SoCal Edison Caused Altadena Fire + Black Businesses with an Ultimatum on "Procrastination" Crenshaw

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Hey b La talk fifteen to eighty. Good morning, Good morning,
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and God bless I'm Dominique Prima. This show is called
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first Thing First. My very first thing is always always
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prayer given, thanksgiving, praises and asking for blessings from God,
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asking for the blessings of the ancestors and the elders.
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And let's go. We've got a lot to talk about,
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a lot to do. It will be guaranteed an eventful
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day around here. So it's a wealth Building Wednesday. And
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this is how we do things on Wednesdays. Our one
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we look local, hour two we go national, international, and beyond.
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Typically we start off the hour with a spotlight on
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a small black owned, bipop owned woman or socially innovative enterprise.
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If you want to be included, you can reach out
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to me to Prima Radio at gmail dot com. That's
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dp r Imadprima Radio at gmail dot com and I
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will consider we will consider your business for the Wealth
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Building Wednesday spotlight. The rest of the hour, we open
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up the phone lines, take a look at what's going
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on nationally, internationally and worldwide. And in the third hour
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we do a deep dive on a person or persons
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of interest or a hot topic. It is the first
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Wednesday of the month, so it's also a well being Wednesday,
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the first Wednesday of the month and occasionally when the
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other Wednesdays feel very well, wealth building, well being ish.
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We will have medical professionals to get us in alignment
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with all of them, all of the information we need
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up to date, just breaking news in the medical field
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really important again now because of what's happening with the
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CDC and the Oral Health Organization and the well RFK,
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you know, make America MAHA movement. Anyway, I digress. That
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is what we have on deck for you today. I
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think you know by now unless you're new here. If
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you're new here, welcome. I think you know by now
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that you're always invited in at eight hundred and nine
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two oh fifteen eighty eight hundred and nine two fifteen eighty.
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Love to hear from you on whatever topic we're on.
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If you have a question for our guest, and when
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I'm freestyling, which often the case, especially in hour two,
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you can bring up any topic you want. Let's do it.
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So that's where we are this morning, being joined well.
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I should tell you first that at five o'clock this morning,
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KBLA Talk fifteen eighty did drop a letter. I'm pretty
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sure you heard part of it right now with Tavis
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Smiley with his editorial. But excuse me, but what's happening
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is you know that following the highly successful town hall
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meeting jam packed town hall meeting around Destination Crenshaw or
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Procrastination Crenshaw, as Tavis has dubbed it, a coalition of
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businesses along the Crenshaw Corder along with led by KBLA
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Talk fifteen eighty has sent a letter on to Council
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President Marquise Harris Dawson that dropped at five o'clock this
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morning of a special guest on after News, Traffic and
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Sports for the what Tavis called the B side of
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the hour, second half of the hour, to talk about
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what that letter says and what the next steps are
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for Destination Crenshaw, for the Crenshaw Corridor community who we
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are demanding now, No, we're stalling on our street and
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so we will talk about that right now though we're
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being joined once again by the man who held it
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down so I could go do my door, the Explorer
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Act over in Costa Rica. He is a writer with
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the La progressive. He's a writer on the freelance space,
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and he is also a KBLA host now with his
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own Saturday show, The Conversation Live Altadena, Ford James far
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good morning.
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Good morning, Dominique, and welcome back.
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Thank you very much. Thanks for holding it down for
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me so I could go chill. I had a great time, right.
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I heard, Well, yeah, you know, people, I knew nothing
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of where you were, but I'm so glad that you
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had that time to arrest it and reach out because
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you know, I know, we got more important things to
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get into. But I really think the delegation perhaps doesn't
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understand just how easy you make getting up at those
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wee hours in the morning. Was going up fresh, smiling
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into deliffering information. I'm still recovery well.
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Thank you, thank you for the tip, and also thanks
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thanks to your wife for allowing that. But look, I
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saw the headline yesterday about study shows that you know,
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southern California Edison was to blame for the fire in
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the Altadena Eaton Canyon case, and I thought that I
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was having a flashback. Maybe I'm, you know, having a
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senior moment, like how is this news? I thought we
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knew that a year ago. What explain what, what's new?
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Why is this breaking news?
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Well, it's it is a captain obvious moment, Dominique, but
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and it is what our lion eyes, as Edison would
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have had us to believe. It just proves what many
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have known for nearly the past twenty months that this
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independent investigation by cal Fire and La County Fire Department,
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it just basically points to the causation of the fire.
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That the utility tower that's up in the foothills of
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the Eden Canyon it arc which means it re energized,
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it caught fire. You know, molten metal started dripping down
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into an unattended brush area around the tower, which Edison
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was supposed to maintain, and they neglected that responsibility. You
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take that. And then as the wind event was happening
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on January seventh, it was a hurricane, as one of
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your listeners pointing out, it was a hurricane without lane.
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So the combination of those two events is the net result.
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Finally there's an official report. What it means, Dominikas, we
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can stop saying alleged, we believe. Now we can move
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into more affirmative language. This is what happened and it's
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pretty much what we've known for the last twenty months.
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Yeah, well, I think that's right. So this is the
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state in the county right fire departments that are saying
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it was started by Altadena, and we wouldn't expect the
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City of Los Angeles. Let's review, boys and girls, the
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city of Altadena is not in the city of Los Angeles.
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It is in the County of Los Angeles and the
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state of California, but it is not part of the city,
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So we wouldn't expect the city fire department to weigh
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in on this. But is it surprising to find this
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coming from this from the state and the county or
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is this pretty much what they've been indicating all along.
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Well, what would have been more surprising is if the
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government were prepared to deal with the disaster before it happened.
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It's easy to you know, deduce what we have seen
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through video investigations. In fact, it's what is surprising is
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that this report wasn't completed much sooner. It wasn't rocket science.
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It's clear what happened, video shows it, testimony shows it.
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But yes, so what is that go ahead?
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The concern is that Rob Bonta, our attorney, General announced
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earlier this year that he was launching an investigation into
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the civil rights I don't want to get ahead of
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one litigation, perhaps as opposed to the lawsuit. But what's
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interesting is I don't know how the state investigates itself.
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That that's usually something that we're skeptical of trusting them
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to be honest.
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Right, And I mean, are they really are they really
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investigating themselves if in fact, Southern California Edison, I mean,
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I guess they regulate Southern California, Edison. Is that what
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you're saying, because they're the regulators, Because they go ahead.
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They are the regulators cal Fire, State Resources, County resources
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were a part of the response, and so they are.
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They both those agencies need to account. The conflict that
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I'm actually raising is our Attorney General is duly charged
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to defend the state and represent the state right and
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so it's it's kind of this conflict that exists, like
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the DA investigating himself for the department.
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I mean, that's how our system is set up, but
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it's not always the most transparent or the most effective
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for the rate payers. When we come forward, James, I
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want to talk about what this means you know, does
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this official report coming from the county and the state
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Fire apparatusus, does it change the picture for insurance for
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Alta Dina Eaton Canyon homeowners who are still trying to
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get justice from Southern California Edison from their insurance companies.
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We'll talk about that when we come forward. James Far
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is with us, and you're listening to Dominique dea Prima
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on KVLA Talk fifteen to eighty right now. James Farr
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has been kind enough to check in with us this
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morning with the breaking news lol that fire officials are
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saying that they have determined through their investigation that Southern
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California Edison is responsible they started the fire, and like
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James said, we don't have to say allegedly, which killed
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nineteen people and destroyed at least nine thousand structures in
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that Alta Pass community. And so the question has to
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do with all of these homeowners and business owners who
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have been suffering since the fires, who have had such
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a hard time getting any you know, real answers from
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Southern California Edison. Many of them have had legal counsel,
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few of them have accepted Southern California Edison's fast track.
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You know deal, and I put air quotes around deal.
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So does this help these folks at all, this official declaration, Well.
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I mean that it helps in the sense that we
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now know right, it moves people from a space of
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speculation into something a little bit more substitute. But I
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think about community member Darryl, who I met at a
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community block party on Saturday, and his question to me was,
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my wife died four months after the fire. How does
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you know? How do I get right? And so the
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questions that people are still having and still dealing with.
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The report may provide some understanding and comfort in a
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short term dominique, but ultimately it's not going to change
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if you are preparing to move or you have just
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moved this past weekend for the fifth, sixth, or seventh
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time since the fire. And so folks are still dealing
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with it just the same as they were in the
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immediate days in terms of, you know, their permanency or
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residency rather. But I've also seen families return home and
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build their homes back in eleven months. So what the
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report doesn't really establish is if this will impact civil
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liability case if it's criminal liability. I think note to
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District Attorney Nathan Hoffman, you have an investigation, perhaps you
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consider charging Edison executives, and you know ultimately who's going
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to pay for this. You asked about insurance. Insurance is
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a different animal that people are still fighting. This will
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not accelerate insurance companies to pay faster or be more
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fair if the insurance industry is going to do what
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they're going to do, which is to save money and
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not pay out its claims. So it's a long road.
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Yeah, I mean, it is a long road, and I
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feel for folks. I feel like it has to help somehow,
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but it doesn't sound like it's very immediate. It seems
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like it would have to help at least in those
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civil cases because I feel like, and maybe this is
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not just me, you tracked this much more closely than
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I do. That Southern California. Edison initially was saying that
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they most likely spark those fires, and then it seems
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like a few months ago they started pivoting to we
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don't know position.
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Yeah, if intellectually dishonest were a corporation, would look like Edison, right,
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And so they've gone with so many different versions. Initially,
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they tried to float a narrative that it was an encampment.
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Then they tried to suggest that that encampment was for
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undocumented and unhoused individuals, and so their story kept evolving,
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kept evolving. What was clear and known then still now
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is that the tower that is at the impetus of
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the fire was decommissioned over fifty two years ago. The
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tower should have never been up there. Dominae was absolutely preventable.
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And what you saw is corporate irresponsibility with spinning a
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narrative and an effort to deflect responsibility. And then they said, well,
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I guess kind of sort it was our fault. Let's
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just kind of float that narrative. But ultimately, what they've
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done is created this compensation fund which people have to
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have their own agency and decide if that is the
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best solution for them all accounts, what they're doing is
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offering people pennies on the dollar, you know, anywhere from
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fifty percent of what should be reasonable for a person
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to just kind of get back to where they once were.
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Yeah, and I know a number of things. I'm trying
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to power through these really quickly. I know that folks,
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there was a contingent of activists that went to Sacramento
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that were really calling for Southern California Edison to give
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a baseline fund to impacted families because a lot of
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them are running out of the insurance money that they
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were using to get alternative places to live while they
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still have to pay their mortgages. That's is that going anywhere?
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Is that likely to go anywhere?
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No, it won't. And you're referring to good Friday when
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activists went to the CEO's home and asked him to
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resurrect the community of hol to Do. I didn't understand that. Also,
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the community members went to Sacramento just recently, you know,
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planning another trip, and they are asking at this point
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for the governor not to pass any legislation that may advance.
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Yeah, we were getting to that. That was that was
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part of the list. Yeah, because they feel like he's well,
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they already the state already did past this weird thing
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which I don't fully understand where it's basically, they cover
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the liability for these utilities while we the taxpayers, cover it.
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So I mean they already have that. So what are
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they they want them to do? They want them to
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fix the fair the fallback insurance program like, what is
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it that they want Gavenuwsen to not do that hasn't
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already been done?
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Right? Right now, the utility companies are lobbying and Sacramento
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to reduce their liability for mental distress. Right. Property loss
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can be pretty much calculated at a fixed number. Right.
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What they want to do is to disallow plainness to
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claim the emotional distress. I mean, what Edison is offering
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kids is a few thousand dollars if you accept their plan,
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and you can't resothe them. And so they're endeavoring next
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week to Thalworth the governor any legislation that's going to
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advance and benefit Edison. They want to get in between
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that and encourage Hey, Gavin, you may run for president.
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We will remember, right.
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So that's what limiting their conversation for pain and suffering
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is not the property piece, but the emotional piece. But
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there's also something about they don't want the insurance the
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insurance companies to be able to go after them either,
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and they want to cap attorney fees. So they're really
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it seems like there's a lot of squeezing going on.
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And I know that these utility companies are big contributors
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to various campaigns, including Governor Newsom.
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Correct correctly, Yeah, I mean they are looking to mitigate
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as much exposure as possible. But here's the thing. The
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right payers have already paid into a fund. Right, they
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pay it every month, right. Yeah, it's it's some people's
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it's their money that Edison is trying to hold back,
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if you, if you look at it from that, they're
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trying to less what they have to pay out of
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pocket while their profits increased, while the CEO bonus and
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sixteen million dollars a year. I mean, it's it's really
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interesting that you can burn out an entire community and
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then you still get a pay increase and you.
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Want the community to cover that cost. Okay, So Jacqueline
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Anderson wants to know why FEMA didn't do anything, and
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then my follow up question, we just got a couple
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of minutes here, James is sure, you know, how likely
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is it that Nathan Hawkman, the district attorney, will actually
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bring charges against anyone inside of southern California Edison. That
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seems like a highly unlikely scenario, is it.
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Well, Jacqueline, you could have asked the resident as you
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referred to him, Dominique on the tarmac just yesterday in LA.
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Why his administration didn't show up for our community. We
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still don't know, as far as we do. Attorney Hoksman,
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you know, I had him on the show last year
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sometime and I asked him directly, will this rise to
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the occasion where someone will get charged? Recently I spoke
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with him again and you know, he said he can't
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comment on an ongoing investigation. But either way, a criminal
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charge does not mean an executive goes to jail. It
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just means the corporation would be held criminally liable and
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likely only pay some fines.
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What, of course they should Folks should be listening to
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your show Saturday mornings at ten on KBLA. I'll talk
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fifteen eighty to stay up to date on what's happening
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in Altadena, Pasadena with fire recovery there. What else should
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people be tracking now? On James?
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Continue to track the relief efforts right Folks still need resources,
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and I'll talk about some organizations that are doing amazing
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work and how the community and the listeners can can support.
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But it's relief right now. Dominique. Folks need money to
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start rebuilding. They don't need any more socks they don't
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need any more gift cards. The societal issues are still
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there that we were facing before January of last year.
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Right now, folks need to shovel a nail some wood.
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If that's the help you have, that's the help they're
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looking for.
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Yeah, makes sense. And so again tap in with James
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Farr on Saturdays and you can if you don't know,
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figure out what are the reputable organizations to give your
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money to if you have some to give. Thanks for
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staying on top of these issues. James Farr can find
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him at James Farr Absolutely live on all the socials.
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Appreciate you, Thank you, Dominic, have a good day and
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you as well. We've got news, traffic and sports right here.
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When we come forward, we will focus on the latest,
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the latest move by KBLA Talk fifteen eighty and a
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coalition of businesses and concerns, shareholders, stakeholders as they say,
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along the Crenshaw Corridor that is next only right here.
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I thank you indeed, and as you know, if you're
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part of our KBLA delegation or even if you've just
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casually clicked through destination, Crenshaw has been a topic of
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conversation around here. Tavis calls it procrastination. Crenshaw. It's a
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construction project, a project that was spearheaded by council Member
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Marquise Harris Dawson, even long before he became the city
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council president. It happens to be taking place just behind
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our radio station. Last week there was a robust town
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hall meeting. Pack jam Pack town hall meeting, And apparently
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we are not alone in our concerns about what's happening
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with this long delayed construction project. Our partner in that
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particular meeting is a senior pastor ATESDA Temple Church. Even
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more relevant, perhaps he's a graduate of San francisc San
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Diego State University, has a bachelor's in business marketing and
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a master's degree in business administration. He's one of the
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youngest executives of color to hold leadership posts in supply
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chain management at some of the most recognized aerospace Fortune
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five hundred companies in this nation. So he's not just
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a community leader, he also knows a thing or two
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about business. Pastor Chien Shorter, Welcome.
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Good morning, Dominic, how a you.
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I'm blessed, thank you for joining us this morning. Honor
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to be with you so you and Tavis Tavis and
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you mister Smiley, and and Pastor Shorter found that you
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have a similar concern about what's happening in our community.
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What you know, the Crenshaw Corridor, this main strip right
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here in Lamart Park Park, you know, Park Mason Heights here.
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Tell me how that, how that came to your attention.
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You know, obviously you and church members have talked about
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reductions and parishioners coming in and such. But when did
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it come to a boiling point? When did it come
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to the point with all the things you have on
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your to do list, that you've got to take this on.
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Yeah, I mean for for many that aren't aware, you know,
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de Nation Crenshaw was dubbed a's this project of revitalized
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in the Crenshall Corridor that promised lots of business opportunities,
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a infusion economics into the uh cranch our quarter area
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to support businesses, like jobs, all those great things. And
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UH when we were approached about this project a few
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years ago, we were on board, you know, desire to
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be a good neighbor because I don't want to see
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our community informston UH embedded and UH certainly this project
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came to a head when we look out, you know,
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some five years later after this project, you know, hipped off,
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particularly on our doorsteps, and find that we've seen absolutely nothing.
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And it's been frustrating and challenging just as a business owner,
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as a as a pastor, and a can you member,
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seeing the blight, uh seeing you know, the deterioration of
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our community, and more importantly, the lack of responsiveness and
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accountability that comes from the Stination Crankshaw, as well as
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our city council, as well as our even our mayor,
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who have come by and frequented our worship facility and
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our artifice and have seen literally the impacts are happening
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right here on our doorsteps, and have really not made
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a valid commitment to helping us address the issues and
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or see that you know, our businesses remain driving successful.
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Yeah, I mean I work here, right, I mean I
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walk to work every day navigating what has become increasingly difficult.
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A couple of things though that I you know, first
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of all, with both you and my boss, mister Tavis Smiley,
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I push back on the mayor. I know she's the
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leader of this city, but this is a project that
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was initiated by one council district Marquis Harris Dawson, and
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I understand their allies, but the mayor has got to
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run a budget for every council district. So if one
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council member decides to do an important beautification project or
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what they feel is an important beautification project in the district,
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is at the mayor's job to drop everything else in
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all of the city priorities, the boil Heights, you know,
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fire and the clean up the Palisades fire and the
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houseless crisis to get a project that one council member
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can admitted to getting across the finish line. Is that
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fair to the mayor to put this in her lap,
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especially when that council member is the president of the
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city council and has.
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Some cloud I got you, that's the very fair question.
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I think both things can be true. I think you
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get ask for accountability from the mayor and also squarely
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placed the responsibility on the visionary of this project, which
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is my Tisay's Boston, coming out my doorsteps of the
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church and seeing our mayor, our mayor, not our council,
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our mayor actively cleaning up trash and the blight and
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you know, putting unification efforts in place on a project
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that's been installed to assist with the tin k walk
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means that there's some accountability there. It means that you
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care enough to make sure that it's not an iceore
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when you do a tin k walk in our community.
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But there's no focus from this wall to make sure
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that the project is funded. So I think accountability comes
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on that front. Again, this is no tackle on the
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mayor basket. You have great relationship, and I think Tabits
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would tell you that, you know, our desire really is
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if she has an opportunity for her to spend resources
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to assist you know, our accountlmen. We certainly welcome that.
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But both things can be true. You know, we can't
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clearly put it on our shoulders, but also can say, hey,
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you know what, if you have enough energy to come
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by and to assist us with things that you visibly
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see problematic so that when it's placed on TV it
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doesn't look as bad, then at the same time as well,
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you can put that same energy in helping us find
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resources and to find opportunities for us to betlee in
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the project. So yeah, I think both things can be true.
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I think you know you can put the responsible.
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Where it is.
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But at the same time as well, we know that
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Crenshaw is the jewel of the city. You know, it's
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the jewel of South Los Angeles, and it is the
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black mecca of the West Coast. And when you consider that,
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I think there is a responsibility from a black mayor
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to want to say, hey, you know what, those are
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disenfranchised of those who feel like, you know, our coimedia
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has taken a hit, you know, deserve some attention.
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So absolutely I don't disagree with that, but I do
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I will continue to push back on you respectfully, Pastor,
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and you Tavis Smiley, respectfully on placing this on the
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lap of the mayor when this is a private project,
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This was something that was a city wide project. This
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is a project of the council member. But trying to
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squeeze in all these questions before we get at yeah,
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we're out of.
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Stark go ahead. Yeah, just to follow up again, I
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don't think again that these attacks are directly there. I
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think if you listen to the town hall and the
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contract will be the same. Clearly, responsibility solely on the
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shoulders of Marquet hair'st Austin as well as you know,
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those who were directly at the station Cringshaw. I think
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that's clearly what the responsibility is. Yeah, an observer and
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as a keen leader, as someone who has seen the
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mayor taking interest, you do desire some assistance to help there.
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Yeah, absolutely we need all hands on deck. I understand that,
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but I just want to be clear from my perspective.
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The other thing is, I feel like this project has
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and I'm sure you know this because you're in the community,
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has been plagued by a lot of conspiracy theories and
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people's were concerns about it since the first announcement of it.
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People some felt it was part of the effort to
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gentrify the neighborhood. I mean, we've done countless shows on that,
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and yet now the perception is that nothing has been done.
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And you know, in disclosure, I you know, I know
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council Member Marquise Harristaus and we've been friends for a
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long time. But clearly I don't think it's fair to
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say nothing has been done. But on the other hand,
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nothing has been done for a long time. We haven't
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seen a truck go in and out, we haven't seen
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a shovel, we've seen just a fence and this, you know,
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this big closure right in the middle of our streets.
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But I've gone in there, I've toured it. There are
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art pieces in there that you know, that observation deck
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is there, So I don't know if that means nothing
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has been done, but what But in a way does
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that matter if if it's clogging up.
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The whole neighborhood, Well, if you've got a tour, that's
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more than I've gotten, ye, someone who you know is
476
00:29:52.720 --> 00:29:55.720
part of the communion, And you know, I think that
477
00:29:55.880 --> 00:29:57.519
is the issue at well, it was.
478
00:29:57.519 --> 00:30:00.319
A media tour. It wasn't for me personally. I mean
479
00:30:00.720 --> 00:30:03.720
the Sentinel all in the LA focus. You know, this
480
00:30:03.759 --> 00:30:06.440
is about a year ago. So yeah, and it's quite beautiful.
481
00:30:06.480 --> 00:30:07.039
What is there?
482
00:30:08.039 --> 00:30:10.160
Yeah? Right, But I think that's the challenge. The challenge
483
00:30:10.160 --> 00:30:13.119
is lack of transparency. The challenges lack of accountability and
484
00:30:13.160 --> 00:30:16.000
the lack of communication. Those things have not been afforded
485
00:30:16.039 --> 00:30:19.119
to those stakeholders in this community who this project impacks
486
00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:21.880
the most. And although you have bigger credentials and can
487
00:30:21.960 --> 00:30:24.160
get behind the scenes access, there are many of us
488
00:30:24.200 --> 00:30:25.640
who want to know what is behind the wall because
489
00:30:25.880 --> 00:30:28.599
we see is when we see gates and fences. I
490
00:30:28.640 --> 00:30:30.680
feel like I'm in prisoned. I feel like our church
491
00:30:30.880 --> 00:30:35.400
is improved and we're surrounded by nothing but senses and
492
00:30:35.519 --> 00:30:37.319
you know, and I hate to keep kind of redundant.
493
00:30:37.319 --> 00:30:39.240
But both things can be true. Yeah, there have been
494
00:30:39.279 --> 00:30:43.799
projects that this project has gotten started. But yeah, they
495
00:30:43.880 --> 00:30:46.839
physically and literally came and tore up our street and
496
00:30:46.839 --> 00:30:49.160
then that's been the end of it. So yeah, both things. Yeah,
497
00:30:49.160 --> 00:30:51.200
they started stuff. I can't say nothing has been done.
498
00:30:51.200 --> 00:30:52.839
But at the end of the day, you walk away
499
00:30:52.839 --> 00:30:55.519
from a site like our church where the wall is
500
00:30:55.559 --> 00:30:58.200
directly impacted right in front of you know, our church
501
00:30:58.279 --> 00:31:01.279
facility and our other busines. This is right in front
502
00:31:01.279 --> 00:31:04.960
of Duelan's restaurant. The wall literally has been you know, uh,
503
00:31:05.680 --> 00:31:08.039
the street has been broken up now for almost three
504
00:31:08.119 --> 00:31:12.279
years without any movement, and just walk away from the project. Yeah,
505
00:31:12.319 --> 00:31:14.039
you could say you did something, but the end of
506
00:31:14.039 --> 00:31:16.519
the day, you know, as the scripture tells us, you know,
507
00:31:16.599 --> 00:31:18.720
he build it, he has to count the costs. And
508
00:31:18.920 --> 00:31:22.000
you know that lack of financial transparency brought the accountability
509
00:31:22.039 --> 00:31:25.160
of the timeline. The conversations with the construction companies that
510
00:31:25.240 --> 00:31:27.160
first started at the outt of this project have gone
511
00:31:27.160 --> 00:31:31.000
away again, phone calls are going to return. Uh, there's
512
00:31:31.079 --> 00:31:34.160
now this opportunity UH for re engagement now that you
513
00:31:34.200 --> 00:31:36.279
know he's had the town hall meeting, but the person
514
00:31:36.279 --> 00:31:38.960
the other nights conversation will let them know as as
515
00:31:38.960 --> 00:31:41.440
a business owner, it's not just me as a asse.
516
00:31:41.559 --> 00:31:44.920
It's not just our church's compacting. There are our neighbors
517
00:31:44.960 --> 00:31:47.079
who you know, have to walk two and three blocks
518
00:31:47.119 --> 00:31:50.079
to bring groceries to their doorsteps. We don't have the
519
00:31:50.200 --> 00:31:52.799
proper security, we don't have them proper lighting. There's a blight.
520
00:31:53.079 --> 00:31:55.519
And more important, there's an economic there's a real economic
521
00:31:55.640 --> 00:31:58.680
impact that has not been I been fully considered in
522
00:31:58.759 --> 00:32:01.960
this in this conversation, and what that means for struggling
523
00:32:02.000 --> 00:32:04.680
businesses who have literally closed their doors. I encouraged all
524
00:32:04.720 --> 00:32:06.920
those who happened to go and take a look at
525
00:32:07.759 --> 00:32:09.799
the town hall so that you can hear directly from
526
00:32:09.839 --> 00:32:12.039
business owners, from charter schools that have been impacted, and
527
00:32:12.160 --> 00:32:15.200
then areas have been impacted. These are not cliches. These
528
00:32:15.240 --> 00:32:17.559
are people who are living the day to day frustrating
529
00:32:17.640 --> 00:32:20.359
of this project, and we have the right to ask
530
00:32:20.440 --> 00:32:23.440
for accountability. Again, my relations this is not a hit
531
00:32:23.519 --> 00:32:26.400
piece on my bosities into our church even in the
532
00:32:26.440 --> 00:32:30.039
midst of this this construction project. This isn't a piece
533
00:32:30.160 --> 00:32:33.599
you know, direct to that mayor. Uh. We just want accountability,
534
00:32:33.720 --> 00:32:35.759
you know. And I think you know, and the more
535
00:32:35.799 --> 00:32:39.400
poorly the responsibility and the burden is on the doorstep
536
00:32:39.480 --> 00:32:42.960
of destination frenchaw And my philosophy is like, hey, you know,
537
00:32:43.240 --> 00:32:45.680
we don't have the funding secure to deplete the project.
538
00:32:45.759 --> 00:32:48.240
Let's maybe a revision the project so they get those
539
00:32:48.279 --> 00:32:50.640
funds available so that we can get back to day
540
00:32:50.680 --> 00:32:53.160
to day living, right. I mean, it's promise not to
541
00:32:53.240 --> 00:32:56.359
produce interruptions, and those promises have been broken.
542
00:32:56.759 --> 00:32:59.079
Yeah, And I mean, to be clear, you know, I've
543
00:32:59.160 --> 00:33:03.960
known accounts, remember Marquise Harris Dawson since he was you know,
544
00:33:04.920 --> 00:33:07.839
not even leading community coalitions, so many many many years.
545
00:33:07.880 --> 00:33:12.079
And I've called and they tell me, well, it's going
546
00:33:12.160 --> 00:33:14.119
to start back up next month. And I've heard that
547
00:33:14.759 --> 00:33:18.119
so many months. So to be clear, you know, I'm
548
00:33:18.160 --> 00:33:21.000
not blind to the impact. I am the one who
549
00:33:21.079 --> 00:33:23.599
has to be at this radio station on the mic
550
00:33:23.640 --> 00:33:27.079
at six am every morning. So if there is a
551
00:33:27.640 --> 00:33:31.519
rodent or you know, or a guest who is lost
552
00:33:32.079 --> 00:33:34.720
at six o'clock five point thirty in the morning. Because
553
00:33:34.720 --> 00:33:38.319
there's a huge construction project. I'm actually going to be
554
00:33:38.440 --> 00:33:41.519
more impacted by it than most people on this radio station.
555
00:33:42.119 --> 00:33:44.319
And if you know, and I've known this man forever,
556
00:33:44.480 --> 00:33:47.279
so if my patience is running thin, we got a
557
00:33:47.359 --> 00:33:51.720
serious problem here. I have experienced what you're saying and
558
00:33:51.839 --> 00:33:54.480
what other business owners are saying, which is that we
559
00:33:54.759 --> 00:34:00.119
the story keeps changing and there's no there's no getting traction. Oh,
560
00:34:00.160 --> 00:34:01.720
it's going to start next month, it's going to start
561
00:34:01.799 --> 00:34:04.319
back next month. It'll you know, it'll be done by then.
562
00:34:04.400 --> 00:34:06.720
It'll be done by then. And it's just not happening.
563
00:34:08.440 --> 00:34:10.679
Let me ask you this question, you know, come down
564
00:34:10.760 --> 00:34:12.840
on me. Of course, the engagement start and we were
565
00:34:12.840 --> 00:34:16.039
sent to email the next day that construction started back
566
00:34:16.079 --> 00:34:19.559
at single Part and that they would clean up our
567
00:34:19.679 --> 00:34:21.639
you know, the area in front of our church. You
568
00:34:21.679 --> 00:34:24.159
know they'd be reading as well as you know the blight.
569
00:34:24.639 --> 00:34:27.280
And you know, here we are a couple of days
570
00:34:27.320 --> 00:34:30.000
later and no movement, no progress out of the evening.
571
00:34:30.320 --> 00:34:32.880
Yeah. So, and I remember it well because it was
572
00:34:32.960 --> 00:34:35.480
Second Call. You know a lot of the guys from
573
00:34:35.519 --> 00:34:38.840
Second Call that went through those apprenticeship programs that were
574
00:34:38.880 --> 00:34:42.639
actually employed in building that project, black men that were working,
575
00:34:43.079 --> 00:34:45.880
and early in the morning when I was walking into work,
576
00:34:46.800 --> 00:34:50.559
I would see people I know and feel safe in community,
577
00:34:50.679 --> 00:34:52.880
and those folks have been gone for quite a long time.
578
00:34:53.480 --> 00:34:57.599
When we come forward, Pastor, I would like to talk
579
00:34:57.639 --> 00:34:59.960
about what is in this letter, what the demands are.
580
00:35:00.519 --> 00:35:03.039
This dropped at five o'clock this morning. It is actually
581
00:35:03.159 --> 00:35:08.119
breaking news. This is a group of stakeholders on the
582
00:35:08.159 --> 00:35:13.000
Crenshaw Order led by Pastor Kyroen Shorter, senior pastor at
583
00:35:13.039 --> 00:35:16.440
Bethesda Temple Church, along with Tavis Smiley, who is the
584
00:35:16.559 --> 00:35:19.599
owner of this radio station. I would also add before
585
00:35:19.639 --> 00:35:22.519
I forget that, I took my pup may he rest
586
00:35:22.559 --> 00:35:27.400
in peace to doctor John Hardy, and so I am
587
00:35:27.760 --> 00:35:30.639
was directly impacted by that closure. Now you can't pull
588
00:35:30.719 --> 00:35:32.800
your car and bring your pup in. You've got it
589
00:35:32.920 --> 00:35:36.599
park blocks away, and if you're you know, elderly, like
590
00:35:36.719 --> 00:35:40.280
many of those pet owners are, that's a real impediment.
591
00:35:40.599 --> 00:35:42.840
I don't I can't imagine how doctor Hardy has even
592
00:35:43.400 --> 00:35:46.719
managed to stay in business. So we'll talk about what
593
00:35:46.840 --> 00:35:49.760
the demands are when we come forward. We're joined by
594
00:35:49.840 --> 00:35:54.679
Pastor Kyen Shorter of Bethesda Temple Church. I'm Dominique Daprima
595
00:35:54.760 --> 00:35:59.079
and this is KBLA Talk fifteen. Pastor Kyn Shorter, senior
596
00:35:59.119 --> 00:36:01.719
pastor of Bethesda Temple Church, is joining me and we
597
00:36:01.800 --> 00:36:06.440
are talking about Destination Crenshaw or Procrastination Crenshaw's Tavis Smiley
598
00:36:06.559 --> 00:36:09.800
has dubbed it. An hour and fifty three minutes ago,
599
00:36:09.960 --> 00:36:15.119
a letter dropped signed by yourself, this radio station, Tavis
600
00:36:15.159 --> 00:36:19.519
Smiley and a number of other community stakeholders, which is
601
00:36:19.639 --> 00:36:24.920
addressed to the City Council member, the City Council President,
602
00:36:25.239 --> 00:36:30.239
Marquise Harris Dawson, his chief of staff, Joe and Kim,
603
00:36:30.559 --> 00:36:35.599
and it makes demands. It says, request for the completion
604
00:36:35.719 --> 00:36:40.360
of Destination Crenshaw and the creation of a Crenshaw Quarter,
605
00:36:40.480 --> 00:36:45.679
business interruption and resident relief funds. Let's talk about what's
606
00:36:45.719 --> 00:36:47.440
at the heart of this letter, Pastor.
607
00:36:48.639 --> 00:36:52.079
Yeah, the heart of this letter is accountability. From day one,
608
00:36:52.239 --> 00:36:56.719
you know, when we've established this relationship with Tavison and KBLA,
609
00:36:57.840 --> 00:36:59.599
you know, the desire really was for us to get
610
00:36:59.599 --> 00:37:02.480
a better understanding where we are with this project in general.
611
00:37:02.960 --> 00:37:06.719
And so this demand, this letter requests from demands that accountability.
612
00:37:06.880 --> 00:37:10.480
We want to know specifically what's happening with timeframes, with funding.
613
00:37:11.280 --> 00:37:13.679
We want to know inch plans and stones. I work
614
00:37:13.760 --> 00:37:16.199
in contract manufacturing, working on space and defense that dont
615
00:37:16.239 --> 00:37:18.519
so for years, and so I understand what it is
616
00:37:18.599 --> 00:37:20.239
to get to the goal line when it comes to
617
00:37:20.440 --> 00:37:24.280
you know, manufacturing aircraft. I know that there are propercies
618
00:37:24.320 --> 00:37:26.119
that are in place for us to do things on
619
00:37:26.199 --> 00:37:29.320
the construction side. So what are those levels of transparency
620
00:37:29.639 --> 00:37:32.039
beyond the oh, you know, we'll be back up next month.
621
00:37:32.119 --> 00:37:36.199
We want some hardcore definitive accountability foundation Nation Crank John
622
00:37:36.320 --> 00:37:38.840
from the city as it relates to the completion of
623
00:37:38.920 --> 00:37:43.039
this project and in this totality, uh. And then you know,
624
00:37:43.159 --> 00:37:45.480
there are considerations that need to be made for those
625
00:37:45.559 --> 00:37:49.079
who have their business interrupted. If it's only fair that
626
00:37:49.400 --> 00:37:54.559
considerations be granted to businesses who are holding on for
627
00:37:54.679 --> 00:37:58.599
dear life trying to weather this impact time, as well
628
00:37:58.639 --> 00:38:01.480
as residents who we heard with stories and testimonies about
629
00:38:02.000 --> 00:38:05.320
from the other night in our form, who need to
630
00:38:05.360 --> 00:38:09.280
be considered you know for uh, you know, things to
631
00:38:09.360 --> 00:38:10.960
help them get back on the feet to be able
632
00:38:11.000 --> 00:38:14.400
to weather again this impediment, this project that has been
633
00:38:14.480 --> 00:38:17.719
grilled and so these are requests and I devised to
634
00:38:17.800 --> 00:38:20.039
sit and work with city councils, work with the stature
635
00:38:20.079 --> 00:38:23.599
Printville well things that we believe will be fair to
636
00:38:23.760 --> 00:38:26.079
help those who have been impacted because of this project.
637
00:38:26.480 --> 00:38:30.559
What I mean, so, why would we believe the timelines?
638
00:38:31.880 --> 00:38:34.480
You know, you and I have both pointed out that
639
00:38:34.599 --> 00:38:37.440
we have gotten quite a few changing schedules.
640
00:38:39.519 --> 00:38:44.280
We don't have confidence right accountability in the city have
641
00:38:44.360 --> 00:38:48.199
to say, but accountability and actually I think, you know,
642
00:38:48.239 --> 00:38:50.119
coming off the minim of this count hall and the
643
00:38:50.159 --> 00:38:54.079
overwhelming responsibily've got as far as signatures and have led
644
00:38:54.119 --> 00:38:56.760
theirselves with the effort. I think there's now an uh,
645
00:38:57.119 --> 00:39:00.320
there's now window into you know, what accountability look like
646
00:39:00.719 --> 00:39:04.880
and more importantly, where that baggole begins. Prior to this conversation,
647
00:39:05.400 --> 00:39:07.400
it's been one note. It's been one tone, it's been
648
00:39:07.480 --> 00:39:10.039
one side, it's been whatever destination crenchaws and wanted to
649
00:39:10.079 --> 00:39:13.280
put out there their press releases, and you get an occasional,
650
00:39:13.440 --> 00:39:16.719
you know, occasional op ed here they're asking questions and
651
00:39:16.760 --> 00:39:18.760
then you get, you know, this story about how we
652
00:39:18.880 --> 00:39:21.360
have all these different prominent celebrities lined up and all
653
00:39:21.440 --> 00:39:24.239
these crowd funding opportunities available to us, but there really
654
00:39:24.280 --> 00:39:26.760
has never been the transparency to tell us what happened
655
00:39:26.760 --> 00:39:30.119
to the money that was granted to this project, where
656
00:39:30.119 --> 00:39:33.679
it went, and we desire that transparency. If we're going
657
00:39:33.719 --> 00:39:37.000
to be part of a project that is in the centric,
658
00:39:38.159 --> 00:39:41.519
it could include the crench our corridor, having to see
659
00:39:41.519 --> 00:39:44.360
at the table to understand the nuances associated with this
660
00:39:44.480 --> 00:39:47.039
project so that it makes sense working in supply chain,
661
00:39:47.119 --> 00:39:51.400
you know, working in that I understand costs increases, understand
662
00:39:51.480 --> 00:39:53.480
you know, the power inflation, and we're not taking anything
663
00:39:53.480 --> 00:39:55.599
away from most prossy. But at the same time, there
664
00:39:55.719 --> 00:39:57.920
has to be a level of financial principens as well
665
00:39:57.960 --> 00:40:02.679
as communication and strategy. It helps us get back on track, uh,
666
00:40:02.800 --> 00:40:05.760
to see when we're going to start seeing this community
667
00:40:05.800 --> 00:40:07.440
shift in jactic back.
668
00:40:07.599 --> 00:40:10.039
Patrick, what do you say to members of the council
669
00:40:10.119 --> 00:40:13.320
staff who have said to me directly that businesses have
670
00:40:13.440 --> 00:40:14.920
already received compensation.
671
00:40:16.800 --> 00:40:19.760
Well, that's news to me, uh, you know, And and
672
00:40:19.840 --> 00:40:23.159
again I think it's because you know, I just you know,
673
00:40:23.440 --> 00:40:25.719
speaking transparently. I think you know, there have been some
674
00:40:25.800 --> 00:40:27.840
people who have been paid to be silent about this
675
00:40:28.719 --> 00:40:32.079
and I think, you know, the opportunity for new individuals
676
00:40:32.119 --> 00:40:34.639
to come to the table, uh, to share their stories
677
00:40:35.239 --> 00:40:38.719
and their pains and frustrations have been left out of
678
00:40:39.000 --> 00:40:41.239
you know, those conversations, and they have been really impacted.
679
00:40:41.559 --> 00:40:45.039
We're seeing literally, you know, charter schools struggling to stay open.
680
00:40:45.360 --> 00:40:47.760
We're seeing businesses holding on by a thread. We're seeing
681
00:40:47.800 --> 00:40:52.079
people have to reduce workforces. Again, we're talking about, you know, uh,
682
00:40:53.079 --> 00:40:57.119
a concentrated effort to increase the French Shaw economy, and
683
00:40:57.239 --> 00:40:59.880
we're seeing the complete opposer of that. And there need
684
00:41:00.079 --> 00:41:04.280
be considerations for businesses, nonprofits, business.
685
00:41:04.039 --> 00:41:07.039
I mean, just like they did with the Metro right pasture.
686
00:41:07.039 --> 00:41:11.199
Absolutely absolutely the Metro project. You know, those considerations were
687
00:41:11.239 --> 00:41:12.639
given the business and our mind you you know, we
688
00:41:12.679 --> 00:41:17.000
were including those discussions as well. So I do not
689
00:41:17.199 --> 00:41:21.400
know that as the ministry, as the church, as a nonprofit.
690
00:41:21.800 --> 00:41:23.639
You know, a lot of these things happening on our doorsteps.
691
00:41:23.679 --> 00:41:25.320
And you know, we were in a time in our
692
00:41:25.360 --> 00:41:27.599
ministry where we were dealing with the pastoral transition. So
693
00:41:28.199 --> 00:41:30.000
to save you the story there, you know, we didn't
694
00:41:30.039 --> 00:41:31.719
have a leader at the time who was willing to
695
00:41:31.760 --> 00:41:33.800
put it stuck out there and you know, willing to
696
00:41:33.960 --> 00:41:36.639
get engage the conversation. I want to commend you know,
697
00:41:36.760 --> 00:41:40.239
Tabinists as well as others for even picking up our
698
00:41:40.239 --> 00:41:42.199
phone call. You know, we sent an email, you know,
699
00:41:42.320 --> 00:41:43.920
saying we wanted to have this town hall meeting, and
700
00:41:44.000 --> 00:41:47.159
we sent it to everything outlet and the only the
701
00:41:47.320 --> 00:41:50.159
only response we got was from Tavis Uh. And you
702
00:41:50.239 --> 00:41:51.639
know I told him, I said, I'm not for sale.
703
00:41:52.239 --> 00:41:54.000
You know, this church is not just you know, I
704
00:41:54.039 --> 00:41:56.159
don't want a backdoor deal. I'm looking out for the
705
00:41:56.199 --> 00:41:58.480
neighbors and looking out for everybody else need has impacted. Yeah,
706
00:41:58.480 --> 00:42:00.599
I can get something to make us still better Epithesia,
707
00:42:00.679 --> 00:42:02.599
but that's not our goal. Our goal is to make
708
00:42:02.639 --> 00:42:05.559
sure that lives are no longer impacted. We have neighbors,
709
00:42:05.679 --> 00:42:08.679
we have tenants, we have individuals who have to walk
710
00:42:08.760 --> 00:42:11.000
this night in there daily and it's time for the
711
00:42:11.079 --> 00:42:12.960
city to reckon with that and for them to be
712
00:42:13.159 --> 00:42:16.239
considerate of what's happening, which is the reverse of what
713
00:42:16.360 --> 00:42:19.320
this project promised. And so that's what that letter. I
714
00:42:19.400 --> 00:42:22.199
think the spirit of the letter is it's demanding accountability,
715
00:42:22.239 --> 00:42:25.239
but it's a more nuanced accountability. It's really getting into
716
00:42:25.280 --> 00:42:27.199
the brass tacks of what this party is going to cost,
717
00:42:27.639 --> 00:42:29.840
what completion looks like, what tiraphering is going to look like,
718
00:42:30.159 --> 00:42:32.800
what the task force are going to be, how constituents
719
00:42:32.840 --> 00:42:35.039
and how neighbors of the Crenshaw Corridor are going to
720
00:42:35.039 --> 00:42:37.119
be have a seat at the table to really, you know,
721
00:42:37.360 --> 00:42:39.639
work hand in hand with this suxpreen saw and the
722
00:42:39.679 --> 00:42:43.920
city Council to see this project, you Knowlation.
723
00:42:43.280 --> 00:42:49.360
Pastor, excuse pastor, could we ask you for another ten
724
00:42:49.440 --> 00:42:51.559
minutes of your time. I'm up against the clock here
725
00:42:51.599 --> 00:42:54.159
and is that possible.
726
00:42:55.360 --> 00:42:56.960
Sure, I'll I'll hang out as I can.
727
00:42:57.159 --> 00:42:59.159
Yeah, I just give you a few more minutes because
728
00:42:59.159 --> 00:43:02.360
we haven't gotten to dead lines and consequences and we're
729
00:43:02.519 --> 00:43:05.480
up against a hard stop here for news, traffic, and sports.
730
00:43:05.719 --> 00:43:10.360
Pastor Kirrine Shorter, a senior pastor that's the Temple Church,
731
00:43:10.599 --> 00:43:12.599
returns with us for just a few more minutes when
732
00:43:12.639 --> 00:43:13.199
we come forward,