This month, the nation will acknowledge two political milestones. On Aug. 9, we mark the one-year anniversary of the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. Two days later, we mark the 50th anniversary of the uprising in Watts. A third civil disturbance, located in time between these two, offers lessons learned from the failures of 1965. It…
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Investing in South Los Angeles
South Los Angeles has endured drastic changes over the decades, from its pre-World War II prominence as one of the most desirable neighborhoods to live in to the violent segregation residents faced through illegal housing practices. Continued disinvestment in public resources over the years coupled with rampant institutional racism that denied people of color access…
Continue ReadingPutting Families First
On the anniversary of the Los Angeles Uprising last week Gloria Walton, SCOPE President & CEO, was in Washington DC for the launch of the ‘Putting Families First: Good Jobs for All’ campaign. She was there with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Mary Kay Henry, International President of the Service Employees International…
Continue ReadingFight for a Wage Theft Ordinance in LA Continues
With cards and boxes of chocolates in hand, last week members of the Los Angeles Coalition Against Wage Theft and its supporters visited Los Angeles city council members, asking them for their support in ending wage theft. The Valentine’s Day themed action asked council members to take action in holding the Economic Development committee accountable…
Continue ReadingCultivating an Energy Conscious South LA
As Maria Dubon and Landry Thomas make their way down the street, they peer inside businesses looking at light fixtures and exit signs. Maria and Landry are SCOPE members and trained Energy Service Representatives (ESR) for the Los Angeles Department of Water who outreach to small businesses and churches in the South LA community to let them…
Continue ReadingEngaging Families in Water and Energy Conservation through the Gang Alternatives Program
As part of our on-going work in the South LA community, SCOPE has been connecting with members and partner organizations to highlighting the importance of being energy efficient. This is a citywide effort to educate and spotlight the work communities are doing to fight larger issues like climate change, while building resiliency and sustainability locally. For…
Continue ReadingAnita Thomas
Her home is more than 30 years old, so for SCOPE member and South Los Angeles resident Anita Thomas, finding cost effective solutions to maintain her home is a constant struggle. That’s why when she first learned about the free Home Energy Improvement Program from the Department of Water and Power; she didn’t think twice…
Continue ReadingOscar Lopez
Oscar Lopez While having his feet firmly planted in the present, Oscar Lopez also has his sights in the future. A SCOPE member since 2005, Oscar has participated and volunteered in everything from phone banking, door knocking, to attending rallies. It is that very same passion and commitment to his community that have also lead…
Continue Reading2014 Summer Leadership Academy
The story of South LA is consistently being told. High unemployment, rising housing costs and little to no good job opportunities is how the current chapter reads. Once an area with a strong industrial area that provided many middle-class jobs for its residents, South LA is now has mostly part-time and minimum wage jobs that…
Continue ReadingWords from SCOPE Alumni: Deepak Pateriya, Chief of Staff at the Center for Community Change
“If we’re going to achieve real economic justice in this country, there needs to be a profound shift in our general political consciousness, and we have to start by dismantling certain myths,” says Deepak Pateriya. “People are not poor because they are lazy. And Capitalism is not the natural state of things. There are other…
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