[dropcap size=big]A[/dropcap] small-framed black Cuban man is pedaling a red rickshaw bumping Vicente Fernández with a little brown dog in tow on a scorching hot Friday afternoon. There is a group of norteño busking musicians leaving the seaside deck they grew up on. From a table covered in white cloth and adorned with empty wine glasses, a lone woman sits with a view of a massive red-and-black barge the size of a football field — and one last frosty glass of 805.
These are just a few of the not-so-subtle reminders that the Ports O’Call Village in San Pedro is more than simply a Los Angeles landmark facing redevelopment.
The waterfront dining attraction is also a story about the fabric of Los Angeles. The South Bay neighborhood’s former prime jewel is woven together by working-class Latinos, Asians, African Americans and Anglos, a commercial community meant to provide an under-sung home for quality food and entertainment for generations of Southern Californians.
Sadly, it’s a story that is slated soon to end, with at least 100 people losing their jobs, according to Wyatt Wilson, the Ports O’Call restaurant manager and co-owner.