CommentsSKID ROW-Little Tokyo (north side) and Skid Row (south side) are neighbors on opposite sides of 3rd Street in Downtown Los Angeles. The recent election to decide on the creation of a Skid Row Neighborhood Council (SRNC) is mostly known as a battle between Skid Row and the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council. What is not well known is that Little Tokyo was the deciding factor in that election. Over 1600 people voted in this extremely close election, yet it was decided only by a 60 vote margin – it was the Little Tokyo votes that made the difference. Hundreds of LT voters went to pop-up polls or voted online. If Little Tokyo had supported Skid Row, the outcome of the election would have been completely different.
In Skid Row’s pre-election straw polls, it appeared to be close between Skid Row and the rest of Downtown voters, but it was clear that Little Tokyo would provide the deciding votes. Skid Row and Little Tokyo have been allies in recent years due to strong common denominators. An alliance to support Skid Row in this subdivision election seemed like a natural fit.
For example, in 2010, with then-City Councilwoman Jan Perry representing both Little Tokyo and Skid Row, the “Downtowners of Distinction” award-winning Skid Row 3on3 Streetball League publicly supported the Little Tokyo Service Center-led (LTSC) Budokan of Los Angeles recreation center project (which features indoor basketball courts among its amenities.) A front page photo that ran in Rafu Shimpo, the largest Japanese American daily newspaper in the United States, featured this alliance.
In 2011, a Skid Row delegation stood in solidarity with Little Tokyo in City Hall and spoke in support of the Budokan project. This led to the City Council approving a “ground lease” for the project to begin. In 2012, Skid Row was invited by LTSC to join them in speaking to the Prop K RVNOC committee during a site visit in which millions of dollars in grant funding was on the line; a successful “community partnership” helped to financially launch the project. Also, in 2015, Skid Row spoke to several departments in City Hall (Planning, Public Works, CD14, Mayor, LAPD) voicing its support for a crosswalk to be installed on 3rd and Omar streets, connecting the two communities.
In 2016, when the Skid Row NC-Forming Committee turned in its subdivision application, it offered the borders of 3rd street to the north, 7th street to the south, Main street to the West and Alameda street to the east, the commonly-known borders of Skid Row. What wasn’t realized was that five blocks of Skid Row had become a part of the Historic Cultural Neighborhood Council under Little Tokyo’s control. This happened in 2002 as the HCNC was forming and Skid Row’s then-leadership wasn’t aware of such land grab effort. When DONE pointed out the border concern to SRNC-FC, it was discovered that all of the HCNC (including Arts District, Chinatown and others) were eligible to vote in the Skid Row NC subdivision election.
Skid Row relied on its already established alliances with its neighbors to the north and east and continuously attended community meetings in both Little Tokyo and Arts District to keep everyone informed with the latest updates.
When DONE mentioned the possibility of “Overlap Zones” applying to subdivision applicants, Skid Row was happy because there was no intention to have border fights in this process. The creation of Overlap Zones would have avoided any potential concerns and would have ensured even more support for an SRNC among “border residents/businesses/communities.” But when the City changed its position and went completely away from Overlay Zones, instead of being angry with City Hall, Little Tokyo was upset with Skid Row as if Skid Row did something wrong.
Suddenly, Little Tokyo turned cold on Skid Row and over time became louder about their concerns, often implying that the SRNC-FC Chair lied and kept them in the dark about what was going on. But it was the SRNCFC Chair who set a meeting between DONE, Little Tokyo and Skid Row where LT heard firsthand how DONE was inconclusive in their statements regarding Overlay Zones in the subdivision process until extremely late in this process. After that meeting, Little Tokyo’s supportive energy for Skid Row changed and has been negative ever since.
Alan Kumamoto, Little Tokyo community leader, member of the Little Tokyo Community Council and Chair of the Historic Cultural Neighborhood Council was quoted in this week’s LA Downtown News, saying his “group did not oppose the idea of a Skid Row NC.” But they did just that.
After giving the SRNC-FC a letter of support in 2016, the Little Tokyo caucus of the HCNC insisted their board take another vote while now speaking strongly against the Skid Row NC effort. Other caucuses within the HCNC were confused and requested clarification. Little Tokyo urged for a vote right then, citing the threat of the possibility of not having a quorum at their next meeting. HCNC member and Little Tokyo caucus leader Ron Fong spoke negatively of Skid Row to his fellow HCNC board members immediately prior to the vote, implying there was a lack of trust in the information the SRNC-FC Chair was providing. The HCNC reluctantly voted against Skid Row at the urging of Little Tokyo.
It was later learned that Fong spoke at other community meetings and used even stronger negative language against the SRNC-FC Chair, making unconfirmed accusations that were unchallenged and unsubstantiated. Yet, no one confronted Fong about his seemingly devious intentions to taint and derail the Skid Row effort.
One would think that history would have reminded Little Tokyo of what was at stake. In 1942, when President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, well over 100,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps. These camps are defined as prisons or other kinds of detention. Stories abound about how these victims lived in inhumane conditions. Today, many in Skid Row also live in inhumane conditions. While not held against their will, Skid Row residents exist in what is commonly known as “the homeless capitol of America.” It is a place where deplorable conditions bring disease and death in a “containment zone” created by local government – all similar to what Japanese Americans suffered in U.S. internment camps.
When the SRNC-FC provided updates at numerous community meetings in Little Tokyo, the focus of Little Tokyo was on “their” five blocks. Are five blocks more important than the other 45 blocks that the City of Los Angeles legally defines as Skid Row?
Questions are now aplenty: What are Little Tokyo’s plans to address homelessness and Skid Row?
Is expanding their southern boundary from 3rd street to 4th street their only concern regarding the area within Skid Row’s borders?
If Little Tokyo turned its back on Skid Row in the middle of such an important election, why would Skid Row trust anything Little Tokyo says moving forward?
Skid Row has done more than just show token support for Little Tokyo. Skid Row has fought in City Hall for Little Tokyo. The ultimate question has now become: what has Little Tokyo ever done for Skid Row?
(General Jeff … Jeff Page … is a homelessness activist and leader in Downtown Los Angeles. Jeff’s views are his own.) Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
-cw
Tags: General Jeff, Jeff Page, Skid Row, Skid Row Neighborhood Council Formation Committee, Little Tokyo, Little Tokyo NC, Historic Cultural NC, DONE, NC subdivision election, Neighborhood Council System, DTLA NC
