Recent Streetsblog LA posts about safe streets

Democracy is Much More than Voting. Sometimes it Involves Bikes. And Gardening.

By Sahra Sulaiman | Nov 7, 2012 | No Comments

Voting is great and all, but it is only one part of democracy. Democracy works better when people take an active role in making their communities better year round. That theme of service was more actively promoted after the election in 2008, when Obama asked people to channel their enthusiasm and energy into community service. […]

This Saturday: Do Good in Crenshaw and Learn About the Transformative Power of Art for Those Who Have Been Incarcerated in West Adams

By Sahra Sulaiman | Oct 5, 2012 | 1 Comment

When neighborhoods suffer foreclosures, everyone on the block gets hurt. The abandoned buildings can quickly become blight and attract criminal activity. The decline of a block can hurt the self-esteem of a community. It is also hard to bring communities together through block clubs and neighborhood councils when people are struggling to stay afloat and […]

“South L.A. Democratic Spaces” Exhibit Launches Tonight at USC

By Sahra Sulaiman | Sep 27, 2012 | No Comments

When people look at questions of transportation, livable streets, or complete streets, they sometimes look at them in isolation, as if they stood alone from socio-economic issues. Slate’s recent touting of LA’s transit system as the next big thing, for example, never addresses questions of who is riding, how, and why. Or, why not, in […]

Healthy Food Walk Around USC Neighborhood Unearths Tensions Between the University and the Community

By Sahra Sulaiman | Sep 14, 2012 | 34 Comments

If you were one of the participants in the South L.A. Healthy Food Ride/Walk this past weekend, you could be forgiven if you walked away a little confused about the purpose of the walk. It started out simple enough. The group – largely comprised of super-motivated teens from South L.A. vying for a spot on […]

Ouch! That Hurts!: On-the-Job Hazards

By Sahra Sulaiman | Aug 14, 2012 | 3 Comments

I don’t live in South L.A. But I can be found somewhere within its confines 4 times a week, on average. Often, more. And, always on the bike. Depending on how you classify it, South L.A. can be as big as 51 sq. miles. Covering it is no small task. I might spend anywhere from […]

Listening to the Streets in Order to Make Them More Livable: Part III in a Series

By Sahra Sulaiman | Aug 9, 2012 | No Comments

This is the third (and long overdue) piece in a series re-examining the way we think about Livable Streets. The first two articles (here and here) detail the history of a wonderful young man named Fidel who ran with a crew just north of USC. His experience mirrors that of many of the teens I […]

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