viewfromaloft

Drama with Eastsider LA and Shepard Fairey

Jesus Sanchez writes Eastsider LA,  the blog that still riles up my compadres for supporting the idea that eastside extends west of Downtown.  Now Sanchez can add street artist Shepard Fairey as someone who claims Eastsider LA uses a "revealing agenda."

When Sanchez wrote the post  "This is one wall Shepard Fairey wants to keep free of self-expression," he notes that Fairey's commercial and art studio walls are now protected with anti-graffiti coating. The post includes quotes from Fairey's studio.

Then the former LAT scribe was sent a scathing e-mail from Fairey himself that opens by calling out the post as obnoxious, and later calls the author slime, along with the dare to post the full email.  It was, and the comments are leaning toward support of Eastsider LA.

The headline by Sanchez suggests irony, not accusations of hypocrisy.

The irony isn't dissipated when Fairey states in the email that "My practice as a street artist has NEVER included putting my work on pristine or operational buildings unless asked to do so." Readers may recalls the Boston Globe and LATimes reporting that Fairey pleaded guilty to three counts of vandalism charges this past July, and in a statement apologized to Boston for "posting my art in unauthorized spaces without the consent of the owner."

Beckon Biz Buzz from Blogs

YOU READ US. NOW MEET US: Bloggers who write about Downtown Los Angeles will be featured at VEDC's Historic Downtown Retail Project Internet Marketing Workshop next week. . –– The free meet-the-blogger night will be held May 27 at the Central Library, from 6pm to 8pm. Eric and I will be there, as he says, "waving the blogdowntown flag." So will Angelenic, CurbedLA and Bert Green; all who have been documenting changes in Downtown L.A . . –– The VEDC is calling this group "opinion leaders" that frankly is flattering, but will be embarrassing if you don't show up–-so bring a friend . . –– Just as important, CurbedLA's Dakota Smith should now be considered a member of the 3BN. Her membership card is in the mail.


 Above teaser spot by VFaL.

A few words from our sponsor

Light posting due to story gathering and in-house graphic design deadlines, which brings us to a post April 15 message. View From a Loft is brought to you by efdesign; for a creative services portfolio, or a public art / photography digital mural portfolio, write to viewfromaloft@gmail.com. VFaL also thanks Blue Dahlia Cafe in the Arts District, and Kimura Photo in Little Tokyo.

VFaL is authored by a former (and sometimes current art director) to survey the Downtown area's cultural and artistic encampments as a community through photography and words, both here and at blogdowntown.

A different view of Downtown

For those who didn't look at all the photos for the LAT's L.A. to announce Broadway makeover, Gilville's Joe  "Big City POZ" Cornish and Ruby were captured by LAT photographer David Sprague.

Joe has been a great addition to the 3bn, and the retired english teacher has an thoughtful and embittered mini-essay on Grand Central Market's vacant look; "Are you Market lovers suicidal yet over the sad state of Grand Central Market? If you are not, then you might be by the end of this feature."  [Grand Central Market: For Lease]

Photo /LAT

Cryptic Message from LACityNerd

I e-mailed a smoke signal to the spirits of civic nerds.
There was a reply.

"Ed-

I'm out here... floating... waiting.

LACN"

There is nothing further to report.

Meanwhile, down the street from this loft . . .*

Above:  3rd and Alameda. Below: LAPD spokesman Paul Vernon.

LAPD spokesman Paul Vernon was also at the scene of today’s underground explosion that damaged a LAPD cruiser, and sent an LAPD officer to the hospital with reports of lower back pain. As the media, LAFD, LAPD and eyewitnesses on the scene already stated earlier in the day, a LAPD officer was answering a call when he saw smoke from one manhole cover and called for LAFD to investigate. He then parked his car to block traffic,  that happened to be next to the second manhole cover, when the explosion occurred.

LAFD had already arrived and witnessed the impact from the explosion, quickly treating the officer away before taking him to a local hospital. Television media were present, along with a few bloggers, to make a reports that kept everyone up to date all afternoonm, with some lingering on.

I was working on a project and thought the helicopters were from filming. Not being hooked into twitter, with the TV off, I first found out when a friend checked up on me while I was on the way to a photo shoot.

Right: LAFD officers from Station 9, who first took the injured officer away.

BloggingLA
LAist and Arts District's Callie Miller on the scene
KNBC
KCBS
Yours in Safety and Service,  LAFD

Add: LATImes  I.D.s the LAPD officer as Craig Allen, 34.

After the jump, Commander Andrew Smith arrives and becomes a CurbedLA media darling.

Other Downtown Dwellers

KNBC's "Forgotten Neighbors" was aired last night, and the segments, including The Working Poor and Homeless Students, can be found at KNBC website.. I'm in Downtown Dwellers, a segment that looks at blogs covering skid row.

Downtown Los Angeles is sometimes known as the 3bn (Third Bloggiest Neighborhood). After the jump are some of the other dwellers who "live in the shadow of skid row."

Before and after the jump: Screen grab of "Downtown Dwellers" via KNBC.

DotDotDash: Happy New Cho-lo-Sphere

YOU GOT 'CHICANO' MAIL: The U.S. Postal Service new stamps for 2008 include a pane honoring five journalists who "risked their lives reporting some of the most important events of the 20th century." . . ––  Martha Gellhorn,  John Hersey,  George Polk, and Eric Sevareid, are joined by Ruben Salazar (1928-1970), the LA Times reporter killed by a tear gas projectile while covering the
National Chicano Moratorium March protesting the Vietnam War.   [USAToday] [Postal Service PR] [Previous VFAL]
. . ––
BANDING TOGETHER: The Nuestros Angeles de El Salvador "Banda de La Paz" were invited to march in the 2008 Rose Parade. After saving and raising money all year, getting U.S. Visas, they planned to fly to L.A. in time, but problems had the band scrap plans to travel by air so they chartered buses, leaving El Salvador on Dec 24 . .–– They were stopped at the Mexican border because the last minute switch to travel ground required a different visa, making for yet another delay. . –– They reach TJ Friday night, and are due to arrive in L.A. Saturday afternoon, according to El Diaro de Hoy El Salvador.

After the jump, more DotDotDash:

A word from LAFD: About those Candles

LAFD's Brian Humphrey sends holiday greetings in his post warning that home candle fires have doubled since 1990. He adds  "Nationwide, December has almost twice the number of home candle fires of an average month. Christmas Day is the peak day for home candle fires with Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day following close behind."

A candle in the hands of anyone with common sense may not as much of a potential diaster as frying a turkey, but if we didn't have LAFD's Humphrey telling us how to be cautious, it just wouldn't be the same. The spokesman's list after the jump or view [Season of Light -or- Season of Fright?]
 

A Downtown Christmas

Downtown's first blogger playing Santa Claus at December's Art Walk.

‘Twas the week before Christmas, and all through this blog,
Not a subject was stirring, not even about dogs;
The notes were hung on my keyboard with care,
In hopes that ideas for a post would be there;

The 3bn was busy with wet ice rink tales,
In between e-mails of comix that printed, but failed;
So with my hamster in it’s wheel, my computer in my lap,
I had just settled down to read the El Chavo re-cap;

Then from the roof arose such a racket,
I dropped my laptop thinking someone just hacked it;
Gathering my senses, I went to the roof with a camera and flash,
On the way up I told the neighbors ‘you better hide your stash’;

Outside, the rain glistened a Downtown skyline like a shroud,
Off to the north, City Hall’s beacon cut through the clouds;
Then, my eyes saw what I first thought was a faker,
It was a copter and crew, with eight tiny filmmakers;

With a union stunt pilot, so lively and slick,
I had to blink twice ‘cause he was dressed like St. Nick;
Then more rapid than LADOT towing cars––as if insane,
By bullhorn, the bloggers were called out by name;

"Now BGreen, Now Rico, Now Garza who sings,
On Eric, on Bullock, on, on 5th and Spring;
To the top of the Library Tower! Then to the loft walls!!
You didn’t blog away filming! So blog away, blog away all!"

With limits on locations and the strike, he was just bitter,
And his ‘copter circled my loft, he checked in with Twitter;
With his red suit, no more Santa gigs from Kelly,
He didn’t want to go home, ‘cause nothing was on tonights telly;

He landed the chopper, so there was no noise to fear,
He has twitch in his eye when he twisted the cap off his beer,
Santa was tired and hacked, not his same old self,
And I gave him some change, in spite of myself;

They all look forlorn, for there was nothing to shoot,
The strike has taken hold, making film-making moot;
So with nothing at midnight for a below the line crew,
They went to Banquette, and the fake St. Nick, too.

He jumped off the chopper, gave a crew a whistle,
They all looked weary, with beards that looked like bristle;
But he shouted with hope, as he reached for his freakin' bike,
"Merry Christmas to all! We’ll be back . . after the strike.”