Hundreds of people gathered at the Cuban human rights rally today at the lake in Echo Park.
Quite a few gatherers dressed in white at the rally
George Lopez & Perez Hilton at the rally (via Twitpic)
Sunday vendors managed their usual spots despite the crowds
Part Time Punks this Sunday March 28 at The Echo is featuring the Slumberland Records 20th anniversary show. Featured bands include: Boyracer, Brown Recluse, Devon Williams, Go Sailor, Henry’s Dress, Neverever, Pants Yell!, Summer Cats, and The How.
The show is $15 and all ages; doors at 7:00 pm. Click here to purchase tickets in advance.
The Echo is located at 1822 Sunset Blvd.
In case you’re wondering what Part Time Punks is, from their website: Part Time Punks is a club that takes over noted Echo Park live music venue, The Echo on 1822 Sunset, every Sunday night. The night focuses heavily on obscure and classic music coming out of America, the UK and Europe in 1978 to the present: Punk, Post-punk, Punk-funk, New Wave, No Wave, Hardcore, Indie-Pop, Twee, Grunge, Electro, Minimal-Synth, Shoegaze, Baggy.
Echo Park Ave. Art Walk is back! Join local businesses, artists, and musicians on Saturday, April 3 from 12 noon – 6:00 pm. Participating businesses are located from Blue Collar to Fix Coffee on Echo Park Avenue.
While we don’t have a complete list of businesses, vendors and activities yet (check back later for details) there will be quite a few activities, including art, performances, music, sidewalk chalk, and more. This time, all business are responsible for booking artists and entertainers, so anyone interested in submitting artwork should contact Echo Park Avenue businesses directly.
What: Echo Park Avenue Artwalk
When: Saturday, April 3, 2010 from 12 noon – 6:00 pm
Check out the Facebook page for contact info
On Sunday, March 28 at 2:00 pm at the Echo Park Lake, Cuba’s Ladies in White are leading a “march of solidarity” to bring awareness to human rights issues in Cuba.
According to the Roots of Hope website, the event will include some celebrity supporters of the cause:
Join Academy Award Nominee Andy Garcia, comedian & actor George Lopez, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton and hundreds more in a march of solidarity with Cuba’s Ladies In White – the mothers, daughters, wives and sisters of Cuban prisoners of conscience – and all those who struggle for peaceful nonviolent change in Cuba.
Everyone involved in the march is encouraged to wear white.
The Miami Herald has also a detailed article on the Ladies in White and its cause.
If you have any questions, please contact Cubans In LA at cubansinla@gmail.com
Echo Park, El Carnal (pt.2) Acrylic on 7.5″ x 10″ panel.
As seen from the parking lot south of Sunset, between Logan and Echo Park Ave.
On Sunday, March 28 the Echo Park Film Center will be teaching a workshop for adults entitled “Intro to 16mm Cinematography and Hand Processing.” They will be teaching basic camera operation, shooting techniques and hand-processing. No previous filmmaking experience necessary. All equipment and materials will be provided by EPFC. Cost is $75 or $60 for EPFC members. The class starts at noon and goes until 5:00 pm.
Echo Country Outpost is hosting the Amanda Jo Williams Yes I Will, Mr. Man Record Release Show on Saturday, March 27 at 6:30 pm.
5 Bands, $5 at the door, free tequila!
It’s a romp in the woods with moonshine-soaked hillbillies fighting for love and the American dream. A banjo this time, a dancing percussionist next time, Amanda Jo notably has a musician surprise or two at each performance. For March 27, she’ll have two stand-up bassists, a rhythm section, and, as always, the inimitable guitarist 5-Track, whose guitar howls and coos like a wolf on opium. The show gets even better with glam folk band He’s My Brother She’s My Sister, story-telling dreamer Henry Wolfe, as well as Woodstock folk artist and legend Paul McMahon, who taught Williams to play guitar, and the wild stomping Matthew O’Neill.
For more information about the bands, click below:
Amanda Jo Williams
He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister
Henry Wolfe
Paul McMahon
Matthew O’Neill
Presented by: L.A. Record & White Noise & Metl Reserva Especial
Click here to RSVP on the Echo Country Outpost Facebook page.
Echo Country Outpost is located at 1930 Echo Park Avenue
via Echo Park Historical Society Facebook page
Join the Echo Park Historical Society on Saturday, March 27 at 10:00 am for the Elysian Park Walking Tour. The tour focuses on the lesser known but historically rich eastern edge of the park.
This tour takes about two hours to complete and includes walking up and down hills and upon unpaved trails. Reservations are required and can be made to ephs@HistoricEchoPark.org.
Glendale Blvd (Los Corredores) acrylic on 14.5″ x 13.5″ panel. This is my most recent painting, the second I’ve done since 2010. Before my guest blogger spot is up (ends this Sunday), I plan to get one more painting completed. Enjoy!
From a resident on the the Echo Elysian Forum:
In the past week we’ve had at least four car break ins that I’ve noticed plus my own car. We are in a strange pocket of EP – our streets bound the small portion of Elysian Park, Lilac Terrace and a small section of Montana and Elysian Park Drive. Coupled with that fact is the ongoing back and forth between LAPD and Parks about who patrols our area. And we’ve had a lot of gang tags. Personally, we call everything in we can, but I’m not sure if everyone in our area does the same.
We’re heading into Dodger season worried more about safety and far less about parking. We can handle parking. But we need a police presence in EP. When I first moved here 7 years ago we had patrol car cruising around that we saw at least twice a day.
Most of all I just want to warn my neighbors to take everything out of their cars that can be seen (phone chargers, loose change, any sort of portable electronics) and to call everything into NE division that happens – don’t just shrug your shoulders, say “it’s Echo Park” and move on… we deserve a safer neighborhood. I’m not talking Beverly Hills… I’m just saying we should be able to park on the streets and not have a 100% chance of break ins.
For you folks out there, the non-emergency phone number for the police is 877-275-5273. The direct line for the Northeast Division is 213-485-2563
There’s also the Echo Park Security Association, they have a meeting coming up on March 28 where you can find out how to get the group to patrol your neighborhood.
Be safe everyone!
from the Echo Park Historical Society
This week’s flashback comes to us straight from the Echo Park Historical Society. They are definitely the go-to source for “the oldest existing business in Echo Park”: The Bank of America building on the southwest corner of Echo Park and Sunset. It was built sometime in the 1920s and was “partially a new construction and partially a redesign” of an earlier structure. The design of the building was done by Morgan, Wall & Clements, a prominent architectural firm of the time. They were also responsible for the Mayan, the Wiltern, the El Capitan Theatre and the Citadel in Commerce!
The above picture shows how the intersection appeared in 1942. The photo below shows how it looked in the 1951. I love both of these photos because it really gives you a sense of how a neighborhood changes… and how it remains the same. I didn’t know the Laguna Apartments were already there by 1942! Notice how the gas streetlamp has been replaced by an electric one by 1951? And see the streetcar tracks? The Pacific Electric Railway operated all over southern California. The streetcars had stopped running by the mid-1950s (when automobiles took over), but back in the day, Los Angeles had a comprehensive public transit system.
from the Echo Park Historical Society
It’s a little early to be pulling out the Christmas tree lighting, but it might be a chance to get creative with some… body lighting? And yes we are taking bets on how long until the cops are called. Either way, you might be interested in joining glow-in-the-dark fun on Friday at 9:00 pm.
Here’s the low-down from the Facebook evite page:
That’s right, come dressed in your flashiest colorful gear! Were talking Led lights, EL wire, blinkie hats and glasses, glow sticks, Christmas lights, basically anything that lights up or glows!
Can’t find any lights? That’s OK, Bust out your freshest NEON GEAR! Just wear anything that’s gonna brighten the night. We will be bringing in the colors of spring in style!
BYOB, DJ, and free. Take some (PG-13) pictures for us if anyone gets creative!
From Captain Bill Murphy in a Northeast community newsletter sent out this afternoon:
Hello, just wanted to update everyone on a problem that has been occurring in Silver Lake and possibly Franklin Hills. A male Caucasian, in his 20s, has been going door to door asking for donations. He uses different pitches to try and get residents to give him money. One of these is that he is a member of the USC Baseball Team and he is collecting money for the team to attend an upcoming baseball tournament. Another is that he grew up in the area “don’t you know my parents?” then requests a donation to assist him to pay for his schooling. Anyway, whatever the pitch is you should be cautious. He begins by being very charming but when it becomes evident that the residents are not going to give him money – he becomes agitated. To date, we have not heard that any of the incidents have escalated beyond this. There were rumors flying around regarding him pushing residents, etc… but we have no reports that this ever occurred. He appears to simply be a scammer seeking donations door to door.
Also, some residents are worried that his actual purpose is to “case” their home for a future burglary or distract them so another person could steal from them. While it is possible that he is casing – I do not believe that this is the case. Generally, suspects who case an area do not want to bring attention to themselves. They are there to quietly select targets. The last thing they want to do is go door to door getting into arguments with residents – it bring way too much attention on them. And I do not believe he is committing distraction burglaries either. We have no reports of this and all the information I have simply talks about him being by himself trying to solicit donations.
An alert witness wrote down a license plate of a vehicle he may be using. We are working this up and I have placed extra officers in the area. We should be able to find him and find out what he is up to (book him if we can). The acts that he has committed so far (aggressive solicitation with fabrication) amount to low-level misdemeanors.
Here are some strategies to use on people seeking donations at your door:
1. DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR if you do not know who’s there.
2. Do not give any personal information whatsoever during the conversation.
3. Do not become engaged in a long discussion – they are good communicators and want to break you down to get a donation.
4. If the person persists, tell him to leave literature about his cause and you’ll take a look at it – be polite – but tell him you have to go.
5. Call LAPD Northeast Area (213) 485-2563 if you see him or he comes to your door. My officers will be alerted to this problem.
Thanks Bill
