DCBID Wants You to Appreciate Taxis

By Eric Richardson — November 07, 2008 — 15 Comments

Ed Fuentes

Downtown's six-month Hail-a-Taxi trial runs through February, but uptake has been slow. It's a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation -- the cabs aren't circling because people aren't out hailing, but how can people expect to hail when the cabs aren't there?

The Downtown Center BID wants to jumpstart the process with a "Taxicab Appreciation Week," to run December 8 - 14. — Continued Inside...

Another Look at Scramble Crossings

By Eric Richardson — November 07, 2008 — 5 Comments

L.A. Times

Modern Mickey Comes to Art Walk

By Pamela Rouse — November 07, 2008 — 2 Comments

Pamela Rouse

The Problem with Marches

By Eric Richardson — November 07, 2007 — 41 Comments

Say you're one of the thousands of drivers in stopped Downtown traffic right now whose evening commute is going to be a half hour or so longer than usual. Say you flip on the radio or finally get home and turn on the TV to find out that your extra drive time was the result of undocumented students marching to get the right to receive financial aid. Are you now going to be a) more sympathetic or b) less sympathetic to their cause?

It's long been my contention that the marches we so often see through Downtown typically do far more harm than good for whatever cause they intend to support. You don't make a lot of friends by messing up people's days.

As for me, I had biked down to USC this afternoon so my trip back into Downtown was great. I really enjoy ducking between lanes of frustrated drivers. Were it up to me the cars would always be stopped, but I recognize that's not good civic policy.

Lights! Camera! Sound! Bullhorns!: WGA Strike hits Historic Core

By Ed Fuentes — November 07, 2007 — 10 Comments

Ed Fuentes

When you heard the WGA planned to have picket lines at film locations, did you wonder whether it would mean GilVille would see some civil unrest?

This morning, 18 writers were on 4th Street, between Spring and Main, disrupting filming for Warner Bros project "Big Shot." The whistles, shouting, and bullhorns were not constant, but timed when strikers heard "rolling", adding to the noise of cars passing by honking horns in support.

It frustrated a below-the-line sound crew member who was trying to lay down a soundtrack, and he shouted at the strikers to be quiet (not in those words). A Teamster, still working the shoot reluctantly, told the sound person to be quiet (not in those words).

One writer, who would only say he is on a top ten comedy show (that's it, tell me the resume but not the name) said they were able to stop filming early this morning for 2 hours. That didn't go over well for a local resident who stuck his head out the window and gave strikers his opinion of the WGA picket line tactics (again, not in those words).

Sad irony is, I heard a film crew member tell another crew member "That picket line is really disrupting the neighborhood."

Update (6pm): Sean Bonner writes about this same scene over at blogging.la. Also, blogdowntown photo pool member archie4oz took some shots, two of which I'm including after the jump. — Continued Inside...

Pan American Lofts Revealed

By Eric Richardson — November 07, 2006 — 6 Comments

Eric Richardson

Breaking: Attempted Armed Robbery at Jewelry Theater Building

By Eric Richardson — November 07, 2005 — 5 Comments

Eric Richardson

I got a flat tire on my way back from USC a little before 2pm, so I was sitting changing it at the corner of Olympic and Figueroa when I saw an LAPD motorcycle officer fly through the intersection up Fig. I continued to hear sirens, and when I was done changing the tire there were multiple LAPD choppers flying over the intersection of 7th and Hill. As you can see in the photo there are a heck of a lot of LAPD cars surrounding the building, and officers in position behind their vehicles.

Oddly, this makes the second time in three days I've seen LAPD officers with guns drawn.

3:08: Now we're on the news. Attempted armed robbery of a shop at the Jewelry Theater Building (a couple doors down the 7th Street side). Two suspects. Shots fired; one suspect dead, one being transported to the hospital. Owner of the shop sustained minor injuries, KCAL9 says gunshot to the hand. Apparently there are bullet holes in windows, but the area was still too blocked off to get a pic of those.

3:23: First online story I've seen is now up at ABC7. It claims the shop owner did the shooting. The LAPD officer I spoke to didn't mention that, but it could be true.

3:34: NBC4 article is up and includes a link to some pictures. I think mine are actually better quality, sad as that is. — Continued Inside...