First-Person: The Tale of Two Protests|Watching a Peaceful Rally at Crenshaw Turn Into a Riot

Leimert Park Rally in wake of George Zimmerman verdict July 16, 2013  nozizwe copyright 2013

Leimert Park protest July 16 2013

Tale of two protests

The network morning shows led  today with coverage of the violent protests in Los Angeles in the wake of the George Zimmerman verdict.

The rally I went to last night in the exact same spot was peaceful. Sadly, nobody got a chance to see that part of the story today. So this blog post, my tale of two protests, is my small way of shining a light on what I saw. Words and pictures for now. Video later.

I ended up at Leimert Park Plaza after watching continuous coverage of protests in Tahrir Square and Nasr City over a”coup d’etat” and protests in this country over the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial. I decided to take myself along with my new camera to the rally held Monday, July 16,2013, in LA’s Crenshaw District.

In my mind, this is how America works. First law and order. And those who disagree with the outcome have  the option of expressing themselves via freedom of speech.

I arrived just after 6 p.m. and really didn’t know what to expect. While I have covered rallies as a journalist in my day, I never reported on a protest anything that evoked so much passion.

As I crossed the street to the park, one LAPD police car drove by and didn’t even seem to even glance at the group of protesters. And for the next two hours, I only saw a nominal police presence.

Mother with sign at Leimert Park Rally Jul 16, 2013

In the crowd

An organizer on the corner led a small group in a series of chants, including “No justice no peace.”

I counted black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Arab, men, women and children among the group.

Also in the crowd were protesters wearing the familiar Guy Fawkes mask which has become synonymous with Anonymous and featured at protests everywhere, from England to Egypt.

The chants on the corner were punctuated by honking motorists who showed their solidarity with the rally as they drove by.

One that I noticed that the placards were mostly homemade, in contrast to the mostly printed ones at the DOMA/Prop 8 rally that celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision.

I counted at least a dozen live news trucks and spotted at least one radio reporter.

There were also dozens of still photographers, pros and amateurs who snapped through the crowd.

More than once, I would ask a protester to take his or her photograph, only to have another photographer piggy back on my shot.

So many people circled the stage that I stayed on the fringes. That was fine because I find things more interesting that way. Plus, I didn’t have to fight with the sound system as I asked folks in the crowd for interviews.

Rhapsody and the Communist who had to leave

At least half a dozen folks were selling Trayvon Martin t-shirts. One artist was spray painting the t-shirts and creating them on order.

The only conflict I saw in the crowd was when a man began distributing Communist literature.

One very vocal protester told him,”Today is not about Communists. You have to leave.”

That was the last I saw of the Communist.

I did find, singer and activist who called herself Rhapsody. She told me she used her own money to buy a duffle bag of the Fawkes masks so she could give them away to fellow protesters.

The crowd was very chill, to the point that you saw families with young children dancing together and I even spotted a baby sleeping in the arms of a father.

Right Place, Wrong Time
The oddest moment for me was when organizers started playing Dr. John’s song,“Right Place, Wrong Time.”

The lyrics includes the words,
“I been in the wrong place
But it must have been the right time”

An organizer called for the protesters to start walking around the perimeter of the park.

This was a couple of hours in and I thought to myself, it’s time to bounce.

Mother and daughter who attended rally at Leimert Park July 16, 2013

From rally to riot

As I left, I captured a shot of a young man who  suddenly broke from his friends and started waving his sign as he danced in the middle of the very busy intersection of Vernon Ave and Crenshaw Blvd.

His friends laughed. I was scared for him because he clearly didn’t care if the light was green or red.

Moments later there was a trickle and then a tsunami of protesters who started heading south, smack dab in the middle of Crenshaw Blvd.

Then I started to see a police presence, as it should be.

Now I was conflicted. Go home? Or take more video and photos?

I knew things were going to heat up.

I stayed, but kept shooting from a distance.

One protester, who carried a sign that said, “God is the final judge,” started marching south on Crenshaw, on the sidewalk. And then suddenly she turned around.

I asked if I could take her photo. As she posed, I asked why she had stopped going forward.

“They just showed up,” she told me regarding the group walking in the middle of the street. She decided to stay with the original group at the park.

When we returned , protesters were marching around the park’s edges in a manner I could only describe as orderly.

One organizer told them, “We’re not here to go crazy. Let’s keep it organized.”

Moments later, I left that peaceful demonstration.

By the time I got home the it had morphed into a violent one.

By the time I got home, LAPD, Crenshaw and Leimert Park were all trending on Twitter.

By the time I got home, the rally I left was now called a riot.

The LA Times reports that a KCBS/KCAL reporter and a news photographer were injured and at least 13 people were arrested.

#taleoftwoprotests

Star in Your Life Craft Services: Super Simple Vegan Ginger Carrot Soup

Bugs Bunny and I have a lot in common and it’s not just the overbite and love of puns. I like carrots.
They are inexpensive, even the organic variety. They have fiber. And if you ever want to bring color to your plate, this would be the go to vegetable.I was raised vegetarian and to this day I am quite comfy going vegan, especially when it’s delicious.  The ginger gives the soup a kick. The cumin provides a bit of smokiness. The soy milk makes it creamy. All you have to do is make it. It’s so simple that you don’t need the luck of a rabbit’s foot to do a good job making  this recipe.

Hare, hare.

Ingredients
4 C of water

4 chopped carrots

1 garlic shredded garlic clove

1″ piece of fresh ginger

1/2  t ground cumin

1/2 t cinnamon

1 C soy milk

4 springs of parsley

Making It:

1. Add water, salt, carrots, garlic clove and ginger to pot
2. Boil carrots until tender
3. Add cumin, cinnamon and soy milk and let the mixture simmer for an additional minute
4. Toss out the ginger and then pour the fragrant mixture into food processor  or use immersion blender to whir it up until the mixture is smooth.
5. Add parsley for garnish. You can also decorate the top of the soup with chives, rosemary, sage or thyme.
6. You can also sub almond milk, which I love, for the soy. You’ll just have to contend with more calories.

Makes 4 servings

63 calories per serving

This recipe is:
Cholesterol free
Low in saturated fat
High in dietary fiber
Very high in manganese
High in magnesium
High in potassium
Very high in vitamin A
High in vitamin B 6
High in vitamin C

Need I say more?

Shine on.

Quote of the Week: Shonda Rhimes

Shonda Rhimes: Lena Nozizwe’s Starring in Your Own Life

Unraveling The Mystery of Amy’s Baking Company: Did She Bake The Cake?

A lot of secrets are  coming out about Amy Bouzaglo,, as in Amy’s Baking Company, after the airing of the episode  of “Kitchen Nightmares” that featured the Scottsdale, AZ, restaurant.

There is the felony record.

The purloined photos.

Will I have one for you. I  strongly suspect  Amy did not bake the pastries featured on the show.

And here’s why.

• It takes a lot of technical skill to be a pastry chef. A lot. Amy has difficulty serving a pizza without the dough being raw.

• I don’t see her getting up at 4.a.m. every morning, the time bakers usually get to work, to make the goodies that were featured on the episode. That’s especially considering that both she and her husband take off days and close the place down at will. That’s incongruous with the discipline it takes to be a baker.

• It could have been just the way the segment was shot, but I did not see any evidence of any of the utensils and equipment it takes to bake on the scale that was showcased on the show.

• She would post photos of what she makes. I routinely post photos of the things I make. I have seen some of the photos “borrowed” without my knowledge and I’m just a blogger/author/broadcaster. You best believe if I had a restaurant I would be posting the food I made, and not featuring pix from websites as varied as Livestrong’s and Martha Stewart’s.

That, I suspect, is why Amy has been so sensitive.

If I am wrong Amy, and it’s okay if you call me a moron, I dare you to bake, on camera, something for Gordon.

Just leave out the arsenic.

Mom, Me-tm: An Enduring Love Story

Reviewing all the pix I have of my mother reminds me of all the happy times we shared.
We first met in a room in Malawi, Africa. There was a midwife in that room, along with a chair with a hole in the middle of it. That’s about it, which was a bit of a problem because my umbilical cord was tied twice around my neck. The midwife handled it, but then there was another problem. I didn’t cry. They had to splash me with cold water to get a reaction My brothers might say that after that I never shut up.. So it began, a mother and daughter love story. My mother has always been my inspiration–from orphan to Ph.D. and bestselling author and popular speaker. She is even more inspiring in private.

If I had gone to a mom store to pick out a mom, I could not have done better. She tells me when I am wrong and applauds me when I get it right. We always talk, whether I’m calling her from Paris or Portland, New York or Nairobi, Dublin or Des Moines–I always look forward to our conversations.

Life has it’s challenges. Life has it’s ups and downs. Life has it’s uncertainties. Not when it comes to Mom.  Thank you for everything Mother. Loves ya.

Quote of the Week: Coco Chanel

Hard times arouse an instinctive drive for authenticity.

Try Something New Thursday

Aubergine has never had it so good.

I don’t know it all, although my brothers might say that I think otherwise.

Truth be told, I love to learn. Guess that’s a by-product of being the progeny of educators.

There were always books around the house. When those ran out, it was off to the library.

Now it’s a matter of taking an on ramp to the information highway.

My learning is not arm chair. Every week I learn and do something new. In recent weeks that has included learning how to make sourdough bread.

And just this week, I thought to myself, why can’t I make a meatball from eggplant?  Score. And I also picked up some new beauty tips this week that will profoundly change how I put myself together.

So why don’t you vow to try something new this week. And why would you want to do that?

• It builds confidence. Do one thing well, it will propel you to try something else. My success with making sourdough was the gateway for me to make the best 100% whole wheat bread of my life.
• It relieves boredom. Do you really want to do the same thing over and over and over again without trying something new? Technology changes. Ditto your abilities and your determination.
• It provides you with a new interest. There are whole groups devoted to wild yeast, the kind you capture when you make sourdough. I would never have been aware of that subculture, had it not been for my new food fancy.
• You may find that the old way you have been doing things is better than the new. That’s another way to build your confidence.
• If you are cooking something, it will give your something very tasty for dinner.

My Very Own Quote of the Day

 

 

I don’t get the History Channel so I have not been able to see the blockbuster hit, The Bible. No worries. I’ve read the book.

Lena Nozizwe

 

 

 

Try It Tuesday: You Nailed It

Try it Tuesday is all about trying something that won’t cost you more than five bucks and it won’t take your more than 30 minutes to accomplish.

On this Try It Tuesday, I want you to nail it.

Nail art has come a long way from the French nail.

Use your nail bed to bring out your inner Michelangelo.

While I have a few old bottles of Chanel polish, my tips are just as happy with what I have picked up for a dollar. Going cheap will allow you to experiment with colors. Black. Blue. Grey. Metallic. The important thing, if you want the shine to last,  is to use a top coat.

 

1. Try going ombre with your nails. That’s basically a gradient that goes from light to dark.
2. Try an animal print. I free styled mine, but there are plenty of tutorials online.
3. All that glitters may be the glitter that you have in your craft cupboard. Mix the glitter with you clear nail polish.
4.  Paint every nail a different color in the same color family. If you don’t have the colors in on hand, mix the colors you do have. Recycle a plastic container to use as your palette.
5. Try a new shape up your nails. I vote for square. 

 

Shine on!

Nozizwe’s Two-Ingredient Super Stupendous Simple Sriracha Baked Ribs

Talk about juxtaposition. I’m a devoted vegetarian who is cray cray about ribs. You see, I can go months without meat, but fold like origami if a good rib is waved in front of me. The cray began more than a dozen years ago during multiple assignments  all over Texas.

Sure I  have tried ribs in Southern California, mostly in San Diego.  I used to make regular pilgrimages to a place in downtown San Diego that featured a huge mural of the owner. I also favorited a joint  called Huffman’s in  Southeast San Diego. I even ran into Chris Rock at a rib restaurant in Pacific Beach, mid bite.  I don’t remember the name and it was not Tony Roma’s because national chains don’t really count.

For my money the Lone Star State stands alone when it comes to rib deliciousness. Dallas. Houston. El Paso. My first rib  was consumed at a joint in a small town where mama made ribs in the front while baby played in a crib in the back.

 At the top of my yum list is  Ironworks in Austin. In fact my travel routine used to be that before I would even check into a hotel, I headed to Ironworks. The staff there  told me that Jay Leno loved the ribs so much that he had them shipped to Cali on the regular.

But restaurant ribs are expensive. I tried the grocery store versions. Too greasy.

That’s why I tried making my own to satisfying results. No, you don’t get the smoked thing, but they are still smokin’ hot, considering.

In the past I have pan seared the ribs. Smothered the ribs with onions and a cavalcade of spices. The ribs turned out well. But Super Stupendous Simple Sriracha Ribs  have convinced me that the key to flavor is the slow baking of the ribs and smothering them with a powerful sauce. I did say that this recipe was super simple. No fancy ingredients required. The day I made it, there was a request on the table for ribs. I had  sriracha and salt. Frankly was amazed by how well it turned out.

I am sure that purists may not take to my ribs. But then they don’t have to. I have just found this to be an easy way to have ribs at home.

You can scale it up or scale it down. Wanna make two ribs. Just use two pinches of salt and two tablespoons of sriracha. Boom. It’s that easy.

Ingredients:

8 pinches  salt

8 tsp  Sriracha

8 beef ribs

Prep Time: less than 5 minutes Bake Time: 4 hours

1. Pre-heat your oven to 250 degrees
2. Sprinkle each rib with a pinch  of salt. Then rub it in.
3. Slather each rib with one teaspoon of Sriracha
4. Place in baking pan and cover with aluminum foil. Bake, on the rack closest to the middle of the oven,  for three  and a half hours.
5. Bake for an additional half hour uncovered.
6. Boom! Get ready to feast on your very own Super Stupendous Simple Sriracha Ribs

Mayo infused potato salad and sugary beans are frequent rib companions, but since the ribs are decadent enough as it is, I like to pair ribs with healthier fare. There is nothing more delicious than a baked sweet potato. Plain. Steamed brocolli is good too. Remember, I like juxtaposition.

Tell me how yours turned out,

Shine on