South LA

Within a few weeks of buying the building located a block from Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights at the end of 2016, Frank "B.J." Turner had raised rents on a handful of long-term tenants by between 60 and 80 percent. He had also created a website for the building, re-christened “Mariachi Crossing,” targeting those that wanted a taste of a “vibrant” neighborhood and a Metro station within walking distance that could take them to experience the excitement found Downtown. [The website has since been removed. The Craigslist ad with many of the same images and text is here.]

Given the role public investment can have in reshaping marginalized communities, what responsibilities does Metro have as an entity that seeks to tell stories about the places it moves people through?

Last Thurday, the Metro Board of Directors approved a 14-month Exclusive Negotiation Agreement (ENA) with developer WIP-A, LLC, (a subsidiary of Watt Companies), allowing the project planned for the Metro- and County-owned lots at the Expo/Crenshaw station to take the next step forward.

“Wait, did they just deport the vendor?”

Leasing applications are generally treated with more care than concert tickets that go to the first ten callers that happen to be listening in. Not this time.

Before the connection cuts, I hear the plea underlying the panic that pushed him to this point: "Officer, I don't have nowhere else to go."

Construction begins in earnest in January, as do closures between 103rd St and downtown Long Beach

Here in Los Angeles, the work of the L.A. Street Vendor Campaign has been key to bringing these issues to light and helping give vendors the confidence to come out of the shadows.

"They stole a part of our hearts with my brother."