[dropcap size=big]L[/dropcap]os Angeles based artist Ralph Ziman – aka Afrika 47 – has a new exhibit at The Rendon Gallery in the Arts District. L.A. Taco attended the opening of the exhibit called The Casspir Project, which features work inspired by Ziman's childhood in Johannesburg. Ziman's works draw from experiences growing up in post-Apartheid South Africa and "addresses human rights issues such as apartheid, the over-militarization of police, and state violence."
'The centerpiece of the exhibit is a massive Casspir military vehicle that Ziman has transformed into a work of art. During the Apartheid era, Casspirs were used weapons of terror, often used against civilians. Widely despised and feared, they became synonymous with violence, police intimidation, and institutional oppression. Post-Apartheid, many Casspirs were decommissioned, their hulls left to rust, a relic of the past better forgotten. Others were sold to the United States during the Iraq war years, and later, to local police forces.'
Senator Perez today introduced SB 995, the Masuma Khan Justice Act, designed to strengthen state oversight of detention centers by allowing state agencies to inspect facilities, instituting fines of $25k per day, and revoking licenses of private detention facilities when they fail to meet health and safety standards.
LAPD arrested at least two teenagers protesting ICE raids in Los Angeles yesterday. They were also seen corresponding with ICE agents on Alameda Street during the demonstrations.
“For 280 days we haven’t eaten a single piece of fruit, banana, apple, orange, or anything fresh," an Otay Mesa captive communicated through handwritten note. "We are all in one big room with no doors or windows. We can’t see any grass or trees. We are all constantly sick."
A day in the life of Immortals Lion Dance in L.A.’s Chinatown, where generations of dancers—some in their 70s—perform at parades, weddings, and on-screen in films.
LAPD Chief McDonnell is laughed at by attendees at the L.A. Police Commission while L.A. City council member, Hugo Martinez, leads a rebuke in the L.A. city council meeting against McDonnell's refusal to enforce the new state laws against agents and law enforcement wearing masks. Meanwhile, ICE continues to operate while CBP is missing.
