At the registration location, Ralphs Grocery on Manchester in South LA, just before the tree-planting.  I’m with Michael Espinosa, who runs the Los Angeles Community Beautification Grant program.  He also attended the tree-planting back in January.  He’s been instrumental in all the projects I’ve done in the area.  Back in 2006, my block club and I applied for a CB grant and I was project director on it when we won.  Michael taught me a lot about the opportunities the city makes available to communities and he’s been supportive of all our efforts here.

Here the Los Angeles Conservation Corps is giving us a demonstration on how to plant the trees.

That red instrument weighs 30 pounds and is used to push the stake into the ground.

Novelist Leonard Chang come to help us.  Here he’s breaking up the dirt in the tree-well with a pick-axe.

Film executive Karen Peterkin helps me shovel out the tree-well.  It was more fun than it looks! 

Eriq LaSalle helped us out and worked  very hard.

Always happy to see E.  We’ve been friends since 1985.

That’s Jeff Stetson, playwright, novelist and screenwriter.  He learned of the tree-planting via my facebook page and surprised me.   He planted a tree a few feet east of the one we worked on.  So kind of him to come out and support.

This is the team that planted our tree that Karen named “Earth:  Me, Leonard, Karen, Eriq and Xavier.  Xavier, 18, works with The Los Angeles Conservation Corps.  He was our supervisor on this job.  Pretty impressive.  Wonderful to see young people doing things to improve communities.  LACC is a fantastic organization.  They train kids as young as 13, so if you know of teens in the Los Angeles area who are interested in the environment, check them out.  They have good opportunities for youth and can train them in green careers.

It was a productive and fun morning.  I’m happy to say that there are 8 new trees in the ground on Manchester Ave. now!  Thanks so much to Lisa Sarno and Kayla Barnett of Million Trees LA, MWH and LACC.  Our community is that much better because of all of you.

photo by Michael Espinosa

–Written by Adrienne Crew, for LA OBSERVED

Toni Ann Johnson, a screenwriter, community activist and blogger, uses her blog to document her efforts to bring more green to her neighborhood in South Los Angeles. It’s been a two year struggle but she’s finally achieving visible results. Partnering with Million Trees L.A., the Southwest Los Angeles Neighborhood Council and Ralph’s super market, Toni Ann gathered with over 100 volunteers to plant Ginko Biloba trees in front of Ralphs supermarket at Western and Manchester on Saturday, January 23, 2010.

Not content to rest on her laurels for a moment (sorry I couldn’t resist), Toni Ann gave Native Intelligence a quick interview.

How did you feel after the event and as you were putting in the trees?

Right after the event I was delighted, gratified and very tired. Later when I reflected on what we’d accomplished and how long it took to reach the goal, I was profoundly grateful and feeling very connected to God,  blessed.

As we were putting in the trees I was joyful. Many of my very dear friends and neighbors came down to help out and it was pretty amazing seeing them work to make the community better. It moved me. I enjoyed digging the dirt and seeing the roots of the trees, thinking about how they were going to reach down into the soil and become a real part of the landscape. I love the idea of an urban forest!

What was the toughest obstacle in this process?

The toughest obstacle was actually what motivated me the most and I’m grateful for it. It was when the director of store operations for Ralphs told me that they wouldn’t allow the trees to be planted. He said there were no plans to green that location and that there probably never would be. Knowing that all the other Ralphs in Los Angeles had trees, the fact that he said no infuriated me and propelled me into action. I made as much noise as I possibly could, determined to be a pest until they’d install the trees just to shut me up. I gained momentum in 2009 when an op-ed that I wrote was published in the Los Angeles Times. The forces against me allowed me to develop strengths and skills I hadn’t cultivated previously, so I appreciated the challenge.

Did the result match your vision?

Honestly, not yet. : ) The trees are Gingko Biloba and they’re going to be spectacular! However, they look bare right now because the trees are dormant and they have no leaves. They look like Charlie Brown trees. We pitched this project to the community telling them that there would be an immediate visual impact, because they were 24-inch box trees, which are pretty large. Had these been evergreen trees, the “immediate visual impact” would have been true, but since they’re deciduous and it’s winter now, the visual impact is significantly reduced. But, I anticipate that in a couple of months, the result will absolutely match my vision. I am thrilled about the trees, even the way they look now.

How long did it take to put in the trees?

Not long at all. It went much faster than I expected. The event began at 8:40am and we were pretty much finished by 11:30am. We had a ceremony, a dance show, and a tutorial prior to the planting, so I’d say the entire planting time was only about two hours. We had more than enough volunteers– well over one hundred people. There were 20 trees and each tree takes 5 people to install. There was a demonstration before we all went off to our respective trees and people seemed to follow the instructions very well. Also, there were “team leaders,” representatives from The Los Angeles Conservation Corps, who helped and guided all of us.

What’s next for your group?

There are going to be two more phases of tree-plantings along Manchester Avenue, I’m happy to report. So, hopefully by 2011, much of that commercial corridor will be green! It’s very exciting.

A Lush Green South LA, with Toni Ann Johnson

www.toniannjohnson.com
www.fs.fed.us
www.Turnt-Up.com
www.milliontreesla.org

Interview with Executive Director of LA, Lisa Sarno

Interview with Screenwriter/Community Activist, Toni Ann Johnson

Interview with Council Member, Bernard C. Parks

That’s me with Russell Ferguson who recently won SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE.  So, what does THIS have to do with Community Beautification?  The connection is a slight stretch, I’ll admit, but there IS a connection.  As well as being the force behind the tree planting event tomorrow, I am also a screenwriter who’s worked on a number of dance movies.  Currently, I’m developing a script set in the world of the JERKIN’ Movement and, more specifically, set in my own South LA community.  It tracks a kid who makes a transformation from gang culture to the Jerkin’ culture (which is anti-gang).   I met with Russell and his mom and brother yesterday to tell them about the story and to see if it might interest him as a vehicle.  As I shared it with him, he lit up and when I was done, he told me that it sounded much like his own trajectory.  He was surrounded by negative influences, but he used his talent for dance to turn in another direction, toward something positive.   God willing, we’ll work together.  He’s a truly talented and lovely kid with a beautiful, bright spirit.   He deserves all the success he’s having!

Some of the kids involved in the Jerkin’ movement live in the community and will be attending tomorrow’s tree planting.  They’re scheduled to perform at 8:30am.  For those of you who don’t know what Jerkin’ is, it’s a relatively new youth culture and it’s one worth supporting.  As Shariff Hasan, who’s making a documentary on the subject, explained to me, Jerkin’ has been described as “youth rebelling against rebellion itself.”  It is a move AWAY from gangs, violence, drug use and low aspirations, toward something healthy and positive and fun.  Kids in the Jerkin’ movement make their own music and videos, upload their stuff to youtube and their myspace pages and share it with their social networks.  They are also using these networks to sell themselves, their music and even fashion, thus creating a generation of new entrepreneurs.  I met Indigo Vanity last week–a beautiful and talented 16-year-old who is fast becoming a mogul of her own making.  On her website, she is selling not only her music, but she’s also selling fashion, including some sunglasses she was rockin’ when we met.  Her fans had seen her with them on and she has had them mass produced.  She’s a performer, but she’s also a savvy businesswoman!  At 16!

This is what Jerkin’ is doing for youth.  I’m all for it!   It’s uplifting, it’s self-empowering, it’s kids creating opportunity and wealth on their own using their talent and the internet.   They’re succeeding even without record deals, but the record companies are seeking out these kids with the large social networks, and partnering with them to sell records.   These artists have a lot more power than the previous generation of artists who signed contracts with companies that kept most of the profits.

One of the things that really excites me about “Jerks”–which is a GOOD thing to be, the opposite of what we used to call a Jerk– is that they are environmentally conscious.   I spoke with Indigo Vanity and a 15 year old colleague of her,s and both of them eloquently explained their understanding of global warming and how they feel compelled to do what they can to nurture the environment.   They support tree planting!  So, some of the “Jerks” will be with us tomorrow.  Hope you will, too!

This was taken Wednesday December 16th at the Ralphs on Manchester Blvd., the site for our upcoming tree planting.  That’s me in the hat, looking like I’m wearing a disguise.  To my right is Carrie Ridge, manager of Community Relations for Ralphs.  She and I began corresponding back in the fall of 2007 when I began the journey of getting trees planted at this location.  To her right, Carlton Paysinger, the store director.   And on my left is Kayla Barnett, special programs coordinator at Million Trees LA.  She works for Lisa Sarno, the amazing and energetic executive director of Million Trees LA.

The meeting was a  gratifying occasion for me!  I’m still happily stunned that the tree planting is happening and that so many great things are falling into place.  In an earlier post, I mentioned how difficult it was for the Empowerment Congress Southwest, our Neighborhood Council, to get a quorum in order to vote to approve the expenditure for the maintenance of the trees.  The chair, Pat Jones, had been in touch with me and had been trying her best to get the members together to vote.  Lately, she’s not returning my messages.  We have no commitment from them to pay for the maintenance.  There was a meeting on the 21st, but as far as I know there was no vote.  So, sadly, it doesn’t look like the neighborhood council will be involved with this community event, which is a shame.  This is exactly the kind of project the Neighborhood Council should support, but unfortunately they can’t get it together to do so.  I don’t want to disparage them, because I know that they do the best they can,  but it’s my opinion that they need to do better.   Fortunately, because of Lisa Sarno, we’ll get what we need with or without them.

Ms. Sarno has received a donation from Screen Gems for our project!  They’ve donated funds to cover the first fully year of maintenance:  $2400.00.  My amazing cousin Elle Johnson donated $500.00 which will go towards the second year.  So, we still need $1900.00 for the second year of maintenance, but at least we can get the trees in the ground knowing they’ll be taken care of for the first year.

That’s Lisa on the far right in this photo.   I’m really grateful for her efforts!   She told me that there’s more good news…  Shell, the gas station just west of the Ralphs, is also a Million Trees LA supporter and so there’s a strong possibility we’ll receive even more trees!  They want to extend the planting west along Manchester Blvd.  This is spectacular news!  My dream of this becoming a tree-lined commercial corridor may soon come true!

This experience has bolstered my ability to hope.  There are elements of South LA that have felt so discouraging and bleak, but now I see that with patience and persistence– faith– we really can make things better.    And we’re doing it!

Coincidentally, I have  recently been exposed to a new movement in hip hop youth culture called Jerkin’.  It is turning the negative aspects of hip hop– gang culture, violence, low aspirations, and turning it on it’s head into something fun, hopeful, empowering and new.  There’s a possibility that some participants in the Jerkin’ community will come and perform during the tree planting event.   I’m happy that there are multiple components of revitalization happening in the hood and think it’s super exciting that they may intersect.  According to Shariff Hasan who’s become a voice in the Jerkin’ movement, greening is part of this culture.  That makes me smile.  It’s thrilling!  I’d been worried in recent years, seeing evidence that elements of hip hop had been doing a disservice not only to urban youth, but to the community at large.  Some (not all! rap was feeling like a destructive force, encouraging kids to be violent, uneducated and ultimately without hope of finding ways to succeed in the larger culture.  As I see it, when people don’t see a way toward a better life, they aren’t able to nurture the environment they live in.  Instead, they destroy it with graffiti, trash, vandalism– lack of pride .  This new movement is all about fun, but it’s also about the kids creating, owning and distributing their own work via the internet.  This entrepreneurial spirit coming out of South LA through this culture is invigorating and uplifting.  It’s breeding confidence and pride and when that happens it has a ripple effect, making other things (like the environment) better.   I read an article that said: “this new youth culture is actually the youth rebelling against rebellion itself.”   Hallelujah!   They’re rebelling against violence, gangs, drugs, dropping out of school, destroying the environment…     That civil rights song said, “We shall overcome someday…”   I used to think that wasn’t real at all,  just something struggling people told themselves to get through their lives.  But with the coalescence of this new movement in youth culture and the greening movement that nurtures our environment, I feel that we’re finally moving in the right direction and that we’re not only overcoming, we’re transforming.

James Tyrell Harris, 46, surrendered to police. He is suspected of misappropriating $85,000 in city funds while serving as chairman of his neighborhood council.

by Maeve Reston

October 9, 2009

Police on Thursday arrested James Tyrell Harris, a South Los Angeles community activist and previously convicted felon, on suspicion of misappropriating $85,000 in city funds while serving as chairman of his neighborhood council.

Harris is the fifth neighborhood council member in the city to be charged with a felony for allegedly misusing money over the last two years. The cases have raised questions about how closely officials monitor the 89 volunteer neighborhood councils, each of which is annually given money for supplies and community projects. The amount has historically been $50,000, reduced this year to $45,000.

The funds can be drawn down through a credit card issued to each treasurer or through city checks. The agency that works with neighborhood councils does not require their members to undergo financial background checks.

Harris, who is known for his anti-gang efforts and work with ex-offenders in South Los Angeles, surrendered to police. His bail was set at $1,085,000.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Max Huntsman said Harris, 46, has two previous felony convictions for robbery in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s. With two previous strikes, the maximum sentence if he is convicted could be 25 years to life, but prosecutors are expected to seek substantially less prison time because the alleged crime was not related to violence and the previous strikes are more than two decades old.

Harris’ attorney could not be reached for comment.

Prosecutors allege that while acting as chairman and treasurer of the Empowerment Congress Southwest Area Neighborhood Development Council, Harris bought money orders and made a series of cash withdrawals and credit card purchases that were not authorized.

Huntsman said Harris spent some of the group’s money on travel and to hire his daughter to handle administrative work for the council. City officials expressed concern in a memo to police last year about what they termed “questionable time sheets and excessive payments” for two accounting workers hired through an employment agency. Those payments totaled more than $53,000 between June 2006 and January of this year, accounting reports show.

“The key thing here is that almost none of this stuff seems to be approved,” said Huntsman, who said Harris submitted fraudulent receipts for work that did not appear to have been done. “Any dime he spends must be with board approval.”

Harris has been working at the Community Coalition, a group focused on improving the quality of life in South L.A.

maeve.reston@latimes.com

The above LA TIMES article by Maeve Reston is about the chair of my neighborhood council.  I met James Harris 5 years ago at City Hall in Los Angeles when I was there with some neighbors appealing to a judge to prevent a store from obtaining a liquor license.   Having lived in a Beverly Hills bubble prior buying a house in South LA, I didn’t even  know that there was such a thing as a Neighborhood Council.  To my surprise, during the hearing, the board of the Empowerment Congress Southwest Neighborhood Council marched in with photos, data and prepared speeches about the damage an additional liquor store would inflict upon our community.  They saved the day!

It would be a few years before I would join the board, but I began attending meetings.  It was James Harris who encouraged me to apply for the Community Beautification Grant and it was he who introduced me to Alex Kenefleck and Steve Cancian, who helped me to develop a project would win the grant.  James arranged meetings wherein Alex and Steve provided advice and James took his time to sit in on these meetings.

James brought our project to the board and encouraged the board members to vote in favor of offering matching funds, and they did.

Whenever I would attend community meetings, James would be there.  As we worked on our beautification project James showed up.  He didn’t follow through with everything he’d promised– like youth volunteers and the full amount of money he’d agreed to.   When it came time to collect the funds, he reduced the amount to less than half of what he’d initially offered.  But he did follow through with a check that covered a significant portion of the project, and for that I was grateful.

From what I could tell, he was sincerely committed to the community.  I believe that a part of him WAS.  I may be wrong, I know I’ve been naive where he’s concerned, but I sensed that he really did love our community.  Somewhere along the way, however, something unraveled and he began to harm the community he’d been committed to helping.

When I received an email from the funding office suggesting that James had misused funds, I emailed back saying that there must be some mistake.  The James Harris I knew would not do that.  When one of the board members told me James was a crook, I dismissed her claim, too.  I just could not bring myself to believe that this man I appreciated and admired had done such a thing.  But as time progressed, concrete evidence of his guilt presented itself and I couldn’t remain in denial.

I was not brave enough to ask James about it.  I was angry with him, behind his back.  I’m sure he knew he’d lost my admiration.   I was no longer eager to attend meetings and when I did was not happy to see him and I didn’t pretend to be.  I rarely returned his calls unless they had to do with the goals I was pursuing for the community and ultimately, I resigned from the board.

This has been a deeply disappointing experience for me.  I had been so excited to make a difference in the community.  I volunteered time that I really didn’t have to give, because I thought it was meaningful to do something that would benefit others.  But I had to face that James, ultimately, did not value me, or my time, and that I had wasted a lot of it.  In my many months on the board, despite my efforts and diligence, I was not able to accomplish one thing.  From my perspective, this is, at least in part, due to the fact that James was mercurial in his support.  He would tell me to pursue things, and then when I’d get close to succeeding, he would withdraw support.

I’ve come close to accomplishing getting trees planted at Manchester and Western, but I had to resign from the board in order to make that progress.  Even after my resignation, however, I was still consulting him, because in order to pay for the maintenance of the trees, I’d need Neighborhood Council funds.  On the Friday prior to his arrest, I emailed him to let him know that things were finally happening and I was ready to appeal to the board to allocate the funds to pay a nonprofit for the maintenance of the trees.  His first response was, “Can we pick the nonprofit.”  There was no congratulations.  No acknowledgement of his former stance of being in support of this effort.  Later in the weekend he expressed concern for what he believed would be a 5 year commitment and said that the board would not be behind that.  The commitment is actually only for 2 years and he answered for the board without asking them.  The Neighborhood Council now received $45,000 per year (down from $50,000) for community enhancement.  James has, for the past several years, committed $10,000 a year to a neighborhood jazz festival.  Just weeks ago he signed off on approval of those funds without the participation of the entire board.  This led to the resignation of the treasurer.   Astounding that he would speak for the whole board, telling me that they would not agree to the tree maintenance when he didn’t even know how long the commitment was for and he didn’t know what the cost would be.  It would be significantly less than the yearly jazz festival expense.

One of the things that I’d tried to do for the community while on the board, was bring a screening of a documentary film called “The Pact,”  to our youth.  The film was directed by a colleague of mine, Andrea Kalin, and it’s based on a book with the same title.  It’s about 3 men who grew up in poverty in Newark, New Jersey, who made a pact to support one another in to do well in high school, get into college and to go on to medical school and ultimately become doctors.  They succeeded and now they spend some of their time motivating kids to pursue education as a way out of poverty rather than putting their dreams in becoming rappers or professional ball players.

Because I knew the director and producer of the film, I was able to contact her directly and ask about how we could bring a screening here.  James acted like he was eager to do it.  He gave me dates and asked me to make the arrangements.  I did.  He changed the dates without telling me, and didn’t follow through on the new dates he’d chosen.  After he asked me to forward the contract from Andrea Kalin’s office, he never followed through.  He sabotaged my efforts and compromised my relationship with a valued colleague.  We never got the screening.  It would have cost less than $2,000 to do it and I believe it would have been a blessing to South LA teens, but it was not to be.

I’m sad for James.  I don’t know what took place in his mind and heart to cause him to make such bad choices, to steal from the community that depended on him, believed in him and admired him.    I’m angry and disappointed.   I won’t remain angry for long, though, because that won’t benefit me or anyone else.  Not sure I can recover as quickly from being disappointed, but I will not remain in judgement despite feeling so let down.  Human beings are complicated and imperfect and if they could do better, they would.  It’s taken me years to recover from refusing to forgive the past, so rather than hold onto my anger I will try to find compassion.

I believe that somehow things are always progressing for the good, even when that appears not to be the case.  Sometimes, there’s destruction, but when we look back, years later, at the terrible thing that took place, we can find value in them because they led to new beginnings.   Sometimes things get so bad that they must completely fall apart before we can rebuild.   Here’s hoping my community mourns its loss and recovers, and that our next incarnation is better than the last.