Sahra Sulaiman

I had just passed the liquor store near Avalon and Manchester in South L.A. when a large man who was slinging dope and chilling with a few other guys apparently decided that he was in the mood to make nice with a lady.

I was excited to be able to attend the 10th Annual City Lites Inner City Sports and Wellness Fair this year. I had sat in on a few of the monthly event-planning meetings held in the run-up to last year's fair and had been impressed by the number of services City Lites was able to bring together and the dedication of organizers and volunteers to creating a healthy and fun environment for kids and their parents. I also applaud the effort to  make healthy activities -- including a bike and walking tour -- an integral part of the festivities.

As an NPR junkie, I have long been aware that the natural gas industry has been a sponsor of their programming for several years.

Projecting as best he could above the intense ambient noise that surrounds a heavily-trafficked freeway and metro station, curator Gamal Palmer, introduced the Watts Village Theater Company's (WVTC) performance of "Under the 105" by invoking this year's theme of "Home."

There's a cool new group on the move in South L.A. called the Mobility Advisory Committee.

"We've all stopped and wondered, 'What kind of poop is this?'" a man said of the surprises the 4th Ave. pedestrian bridge sometimes holds for residents of Jefferson Park and Arlington Heights.

Stop any cyclist in South L.A. and ask them their thoughts on bike-to-work day and I can almost guarantee you'll get a snort, a dismissive hand wave, and an, "Aw, man, I do this every day!"

The Ride of Silence will start at the Benjamin Torres Memorial Site in Gardena (135th and Gramercy), Then, we will head to Watts to the Sylvester Henderson Memorial Site. After that, we will head to Compton to the Ovidio Morales Memorial Site before heading back to Benjamin Torres Memorial Site. We ask that you bring a few candles and arrive 30 minutes before the ride starts so we can leave promptly at 7pm. As we ride across the town, there is no talking on the ride -- pure silence. So, please, leave the chatter for the stops we will make at each site. Also, follow the rules of the Road Captains that will be wearing the Safety Vest.

"We do not believe at this point that there is any indication that this [incident] was race-based,” Capt. II Paul Snell of the LAPD Southwest Division told 1000 attendees at a forum last Tuesday night to address the mistreatment of black students by the LAPD when shutting down their party on May 4th.

If there is a lot in CD 9 that is vacant, foreclosed, abandoned, or in severe disrepair, you can bet either Ana Cubas or Curren Price (especially Price) has found it and stuck a sign on it, like this lot (above) on Broadway and 48th.