15. Garcetti

The Press:

Eric Garcetti is now the Mayor of Los Angeles.  He was the City Councilperson of the time that carried the motion forward to dedicate the space of the Historic Filipinotown.

In My Mind:  

He answered the people’s request to be recognized but did that create a place?  

“The Filipino community in Los Angeles was never really concentrated; Filipinos live in adjacent communities like Westlake, Koreatown, East Hollywood... even larger concentrations exist in suburbs like Carson, West Covina or Cerritos… but many can still trace some sort of connection to the neighborhood. ..urban blight -- graffiti, litter, abandoned bulky items sitting on the curbs, and absentee landlords -- still plague Hi-Fi...some new businesses have sprung up in the past decade, development and economic investment has been slow; popular Filipino chains like Jollibee, Red Ribbon bakeshop, and Seafood City market only exist outside the Hi-Fi periphery and ...no large overseas financing or benevolent associations, ...no financial institutions here. There are hardly any banks... hardly any supermarkets, scant entertainment/arts venues and a dearth of public gathering spaces... there is a noticeable lack of consistent pedestrian activity.” (http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_focus/commentary/los-angeles-historic-filipinotown-turns-ten-whats-changed.html)

16. The Church

The Press:

Historic Filipinotown is the home of the oldest Iglesia ni Cristo church. The religious population of Filipinos is predominantly Catholic, but the church holds services for all groups -- which has lost its Filipino concentration.

In My View:

The view from the parking lot out back is beautiful. The security guard is very welcoming; doing his missionary work. Definitely well kept and clean, almost as if there is a barrier between the religious institution and the sidewalk. Is privilege at work here?