Recent Streetsblog LA posts about race relations

Redlining, the practice of denying loans to communities of color in the 1930s, was one of many ways segregation was embedded in the DNA of cities and continues to shape their growth and development today. Source: Mapping Inequality - the University of Richmond's Digital Scholarship Lab

The Color of Law & Residential Segregation: A “Walking Toward Justice” Webinar

By Sahra Sulaiman | Sep 28, 2017 | 4 Comments

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.

Evelia Granados holds a photo of her brother, César Rodríguez, who was killed by a train while interacting with the Long Beach Police regarding fare evasion. Rodriguez' mother, Rosa Moreno (seated, in the black shirt), looks on as her daughter speaks. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog L.A. from "Burn the Witch..."

Family of Man Crushed by Train During Altercation with Police over Fare Seeks Answers, Justice

By Sahra Sulaiman | Sep 15, 2017 | 10 Comments

The family is afraid that a full accounting is a long ways off. Detectives told them that they may not have an answer or see the video of the incident until the investigation is complete - six months to a year from now.

Juan Carlos Mercado and Miguel Sanchez stand in a vacant lot at Manchester and Vermont. The former swap meet site saw a groundbreaking three years ago but the mall project, planned by developer Eli Sasson, never materialized. And the buildings behind the youth - occupied by homeless folks from the area - burned down in February. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog L.A.

South Central Youth Assess Stasis and Change 25 years after the 1992 Unrest

By Sahra Sulaiman | Apr 6, 2017 | No Comments

J.C. and Miguel are hoping that before-and-after images of several sites that they've identified will tell us something about stasis and change in the 25 years since the acquittal of four white officers in the videotaped beating of Rodney King sent people roiling into the streets back on April 29, 1992.

Ceebo Tha Rapper shoots a video near 65th and Broadway, where 25-year-old Ezell Ford was shot and killed by the police, answering critics that thought his first video called for violence against the police. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog L.A.

Friday Ruminations on Profiling, Policing, and Planning

By Sahra Sulaiman | Mar 3, 2017 | 8 Comments

Stories highlighting the unique vulnerability of people of color - particularly men of color - in the public space remind planners and advocates that it is really hard for people to "reclaim" their streets and public spaces if trying to do so puts them in peril.

The Rosa Parks station in Watts/Willowbrook, looking southward along the Blue Line. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog L.A.

As Metro Prepares to Approve New Policing Contract, A Reminder that Criminalization of Poverty at a Discounted Price is No Bargain

By Sahra Sulaiman | Feb 22, 2017 | 14 Comments

As the board prepares for this decision, it seems like a good time to remind both Metro and our law enforcement agencies that the passengers that have the greatest dependence on Metro are the ones who need safe passage the most. And right now, they're the ones who are least likely to feel like that is what they are getting.

South Central's America is black, brown, family, faith, community, resistance, and resilience. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog L.A.

The Women’s March, the “It’s Not Your Time” Doctrine, Urban Planning, and You

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jan 26, 2017 | 50 Comments

The divide between the communities I write about and the people who seek to plan or advocate on their behalf has never felt deeper.

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