UPDATE: Here are photos /
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4 and a
report from
Saturday's protest.
Leimert Park has stood synonymous with the voices of African American culture and art in Los Angeles. It is a place carved out by artists, musicians and poets - fought for in every note, beat, word and image. It holds the rich legacy of Horace Tapscott and Billy Higgins. It also holds the legacy of the barbers and beauticians who also ply their trade on its life-affirming streets. Unfortunately, rent increases -- brought about, on the one hand, because of the community's positive work, and, on the other hand, because a Sherman Oaks-based development company recently purchased much of the property in Leimert Park Village -- are threatening to erase whole blocks of cultural memory.
This report from the LA Times serves a good backgrounder.
