On June 25, , Nate Holden introduced a proposal to rename a stretch of Crenshaw after the former mayor. To many Crenshaw area residents, the renaming proposal felt like a City Hall edict. There was never any efforts made. At least see what the people want. At least let the people decide. No more good old boy behind the scenes closed door sidebar politics! He spoke at the public hearing in opposition to the Tom Bradley renaming proposal.
But Erin Aubrey Kaplan says his proposal had an even bigger problem. His political attention was downtown, on the Westside. He did forge these coalitions that people felt were very historic.
But in the end, South Central, as my father used to say, went down on his watch. But not much happened. People really felt elected officials were failing them. Was Holden trying to rename Crenshaw just to honor Bradley? Or was he also trying to get rid of the old name? In a LA Weekly article , Kaplan described how the proposed renaming had inflamed local frustration with City Hall, while aggravating internal divisions within the Crenshaw community:.
In an age in which blacks are strictly polarized by class, Crenshaw is both a dividing line and a rare point of cohesion. Holden and the renaming advocates seemed to be saying that the name Crenshaw bore a stigma — and that the community might be better off calling it something else. I believe that Tom Bradley would give this major artery a tremendous boost, and the image that is more in line with the aspirations of most of its residents and business owners.
Holden, in one of the last public statements he ever made as a City Council member, took the argument even further. And he has another problem with what Nate Holden did in Satori and other Crenshaw residents had already been working for eight years on renaming a portion of Crenshaw Boulevard.
And when you brand it, people understand that it represents you and who you are. In , he began a grassroots campaign to rename a portion of Crenshaw Boulevard after Malcolm X. The fountain at Leimert Park Plaza makes a relaxing lounging spot. The park was designed between and by the Olmsted Bros.
Drummers and dancers make merry in Leimert Plaza Park. The neighborhood is considered the cultural heartbeat of black L. Leimert Park, developed in the s, is a neighborhood rich with Art Deco apartments and office buildings, Spanish colonial homes and post-war bungalows.
A resident walks by shops along Crenshaw Boulevard. Some have expressed frustration at the inability to attract retailers that other boulevards have been able to woo. A soul food restaurant in the Crenshaw district advertises its fare. The district has long been a power base for African Americans in L. It was converted into a church in the late s.
Building at grade would cause major disruption on the street, splitting it in two and making it less a walkable main street and more like a drive-though thoroughfare. Community and civic leaders decided to turn what they saw as an insult into an opportunity. And that there ought to be a place, like we have Chinatown, like we have the Fairfax district, like we have Little Tokyo, like we have San Pedro Targeted to be completed in spring , Destination Crenshaw will include permanent art installations extolling the history and culture of black Angelenos.
The Leimert Theater is being fully restored and modernized, and there are plans for a public amphitheater and 10 new parks and miniparks. The architecture firm of Perkins and Will will oversee the design and construction. Landscape design will be provided by Studio-MLA. Destination Crenshaw is going to be just that. Another community partner involved in Destination Crenshaw was the rapper, philanthropist, and civic leader Nipsey Hussle.
His death devastated both the old and young in South LA. Through Destination Crenshaw and other programs, the councilmember aims to bring money and foot traffic onto Crenshaw Boulevard, creating value that stays within South Los Angeles. But there are concerns. There is also still much work to be done on other parts of Crenshaw Boulevard. Longtime residents like Fields and McElroy also worry that the rail line, along with gentrification and development in single-family neighborhoods, will obliterate their close-knit feel and its rich heritage.
We all watch out for each other. I recognize every neighbor on my street Along with these vibrant patches of community and culture, there are stretches of the boulevard almost like ghost towns, where boarded up businesses are the norm. For Revoyr, Crenshaw Boulevard remains a street of contradictions. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.
By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Los Angeles.
0コメント