy, resilient, inclusive, livable, and just communities and cities. And yet, all too often, those with the power and resources to influence debates on what constitutes a valid form of vulnerability or how it should be addressed themselves have limited experience with or knowledge of the wider range of intersectional vulnerabilities faced by just about everyone that is not an able-bodied heterosexual cis-gender white male.

"But whatever you do," the head of the history department told me, "do not use words like 'multicultural.' Parents will call to ask what on earth we're teaching their kids."

I love doing the bike/ped counts. I move through the communities I cover constantly, but rarely get the chance to stand in one place for two hours and observe how a particular corner functions.

A conversation about how to have uncomfortable conversations, moderated by Charles T. Brown and featuring Tamika Butler, Sahra Sulaiman, Sonia Jimenez, and author Richard Rothstein.

After Measure S was soundly defeated at the ballot box this past March, the prevailing view seemed to be that it represented a vote in favor of greater density, particularly more infill and transit-oriented development. Which, in some ways, it was.

When attendees finally had the chance to weigh in on the plans for east side, most voted for the "balanced" design, preferring the mix of natural elements and spaces for activities. The only consistent complaint about all three designs was the lack of planning for a skate park.