January 09, 2020
By City News Service
Mourners gathered today to honor the memory of retired Los Angeles Police Department First Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger, who died Dec. 16 at the age of 64 after battling cancer.
The late morning funeral service was held at West Angeles Cathedral, 3600 Crenshaw Blvd., in Los Angeles. A one-hour viewing preceded the service.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore was among the mourners.
Paysinger spent 41 years with the LAPD, retiring in 2016, when he was appointed as USC's vice president of civic engagement, a post he held at his death.
“Today we said goodbye to a thoroughly respected law enforcement leader throughout Los Angeles ...,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a statement. “His enduring impact on the communities, officers, and students at USC he influenced will never be forgotten.”
David Brown, USC's interim senior vice president for university relations, said earlier, “Our university and our city are better because of him, and I know we are all grateful for the wonderful legacy that he has built over these many years. His team, and so many throughout USC, will continue his good work with purpose and passion.”
In December, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti had proclaimed that all Los Angeles city flags would be flown at half-staff in Paysinger's honor until sunset today.
“Chief Paysinger embodied everything a police officer should be: a strong, humble, selfless leader who always put young people and the community first,” Garcetti said in a statement following Paysinger's death.
Paysinger is survived by his wife, Miguel, and sons Steven and Brian, along with his father, two brothers and a sister.
January 02, 2020
By Cora Jackson-Fossett
Contributing Writer
Controversy, which has enveloped Kanye West for a long time, raised another level when he announced his total commitment to Christ and began his Sunday Service series one year ago.
But, like the saints of old, the celebrated rapper hasn’t let naysayers stop his praise. His faith was on full display on Dec. 29, as he marked the first anniversary of Sunday Service with a rousing worship experience on skid row in downtown L.A.
West, the Union Rescue Mission (URM) and Faithful Central Bible Church (FCBC) collaborated to present the service at URM, which is the site of FCBC’s regular DTLA Sunday worship and its various midweek activities that minister to the homeless.
The Rev. Andy Bales, URM CEO, and Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer, FCBC pastor, were also on hand.
Armed with his band, choir and guest preacher, Pastor Kerwin Lee, West joined with homeless parishioners to lift up the name of Jesus through prayer, music and the Word of God.
“We come to sing to God, we need the Spirit of God,” declared Jason White, who directed the choir in powerful renditions of gospel standards such as “Sing ‘Till the Power of the Lord Comes Down,” “Father, I Stretch My Hands to You” and “O Lord, How Excellent is Your Name,” all featured on West’s latest album, “Jesus Is Born” that dropped on Christmas Day.
After roaming through the crowd to shake hands and speak with some of the worshippers, West captivated the audience while rapping about life’s distractions over the choir’s chorus of “Hallelujah” and had people swaying as he delivered “Closed on Sunday” and “Follow God,” both from his “Jesus Is King” album. And to those who doubt his conversion, West admonished, “Don’t call me secular. I was just distracted for a while and God sent me here!”
With the congregation on a spiritual high from the music, Lee, pastor of Berean Christian Church in Stone Mountain, Georgia, ascended the stage to offer practical application of the Christian faith with the message, “The Type of Savior Everyone Needs.”
Lee cited John 21:3-6 as the scripture reference for his discourse, which describes how the disciples return to their old occupation of fishermen after witnessing the resurrected Christ.
Emphasizing that past behavior should be discarded once you encounter Jesus, Lee said, “You need a Savior that can locate you, even after you mess up. Whatever you try without God will not work.” Pointing to verse 6, he reminded the audience that Jesus “is a Savior who can motive you” and “a Savior who can accommodate you.”
Ulmer followed Lee by issuing an invitation to Christian discipleship and after the service concluded, he expressed his appreciation that West reached out to URM and FCBC to hold the gathering. In addition, West donated new shoes and warm clothing to URM that will be distributed to homeless individuals.
“Kanye is spreading the Gospel. The hand of God is on Kanye and I say that without reservation. God will reach people through Kanye that I will never reach and that those of us who meet in four walls every Sunday will never reach and somebody needs to rejoice at that,” insisted Ulmer.
“His passion is not just for the concert. His passion is that people make connection and relationship with God. So when the service goes from city-to-city, he makes sure that he’s made connections with local clergy so when they go to the next city, ministries like ours will be here the next Sunday [for the people]. So, his heart is with the Gospel and the Kingdom and God is using him,” he noted.
“More importantly, what concerns me is by his own admission, he’s made this (Sunday Service) a rededication to the Lord and if we’re all born-again, we’re born-again to grow. And it concerns me that people would take shots at him - you know, ‘why didn’t he do this, why didn’t he do that?’ Well, he’s growing. Give Kanye a chance to grow like all of us had to grow,” Ulmer said.
Sharing a similar viewpoint, Bales said, “The Sunday Service was awesome. It was all that I hoped it would be and more. Lifting up the name of Jesus Christ is the real deal.
“Why would anybody pass judgment on somebody who is lifting up the name of Christ? He said that from now on, I am only going to declare the risen Christ. I have no regrets about hosting this service,” said Bales. “The controversy will only cause us to lift up the name of Jesus everywhere we go!”
December 26, 2019
By Saybin Roberson
Contributing Writer
Christmas is officially underway as two local entrepreneurs and mentors teamed up to surprise 50 students in Watts and Inglewood with new bikes and helmets on December 17 and 18.
Matthew Newman, a 32-year-old Inglewood resident and founder of All In Coworking of Inglewood, has been giving back to the community and students for three years through his For the Life of You Mentoring Foundation. Starting in Dallas, his hometown, with just 10 bikes, Newman has grown his philanthropic efforts more than two times over, sharing the joy of holidays and gifting without reason year after year.
“It’s always an honor,” Newman said. “Sometimes the kids don’t feel they deserve it, but it’s up to us, those who have been in their shoes to really emphasize the importance of them receiving something.”
Students were required to submit a persuasive essay under the prompt, “What a new bike will mean to me,” and were handpicked by Newman. His goal of the essay contest was to remind kids to keep education first.
This year, he partnered with DAG Riders Bike Shop, owned by Derald Gaines, to provide new bikes and helmets for the students of Florence Griffith Joyner Elementary School in Watts on Tuesday, and Worthington Elementary School in Inglewood on Wednesday.
Gaines, a Watts native is known for giving back to students who show proof of good grades each semester. “We have to have a concern for our kids; if we don’t help them now, we miss them later,” he says of his efforts to keep kids motivated to do well in school.
“I grew up down the street, it’s just a blessing to be in a position to help others,” Gaines stated, “I’m just thankful.”
Joining Newman and Gaines in their giveaway Tuesday morning was Principal of Florence Griffith Joyner Elementary, Dai Shalon Jordan, Sr. Officer Thomas Langston, Los Angeles Unified School District Police Department and Pastor Michael “Big Mike” Cummings.
“It feels amazing to have our students receive bikes because they’re such a need,” Principal Jordan said. “We absolutely plan on doing this for years and years to make sure our kids have the resources that they need.”
From the foundation to its sponsors, everyone apart of the annual bike giveaway shares the same love of children, community and providing them with resources to help them grow. It’s more than simply a bike giveaway he shares, it’s something they can believe in and to emphasize working for what you deserve as well.
“Being here giving these bikes out, it’s always a dream come true,” Newman There were times where I couldn’t give to myself, so now that I have the ability to not only give to myself in abundance, it’s time to give way more in abundance to those who need it.”
To learn more about For the Life of You Mentoring Foundation visit https://www.forthelifeofyou.org/.
December 26, 2019
By City News Service
The Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation and Environment kicked off its Christmas Tree Recycling Program today while providing safety tips for the holidays.
LASAN officials said the bureau provides ``environmentally friendly'' options for recycling holiday trees, and it receives between 90,000-100,000 trees annually. The trees are turned into mulch rather than dumped into a landfill, and the compost is available to residents and city operations.
Residents of multifamily buildings are requested to place their Christmas trees curbside on collection day.
The tree recycle options are:
• Green Bins, residents must remove decorations and the stand, cut the tree into pieces if needed and place the materials in a green yard trimming bin for weekly collection.
• Curbside, residents who are unable to cut and place in their green bin may leave their tree at the curb for weekly collection.
• Drop-off locations will be open at 13 Los Angeles Fire Department stations and six Recreation and Parks sites from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 5, and Lopez Canyon Environmental Education Center or Harbor Sanitation District Yard on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A complete list of locations with detailed drop-off dates and times can be found at www.lacitysan.org or by calling the LASAN Customer Care Center, 800-773-2489.
In addition to Christmas trees, holiday wrapping paper, cartons, cardboard, Styrofoam and other expanded polystyrene products, plastics and gift boxes are also recyclable and should be placed in the blue bin, LASAN officials stated.
It is illegal to place household hazardous waste, such as electronics and batteries, into the collection bins. Those items can be dropped off at one of seven S.A.F.E. Centers for safe disposal and recycling, which can be found on the LASAN website.
The tree recycling program lasts until about mid-January, according to the LASAN website.