December 29, 2016
Staff Report
Curtis Owens passed away Christmas day of this year. He was a native of Philadelphia and was inducted into the Central State University Achievement Hall of Fame on March 6, 2012. Owens was the executive senior advisor to former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
“Curtis was a wonderful person and good friend,” said Danny Bakewell Sr., publisher of the Los Angeles Sentinel and L.A. Watts Times.
“The information of his passing was devastating to receive during the Christmas weekend considering it has not been that long since his wife Edna (Owens) transitioned last year. Edna and Curtis were close friends of my wife Aline and I, so our sincere thoughts and prayers go out to the Owens family.”
Owens graduated from Central State in 1962 and later received his M.P.A. from Temple University. He worked here in the Los Angeles community about 30 years. He served the African American Community in particular for most of this time.
In 1983 he served as the president of Universal Management Corporation before moving on as president of the African American Unity Center. As president of the Unity Center, Owens was instrumental in providing emergency rescue services to residents of South Central following the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, as well as partnered with the Brotherhood Crusade to establish successful job training programs like the waiter waitress school which trained students with the skills necessary to enter into the waiters union and obtain jobs in some of Southern California’s most luxurious hotels and restaurants.
Owens also opened South Centrals first Construction Apprenticeship School to train African Americans to enter into the construction trade unions, historically one of the most segregated unions in Los Angeles.
“Curtis will be missed tremendously but it’s important to note that his legacy and community work with live forever,” Bakewell Sr. said.
“I am proud to have worked alongside Curtis over the years and witnessed his passion and fortitude. The world will be a better place thanks to the Owens family.”
Owens also opened South Central’s first Construction Apprenticeship School to train African Americans to enter into the construction trade unions, historically one of the most segregated unions in Los Angeles.
Owens was a retired veteran having served in the U.S. Army and was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. He pledged Kappa Alpha Psi as an undergraduate student at Central State University. He was also a member of LEARN (Los Angeles Educational Alliance for Restructuring NOW) and the Los Angeles City Council Ad Hoc Committee on Gang & Juvenile Justice.
December 22, 2016
City News Service
The owner and one of the tenants of a South Los Angeles strip mall alleged to be a hotbed of gang activity are the targets of a lawsuit filed Wednesday by City Attorney Mike Feuer.
Diamond Property Management Inc., which owns the center at 3312 W. Florence Ave., and Mohammad Mansour, the owner of African Tobacco, are named as defendants. Neither could be immediately reached for comment.
Feuer said crimes connected to a Crips gang faction have intensified since 2015 at the Hyde Park strip mall, which also includes a car wash, associated auto businesses and a burger stand. He cited drive-by shootings, robberies, batteries and assaults, and the May 2015 murder of a 19-year-old mentally disabled man.
Tavin Price, who had no gang affiliations, was gunned down near the car wash in front of his mother because he was wearing red tennis shoes. Two gang members were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced last month to 50 years to life in state prison, while a third defendant was convicted of voluntary manslaughter.
“For too long, residents and business patrons of this community have been held hostage by the rampant gang activity we allege at this shopping center,” Feuer said, noting that it is within one mile of four schools, three parks and three churches.
“Enough is enough,” he said. “My office will continue to fight to rid our neighborhoods of illegal guns, drugs and gang conduct that have a devastating impact on our communities.”
The lawsuit seeks an injunction prohibiting gang and criminal activity on the property and a series of physical and managerial improvements to increase security.
Feuer's office reminded the public that residents may anonymously report properties with gang and/or narcotics activity by calling (213) 978-8340 or logging onto the city’s website at www.lacityattorney.org.
December 15, 2016
By Dr. Valerie Wardlaw
Contributing Writer
There is an old saying that the “service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth” and this is certainly true of Chris Paul and the Chris Paul Family Foundation. On Friday, December 9, the Brotherhood Crusade hosted its annual gala and honored the work of Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul and the Chris Paul Family Foundation. “The Change the World Through Giving” black tie event was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
The Brotherhood Crusade celebrated the extraordinary achievements of Paul and the Chris Paul Family Foundation for providing “impactful resources” that have enriched and strengthened the healthy development of local communities in Los Angeles County said Danny Bakewell, Sr., Chairman of the Board, Brotherhood Crusade. “Whether its writing children’s books, serving as high school president for three years, owning a professional bowling team, appearing with his family on Family Feud, or simply bringing hope to the lives of others, Chris Paul changes the world through giving,” Bakewell said.
Charisse Bremond Weaver, President and CEO of the Brotherhood Crusade paid tribute to Paul and his family for their commitment to youth throughout the country. “The Chris Paul Family Foundation has leveled the playing field in education, providing technological opportunities for kids in Winston-Salem, New Orleans, Portland, New York, Oakland, and Los Angeles,” Weaver said. “There is no one who deserves this award more – the Pioneer African American Achievement Award than Chris Paul and his wonderful family.”
Over 600 dinner guests were treated to entertainment provided by R&B sensation Anthony Hamilton and the Hamiltones. KTLA’s Chris Schauble and 94.7 The Wave Pat Prescott expertly guided the evening, serving as Mistress and Master of Ceremonies. Guests were encouraged to donate and bid on Chris Paul basketball items to raise funds for programs that have enriched the lives of Brotherhood Crusade youths. Because of the work of the Foundation, the youth of the Brotherhood Crusade enjoy a State of the Art computer lab. Low-income youth from South Los Angeles experienced a holiday takeover shopping trip compliments of Paul and comedian Kevin Hart. One hundred kids were given holiday gift cards with one stipulation: that they could buy anything they wanted as long as the first purchase was for someone else.
Described as a force to be reckoned with - Paul, an eleven-year NBA veteran is no stranger to giving back to communities that nurture young people. A native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Paul attributes his work ethic and his strong sense of family to his grandfather, Nathaniel “Papa Chilli” Jones. “My grandfather always worked hard – he took care of my family spiritually, emotionally, and financially,” said Paul. “He was my best friend. I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in now had it not been for him and the things he instilled in me – hard work and the importance of family.”
A recipient of numerous awards and current President of the NBA Players Association, Paul has been awarded the NBA’s Community Assist Award four times in his career for his philanthropic work. The Basketball Hall of Fame honored Paul as its 2016 recipient of the Mannie Jackson Human Spirit Award and ESPN awarded Paul its 2016 Humanitarian Award. An emotional Paul accepted the Brotherhood Crusade honor saying “Of all the awards I have received, this award for service and giving back means so much to me.”
The Chris Paul Family Foundation known for its commitment to closing the gap and educating deserving students in Paul’s eyes is the real force to be reckoned with. A philanthropic organization, eleven years and counting, awards two endowed scholarships annually (one athletic and one academic) in honor of his grandfather at Wake Forest University. A family affair, the Chris Paul Family Foundation includes his mother and father, brother and sister-in-law, as well as his wife Jada who hosts a yearly Prom Dress Giveaway for high school Seniors. Recognized as a leader in the area of philanthropy, the Chris Paul Family Foundation enjoys partnerships with organizations who seek to impact communities nationally and globally.
Paul resides in the Los Angeles area with his college sweetheart and wife Jada, and their two children, Camryn and Chris Jr. “Basketball is what I do, it’s not who I am.” “Family is the most important thing to me and we roll deep.” For more information on the Chris Paul Family Foundation, visit www.chrispaul3.com.
December 08, 2016
LAWT News Service
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas on Tuesday December 6 became the chairman of the Board of Supervisors, expressing his commitment to “a progressive government that practices inclusivity, intentional civility and respect for the wide range of constituents we serve.”
Ridley-Thomas will hold the one-year position during an era of historic change in which four of the board’s five members are now women, two of whom—Janice Hahn and Kathryn Barger—were sworn into office on Monday. They join Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Hilda Solis, the board’s outgoing chair.
During Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Ridley-Thomas praised the Board’s new composition.
“Today, we usher in a new chapter for the Board of Supervisors, and it is indeed a very, very new chapter,” Ridley-Thomas said. “The composition of this Board is simply unprecedented. It is historic. It is meaningful. It is purposeful. It is what I’d like to describe as the fulfillment of the promises of democracy.”
Ridley-Thomas is now the longest-serving member on the Board. He assumed office in December, 2008, to represent the County’s Second District, which spans nine cities and 42 communities, from Lynwood to Culver City to Wilmington and portions of Downtown Los Angeles.
Ridley-Thomas has emerged as the Board’s leading voice on the region’s deepening homelessness crisis.
On Tuesday, the Board unanimously passed two motions he co-authored that cleared the way for a sales tax measure on the March ballot, which, if approved, would infuse hundreds of millions of dollars into the County’s fight against homelessness.
In assuming the panel’s chairmanship, Ridley-Thomas also authored a motion, adopted by the Board, seeking to improve the performance and accountability of County departments. Under the action, each Board member will be assigned responsibility for overseeing individual departments.
The motion also called for an assessment of the County’s new Health Agency, in which the departments of Public Health, Mental Health and Health Services were integrated. You can read the motion here.