San Pedro High School Principal Bob DiPietro Wednesday Explains His Imminent Departure from the Trouble Plagued Campus -- After 24 years of Service to LAUSD; Personal Troubles Began in March When His Father Died of a Heart Attack, His Mother Was Left Without a Caretaker and the Family’s Former Trucking Business Needed Liquidation

The Students, However, Still Will Shine Like Bright Stars in the Future and Are by Far the Politest He’s Ever Known – Despite All the School’s Turmoil

By Diana L. Chapman

After a disheartening year of lessons – from San Pedro High School not proving worthy of full-accreditation and an increased drop out rate, the principal Wednesday revealed his earlier-then-predicted retirement was personal – not professional.

A replacement will be selected for Robert DiPietro’s post, through Los Angeles Unified School District, said Linda Del Cueto, who heads the region of 90 schools, in which San Pedro High resides.

The typical hiring practices in the past, including the formation of a hiring committee, will be blocked due to recent layoffs, which have left many administrative directors without jobs – but gives them seniority to return to head up schools.

“I happen to know a person who will do a really great job,” Del Cueto explained. “I have somebody in mind and I have to take them because of “return rights,” which are part of the education code.

“Bob is such a professional that he will work 100 percent until his last day on June 30^th, so it will be seamless,” Del Cueto explained.

In fact, DiPietro said he will work without pay after June 30 to help ensure that the changeover works.

At this time, the new principal will not be named officially, until the hiring has been approved, Del Cueto explained.

DiPietro’s upcoming departure has stunned some community members who hoped he would stay aboard and guide what seems to be a rudderless ship, a situation he inherited when he climbed aboard in Aug. 2007.

“He always put the kids first,” declared Richard Vladovic, an LAUSD board member in charge of the region from San Pedro sweeping through the Harbor area and up to Watts.

The sudden death of DiPietro's robust 89-year-old father came as a surprise, but the principal explained it was something that inevitably he should have expected since his father was the sole caretaker of his mother, who has Alzheimer's. The couple lived in Swansea, Mass where DiPietro was raised. His father had a heart attack March 2.

When he learned of his death, DiPietro raced home to arrange for nursing care for his mother, and realized that the job of dismantling his father’s assets was overwhelming. Since he is the only child, he plans to move back to the New England town for six month period, but return to Culver City where he lives with his 25-year-old son.

Death haunted him much earlier in his life, when his wife, then 45, died of cancer. He never remarried.

From the moment DiPietro arrived, the San Pedro campus was saddled with troubles, including a school that had swollen to 3,500 students, when it was made for no more than 2,000. DiPietro inherited some other nasty problems, besides an over population of students. The school’s accreditation now remains borderline, and a new state report revealed that more students were dropping out from high schools in general than originally predicted, including San Pedro High.

That fails to mention looming layoffs in the current dismal economy.

“This is a particularly bad time because there’s a lot more ambiguities,” DiPietro, 61, agreed. “But I remain very positive for the school. I feel really good about the kids. I’ve never met a group of children who are so polite.”

His mood late Wednesday afternoon remained upbeat and optimistic, but somewhat saddened to leave the students he had come to consider the most mannerly students he’d ever worked with in his 24 years at Los Angeles Unified. “They are such cool kids,” he added.

He joined the district later in life, after holding jobs in New York as an officer in reconciliation bankruptcy and later a researcher for a commodities firm.

Changing to a different course, DiPietro went into education, beginning his first job as a teacher at Locke High School and holding different teaching and administrative posts at many high schools, including Marshall, after he finished his masters at Columbia University.

His first full time principal post was at San Pedro High.

The principal believes the accreditation at the school will fare well as soon as teachers accept a new practice to ensure that they engage their students in valuable lessons, rather than working with them in a more traditional way.

For example, he said, he began to teach again to learn the impacts from a coach on student engagement and was impressed with the “thinking skills” the coach required of his students, meaning they were encouraged to participate in discussions and find the answers.

“We need to move toward a more student centered way of instruction,” he concluded, less than two months from his departure, at a school he oversaw for less than two years.

After Less Than Two Years on the Job, San Pedro High School Principal Decides to Toss Away the Notebooks and Help His Family After His Father Died and His Elderly Mother Needed Care; The School Only Has One Year Remaining to Prove It Deserves Accreditation

By Diana L. Chapman

After a short, strenuous, stressful, painful and straining stint, San Pedro High School Principal Robert DiPietro announced he will leave the campus shrouded with issues, such as overcrowding and borderline accreditation problems.

He took over the leadership reins in Aug. 17, 2007, and will finish June 30, 2009.

Family crises took a toll in his short time at the port school, nestled in Los Angeles Harbor, where he attempted to salvage an entrenched campus with 3,500 students and bring it back to performance level it should be at -- much higher than it was scoring when tests results became the same as many inner-city high schools.

However, his father died last year and his mother has no one to care for her. DiPietro told school officials that he would return to New York to aid his family.

Due to the late night notice, he could not be reached for comment. Other school officials could not be reached for comment either.

His leadership, however, was fraught with turmoil, much of which he inherited when he accepted the raucous post – believing he could make a difference.

An except from a profile he wrote about the school, shows some of the issues that broiled over into his newly-acquired post: “The San Pedro High campus built in 1936 as part of the Work Progress Administration was constructed to service 1,400 students. Today we service approximately 3,600 students encompassing all three of the high schools. The 3,100 students attending the regular school are served by seven counselors for a student /counselor ratio of 500-1.

“One college counselor serves the 3,600 students combined from the three schools.”

DiPietro recently held a meeting with Linda Del Cueto, who is in charge of the Los Angeles Unified School District region that includes San Pedro High and some 90 plus other schools, to address that the campus had only one year left to prove it deserves accreditation.

Despite a heated exchange from parents at the meeting, DiPietro and Del Cueto listened, saying later the parents needed a chance to vent over issues that have been building for years, such as the lack of teacher cooperation, their failure to return phone calls and emails from parents – and leaving parents out of their child’s education.

When parents asked why teachers who were obviously not qualified to teach continued to do so, DiPietro reminded them that due to the unions, to remove a teacher takes a minimum of at least three years.

Earlier, the principal had indicated that his personal life weighed a great strain on him – and was taking its toll, much less adding the responsibility of some 3,500 students.

The exact date of his departure was not clarified, and whether the district is search for a new administrator has not been revealed yet.

Could Carmen Be Our True Leader at Last? We can Only Vote for Him to Find Out – and That I will do on May 19; He Just Might Be Our Ticket to Fewer Kids Being Killed on Our Streets, Our City Becoming Safer and Bringing LA Back to the Blessed Angels

By Diana L. Chapman

For the last several years, I’ve searched everywhere in the city of Los Angeles for a true and heroic leader other than City Controller Laura Chick.

Otherwise, I have yet to find one, no matter how hard I’ve dug.

Certainly, my hopes have been repeatedly shattered each time I spot another city politician, living like a spider in a cave polishing and shimmying up for one thing – themselves and their political futures.

But in the metropolis of Los Angeles, where lives are at stake every single day, no time remains for selfishness and photo ops when so many innocent people, including children, are dying in our streets.

When hard-core attorney, Carmen “Nuch” Trutanich, a former district attorney who handled case after case of gang crimes, from murders to drug dealing, I began to wonder if we at last, perhaps, have found a true leader who might make a monumental difference.

As a district attorney his record shows a rock hard attorney, who fought for the heart of what he truly believed. He jailed rapists, nailed environmental polluters and focused heavily on gang activities.

If he wins the Los Angeles city attorney post May 19, against the longtime council incumbent Jack Weiss, we are at last send a disparaging – and important -- message to our overbearing city leaders that we are burned out on their “what’s-in-it-for-me leadership.”

The city’s streets are filled with blood, it seems to me, because our city leaders fail repeatedly to address our gang issues in a way that is realistic; it’s only political. The mayor’s new gang initiative carved out only seven areas of the city with the worst gang activities. He then drew out all the funding from the surrounding communities.

That still leaves me baffled.

Doesn’t the mayor and our gang czar understand that this action allows gangs to flourish in the areas he left in the dirt? While I tried for a personal interview recently with Trutanich, who was born and raised in San Pedro, and now lives in Harbor City, the timing of the upcoming city-wide election made it impossible.

I was able, however, to grill Jane Ellison Usher, who headed the Los Angeles Planning Commission for three years until she became hopelessly disillusioned with the sad woes and chaos of city politics. She resigned. That in itself is telling.

What’s more telling is this: she spotted the same warrior grit and determination that I’m seeing in “Nuch.” She offered her services – freely -- and has ever since been guiding his campaign, against Weiss, who has a lot more money and the backing of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

But that hasn’t stopped Trutanich from some floating some powerful, side punches – and despite only having perhaps half the money in the ring compared to Weiss – he’s stood firm in gaining ground first in the run-off. My intuition tells me his chances of winning are huge, especially after he racked up endorsement after endorsement from many of the city’s big league media moguls and police officials.

Plus, people are weary of gutless leaders and are soul-searching for one who is not.

Because my blog focuses on kids, my main concern, right up front was this: What will Trutanich do to save our kids – all our kids? While I was watching a documentary of the Lost Boys of the Sudan, I couldn’t help but thinking of the “Lost Boys of Los Angeles.”

We fail them every single day in so many ways it’s shameful.

Usher politely walked me through Trutanich’s intense obligation to ferret out gang members for punishment and yet, to salvage those who still stand a stalwart chance of turning their lives around -- starting with middle school children.

“He thinks our failure with gangs as a society stems from the misguided idea that we can arrest our way out of the problem. We have shortchanged kids,” Usher explained.

Touche! Ole! Someone gets this – because it’s the blinding truth.

He believes, she continued, that middle schools especially need to be targeted to catch kids from running amok before they get to high school (AMEN! I’ve been saying that for three years) and that changing school curriculum to spike up students interest becomes a must!

Wow, just some plain old common sense!

He also understands, she said, the necessity of realizing the Los Angeles Unified School District can’t possibly tackle this tremendous social issue alone and that the community needs to be tapped. For example, she said, he wants to work with local businesses to arrange jobs for students throughout the summer and school year.

Even more interesting; he wants to prevent younger gangsters, who have a first-time offense, from landing in prison where they get the best instructions on how to become a better gangster, called “Lock-Up Gangster Lessons 101.” For those first time offenders, he wants to work out a choice between prison or joining the military.

Humm…this is beginning to sound interesting.

I’m just ready for someone who speaks the truth, has ethics, and who will not just save us, but will save our kids. Give this new warrior a chance, because God knows, we need him.

For more Trutanich information, visit: http://www.tru09.com.

Hoping Wolfie Came Through This time!

HELP A HEARTBROKEN SAN PEDRO OWNER FIND HER PAL, WOLFIE

Help find Wolfie, a friendly, sweet dog last seen at Angels Gate on 4-19

Wolfie, a friendly sweet dog who loves children and animals, vanished from his home and his owner, Raven, has been on a desperate search for him.

Please keep your eyes wide-open to find "Wolfgang," who weighs about 50 pounds, is a golden-reddish color and was last seen in the park. He has the body of a golden-retriever, the face of a husky with and blue spots on his tongue. He's neutered and typically wears a black collar with his name, phone number and address on it. The owner has posted fliers all over town, so please be kind and help reunite these two friends. Email hartchap@cox.net with any info.

TIME for a Boston Tea Party in LA?????? YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUu bet....

By Diana L. Chapman

My friend e-mailed recently that our town needs to hold a Boston Tea Party – San Pedro style -- after reading my article suggesting a revolt against Los Angeles.

Why not? We’ve got the water! We’ve got ships! I’m sure we can find some imported tea – as can – many other Los Angeles communities, find their own path to a tea party revolt! We need to.

With past failed attempts to secede -- I dream what San Pedro might be without the handcuffs of our bureaucratic beast – as I’m sure many of us do who live in all sorts of ignored pockets of the city. The recently increased downtown parking fees here which quadrupled – and elsewhere -ignited a fury of frustration for many residents especially those – who tried mostly in vain – to make our town a better place.

Instead, we get band-aid fixes, projects that make no sense, such as a million welcome park at the northern tip of Gaffey – that no one can get to, a $14 million water fountain along the boardwalk to nowhere and a red car system –stunning – but again, off track to provide much transit in its 1.5 mile stretch.

Where is the big picture? What if Los Angeles allowed all our neighborhood councils to pull together a vision for them? If this was so or we were our own community, I bet the following would already exist in San Pedro and I’d like you to e-mail me with the list that your own community would have at hartchap@cox.net. This is what we would have here, some really common sense approaches to running a community: Oops. Did I say that word: "Common sense?" Here we go:

· --A downtown parking structure for shoppers complete with ways to use ATM cards and – allowing local businesses to validate for its customers.

· --An overhauled, gorgeously manicured, money-making Ports O’ Call, revamped to bring in hordes of tourists and a place we are not embarrassed to take our friends. (This on again, off again project, is off again due to budget cuts. It’s been left to languish for more than ten years.)

· --A mini-transit system that links all our parks, museums, schools and shopping centers for residents, not to mention carrying tourists to our many jewels that aren’t possible to get to without a car, such as Angel’s Gate’s Korean Bell and Point Fermin Park.

· --A youth aquatic center near 22nd Street that would support teaching

kayaking, fishing, sailing, rowing and other marine related sports to our children – a request longtime mariner Bill Schopp has pressed for and has received no support from City Hall.

· --A permanent home for the-trouble plagued Eastview Little League, which serves 600 children (temporarily or maybe not so temporarily currently housed at Knoll Hill).

· --A skateboard park erected by the city officials– and not the youth, who out of frustration, built their own under a freeway ramp for the hip sport.

· --A small farm – complete with goats – in Peck Park to teach our children about domesticated animals, a vision Ray Patricio, a longtime resident, has lobbied for for more than 10 years – and something residents encouraged – but the city of Los Angeles does not. Does it matter what we want?

· --A dog park that’s in a permanent location. After residents poured thousands of dollars of their own money and years to acquire a temporary location to create one here in San Pedro, the dog park deserves respect – and a permanent home, if not two homes.

· --A sparkling clean Cabrillo Beach in which a boathouse – petitioned for by residents Gary Dwight and Allan Johnson –serves beach goers to rent boats and play off our local waters – as the two residents did when they were boys.

· --A maritime-themed walkway finished, polished and a glittering gem from the entrance of our cruise lines, including a walkway that goes into downtown, and snakes its way to the end of Paseo del Mar (rather than a few rambling pieces done like a hop scotch board – with no completion date.)

· --A community in which the development has some type of theme, such as a maritime or aquatic theme adopted at potential business developments, instead of rag-tag shops up and down our major corridors.

· --A balance of open parklands and sports fields for organized sports and pick up games to keep children off the streets – instead of not having enough of either – making the locals fight amongst ourselves for remaining scraps.

The list is endless. I’m sure you could add a dozen more projects and I apologize for those I missed.

Yes, I’m dreaming. The city will never free us because of the money the port generates and brings to Los Angeles’ coffers.

I say: Let’s give them the port. And in addition, we can sing Bon Voyage and give them plenty of strong Harbor tasting tea!

Diana L. Chapman was a newspaper journalist for 15 years with the Daily Breeze and the San Diego Union. She can be reached hartchap@cox.net or visit her blog at: http://www.theunderdogforkids.blogspot.com

GOOD NEWS, GOOD DEEDS AND MORE GOOD NEWS IN THIS BITS AND PIECES ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY; HELP HONOR TEACHERS, KEEP POINT FERMIN LIGHT HOUSE IN SHAPE AND CHECK OUT THE PLANS FOR THE LOS ANGELES MARITIME MUSEUM: PLUSSSSSSSSSSSSSS MORE VIDEO ON OUR LOCAL, YOUNG HULA-HOOP STARLET

GOOD NEWS: COASTAL AND CENTRAL NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS VOTE TO SPONSOR THE BUILDING OF A NEW, HANDS-ON EXHIBIT FOR CHILDREN at the LOS ANGELES MARITIME MUSEUM, DEMONSTRATING ONCE AGAIN HOW THESE FOLKS SUPPORT KIDS; A $7,500 SPONSORSHIP HAS BEEN PROVIDED

Two neighborhood councils geared money toward a $150,000 project that will impact children who arrive and make a day of it at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum.

Marifrances Trivelli, the museum director, expressed delight with the funding -- $5,000 from the Coastal Neighborhood Council and $2,500 from Central -- allowing her to pursue the building of an upstairs exhibit for youth to look out windows and learn about jobs and harbor operations.

The Neighborhood Councils, "are really good," Trivelli said. "I was impressed. They are local residents. They are knowledgeable and they know what they are doing."

Called "What's Going on in the Harbor Today?" the gallery will feature ways for children, ages kindergarten through fifth, to discover sailing and cargo routes -- and the way vessels operate.

In addition, to raise more funding, the museum will hold a "Soda Tasting," for families at the Corner Store June 6 with games and food. More information to come.
__________________________________________

GOOD DEEDS: PLEEEEEEEEEEAASSSSSSSSSSEE SUPPORT OUR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND MAKE SURE ALL OUR SCHOOLS ARE SPONSORED IN IT'S UPCOMING TEACHER RECOGNITION AWARD; NO SCHOOL SHOULD BE LEFT BEHIND -- NOT ENOUGH SPONSORS HAVE OFFERED UP SUPPORT

"Teachers Create Endless Possibilities," -- the name of this year's teacher recognition luncheon -- can only hit a successful note with endless possibilities if no school gets left behind.

Unfortunately, due to the hard financial economy, the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce reported significant decrease in funds for the May program -- which honors a teacher at every school in San Pedro, whether private or public.

Knowing how San Pedro residents and businesses have a big heart, lend a hand to make sure the following schools get their share of the limelight: Angels Gate High School, Bandini Street Elementary, Christ Lutheran, Cooper Community Day School, Cabrillo Avenue Elementary, Crestwood Street Elementary School, Point Fermin Elementary, Leland Elementary, Mary Star of the Sea Elementary and Renaissance School for Arts and Sciences.

If you would like to sponsor this program, please call, Sandy Bradley, (310) 832-7272, for more information.

The May 15 luncheon, scheduled for a noon start at Ports O' Call Restaurant at Port's O' Call Village, will honor teachers at 27 local schools.
GOOD TIMES; YUM: ALWAYS SOMETHING DELICIOUS GOING ON IN SAN PEDRO

----Tasting some beer and sipping on wine will kick up funding for the Point Fermin Light House Society's which keeps our historic gem sparkling.

The lighthouse, built in 1874, is in constant need for upgrade and preservation. The Corner Store will host the fundraiser, Saturday, May 16, at 37th and Barbara Streets in San Pedro.

An adult-only event, tickets are $15 per person prior to the event and $18 at the door with three tasting times: 1 to 2:30 p.m.;3 to 4:30 p.m.; 5 to 6:30 p.m. Reservations are appreciated.

Appetizers will be served and a silent auction will be held. Tickets can be purchased at the Corner Store: (310) 832-2424 or at the Light House.

LASTLY, OUR FUN LOCAL GAL WHO WE JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF; SEE HER HULA-HOOPING AT HER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TALENT SHOW THIS YEAR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59wcsqaLZ-c or thejerseygirls818

SWINE FLU ALARM AT LOCAL LAUSD SCHOOL IN SAN PEDRO PROVING FALSE DOESN’T MEAN WE SHOULD BURY OUR HEADS IN THE SAND; IT’S JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE IT HITS LOS ANGELES COUNTY; IF YOUR KID IS SICK EVEN SLIGHTLY, KEEP THEM HOME, SCHOOL OFFICIALS WARN

By Diana L. Chapman

With today’s fears of a pandemic – and unsubstantiated rumors that an outbreak of swine flu happened at local San Pedro school Wednesday – both health and school officials cleared the entire Harbor Area of any known cases at a school.

But in the same breath, district officials called for parents to “error on the side of caution,” and reiterated that parents should NOT send their sick children to school. An 11-year-old somewhere within the school district is considered a “probable,” positive of the virus–but it's not yet a confirmed case of the swine flu -- along with a 52-year-old, both of whom recently traveled to Mexico.

What touched off the flurry of fears was a release, issued yesterday by the Los Angeles County of Public Health,that also indicated two other cases are “possible,” one of a 69-year-old and the other of 60-year-old. It takes four days for testing to determine if any of these cases are positive.

Panic spread throughout San Pedro with parents pulling their children out of school and vowing not to send them back. But the cluster -- which was reported to be either at an an elementary or junior high -- did not appear to have the virus.

“The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is also investigating three possible flu clusters in three schools located in the Santa Clarita Valley and San Pedro. Laboratory results on these clusters are expected by the end of the week,” the release revealed.

However, officials were quickly able to squelch the rumors of any San Pedro schools being infected.

Jacob Haik, a deputy chief of staff for Los Angeles School Board Member Richard Vladovic, recommended yesterday that parents who find their children are ill to take every precaution possible -- starting with keeping them at home.

Since reports of cases have popped up at Long Beach State University (one student was reported as a possibly having the illness and stays in isolation at a room, but not a hospital) and a 17-year-old high school student in Indio also turned up to “probably” have this strain of flu. School officials are asking for parents to pay attention to warning signs, even if it’s just a bout of any other type of influenza.

Indio High School will close Thursday along with Pollard High School in Corona and Mission Bell Elementary in Riverside, according to news reports, where the cases are a possibility. A marine was also confirmed with the virus who was stationed in Twentynine Palms, launching tests for scores of other marines who had come in contact with the soldier.

Fevers, coughing, sneezing and vomiting all should be considered reasons to keep children at home – even if its not the swine flu.

The good news, Haik explained, “that it’s nowhere in the Harbor Area,” at this point – although current testing could change that – and all residents should be prepared that it’s possible and could hit Los Angeles County sooner than later.

On Monday, Haik kept his two eight-year-olds, a twin boy and girl, who had a fever from attending public school until they were better three days later. The prior week, his family kept their two-year-old daughter, from attending her pre-kindergarten school in San Pedro, when she too had a fever.

“It’s going to be an inconvenience for everybody and it’s a hardship,” he agreed. “But do your civic duty. If your kid is sick, keep them home. It’s likely at (some point) it could hit us.”

Both agencies refused to name the school involved in the San Pedro rumor mill and Haik added there will be an investigation into how the matter was handled. He would not give more details.

A key ingredient to prevention is repeatedly washing hands and covering your mouth when coughing.

The flu has erupted in Mexico, killing at least 160 residents with thousands falling ill and the first confirmed death of a U.S. victim also was reported this week, that of-a twenty-three month old child who died in Texas Wednesday.

For more information in Los Angeles, visit this site: http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

Rumors Abound that San Pedro High School Lost Its Accreditation; But Not So Fast School Officials Say; While Piles of Work Remain Necessary to Maintain the Rating in the Future, the Overcrowded High School Obtained a Two Year Reprieve and Has A Miraculous Chance of Recovery in the Next Year

At Its First Parent Meeting Tuesday, School Officials Listened and Did Not Dispute a Flood of Criticism Mothers and Fathers Released About Teachers Who Failed to Return Phone Calls, Deadwood on the Staff List and a Litany of Other Woes; Despite Some Ugly Words; Parents Appeared Eager to Help Cure the Ills

By Diana L. Chapman

Despite a litany of criticisms about San Pedro High School, school officials bucked up and listened at its first parent meeting regarding the possibility—but not probability—that the overcrowded campus could lose its accreditation.

Without accreditation, student transcripts would not be honored at colleges and universities.

The meeting launches a series of forums about the issue.

The rating becomes a must for all high schools – and colleges. If the school loses this status, universities could refuse to admit the school’s students, said Linda Del Cueto, who oversees 95 schools in Region 8 , including San Pedro, for Los Angeles Unified.

In its opening series of meetings and forums, parents unloaded shovelsful of issues with the school, from teachers failing to return phone calls or emails and worse – failing to teach.

Faced with the anger, Del Cueto encouraged parents to call her directly. She reaffirmed that staff and parents need to work together to ensure San Pedro High School’s future. Failing to return phone calls, she said, is unacceptable.

The good news, she explained: The school did not lose its accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The bad news: The reviewers said the school failed to improve in the areas of student engagement, academic rigor and applying state standards.

“We can do great things if we pull together,” Del Cueto told more than 50 parents attending the meeting at the school. “Parents, teachers, administration and the staff must come together on the progress report.

“It’s all of us together.”

The school has until June 2010 to prove it has made the improvements.

Before she was able to present the favorable findings of the assessment team, parents complained profusely about the fact that 48 percent of the students don’t graduate and a myriad other frustrations.

“It’s not a student problem,” one father argued. “Let’s talk about resistance. It seems to me this school needs to make some drastic changes. It’s a systemic problem.”

Troubling figures were tossed out at the meeting, such as 70 percent of the students have either D’s or F’s in a core class.

Another parent revealed: “We have a lot of deadwood on the faculty, and there’s a lot of teachers who don’t teach. I could tell stories for hours.”

“We don’t get calls back and my daughter learned nothing, absolutely nothing, in geometry,” complained a mother, herself an educator – who contended her daughter, a gifted student, received a D, which limits her college choices.

Tammy Wood, a parent who struggled, often alone, to improve the school, pleaded with other parents to become more involved and visit the parent center for information and the advocacy they need.

“I’ve been at this for six years, and we need more parents,” said Wood of her struggle to make San Pedro High an exemplary school. “I’ve been a lone voice.”

Should the school lose its accreditation – which rarely happens in a school district where campuses are given multiple chances to make good on the issues – the entire faculty can be replaced, and the decision-making authority is taken over by another agency.

While a series of troubles were discovered at the school site, the accreditation agency explained there are some favorable attributes, such as strong community relations and the relative safety of the campus.

One concern that surfaced repeatedly is that students don’t feel the campus staff respects them. The school was designed for 2,000 students. Current enrollment is 3,150.

At one point, enrollment was 3,500, but many students enrolled at other schools such as the Port of Los Angeles charter school and the Harbor Teachers Preparation Academy. By the end of the meeting, the participants’ once-contentious demeanor showed a sense of humor.

Principal Bob DiPietro told me afterward he was actually pleased by the parents’ anger, because it showed they were concerned about their children’s welfare.

“It’s difficult to listen, and it’s all stuff I’ve heard before,” he said. “But then I think: ‘Hey, these are taxpayers, and the most important thing in the world is that they’re concerned about their children.’ ”

For more information, visit San Pedro High’s website: http://www.sanpedrohs.org.

Education Humor for the Day: Overhearing a phone conversation her 8^th grade son was having, Linda Del Cueto – in charge of a giant cluster of 95 LAUSD schools – eavesdropped while he told a friend he couldn’t talk to his parents because “They aren’t too bright.” His father is an LAUSD high school principal.

Above: Cindy Bradley coaches Ivan Mechor, who wants to learn ballet and goes after school now for classes. At the top, Alberto Encinas works hard so he can pass his physical education test at school.
AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS OF TEACHING BALLET AT 15^th STREET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL – WHERE TEACHERS AND STUDENTS SHOWERED HER WITH PRAISE – CINDY BRADLEY OF SP BALLET SCHOOL WILL SADLY FINISH OFF HER CLASSES – WHICH SHE CONTINUED FREE FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR ONCE FUNDING CEASED EARLY THIS FALL

School Officials Say They Are Saddened Her Lessons Are Coming to a Close – a Loss for the Primarily Blue-Collar Families Who Rarely Have the Chance to Pursue the Cultural Arts;
>Diana L. Chapman

At the San Pedro Ballet School on Pacific Avenue, the typical fare of soft-colored pink tights, violet leotards and graceful leaps and turns seemed to clash with some seriously different attire – shorts, rugged jerseys, football shaped bodies and ankle socks.

Alongside graceful girls, many with neatly braided hair or pinned up buns, came a handful of boys, who in French terms plied, leaped, releved (to rise on half toe) and, well it wasn’t exactly dainty, it was close enough for the cluster of boys and one girl to continue their efforts after school.

The surprise: the seriousness the 15^th Street Elementary students displayed.

Alberto Encinas, a 5^th grader wearing glasses, a white T-shirt and black tights, worked hard, but grew disgusted when he occasionally lost his balance, rolling his eyes up in the air with displeasure. He struggled, but continued.

He never knew he liked ballet until the instructor showed up at his school and began teaching on Wednesday mornings.

“I just really started to like it,” said the thin boy, who worked intensely throughout the class, saying he was a good student except for physical education. “I didn’t think I could take it anymore because it’s so expensive. It makes me tired and it makes me relax after working at school all day. And it makes me more flexible. This is really helping me for my upcoming physical test.”

Along with Alberto, came his younger brother, Christopher, 9, a first grader with a broad build, his hair cropped short, with reddened cheeks. He wore a red and grey jersey, shorts and ankle socks.

With more of a football player body than a ballet dancer, he turned, plied, balanced at the barre and tried to keep up with the class, pointing his toes and stretching, his determination impressive for his young age.

“Well, I just started it at school and all the boys said: “Wow, boys can do ballet!” And we saw people in there (the studio) and they were doing jumps and leaps. Ballet is more about jumps than it is ballet,” he confided proudly, although his parents don’t want him in the class “because it’s a waste of time.”

Once the lesson began, Cindy firmly told the class “No talking in ballet class,” between demi-plies, tendus and brush “changemont,” meaning brush with foot and change.

About 165 students poured through her classes at 15^th Street this year. Many had never seen or tried ballet before, said Sandy Steinhaus, a 2^nd grade teacher who pulled the program together and found the funding source that dried up. The primarily blue-collar family school, rarely sees this form of dance, and the impact has charged both students and teachers with an electrical excitement.

Having enjoyed the students, the ballerina decided to finish up the year – without pay.

“It’s been such a golden opportunity,” Sandy explained as she watched several of the students at the studio. “It’s been a perfect fit for our community and all our money for the program is frozen. This has opened up ways for our kids they’ve never had before. It’s been such a natural fit for our school. The kids loved it, the teachers loved it.”

“Right foot, left foot. Brush. Brush,” Cindy instructed the students.

Ivan Melchor, 10, a 5^th grade boy who participated on the drill team last year, surprised all the instructors with his sweat, grit and determination in the ballet class.

Despite his size, that of a mini-linebacker, he gracefully extended his arms into a port de bras, stretched his leg into an arabesque at the bar and twirled across the floor, using chaine – a chain of turns.

“Side, side up, plie,” Cindy continued. “Side up, plie. Point. Point.”

After class, a happy Ivan, his face glistening with a dewy sweat, explained his enjoyment of the dance.

“I like the leaping and stuff. I pretty much like everything to do with ballet,” he responded, explaining his parents are proud and now his older sister wants to start.

The studio owner began public school ballet classes first at 186^th Street Elementary and later was asked to join 15^th Street. She was paid initially through the Los Angeles Unified School District’s art program, but that sizzled away with the poor economy.

When boys are interested in this dance form, she encourages them, as the opportunities for men are far greater. It’s not part of “our American culture,” and therefore, the numbers of men flocking to the art are small – and are needed, making college scholarship and professional potential far greater for boys.

But whether boys or girls, what Cindy spots in nearly all the students is their confidence building.

“I see a transformation in students the first time I teach them. They don't see the possibility that they may be able to become dancers,” she emailed. “They walk in and float out. They learn to fly through the air and that is a boost to their self-esteem that often can lead to... well, to anything really.”

At the end of the class, the girls curtsied and the boys bowed with Steinhaus praying that the drapes won’t come down on the dance classes next year.

“It’s just such a great partnership for us,” she lamented. The school donated 100 tickets to the school for its upcoming show, The Nutcracker.

"LICKING MY WOUNDS AFTER AN ODYSSEY, A MISSION TO KEEP AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS ALIVE AND WELL AT DANA MIDDLE SCHOOL TO HELP STUDENTS STAY AWAY FROM GANGS, MAKE THEM FEEL SAFE – AND TO BRING PARENTS BACK ON BOARD—ENDS SADLY– AT LEAST FOR ME

By Diana L. Chapman

I confess. I went on vacation…a long, long vacation. It was one I needed to rest and to lick my wounds after my son graduated from Dana Middle School where my friend and I started a series of after school programs. Now, I just feel foolish.

I can’t say why now we even did it.

I can say why it started. We both enjoy kids so much and innocently believed a drive for change could – and should --come after school where scores of kids were milling on the street and fights broke out. It was a simple solution to a hard-core problem.

And it was working. After launching an art and newspaper club, parents started several other clubs, such as swimming, Spanish, art, cooking and so on.

But who knew we’d be walking into a hornet’s nest, make that many hornets nests. We

had, after all, unknowingly wandered into a territory of the big dogs, the bureaucrats and the empire of non-profits, who I have since learned, rule this world.

Who could know that after school programs swirled with angry political bees – just waiting for someone to disturb them. Sting. Zap.Not a couple of silly moms, I guess.

What seems mostly to be missed is that 50 percent Los Angeles students are dropping out of school; for that reason alone, we have to shuck our attitudes that we are the only ones who know how to do this – because:

We need everyone. The kids need parents, police, the business community, the school district, the mayor of Los Angeles, our councilwoman and so on, to become part of the solution. Schools cannot raise thousands of children, many who live in poverty and in broken homes, on its own. It’s a belief I’ve been harping on for three years to anybody I can get to listen -- and frankly, I can’t accept that it’s ok for kids to get gunned down in the streets of Los Angeles, whether they are in a gang or not.

Take for instance a 14-year-old was fatally shot on his own porch last year in San Pedro, struck with several bullets. Sadly, his 13-year-old girlfriend, a Dana student, raised the money for the services and arranged them, since his mother was alone and spoke no English.

Was he in a gang? I have no idea. Does it matter? The fact is he was 14 and surrounded by a world of poverty, drugs and gangs. How can we expect 14-year-old to make the right choices in this environment? We have to divert them with things to explore after school.

That’s why Kim and I delved deeply into programs at Dana – to show them others paths, then gangs, drugs, and crime – as well as to guide kids, who had none of those issues, but came from broken homes or otherwise. We were so successful at Dana. The clubs were flourishing and I knew this could be done at every single middle school in Los Angeles -- if we pulled everyone together, which we tried to do.

A group of us visited the mayor of Los Angeles’s staff – because after all Antonio Villaraigosa told the public he could run schools better than the district . Wanting to see if he would put his efforts where his smiling mouth always seemed to be, we pedaled it to his office.

They weren’t interested. Not sexy enough.

We visited Councilwoman Janice Hahn’s office, who seemed interested, but didn’t offer much in the way of support in any fashion accept to say she liked it.

Los Angeles School Board Member Richard Vladovic backed it 100 percent, but had no money. But money wasn’t the issue.

It all boiled down to leadership. When my son started at Dana at a sixth grader in 2006 at Dana, the school had a horrible reputation and my friends looked at me in horror that I enrolled him there. They were disgusted with my choice. But I wanted to be part of the solution and bring my son’s home school back up to the level I knew could be. No question, the test scores had shot up by the third year, I"m sure for many reasons, but I don't doubt for an instant the after school programs were part of the answer.

The Boys and Girls Club got involved with our program, using our students to maintain a grant, and bused kids to Peck Park Pool for the Swim Club – with a good end result. The parent chaperone said the students grades were improving! They stayed at Homework Club first for one hour before they went off to swim.

When Basketball Coach Derrick Smith joined the team, we were ecstatic. He trained his students to play basketball, to do their homework and watched over their grades. He urged the school to hold pep rallies for his players, which were accompanied by our awesome Dana band and cheer leaders

I laughed watching even the cool students – to cool for anything – magnetized by the rallies. Derrick believed it was all about the school spirit.

It should have all been good, because it was really a miracle in a way. A handful of volunteers, many parents, students staying after school in a safe environment because they wanted too and it was growing. We hadn’t even needed that much money to maintain and run it. We did candle fundraisers and asked for funding from our Neighborhood councils, by far our biggest supporters: Coastal donated $5,000 to the plans; and Central: $3,500.

But like anything, there’s always walls, obstacle courses and politics – and those can shut down many things in an instant. My friend, Kim, who had worked at Dana for years, had invested her soul in the school was becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of administrative support.

She was a true treasure at the school, a gem who had spent countless volunteer hours helping kids. I can only say she was an angel; if only some administrators could see it that way.

After two years of helping run the programs, she left to work at another school. Perhaps I should have joined her but the Cooking Club started with San Pedro High’s Culinary Teacher Sandy Wood and on Friday’s after school, nearly twenty kids marched up to her classroom and whipped up foods like pancakes, omelettes, cookies and salads.

But trouble, as it always does, brewed drastically by the third year. I had sought help from a myriad of places, because it was clear several leaders were necessary to pull everyone together – and it couldn’t be done by a couple of parents. It had to be someone who could pull together the police, the business community, the city’s Recreation and Parks, the schools.

Finally, Celia Sawyer, of Beyond the Bell, which runs the after Los Angeles school district’s after school programs, wanted to take over the programs – which made sense to me to have a professional arm of the district involved.

But within a few weeks of starting to train all our volunteers, Celia retired leaving no one to truly head this program, which left me carrying the load. Of course, she did not tell me that she planned to retire and I’m still wondering about her motives to this day.

When your faced alone with something like this, you learn a lot about yourself and others. I learned that several administrators were not going to help a single ounce and in and, in fact, worked hard to damage the program.

San Pedro High coaches didn’t like our basketball coach, claiming all the time that he was recruiting. No one seemed to care that every one of his kids had improved in school – and all of them crossed the stage at 8^th grade graduation, including kids who were destined to not make it. Prior to Derrick’s arrival,, no one had even come to look at the students there.

I learned many lessons, many that are ugly -- that politics was the only reason that the district’s program had even been interested to circumvent some grant money. And I learned, working with the Boys and Girls Club would be incredibly difficult because they didn’t want competition – nor for that matter, did any other non-profits.

Finally, my health spiraled and I could no longer cope with the stress. I was doing a balancing act, hanging by a thread. There are a lot of people delighted I left Dana, not because I wanted too, but because my health forced me too.

Today at Dana: The Boys and Girls Club took over and runs everything. The parent volunteers are mostly gone, replaced by younger Boys and Girls Club employees and the door of opportunity is closing at Dana, because – in all honesty – without parents it’s going to be hard to really make it a better school. With about 1,800 kids, and some 200 plus adults, there’s simply not enough adults to help kids discover where they shine.

The other day, I heard the school district, the council office, the police and the Boys and Girls Club pledged to work together. Perhaps it will work -- especially if parents are encouraged to climb aboard along with the many other non-profits that offer different resources than the Boys and Girls club.

But two things need to happen: first, the school has to be considered the second home of students where they can truck back and forth between the school and the Boys and Girls club. And the parents need to return.

I continue to say – and will always say – if we truly want to see changes: We need everyone.

RECOMMENDATION FOR AN AMAZING LESSON ON AMERICAN IDOL FOR ALL OF US/GO TO YOU TUBE IN TYPE IN THIS NAME: SUSAN BOYLE FOR QUITE A SURPRISE; A PEACE CANDLELIGHT VIGIL FOR HOMICIDE VICTIMS AND A FUNDRAISER FOR SAN PEDRO BALLET

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Dear Readers: I can't tell you how much a must it is to visit http://www.youtube.com. Many of us received an amazing lesson for both children and adults on American Idol. Until this, I wasn't into American Idol. But when I saw this performance, it changed my mind. Check out the performance of Susan Boyle. You will not be sorry. Diana

Homicide Victims’ organizations throughout L.A. County have decided to unite to do a “L.A. County 7-day Candlelight Vigil” in conjunction with National Crime Victims’ Rights Week”, April 26-May 2 . This year marks “25 Years of Rebuilding Lives. Celebrating Victims of Crime Act”.

The vigil is to bring attention to the senseless killings and to unite victims throughout the county.

The candlelight vigils will takes place at 7:00 pm each night in a different location throughout the county (see attachments for locations).

For those unable to attend the candlelight vigil, we ask you to be in unity with us by lighting your candle at your home, office or location of choice at 7:00 pm every night and keep it lit until 9:00 pm every night during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week April 26-May 2.

Locations (See Attachments for more details):

Sunday, April 26 Lemert Park , 4300 S. Crenshaw, Los Angeles

S.T.E.V.I.E.S., Gwen -310-671-6935

Monday, April 27 Roger Park, Beach & Eucalyptus, Inglewood

Helping Hands, Mary -424-200-9210

Monday, April 27 Poncitlan Square , 38350 Sierra Hwy , Palmdale

POMC-Antelope Valley , Sheri -661-265-5963

Tuesday, April 28 Pasadena City Hall , 100 N. Garfield Ave , Pasadena

Victims’ Coalition, Jan- 562-907-4917

Wednesday, April 29 Pomona Civic Center, 505 S. Garey Ave , Pomona

POMC-Inland Empire-Agnus- 909-987-6164

Thursday, April 30 McCarty Memorial Church , 4101 W. Adams, Los Angeles

Mothers On The March, Charlotte- 323-493-1884

Friday, May 1 Lynwood Park, 11301 Bullis Road , Lynwood

Drive By Agony, Lorna-310-404-1050

Saturday, May 2 Water Fountains, Harbor & Swinford, San Pedro

Justice For Murdered Children, La Wanda- 310-738-4218

-----Submited by LaWanda Hawkins

SAN PEDRO BALLET FUND-RAISING EVENT

“A Glamorous Evening”

Saturday, May 16^th

6:00 pm

The Vue

255 W. 5^th Street, San Pedro

(between Centre and Palos Verdes Streets)

Cocktails, dinner, silent & live auctions, dancing

Free parking in the Vue’s parking structure

$70 per person or $650 per party of 10 advance purchase

$80 per person at the door

Adults only. Glamorous attire through the times optional.

For more information or to have an invitation mailed to you, please e-mail karen@sanpedrocityballet.org or call Karen Hicks at 310-600-5271

All proceeds from this event benefit the 2009 production and Outreach Program of “The Nutcracker”

“The Nutcracker” will be performed for two shows Saturday, December 12^th and Sunday, December 13^th

San Pedro City Ballet
310/732-1861 www.sanpedroballet.com

Our Overlord Los Angeles Makes Life More Difficult! I'm Ready for a Revolt

Dear Readers: This story appeared in the March issue of San Pedro Today where my columns will now regularly appear. In addition, www.coastgopher.com will use several of my stories that have appeared on this blog. Diana

By Diana L. Chapman

The other day, I figured out what I’ve received from our arrogant overlord, the kingdom of Los Angeles, in my 25 years as a San Pedro resident.

A public pool and a bottle brush tree.

It’s clearer than ever that City Hall believes we paupers here in Harbor Land can’t make decisions on our own, that it’s a task best left to our municipal overseers. Even our Neighborhood Councils, formed to fend off the “s” word—secession—are shaking their collective heads.

Sadly, decisions about our well-being are made in tall buildings farther away than Catalina and further still from our hearts and minds. It seems as if San Pedro lives in a straitjacket, barely able to breathe.

I’m tired of being a serf. I’m fed up with city officials not caring about the soul of our community. The last straw was the quadrupling of our downtown parking rates, strangling our hard-working business owners during a recession. It left me with this thought:

We need a revolt.

I’m praying for a modern-day Robin Hood. The response from our Councilwoman to complaints about the parking increase won’t cut it. First of all, she voted for it. And in a letter to the editor, she slapped our hands by telling us how we had to suck it up for the community good.

Which community, Janice? Downtown Los Angeles? The City Council? We don’t have anyone to stand up for us. Pleeease listen. Our people are starving. What more do you need to say? “Let them eat cake?”

We’re scrambling to maintain our identity. We can’t fix our own problems because L.A. makes more for us. I love San Pedro, but I despise Los Angeles, whose officials don’t care.

What locals find routinely is that just about everything we ask for turns into a tangle of meetings with bureaucrats who seem to have only one thing to say: It’s not possible. Of course anything is possible, but you’d better be prepared to battle for years with a gauntlet of city warriors whose job, it seems, is to stand in our way.

A city-owned ficus tree in front of our house was strangling our sewer line. When I called to find out if it could be removed, I knew we were in for an ordeal. The voice on the phone said environmental issues had to be considered first. And we learned from a Bureau of Street Services “information sheet” that it is a city-granted “privilege” for the homeowner to be connected to the public sewer system!

The public pool is another example. I was in the forefront of a battle to convince the city to clean up and refurbish the decades-old pool at Peck Park. Although we eventually won, the citizens on the Peck Park Advisory Board spent 10 years on the effort. Many of us thought we would die before we would ever see the pool rehabilitated. In fact, some of us did.

Now, for the bottle brush tree. The toppled ficus and its roots had left a crumpled sidewalk in its wake--a lawsuit waiting to happen. We called the city but were told nothing could be done for years because of the backlog. However, if we agreed to pay $1,500, the city would pay another $1,500 and repair the sidewalk in the next two weeks.

So we did it.

We were dismayed to wake up on a Saturday morning and find a gaggle of city employees out on the sidewalk. We watched in disgust, as did many of our neighbors, as most of the employees stood around for hours drinking coffee and chatting on their cell phones. The only people working were two guys digging a ditch.

How much did that cost the taxpayers? Who knows, but I can bet those city employees racked up some pretty good overtime. We were granted a bottle brush tree to replace the ficus.

Things are never perfect. But when my friends ask about any undertaking with Los Angeles – such as bringing in more playing fields – I ask them: “Do you have 10 years of your life to give?” That’s the minimum you need to push something through Los Angeles.

So yes, I’m saying it out loud for all to hear – I’m ready for a revolt. Because the years I’ve spent to get a bottle brush tree and a revamped pool – just aren’t worth being a serf to L.A.

Diana L. Chapman has been a writer for 30 years whose work has appeared in many publications, including the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. To learn more about local issues – especially concerning children – visit her blog: http://www.theunderdogforkids.blogspot.com

Above: Saturday barbecue attracts scores, Devon Hamilton cuts a customer's hair, LaWanda Hawkins, founder of Justice for Murdered children and Devon's father-in-law, Michael Martinez, take out time for a hug at the rally....

Two Separate Shootings at a San Pedro Barber Shop and Small Church Has the Long Time Shop Owner Contemplating Closing Down; the Trouble is His Customers Refuse to Let Him Leave Soulful Shears, a Community Watering Hole Where Hispanic and African American Customers Get Haircuts Side By Side

By Diana L. Chapman

Photos By: Jens Peerman, publisher of Coast Gopher, an online Harbor Area Newspaper: Http://www.coastgopher.com

With just another quick buzz of a shaver , Devon Hamilton swirled the chair and whipped up another customer 's cut in what seemed less than five minutes. At the same time, loyal customers streamed in begging him to stay open.

Clip, clip, …zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz .

Amongst the buzzing noise of shavers and client's chatter, Soulful Shears, which sits smack in the heart of a small shopping front on Bandini, near 1st streets, is abuzz with worry. For 13 years, the shop symbolized a safe haven where clients swapped tales, large and small, and discussed, yes, women, when the opposite sex wasn't around.

That safe feeling evaporated with two non-fatal shootings last month. At 36, Devon , an African –American, considered shutting his shop and saying: “I’m out of here.” He believes the shootings were racially motivated and fears not only for himself, but his three young daughters and the scores of his customer’s children, who frequently drop by to visit to talk and get haircuts.

Local residents, however, with the help of organizations, launched a barbecue/rally this past Saturday to show the community has this attitude: “Don’t let them chase you away.” All day long, a stream of Hispanics and African Americans came in droves to support the barber, buying ribs, hot dogs and chicken – and often donating more money than was asked for.

Spirits were running high and jokes were exchanged at the barbecue, held at the Top Value parking lot across the street. The constant flow of people coming all day made the volunteers happy. While it was suppose to end at 4 p.m., the food ran low by 2 p.m., explained LaWanda Hawkins, who founded justice for Murdered Children.

“God is just awesome,” LaWanda said while cleaning up after the barbecue. “We made over $600 and we thought we were going only to make $200. It was just word of mouth and people kept coming."

The money will go to repairs from the shootings and to purchase vests for volunteers to start escorting children to school safely.

The barber and his parents-in-law said –despite the rally – they still fear for the children who come to the shop. On Saturday, only one officer showed up; Lomita Sheriff's Deputy John Huerta, who was born and raised in San Pedro, attended the rally to make sure everyone was safe, said Mary Lou Martinez, Devon’s-mother-in-law. He got out of his car, wandered around and spoke to the children, she said.

“This place (the barber shop) is like a community center and people come here to socialize,” said Mary Lou, who showed she was clearly agitated with the lack of response from the Los Angeles Police Department. “This is an area that should be patrolled. LAPD needs to get involved. It's their jurisdiction. I’ll give the deputy thanks for coming by to support us.”

Without a doubt, Mary Lou believes the shootings are racially motivated – and while some say it’s gang related, she argues this: “If it’s gang-related, it’s race related.”

As for Devon, he said, when the Los Angeles police discussed the shootings with him, they indicated that he needed to stop giving gang members haircuts. Devon’s question was how would he do that? All walks-of-life end up in his shop, from blue collar workers to doctors. Longshoreman, students, teachers and all police officers come for quick buzzes.

And while he knows some customers are gang members, it’s likely he’d cause more trouble by denying them service. More importantly, his large, multi-racial family -- which does include in-some gang members -- don't even know they are hitting a relative's shop, his mother-in-law revealed.

One innocent party – or believed to not be the target – is the small church right next to the barber shop, the Iglesia Manantial de Vida. Pastor Arturo Vargas believes that the church door was accidentally shot and that Soulful Shears was the true target.

The barber shop has been extremely respectful of his church and “we help each other,” explained the pastor, while inside the dimly lit chapel where his young daughter rapped on drums.

“They are responsible, good neighbors,” the pastor said, whose flock participated in the barbecue. “I believe they were after maybe one of his (Devon’s) customers. I see a lot of Hispanics that go there to get their hair done. Thank God we don’t have services on Tuesday (when the second shooting occurred). We feel we are under God’s protection, but my concern is for the women and children.”

The church paid $250 to replace the glass door’s entrance to the chapel.

Due to the weekend, Los Angeles police could not be reached for comment about the incidents.
In the meantime, others are trying to redirect the shootings from being considered racial – and call them solely gang activities.

Gloria Lockhart, executive director of Toberman, a well-known social agency that helps the poor and works to dilute gang activity, said: “We think it's gang related. That’s how we feel. It’s various sets of gangs. We launched this (rally) to symbolize unity in the community."

Tyris Hatchett, who works Toberman’s gang unit, explained that currently this issue should not be labeled until more information is gathered.

“You have to evaluate the situation,” said Tyris, as he barbecued along with several other volunteers. “It’s a lot of knuckle heads doing things just to be doing it. Since it’s getting to be summertime, we are trying to bring folks together so there won’t be any retaliation."

Warren Chapel church member, Daniel Johnson, who volunteered and was passing out plates of food, offered this up: whatever prompted the shootings doesn’t matter as much as this: “We want no more shootings, no more fighting or any more of that.”

Inside of the barber shop seemed like any typical Saturday. It was mobbed with customers. Parents dragged their kids along with them – and bustled in and out. While mostly men come for haircuts, women also have their hair done there. Stories are told so often that Devon said: “It’s kind of like Vegas, what’s said in here stays in here.”

The first shooting in February was 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning. Devon said he was cutting the hair of a 60-year-old man, a regular customer, when suddenly three shots rang out. Bullets went flying through the door where the man was sitting, grazed his hand, and the other two bullets struck a back wall and a back door. “We just ducked for cover,” the barber said, adding they couldn’t find the third bullet.

That episode was terrifying enough, especially since Bandini Street Elementary School sits just a block away and nearly the entire neighborhood knows how many kids revolve in and out the barber’s doors.

The second shooting, also in February, happened on a Thursday night, Devon said. There were about ten customers in his shop, with at least four youngsters, when bullets riddled through a window of one of his customer’s cars -- parked out front – and then shattered the door of the church right next door. But Devon believes – as does the pastor – that the bullets were meant for his shop.

The woman, who was sitting in her car and works at San Pedro High, the barber said, was not injured. Her grandchildren were inside Soulful Shears.

“This just doesn’t make sense,” said Devon, shaking his head. “All I can think about is it’s racial. We’ve had a town hall meeting at a church and some people were saying it was gangs. To me, those two almost go hand in hand.”

It’s clear Devon has rules to come to his shop. Prominently posted are these conditions: no smoking, no drinking alcohol, no drugs of any kind “in or around the shop,” no fighting, no cursing – and – to watch the conversation when children are present.

For the moment despite the shootings, Devon will continue to use his shears.

The community support has convinced him to stay at least for now. Toberman, the Boys and Girls Club, Justice for Murdered Children and the Warren Chapel put together the rally in response to the community’s desire to convince the barber to not close.

“He’s going to stay,” said his adamant father-in-law, Michael Martinez, who lives up the street from the shop and who was born and raised in San Pedro.

Devon’s not exactly sure, but wants to remain. “I talked to some older gang members and they think it’s younger knuckle heads. The second shooting left me really discouraged and I’m worried about the safety of my customers.”