Because of the will of the tiresome Los Angeles city government, the owner of the much cherished Proud Bird Restaurant was packing up and closing the 46-year-old landmark enterprise Thursday.
However, John Tallichet, son of the restaurant’s founder and president of the company which owns the restaurant, called me Wednesday morning with the momentary good news that he will keep the restaurant and its important banquet facilities open until Dec. 21, simply because of the overwhelming support and assistance he has been receiving from the citizens who, unlike our elected city government officials, really, really, really want that restaurant to remain open and to continue being the only site that cherishes and celebrates the heroic contributions of our country’s fighting aviators, including the Tuskegee Airmen.
Yes, Thursday was scheduled to be the Proud Bird’s last day; but we, the people, have forestalled that while we, the people — including groups of African-American veterans — work with Tallichet to keep the restaurant operating. We, the people are doing this because we, the people, own the place, including the land on which the restaurant and everything around it stands. The thing is on LAX property, which we, the people, own, and Tallichet pays us rent every month so he can operate his Proud Bird.
So what’s the problem? The Proud Bird has had no lease with the city since April 2011 and the city will not give Tallichet one unless he pays a hefty rent increase that triples his current rent! The city calls it “market value.” We, the people, call it “commercial rape.” Imagine if your landlord or mortgage company comes to you and tells you it’s raising your rent/mortgage to three times what you’re already paying and if you don’t like it, you can leave! Yes, exactly.
The villains in this piece are the entire municipal governing structure: the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), which is a branch of the city of Los Angeles (also known as the Department of Airports) and is governed by a seven-member board of airport commissioners appointed by the mayor and approved by the Los Angeles City Council. All of these city people say there’s nothing they can do about the demands put upon the Proud Bird. Bull dung! The city of Los Angeles can do anything it wants to do. It always has. Now all of a sudden, the city department, commissioners, mayor and City Council can’t do anything to save the Proud Bird? The mayor can build a skyscraper on an earthquake fault line despite the community’s protests. A city commission can hand over the public Coliseum to a private entity without so much as a public by-your-leave. The City Council can pull out all the stops and browbeat the citizenry into allowing a private concern to build a football stadium on public land so we can have an acceptable football stadium. Yet, the city can’t stop the closure of the Proud Bird?!
I repeat. The city can do anything it wants; and if the Proud Bird closes, it will be because the city wants it to, and if it comes to that then, in my opinion, the entire Los Angeles city apparatus — the mayor, his commissioners, his departments and the entire City Council are not worth a bucket of spit.
I TOLD YOU SO — Hold onto your hats. Here’s another piece of disturbing, but not surprising news: That Lynn Dymally person who, on a hummer, was recently named to fill a seat on the Water Replenishment District of Southern California’s Board of Directors, is featured in a flier touting Chris Armenta, one of the two candidates running against Sebastian Ridley-Thomas for the 54th Assembly District. The flier reads: “Lynn Dymally and Los Angeles Civil Rights Coalition Leaders say vote for (that C.A. person), claiming that “He’ll fight for Dr. Martin Luther King’s Dream.” Oh shut up!!
AND ON THE OTHER HAND — Sebastian Ridley-Tomas this week received the endorsements of Gov. Jerry Brown, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, Jeannine Wisnosky Stehin, president of the United Parents of Culver City; Madeline Ehrich, former president of the Culver City Board of Education; the California League of Conservation Voters and the USC and UCLA College Democrats. So, who’re you going to listen to? These people or Mervyn Dymally’s daughter?
SPEAKING OF UCLA — The campaign to get California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who has also endorsed Ridley-Thomas, to investigate UCLA for its pattern of ignoring racist, discriminatory and retaliation complaints by its faculty has picked up tremendous steam within a short span of time. Ron Hasson, president of the Beverly Hills/Hollywood Branch NAACP launched an online petition drive to encourage Harris to do just that. After only a few days online, the petition has garnered more than 25,000 signatures (including mine), and UCLA insiders tell me that university officials are most upset about it. Keep it up and pass it along.
AH, COMPTON — Compton school board member Skyy Fisher came under fire following his DUI arrest last week. Compton NAACP President Paulette Simpson Gipson called for Fisher’s resignation at a press conference Tuesday. She said the Compton school board member “continues to be a disgrace and embarrassment to the city of Compton, its residents and children. Last year, he used a homophobic slur to describe slain Florida youth Trayvon Martin. Now our school board member is driving around drunk. That’s inexcusable. The NAACP, along with parents and community organizations are demanding that Fisher resign immediately in the best interests of our children and community. He can no longer serve effectively or be taken seriously.”
My question is this: What about Mae Thomas?
Race Man posted at 9:23 pm on Thu, Nov 21, 2013.
Ridley-Thomas jr. has made having an endorsement from a public figure a joke. The majority of his endorsers cannot tell you why he deserves to be elected. He probably has not even met or talked with them. If you read his flyers, I received 8 in two days, he cannot tell you why you should vote for him. He has no experience and no record of accomplishments. Has he ever been elected to any office – grade school, middle school, high school or college? I doubt it. His candidacy shows if you can get enough money from special interest groups you believe you can trick voters by trashing your opponents. Once in office he will follow the example of his father and pay back the special interest groups at the expense of the community.
Betty, you mention his name too often, not to be on the Ridley-Thomas payroll. Then again no one can accuse you of being an honest reporter.