Central City East/Skid Row Heights : Downtown Los Angeles

5.8 hits today in Chino Hills. 8 miles below the surface. It was felt all over the place here in Los Angeles. This little building felt like it wanted to twist apart. We made it !!! IT wasn't the big one!!!! I haven't felt any of the aftershocks.

Who would have known that I would now have a skill that gives me the title of Web Developer. I work on the front end and the back end. I had to change some things on my test site as someone found a vulnerability and vandalized it. Whoever it was failed to realize it was just a test site , so whoever it was, thank you for testing the site's vulnerabilities. Thanks to you I was able to reconfigure the permissions to the site and now let's see you get in this time? If you do , then I can see how these vulnerabilities can be ameliorated. I think I have solved the problem. So far so good. Because of you I was able to change the permissions in the other sites I have built. Thank yo whoever you are.

Tomorrow I see the doctor and make an appointment to do a sleep study. Get to see the doc. I love my new doc. She is a woman. So here we go. Pretty good day today overall , but, again there is a but..I spoke with a young lady who lives in a loft who has been very bitter with me. I know I shouldn't be doing it , but I have been telling people of my new found success just to see their reaction. For the most part it has been sort of what I have expected: flippant yeah, whatever, sure, keep dreaming etc. I was never envious of those who had wealth or were making a living and were comforatable , and I am glad I never had that sort of attitude. I think I am in a more dangerous position and situation than ever before. Moving from skid row to a place others , even those in the historic core can only dream of,doesn't make people happy. It is sad really. I was only sad in my situation in skid row because of the suffering around me. I have always been somewhat happy in my economic ...

Tomorrow I see the doctor and make an appointment to do a sleep study.

In skid row the disability community is ignored. This new adventure I am embarking onT involves the disability community. That is all I can say. The importance of what I am about to do will be revealed in due time. It has been a surprise to me. wow!!! Despair had overcome me earlier this month. Now there is a new found anxiety filled with expectation of the ride I am about to embark on. This blog may soon end. A new blog will begin because there will be many days full of travel to places all over the world . Will I remember skid row? What will happen to skid row once I am gone? Living in the burbs, having more than one house in different parts of the country.

I woke up many times last night in pain while I slept. Not only did I wake up I would yell out and moan in pain, this has actually been the worst. Who would think that just going to the east side to meet with people to discuss business would cause my body such pain. In reality I already know what the problem is the temperature differences that are happening between the day time and the evenings. My muscles and their nerves can not handle the differential. I am still going to push forward with my new found career. My goal is, when this illness takes it's toll on my life , I will have been self-reliant in society. This is what I have been searching for. Because of the fatigue and the wasting of the myelin of my nerves I can not work for anyone else , but I have found something that will allow me to work for myself. This way if I get fatigued I just take a nap instead of sleeping for 12-24 hours straight because my body got tired doing physical labor. I just have to keep moving forwar...

Tenants at the Southern Hotel Finally fess up and claim that it was Curtis Price's decision to lock the door and turn off the air conditioner to get even with one of the tenants here at the Southern Hotel during the end of summer heat wave last year. Curtis was a senior manager and senior to Teresa Cooper at the time. What happened was an older tenant had called Teresa Cooper all kinds of names at night while he and others were watching television late at night. A tenant, who is no longer residing here, complained about the noise level , when another tenant was confronted by the security guard and the manager, he began to let them know that he had a right to be in the lobby. The door was open because the air conditioner was turned off. After he confronted the manager and the security guard, both women, cursing them out, then things began to happen. The next day, Curtis Price, in order impress the women , had the security guard lock the door at 10 pm. Not only did he do this to imp...

I had a problem with the java script in one of my websites. It turned out there wasn't a problem , but it was the way that the laptop computer was configured. It worked out well. Now I can move on to what I need to do.

I am now in the process of starting a business collaboration in the disability community to begin the process of helping those , like myself , who can't work for others but can work from home. With just the basics of what I have learned thus far with the frameworks I am using for web building with open source technology I am about to move onto a step that will be amazing. I will be creating a business model that will help people get jobs and work from home. I have a huge space on the West Side of Downtown that is being donated to begin the process. Two stories and recently renovated. WOW!!!! Who would have thought that my success would lead to this. There is more to life than just those downtown who have continually pushed us here down. And have tried to keep us down. What matters is that the fight continues for the rest of us to be able to be very good contributors to society.

Before Senator John Edwards arrived at the Yankee Hotel and Antonio Villaraigosa, SRO Housing Corporation employees began to arrive. Most of them are employees who live in SRO Housing Corporation Hotels. But the way the production played out was that Teresa Cooper was going to be a spokesperson, she lives in this hotel. I have got to hand it to her though, being a junior employee at SRO Housing Corporation , she does live in cramped quarters with her probably now 20 year old son. One thing that was not mentioned was that her son is also now a new employee at SRO Housing Corporation. These not for profits always have their interviews done by their employees without the real tenants allowed to speak. The mainstream press falls for this all of the time and the main stream press is probably kicking themselves now because they present a skewed and corporate line type of news. This is why the newspapers are dying. People say it is because of the internet. My opinion is the press doesn...

Theresa Cooper was a new manager when tragedy struck the end of last summer. The property manager was in Hawaii on vacation and had left his two assistant managers in charge. One person died at the Brownstone Hotel as a result of the heatwave and many in this building were on the brink of death as the manager who was senior to Theresa Cooper had her lock, at night , the only air conditioned space in the building , as well as having the air conditioning turned off in that lobby of this hotel. Needless to say, that no one was held accountable for this. But yesterday, Theresa Coopers stood with Antonio Villaraigosa and John Edwards to speak on behalf of a group of people that have been ignored on skid row for many years , until the Union Rescue Mission worked to bring Hope Garden's , this group being women with children and women period. It is good to know that my manager, who took it upon herself earlier this summer, when we had the small heatwave, to do education in this buil...

The Mayor is still with Us. He was here today in the heart of skid row at the Yankee Hotel, which is low income housing operated by Single Room Occupancy Housing Corporation , to announce, along side Senator John Edwards, the 100 million dollar New Generation Fund. Although the wording is , affordable , General Jeff was there to make sure that our concerns in skid row about low income housing was heard. At the bottom of the clip of the press release, below , you do read that low income and moderate income residents of Los Angele are included in this new effort. This mayor continues to create more opportunities for people to be in housing. He is making it very easy for people like me to vote for him next year. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joined, by Senator John Edwards, Enterprise Community Partners President Doris Koo and Yankee Apartment residents, will hold a press conference to announce the creation of the New Generation Fund, a $100 million addition to the City*s affordable...

I can't wait to move away from here and then we will surprise downtown. Then I can sing this to you. Then we can work on the other issue. The part I was hoping , that will come, because I have an income so I don't have to have welfare babies. I never saw myself getting to this point. Then we can move to our ranch in Texas. Then we will be living together forever.

Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet. After attending the Latino Congresso last night, I was able to come away with help to get the equipment and the support of a certain group and person who will help get the things needed for operation face lift to continue to clean the streets of skid row. It is tough to work with a person who constantly attacks you all over the place , yet they want your support or you have supported them in their endeavors in the past and continue to do what it is you have committed to to help them. Instead you get cussed out and sent nasty e-mails from them.. But I understand that these people can be so ungrateful. Sometimes people who have been dependent on the system feel that they are entitled to everything and anything. SO they lash out when they feel that they don't get what they feel they are entitled to. Some folks just do not have a decent work ethic.

Seattle is scuttling it's automated public toilets. Apparently they couldn't put the advertising on them so that they city did not have to pay the costs of maintenance. Lance Oishi , the toilet prince of Los Angeles , ( 0 nly because Jeff Catalano of Jan Perry's office is the toilet king) says that the only problem that Los Angeles is having is the problem of : But opposition to advertising is hampering the effort in Los Angeles. In 2002, the city gave CBS Outdoor and JCDecaux a contract to sell advertisements on bus shelters, kiosks and newsstands in exchange for 150 automated toilets. Thirteen are operational so far, with two more coming this fall, said Lance Oishi , who leads the project for the city. Six of the units are downtown near Skid Row, but others sit near transit stations or shopping areas, Mr. Oishi said, and, contrary to Seattle’s experience, all 13 have remained clean and largely crime free. Neighborhood groups are blocking construction of new structure...

Rory White spoke on behalf of his long ago friend Susan Atkins, a follower of Charles MAnson, so that she could get compassionate release from prison because she is in her last days suffering with brain cancer. Rory White, a self-described artist and educator who works with clients in the Skid Row section of Los Angeles, told the board he knew Atkins back when she was running with the Manson gang. "She was very intelligent," White said. "She had this compassionate side. But it would flip into this very clear cult-like, kind of zombie-like, robot-like state." Rory White works with the LAMP art project in skid row.

I just got a forwarded e-mail . It was General Jeff thanking the people at DWP for replacing the pipes for the water fountain at Gladys Park. Teh work will be done in Septmeber Once again General Jeff and Issues and Solutions have been involved in solutions not just whining complaining and griping that they are entitled , but actually working to find common ground solutions to the problems in skid row. Congratulations General Jeff on your fine representation of the people in skid row. You are the epitome of what all is good in the community.

Green cargo strap between me and my gun, the truck and gun bounce up and down artillery goes rolling along, all is quiet , everyone holding on for dear life, bounce bounce bounce as the wheels go round and round, up and down. Truck drops and we fly up, Egg out of crate. "Where is the willie pete?" loud like a banshee is heard, "Where is he?" Again the banshee screams , "It is on his knees." Willie Pete on my knees , could open up and melt my feet. Saved the day , or rather night. Few days later twilight bright, as Iraqis die from willie pete

I had another breakthrough tonite and that is a sign that I am well on my way to acheiving my goals for the next year. It looks like I may well be on the road to independence and self-reliance in such a fashion that I will be very comfortable. I will be so busy the next couple of months and the next year that I may not be found. But such is life. I have to put some things in order and then I can move on.... Financial independence is what I can now have. I will have to work through the pain and the stiffness. Latley, the spasticity has seen fit to give me troubles. I am so fatigued. It is just amazing that I may have found something that will bring me some dignity in my life and my body decides to start giving me troubles. WHo cares. I am going to make that sprint to the finish line. HA!! HA !!! TO those who doubted me.

Business is going to expound exponentially by the end of the year. I have found the perfect niche for my new endeavor. I have really been thinking a lot about where I will live. My business would have to be run out of a live work loft and I have thought many times that Tom Gilmorés buildings might be the place to move into. Having had certain experiences at Banquette I have deciced against the Hellman , the San Fernando , and the Continental. Not to say that the Rowan might noit be the place for me , once that is finished , but everytime I think of the way I was treated at Banquette Considering that certain people reside in the Rossylyn Lofts, those lofts are also not for me.

Remember what I said about how you can compare skid row and it's ability to stay skid row with a structure that uses the physical engineering properties of tension and compression- the physics of skid row? Well, the structure has now begun to show cracks and is vulnerable to corrosion. I said previously in another post that in order to end skid row as we know it, was from within. Well, the new Green Apple Market on the corner of 5th street and Wall Street is now a force that is going to weaken the structural integrity of skid row. The Green Apple Market has items that are sold in skid row at the other corner markets at higher cost and Green Apple Market is selling or going to be selling healthy foods at a cost lower than the corner markets in skid row , or non-existent products. A can of chili cost 2.99 at the other markets. Whereas , a can of chili costs 1.50 at Green apple market. They even have the huge can's of chili for that price.. 3 bag box of pop weaver popcorn costs ...