But the most recent entry - on Watts, a very special place to us- could have show a lot more. With the opportunity to shed insight and perspective, the article perpetuates some stereotypes of an important community in Los Angeles.
We encourage you to read the post here and draw your own conclusions; we've put some basic reactions in the comments of their post for their readers to read (and re-posted them at the bottom of this post).
Essentially, though, the LAist post could don more than recognized the history and current challenges as they did; we were left wanting more. They could have - and should have - also enlightened the online community of Los Angeles about the treasures and attributes of this community that make it unique in many ways, while at the same time similar to so many neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles from Chatsworth to San Pedro. There is more to Watts than gangs, poverty, and the Rodia Towers. I hope LAist will do a "Part Two" sometime to elucidate more of the neighborhood.
With that being said, LA City Nerd is joining the LAist crew to assist, where we can, in this neighborhood project. We don't claim to know every detail of every 'hood, but we know a little bit to make sure the nerdy nooks and crannies aren't overlooked. We love what LAist is doing - if our meager staff was a little bigger, we'd roll up our sleeves and do it ourselves. However, LAist started something special, and we're just rolling up our sleeves and pitching in where we can.
So, let's see if we can help out where needed.
* * * * *
LACN comments from the LAist post:
LAist Neighborhood Project, you know we love you!
But, this post lacks some of the true institutions of Watts, namely the Watts Labor Community Action Committee and all the work they do, as well as the Promenade of Prominence, the many churches, and the true neighborhoods off the main streets.
Watts is a special part of Los Angeles that needs even greater attention to show the parts that are not widely known and not just those common Watts themes: Rodia Towers, gangs, housing projects, & poverty. The Towers have an art center and museum attached that are quite impressive, and the neighborhood has true leaders that need mentioning like "Sweet Alice" Harris. Also, no mention of Ted Watkins or the park named in his honor is hard to fathom as it's one of the most prominent pieces of land in the community.
I can't wait for Watts Part II.
16 comments:
The Militant has also offered to provide his insight, and the Militant knows people who play active roles in various communities around the city.
There are a lot of amazing people, like my friend Oscar, who do good work in Watts: http://tourdewatts.blogspot.com/
Overall it's an ambitious thing LAist is doing and I anticipate each new submission. But when you look at the magnificently encyclopedic entry on Garvana and then compare it to the drive-by done to Watts, something needs to be done to shore up the disparity.
http://www.mapbuilder.net/users/mqteclo5043/38003
Scroll over and zoom in on Watts.
'Nuff said.
Yeah, in comparison, the Garvanza entry was great.
I agree, that post was lacking both heart and substance, and the way Tony Pierce pulled the plug on comments was weak. The criticisms were valid and right, and for Tony to turn around and toss shame on the commenters instead of the editor who approved the Watts post was poor form. I know editors have to serve their staff, but they need to serve their audience, too, and that hissy fit served neither.
I agree with Adam; turning off the comments, most of them valid criticisms, is just plain childish. Someone wants to have their cake and eat it. LAist finds it easier to blame the reader than to do some basic editorial work.
Here is another link http://trywatts.com/
I agree with both of the above; I've consistently been puzzled by the way Tony et al. treat readers who bring up legitimate problems --in this case the clear paraphrase-plagiarism from Wikipedia. (Seriously, you would get fired from my college paper for turning that in...and you would think the standard would be at least that high at a professional outlet.) Pissing off your loyal readership -- particularly when they're in the right -- can't be a good way to grow or retain an audience.
I don't agree that turning off the comments was a mistake. I just skimmed all of them and it was boring and repetitive, the same criticisms over and over. At least some of the posters here provided links to more info on Watts.
It's fair to blast the guy for just looking stuff up on Wikipedia, but it's also fair to point out that most people weren't actually adding anything that would improve the profile.
Though the criticism of the Watts post descended into a lot of juvenile namecalling and stereotyping, the critiques were dead-on. The post was shallowly conceived, poorly researched, cribbed from Wikipedia, stupidly written, crappily photographed and trafficked in only the most lamest, most offensive stereotypes about the neighborhood.
I know for a fact that off-the-record many other LAist contributors are embarrassed by this entry. The author, Anti, got what he deserved.
That being said, I find it totally hypocritical that local blogs give so little love to the good articles in the Neighborhood Project. Jealous much? I think so.
It's quite telling that in this post you linked to the Watts entry but NOT to the great posts about Garvanza or Koreatown.
I would expect that bullshit from LA Observed, where Kevin Roderick generally goes out of his way avoid linking to LAist, since LAist thoroughly kicks LAO's ass every damn day of the week. But I expected better from you, LA City Nerd.
Here are some links worth reading:
http://laist.com/2007/08/06/the_neighborhoo_2.php
http://laist.com/2007/07/19/neighborhood_pr_5.php
Anonymous above - if you really don't think LAO ever links to LAist, you clearly don't read LA Observed often enough.
Let's not forget about the plagiarism...so sorry the wikipedia stealing thing, so a big deal.
The whole entry was plagiarized from Wikipedia, who steals a "report" from Wikipedia. Only an idiot would do that.
Jane
Instead of subjecting ourselves to medicated whim of the cappo of LAIST (should be renamed to egotist) to let us write for them better neighborhood reports, Nerd should do a similar callup like the one for neighborhood signs (which started this whole thing anyway) and have a larger more informed community to do the reports. It's not a conincidence that the best write-ups in that series was in the rapidly gentrifying sections of the city because that's where LAIST bloggers live. We can use wikipedia's large neighborhood list for L.A.
Plagarism... please. You people are freebasing. And you all have far too much time on your hands.
Not unlike myself I suppose but I prefer video games to incessant whining.
http://benbang.blogspot.com/2007/08/laist-ist.html
Ben Bang,
This is how you spell p-l-a-g-i-a-r-i-s-m.
It sounds slightly different than you spell it. I know that is weird for you since you are an idiot.
Maybe you and your little friends should stop smoking pot and move up to the big kids drugs like cocaine and Adderall.
They will help you concentrate, so you can focus on things like spelling and stealing other people's work in a much more efficient manner.
Jane
Ben Bang,
I read your little piece about me being a "bitch" on your blog.
I find it interesting that you ramble on and on about racist and the right wing, but have no problem calling me a bitch.
What's the difference between racial slurs and slurs against people who don't have penises?
I understand. It's cool to be a sexist, but a racist, that's not as cool.
Why do you little boys (not men, but the little boys) think that it's ok to use the word bitch.
Also there were other people complaining on the Watts Laist topic, but you chose to attack the lone woman. I know it was you who called me a bitch, then a slut on LAist, if you hadn't done that I would have just made one comment.
I continued to comment to let you know, that you can't shut me up by calling me out my name.
I guess the reason you went after me and not the men is because people like me, with vaginas in your fantasy world are easier marks.
A man might beat you up, but I'm just a bitch.
If you think copying all of your blog entries from wikipedia is artful or ok, ok.
Can't we agree to disagree without you calling me some uncreative slur?
Jane
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