9A - Part One
These images were taken Monday, February 12, 2007 from the 2 block area called "Site 9A" by the LAUSD.
The area is just south of a Lucy's Starbucks complex on Sunset Blvd. and directly West of Alvarado. It is a large area of 50 homes and apartment buildings in Echo Park, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Angeles. You can read more about the struggle for the people who were forced to leave their homes by eminent domain at the Echo Park Historical Society website. According to EPHS, it would be the single largest loss of homes since Chavez Ravine (PBS Story) (Wikipedia) demolished in the 1950s.
Comments
It is sad when any governmental organization and/or agency do not weigh out value of peoples lives that pay taxes and/or vote that they have no rights to defend their home against eminent domain and take priceless memories and history by a vote that the people voted them into office from the start!
Homeowners and/or renters regardless if they are not at will to sell or move out of their home sweet home there is no laws protecting their rights!
LAUSD, MTA and City Departments have no consideration toward those lives living in the path of their proposed projects occupied by people who are part of the neighborhood for years raising their children from one generation to another generation. However in most cases poverty and low income neighborhoods are sites to remove families facing financial problems, crime problems and/or run down structures is more of a targeted neighborhood to remove these elements. This is why our City, County, State, Federal including MTA and LAUSD that have the powers to enforce eminent domain do not desire to make positive plans to rehab these structures or properly educate the neighborhood in how to defend their rights to protect their homes incase of a future eminent domain. The community must become partners with your neighbors to address all criminal activities including run down structures to rehab in order to make their community a better place to live at and be safe plus be united and ready to defend your neighborhood against eminent domain and hold accountable all elected officials at all levels of our government including LAUSD Board members and stop being afraid to speak-out when things are just not right and furthermore join your local neighborhood council for political leverage. Get to know your local community based organization if they are supportive or not toward the needs of your neighborhood. If they are involve them in your group and if they are not then do not support them in your neighborhood by always opposing them for any type of funding and this will show them who is in control of your neighborhood! Reinstall hope and faith in our Lord because we need that spiritual tie more so now than ever before to save our neighborhoods cultural and history!
Back in late 2006 our community band together to fight back LAUSD eminent domain and we were very fortunate and blessed to have media coverage which was a plus against E-Board of LAUSD! We WON which is very odd to win such fight! Through faith, hope, trust and unity brought our neighbors together and I never took a NO reply from anyone who was an Elected Representative of LAUSD Board it had to be a maybe or let us work it out and soften their hearts as well; it was all for the BEST! Save our business and homes and the Neighborhood Council of Boyle Heights along with other Community Based Organizations (CBO’s) were part of this fight as we share this VICTORY! A uniform of people can make things happen and with the help by the Media is a plus!