Youth Radio - Topic: los angeles

From City to City

SuSimon — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:12:13 -0600

I was born in Santa Monica on May 9th 1996. I was raised in Palmdale, which is a valley 45 minutes away from Los Angeles. After my parents divorced when I was 8, my dad moved to Lancaster, which is a town that is merged into Palmdale.

So, now I had 2 places to live, but Palmdale and Lancaster were so different from each other. Palmdale was like an upper class suburban part of the antelope valley. There wasn’t much to do, and the only places I went were the mall and GameStop. Everywhere I went I kept seeing the same people and places. It was boring, but it was home and I was perfectly fine with it. Lancaster was almost like the ghetto section of the valley. Most black people lived there, and it was dangerous. My mom was sometimes scared for me to go to the park across the street from my grandma’s house because she said there were predators in ice cream trucks waiting for kids like me to get close to them and snatch me away. My dad was never scared to let me out of the house to explore the world around me, and I wasn’t afraid to try.

As I became older and started high school, I was used to going back and forth from Palmdale living with my mom to Lancaster staying with my dad. Then all of a sudden, my mom and I were moving to Oakland to live. My other grandmother lives here and is getting older, so my mom decided that while her sisters and brothers were occupied with their own lives, she would step in and take care of her.

I would always come to Oakland for summer vacations and holiday breaks, but that’s it, nothing more than that. I would just come right back to the antelope valley where it’s boring, and I’m use to. I thought living in Oakland would take me away from my dad, grandma, cousins, and close friends. It was hard for me to leave all that behind. I had actually asked my dad what he thought about me moving. He said “it’s a better opportunity out there than it is out here”. I was shocked and a little disappointed, but after a few days of thinking about it, I finally understood what he meant. He was saying that since this town is so boring, there wouldn’t be a place for me to branch out.

There are so many opportunities here in Oakland that I just can’t pick one. He and my mom wanted better for me. Since I’ve been here, I was accepted to Oakland School for the Arts, where I’ve met a lot of great people and explored my many great talents. I’ve gone to different places like Berkeley and Fairfield. I stay active in my community and actually like going outside to take a walk down lakeshore from my house. I look at everything differently, and I still to this day think about what my dad told me. I’m Sunday Simon, and I am proud to be from Oakland.

Healthy School Lunches Have To Taste Good

rgee — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:05:18 -0600

When Los Angeles schools tried to go the healthy route with school lunches they hit a snag.

The students flipped--they stopped eating the food. Dennis Barret, L.A. Unified's food services director, told the LA Times that the introduction of the healthy meals was "a disaster." School lunch enlistments fell by 13 percent. Students who were part of the lunch program dropped the healthy food for junk they brought in their backpacks, like chips and soda.

As of last week, the Federal Government is raising nutrition standards for school meals. This new movement will try to ensure that students across the nation receive healthier meals in their cafeteria. But LA already tried this, without success.

LAUSD was off to a good start. They tried to turn the tables on unhealthy lunches and re-do the whole lunch menu, but the real issue is getting the students to enjoy the food, regardless of the health benefits.

I understand how hard it is to convert students into healthy eaters. I worked in the healthy foods department at Youth Radio for two years. My job was to cook for a group of high school students. Each meal I prepared had a healthy spin on it. If we were making Rice-A-Roni, we only used whole wheat rice and noodles. Students enjoyed our food and always asked questions about what they were eating.

Although some students have never eaten some of these dishes in their life, taking small steps helped them learn. Instead of introducing students to quinoa and black-eyed pea salads, L.A. schools should take surveys on what students enjoy eating. Encourage them to learn about healthy eating, and the benefits that come with it.

Not too long ago I didn’t care about eating healthy. My attitude soon changed when I started learning about health and the ingredients that were in our foods. M.S.G was a big eye-opener for me. It started a whole chain reaction, and I started seeking knowledge about the food we eat every day. Just by learning and knowing about additives and high-processed foods, I felt even more comfortable knowing that what I ate was healthy at the same time.

I understand this movement won’t be easy but one way to help the process would be to give L.A. students the opportunity to learn more about why schools are changing their meals and maybe the kids would be more receptive when it comes to eating healthier. Sure--it might take a while for students to eat unknown foods, but introducing them to creative, tasty options would encourage students to try new things and become more aware.

The Funnybook Business: Secret Headquarters

rgee — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:59:17 -0500

Noah Nelson, Turnstyle News

Thanks to the DC Comics relaunch, and the introduction of a new half-black, half-Latino Spiderman by Marvel Comics, there’s been a lot of media attention on the comic book industry lately. Which means some people have been seeking out comic book stores for the first time. What they’re finding is the simply spectacular, amazing, wondrous world of comics.

In this first episode of our special series, The Funnybook Business, we begin our tour of Greater Los Angeles' comic book shops with Silver Lake's Secret Headquarters.

Music featured in this episode:

Anamanaguchi-- "Helix Nebula"

Rushjet1- "Society of Nonconformists"

Rushjet1- "Konamized"

Thanks to the Free Music Archive for the tracks!

UCLA Study Talks About Changing Neighborhoods

kberman — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:19:57 -0500

According to a recent UCLA study, as more fast food joints pop up around schools in LA, kids are eating more junk food for lunch. Despite the high number of local produce being sold at farmers markets from Glendale to Huntington Beach, teenagers find the convenience of close unhealthy eateries too much to resist, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The study itself intends to show problem areas and why improving the retail food environment surrounding homes and schools of children is important for young people's health. Home and School Retail Food Environment Index (HSRFEI) was made by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research in order to “examine the relationship between the food environment near home and school and consumption of fast food and sugar-sweetened beverages." It’s basically a way to measure environments with less healthy food options against those that have more, and builds upon a study that discussed the link between diabetes and local food environments.

The California Obesity Prevention Plan suggests that by limiting fast food establishments near schools and playgrounds the access to healthy food will be improved. This will not be an easy task, as many of Los Angeles’ counties are affected by this problem. But as long as steps are being made to try and fix the frankly frightening statistics involving childhood obesity and diabetes in this country, nothing is too much.

Training Teachers Online? MAT@USC Program Gives It A Shot

rgee — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:36:22 -0500

By Robyn Gee, Turnstyle News

University of Southern California (USC) is set to become, “the country's largest not-for-profit teacher prep program by 2013,” according to The Atlantic. All due to their online Masters of Arts in Teaching program - MAT@USC. USC now graduates 1500 teachers, many of whom attend classes via video chat.

According to Margo Pensavalle, Professor of Clinical Education at the Rossier School of Education at USC, and a member of the faculty for the MAT@USC program, insists that the program is really top notch. “We didn’t want to be like DeVry - this is USC and we wanted to do a really good job... The syllabi for the courses are identical and the faculty are identical [to the on-campus courses],” she said.

“There’s really no difference. You do make relationships with your students... it’s like having a real classroom. You’re looking at their faces,” Pensavalle added.

Once getting accepted to the program, students don’t have to be in Los Angeles to attend class. They can join the group from all over the country.

So how does it work?

When Pensavalle enters the program on her computer, she starts a live session. The students on her roster enter the live session, similar to a chat room set-up. The list of students shows up on the left. Below, there is a text chat where students can contribute to the conversation by typing comments. Students’ faces show up in the center. “Picture the Brady Bunch,” said Pensavalle.

There is a space for presentation materials where she can post an agenda and her Power Point slides. On the right, she can upload files to share with her students. If a student wants to say something, or ask a question, a figure with a raised-hand shows up next to their name. Pensavalle said you can also have breakout sessions during a class. The program can randomize the small groups, or the professor can make the small groups. There’s even a place for coursework where students post their assignments when they are finished.

Students must still do field work throughout the program, and they complete a year of student-teaching in their place of residence. The application process to MAT@USC is identical to applying for USC’s on-campus teacher credential program.

Pensavalle thinks that the students who get their masters through the online program might use technology differently when they have classrooms of their own. “These students have to be technologically savvy. We use a lot of video - they send us a teaching video, a planning video, and a reflection video,” she said.

And sure - she admits that it is sometimes harder to teach from behind a screen. “It takes a different kind of energy to keep things going, in the classroom you can distribute that energy. Bu these are graduate students, so they want to be there,” said Pensavalle.

The question bouncing around the country in terms of education reform is teacher quality - how do we make sure that our teachers can prepare our kids to do great things? Not teacher quantity. USC can churn out a whole lot more teachers, but where does that leave the quality of teachers in the U.S.?

One question that lingers is whether the people who enroll in the online program will be 100 percent as committed - by default - to perfecting their craft, as those who come to in-person seminars. Will they feel just as eager to impress the classmates and professors they’ve never met, and therefore go the extra mile? No one can argue with USC’s reputation and rigor, but the results of the program remain to be seen.

The Sentencing: By the Numbers

noah — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 17:23:39 -0500

LOS ANGELES-- Two years. That is the sentence to be faced by disgraced former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle who was convicted on July 8th of the involuntary manslaughter of BART passenger Oscar Grant. To put things in perspective let’s compare and contrast a few numbers.

673: That’s the number of days from the shooting until the sentencing was handed down.

146: Number of days that Johannes Mehserle actually served in jail so far.

292: Number of days he is being credited with serving, as per Judge Perry's discretion.

438: The number of days, barring early release, that Mehserle will serve in state prison once the credit is applied to his sentence.

5113: The maximum number of days that the harshest sentence possible would have kept Mehserle behind bars.

After the sentencing hearing Alex Alonzo of StreetGangs.com, who has been one of the pool journalists covering the trial since day one, noted that those convicted on involuntary manslaughter charges usually serve only half the time. If so, the math may see Johannes Mehserle serving less than a year in prison.

Outside the court house Oscar Grant's uncle, Cephus "Bobby" Johnson, expressed resentment at the sentencing in no uncertain terms. At one point he made the comparison to the sentence given out for football star Michael Vick's abuse of dogs- Vick was sentenced to four years- while the man who killed his nephew was sentenced to just two.

Anticipating The Mehserle Sentence: 5 - 14 Years

rgee — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 10:08:14 -0500

The trial for Johannes Mehserle, former Oakland BART Police Officer, had California buzzing over the controversy. Mehserle shot 22 year-old train rider Oscar Grant in the back on New Year’s Day 2009 after pinning him to the ground on the Fruitvale BART platform. Mehserle was convicted in early July of involuntary manslaughter. The sentencing for Mehserle takes place on Friday, Nov. 5, at 8:30 a.m. in Los Angeles, CA.

The verdict of involuntary manslaughter had Oscar Grant supporters up in arms. Mehserle's main defense presented to the jury was that he mistakenly pulled his gun instead of his taser, but the prosecution argued otherwise. In the pending civil case, John Burris, the Oakland attorney representing the Mehserle family, claims that pulling the gun was not an accident, and that Mehserle should have been convicted of murder. (View Youth Radio's extensive coverage of the Oscar Grant / Mehserle case including an original photo magazine of the event.)

Mehserle could face between five and 14 years in prison. However, there are several complicating factors for Judge Robert Perry to consider. SF Gate reported, “Although one state law requires an increased prison term for using a gun during a felony, another law allows a judge to grant probation for involuntary manslaughter... In ordinary circumstances, state law says anyone found to have used a gun during a felony must serve extra time in prison. If Perry decides that the law applies to Mehserle, the ex-police officer could get as much as 14 years and would have to serve at least 85 percent of his term.”

Other factors that Judge Perry will take into account include the fact that Mehserle has no prior legal record, as well as the opportunity to send a message to the community in such a high-profile case.

In the days following the 2009 shooting, Oakland streets erupted in multiple violent protests. Angry citizens overturned cars, broke store windows, and lit fires in dumpsters. Tensions were high throughout the Mehserle trial with many comparing the case to the Rodney King case, and while thousands took to the streets on July 8th when the verdict was announced, violence and looting wasn't as widespread as had been projected.

With Friday's sentencing just days away, some downtown Oakland businesses are again boarding up windows in anticipation of possible rioting. Most residents we've spoken to, say they aren't sure quite what to expect.

Make Somethin' Of Your Life

ben — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:20:25 -0500

Skur! Black Sky by U-N-I is the new joint off Love Supreme 2.0. The tracks hook is killer; it reminds me of when I first heard Zion I (no promo). It combines and uplifting message with real stories. Its a really good rap but as I look up in the sky I'm just asking for another Land of The Kings record. Make something of your life and comment on this post Skur! Froom!

Previous: U-N-I "Desha Dayana" Music Video

Grant Station: A Killing And The Aftermath (in images)

nishat — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:08:53 -0500

Youth Radio has created an online magazine (scroll down and click on the cover to flip through) documenting the 19 months following the shooting death of Oscar Grant at the hands of former Bay Area Rapid Transit Officer Johannes Mehserle.

In the following days, we'll be filling the magazine's final pages with our reporting on Mehserle's sentencing -- and with reflections gathered from the blank pages posted in downtown Oakland. Or you can add your comments, below.

Open publication - Free publishing - More shooting

Click here for more multimedia stories about the Oscar Grant case.

Oscar Grant Jury Deliberating

brett — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:51:50 -0500

According to the public information office at the LA Superior Court, video equipment was installed in the jury room at 1:15 and deliberations began at 1:40. Youth Radio's King Anyi Howell was inside the courtroom today. Check out his video describing Judge Perry's the instructions to the jury.

Click here for more multimedia stories about the Oscar Grant case.