Recent Streetsblog LA posts about gangs

The opening of The Marathon, Nipsey Hussle's innovative smart store, in June, 2017, drew people from all over the community. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog L.A.

City Attorney Keeps up Pressure to Evict Nipsey Hussle’s Legacy from Crenshaw and Slauson

By Sahra Sulaiman | Aug 4, 2019 | 1 Comment

The effort to push Hussle off the corner of Crenshaw and Slauson is nothing new, but the timing couldn't be worse.

Jermaine Welch shows off the shoe he had custom painted in Nipsey Hussle's honor while waiting for Hussle's funeral procession to pass through the intersection at Crenshaw and Slauson on April 11. Hussle was killed in front of his store, The Marathon, on March 31. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog L.A.

South Central Gives Nipsey Hussle the Send-Off of a Lifetime

By Sahra Sulaiman | Apr 12, 2019 | No Comments

Few communities love harder than South Central.

The vacant lots encompassing the 8400 and 8500 blocks on Vermont have held the community hostage to blight for over 26 years. The 8300 block (from which this photo was taken) had also remained vacant for a number of years and was originally going to be incorporated into the Vermont Entertainment Village project. In the mid-2000s, Eli Sasson sold off his 8300 block parcels (helping to doom the mall project) and the County services building rose on it instead in 2007. Source: County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas

As Vermont/Manchester Transportation School Moves Forward, Community Reckons with Past, Wrestles with Form Change Should Take

By Sahra Sulaiman | Oct 16, 2018 | 2 Comments

For black stakeholders eager to shed the despised "Death Alley" label and address the damage rooted in segregationist policies, the stakes feel especially high

A set of ramps at the WLCAC (108th and Central) in Watts attracts a range of youth. But the way gang territories are divided up means accessing the park isn't always easy. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog L.A.

Long-Awaited Watts Skate and BMX Park Takes Significant Step Forward

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jun 5, 2018 | No Comments

At the Watts Gang Task Force meeting Monday morning in Watts, Councilmember Joe Buscaino announced that he had finally secured the necessary $925,000 in funds and a location for a combination skate and BMX bike park that the community has been waiting for for at least a decade. [If you can’t see the video, click here.] […]

Javier "JP" Partida talks to 7-year-old Sammy, son of a childhood friend and one of the next generation of riders Partida hopes his club, Los Ryderz, can reclaim streets for. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog L.A.

Los Ryderz Celebrate Six Years of Community-Building in Watts

By Sahra Sulaiman | May 10, 2018 | 1 Comment

It's tough love, to be sure. But the love couldn't be more genuine, and the members of the club have always known it.

Slimm, 25, Los Ryderz member, on his bike in Ted Watkins Park in Watts. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog L.A.

“I Can’t Go Everywhere that I Thought I Could Go”: When Black and Brown Cyclists Need Safety from More than Traffic

By Sahra Sulaiman | May 1, 2018 | 33 Comments

"I knew where I was," muses Slimm, the 25-year-old road captain from the Los Ryderz Bike Club regarding his fateful decision to roll past 65th on Broadway - the heart of East Coast Crips territory, "but I was just riding by..."

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