Traces of Violence in the City of Angels

In this year of racial reckoning, our first Save As interview explores sites of violence against people of color. Recent graduate Jackson Loop talks with producer Willa Seidenberg about the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots, the 1969 police raid on the Black Panthers’ L.A. headquarters, and the 1992 uprising surrounding the vicious beating of Rodney King. Examining sites associated with these events underscores systemic flaws in the current, top-down process of preservation–as well as solutions emerging from the ground up. Why is it important to remember painful history, and how can we do it when the physical presence is erased?

Transcript

Photo of 1992 unrest — 1992 Uprising, South Los Angeles. Photo by Atomic Hot Links on Flickr.

Zoot Riots panel — Zoot Suit Riots panel at the Great Wall of Los Angeles in North Hollywood | Photo by Jackson Loop

Florence and Normandie intersection — The intersection of Florence and Normandie in South Los Angeles is widely cited as the major flashpoint of the 1992 Uprising. It was from this intersection that police retreated as angry crowds became violent following the announcement of the acquittal. Tom’s Liquor, a store at the intersection’s northeast corner, was one of the first businesses looted. It was also here that four men pulled Reginald Denny from his eighteen-wheeler and beat him while a helicopter crew circled above, filming. Fires raged here, burning both buildings and cars. Today, the site is undesignated and as nondescript as the hundreds of other wide intersections that make the grid covering Los Angeles’ flatlands. | Photo by Jackson Loop

Black Panther Mural — The Black Panther Party mural near Leimert Park in South Los Angeles. A 787-foot-long wall stretches along Crenshaw Boulevard between Fiftieth Street and Fifty-Second Street. In 2002, twelve artists created “Our Mighty Contribution,” a collection of murals on Black culture spanning the entire wall. The panels depict historic events and portraits of famous Black historical figures, artists, and athletes. | Photo by Jackson Loop

Jackson Loop and Willa Seidenberg in Studio B of Annenberg Media, January 2020 | Photo by Cindy Olnick

Jackson Loop is a recent graduate of USC’s Master of Heritage Conservation/Urban Planning dual degree program. He was born in upstate New York and grew up in Florida. His research interests include intangible heritage, public history, and the intersection of social justice and heritage conservation. He is currently a scholar-in-residence at The Gamble House in Pasadena, California and works in preservation consulting in Los Angeles.

Our producer Willa Seidenberg interviewed Jackson in early 2020. Not only is she a long-time professor of radio journalism for the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, but she is also earning her Master’s degree in Heritage Conservation.

Podcast breakdown:

- - [04:32] Zoot Suit riots
  - [07:29] Raid on the Black Panther headquarters
  - [11:52] 1992 uprising
  - [13:36] Why recognize these events and sites?
  - [15:55] Los Angeles County Hall of Justice
  - [17:55] Understanding privilege in this research
  - [19:45] Parker Center’s complicated legacy
  - [29:01] Designation tools

Want to know more about some of the ideas and events mentioned in this episode? Check out:

Thesis: “It’s important to remember what started it”: conserving sites and stories of racial violence in Los Angeles, 1943-1992, by Jackson Loop

A People’s Guide to Los Angeles by Wendy Cheng, Laura R. Barraclough, and Laura Pulido

PBS American Experience: Zoot Suit Riots: Los Angeles Erupts in Violence

This 1969 Raid On The Black Panthers’ Headquarters Led To Militarized Policing In America

Lost LA: 1992 and 2020: A Look Back and Ahead in the Country’s Struggle for Justice

Marc Levin’s film adaptation of Anna Deavere Smith’s play “Twilight: Los Angeles”

Los Angeles Conservancy’s advocacy efforts to save Parker Center

International Coalition of Sites of Conscience

Texas Undertold Marker Program

USC Master of Heritage Conservation program

Episode Credits:

We couldn’t do this without our amazing Save As Dream Team – Xiaoling Fang (visiting Urban Light at LACMA), Lindsay Mulcahy (she’s on the right with her classmates Stacy Williams and Rafael Fontes at the Paul R. Williams-designed Founder’s Church), and Julia Ressler (hard at work performing a materials assessment at Topanga Ranch Motel) who offer creative input, advice, perspective, reality checks, and hands-on help to make this episode even possible.

Heritage conservation students — Lindsay Mulcahy (right)

The Save As logo was designed by the talented Fern Vargas – and we are grateful for the support of the Communications team at the USC School of Architecture!

Special thanks to Stephen Conley who wrote our Save As theme music – you can reach him at stephenconleymusic@gmail.com.

And thanks many times over to Tom Davies for his sound engineering and tech support.

Season 1, Episode 2

Traces of Violence in the City of Angels

Podcast breakdown:

Want to know more about some of the ideas and events mentioned in this episode? Check out:

Episode Credits:

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