The Highly Contentious Echo Park Fence Is Coming Down, What Happens Next?
Soto-Martínez made an official announcement Thursday that his office is in the process of taking down the fence, but he wants to make sure the city can help anybody who might try to camp at the park once the fence is gone. "We don't want to rush it," he said. "We want to make sure that we have all the resources, the service providers, the outreach workers lined up and ready to go before finalizing the exact date." Mitch O'Farrell, Soto-Martínez's predecessor, put up the fence almost two years ago after clearing a large encampment of unhoused people that settled in the park early in the pandemic. At that time, the LAPD arrested around 180 people who protested the encampment's removal. Since then, unknown groups of people have torn down parts of the fence twice. The most recent instance was on Monday.
With files from LAist. Read the full story here.
The Christopher Dorner Manhunt Raised All Kinds Of Questions 10 Years Ago. How Have Things Changed?
It’s been years since the community rattling manhunt of former LAPD officer Christopher Dorner. The disgraced patrol officer released an alarming terrorist threat targeting specific people, including other members of the LAPD and their families. He claimed he was fired in retaliation for reporting excessive force. He committed a series of shootings across Southern California, killing four people and wounding others, and was eventually killed during a standoff with San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputies. The situation was complicated and raised a number of questions like how mental health is handled in the LAPD, how media coverage can impact manhunt type situations, how racial bias is portrayed in media coverage. Today we reflect on the event and look into how things have evolved since. Joining guest host Austin Cross is Frank Stoltze, KPCC/LAist civics and democracy correspondent, Jody Armour, professor of law at USC, and Connie Rice, civil rights attorney, former member of the President’s Taskforce on 21st Century Policing and former trustee of SCPR.
What Will Our Future Selves Cringe At?
You know the feeling. Your eyes close, your face crumples, and your body physically recoils. You’re overwhelmed with cringe – rethinking something you did, or wore, or argued about ten years ago. From old TV shows to embarrassing fashion trends, we outgrow the things once deserving of the esteemed title of “cool.” For the most part, cringing at our younger selves is inevitable. After all, we didn’t know any better. Or did we? Today on AirTalk, we want to hear your predictions for what our future selves will cringe about. Joining us today is Melissa Dahl, executive director of health and wellness at Bustle Digital Group and author of the book ‘Cringeworthy: A Theory of Awkwardness.’
This Weekend, Los Angeles Remembers P-22, An Icon Of Nature’s Beauty And Perseverance
This weekend, Southern California celebrates the life of P-22, the charismatic mountain lion who became a symbol of the beauty and perseverance of Southern California's natural world, and the fight to preserve it. Saturday, we'll hear musical guests and the stories of how P-22 connected so many people as thousands will be gathering at the Greek Theatre Saturday to pay tribute. If you can't make it in person, we'll be broadcasting the event live right here on KPCC, and today on AirtTalk, our Weekend Edition Host Julia Paskin is with us for a sneak peek.
FilmWeek: ‘Knock At The Cabin,’ ‘80 For Brady,’ ‘Baby Ruby’ And More
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Christy Lemire, Peter Rainer and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases on streaming and on demand platforms.
- “Knock At The Cabin,” Wide Release
- “80 For Brady,” Wide Release
- “Sword Art Online-Progressive: Scherzo Of Deep Night,” Wide Release
- “The Blind Man Who Did Not Want To See Titanic,” Regal Sherman Oaks Galleria
- “Bill Russell: Legend,” Streaming on Netflix Feb. 8
- “The Civil Dead,” Alamo Drafthouse [DTLA]; Available On Demand February 17
- “Facing The Laughter: Minnie Pearl,” At Select AMC & Regal Theaters Feb. 6
- “Let It Be Morning,” Laemmle Royal [West LA]
- “Baby Ruby,” In Select Theaters; Available to Stream
- “The Amazing Maurice,” Wide Release
Larry Mantle’s Conversation With Author Bruce Davis
The Academy Awards never fail to bring spectacle and criticism to the world of film each year. Yet, despite its prestige and near-fanatic attention, the organization behind the awards has never produced a thorough account of its origins and early development. In his new book “The Academy and the Award: The Coming of Age of Oscar and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences” (Brandeis University Press, 2022), Bruce Davis details the Academy’s birth and maturation to become the Hollywood staple we know today. Larry Mantle speaks with Davis, who served as director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for 20 years and as a staff member for 30, to discuss Davis’ book as a critical piece of filmmaking history.