SAN PEDRO HIGH UNVEILS A THREE PRONGED APPROACH -- FINALLY BACKED BY THE STAFF -- TO MAKE THE BELEAGUERED CAMPUS A BETTER SCHOOL AND TO WARD OFF THE COMPETITIVE BIDS FROM OTHER ENTITIES THAT WANT TO TAKE OVER ITS OPERATIONS

STUDENTS COMPLAIN THAT THE PLAN WILL NOT UNITE STUDENTS

By Diana L. Chapman

San Pedro High School – one of the 12 Los Angeles public campuses that needs to dramatically improve or it could be passed off to charter control – unveiled a three-pronged approach this week to nurture students in their own smaller, personalized learning campuses, often called houses.

San Pedro educators expect the move to raise grades, test scores and student confidence – a must if school officials want to continue operating the campus and win against four other entities vying to take it over under the district’s new “public choice option.”

At the lightly attended meeting – where more students then parents appeared – several students criticized the report – an action that the principal embraced. She plans to have students aid in the development of the houses.

Jeanette Stevens, who took over the overcrowded school in August, remained optimistic about the proposal – especially after a private staff vote received an overwhelmingly majority to agree to the restructure -- that in the past often met resistance. She vowed to thwart the competitors – one of which is the UTLA, the teacher’s union.

In a surprising outcome, the high school staff voted 98-26 for a block schedule with similar numbers for other parts of the overhaul as “some teachers are stretching out of their comfort zone to make decisions that will help us win this bid for our school,” Stevens said. “Our teachers have stepped up to the plate to compete in this process.

“We are still a little bit nervous, but the energy is high and the ideas are flowing. It’s a great place to be right now,” she added.

Calling the plan a “work in progress,” at Monday’s meeting, she added that the executive summary will move forward to the Los Angeles School board in mid-December due to the upcoming holidays.

While some students – severely jaded by lack of direction of the 3,300 students campus over the past several years– openly criticized the report, few community members or parents showed up at the Monday night meeting.

“I don’t agree with small learning campuses,” said senior Paige Dovolis, president of the school’s Youth and Government program in a later interview. “It separates the school instead of bringing us together. Currently I’m in the business house and it’s not even my choice.”

She later complained – while speaking at the meeting – that the summary was splattered with jargon that neither she, other students or parents could understand.

Another student contended that in her school years if she received money for every time she heard the district was in a severe budget crises, she would have “enough money to fix the budget.”

In the meantime, school officials plan to promote a “safe haven” at the school and add a much more “personalized” atmosphere. The campus accreditation report – which gave the school a poor rating -- criticized the staff for not engaging students and other reports indicated that the staff sometimes lacked respect for its charges.

For the last several years, the campus has battled severe overcrowding, inconsistent leadership and a near loss of its accreditation.

What the new plan includes:

--A block schedule with seven periods to provide for more student bonding with their teachers as well as enhancing “intervention,” for students who need more guidance and providing more opportunities for advanced students. Seventh period will be held every day and one day of the week – which has not been decided yet -- will hold all seven periods.

The remaining six classes will be split into block schedules with odd days including periods 1,3, 5 and 7 and even days classes periods 2,4,6 and 7. With the new sessions, each will run about 100 minutes each.

--Hooking the six houses into “real world experiences,” by using the many resources in the community and bringing professionals into the school or students to the work site to observe. In addition, all students with academic struggles would in essence receive case management to connect them to the additional resources that currently exist in the community.

--In order to draw teachers and students closer, all six houses would have “contiguous” spaces to ensure bonding and enable teachers and staff to work more closely with the youth. For instance, each house would have its own counseling office, own eating area and the classrooms would be kept close to each other – so students will no longer have to criss-cross the large school to get to classes.

San Pedro’s overhaul stems from the school board’s decision to allow 24 new schools and 12 beleaguered public campuses go out to bid to charters and other non-profit entities. Board members believed the competition would launch major improvements within the ailing district, which currently has a near 50 percent dropout rate.

Los Angeles School Superintendent Ramon Cortines has the final say which agencies – including charters and non-profits -- will win the bids.

According the summary, San Pedro has a rich cultural diversity combined with poverty. Nearly half the students are on the free lunch program and 19 percent are gifted, according to the report. The attendance rate remains about the 91 percent mark, but nearly 33 percent of the students drop out.

Only 12.7 percent of the students, however, are proficient “and advanced in mathematics, mimicking a devastating trend across the state of California,” the report said.

ANOTHER DEAD KID IN SAN PEDRO IS NOT ACCEPTABLE: At LAST, CENTRAL NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL LEADERS ESTABLISH MEETING TUESDAY EVENING IN REGARDS TO THE DEATH OF AN INNOCENT 17-YEAR-OLD TEEN SHOT BRAZENLY IN THE STREET ON A SUNDAY MORNING NEAR TWO SCHOOL CAMPUSES

By Diana L. Chapman

They didn’t rescue someone from a burning house or pull them out of a car wreck. They aren’t cops or firefighters. They are, however, my latest local heroes in San Pedro.

They did it simply by this -- speaking out when no one else did and arranging one of the first public meetings in my memory about the shooting deaths of children in our community.

As someone who has tracked the yearly violent deaths of children here, I feared that once again the brazen Sunday morning shooting of 17-year-old Geisslar “Michael” Alfaro last month would slip into the same ugly abyss along with the other murdered children in this community.

It seems we -- as a community -- have come to tolerate that at least one youth annually is shot down in our streets – often in the light of the day -- and as the deaths seem to pile up; they are quickly forgotten. The media fails to show up. Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn doesn’t appear to demand change. And our residents failed to make a scene – until now.

Central Neighborhood Council President John Delgado and Vice President, Andrew Silber, scheduled an emergency public meeting on Alfaro’s shooting and plan to demand more officers from the city of Los Angeles Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Croatian Cultural Center, 510 W. SeventhStreet.

Calling Alfaro’s shooting “disgusting,” an angry Silber, owner of the Whale & Ale Restaurant, said he’s irritated that San Pedro has lost scores of officers to other areas – and now wants “to make sure we are getting our fair share.”

“It strikes me as all of this is just acceptable,” said Silber. “Well, I’m not going to turn over and accept this. We are supposed to be living in a civilized society. A law abiding citizen has the right to walk the street. He (Alfaro) was walking on foot when he was injured and they finished him off with a bullet between a high school and middle school.

"Why has San Pedro lost 44 officers in the last 18 months?”

Alfaro was killed Nov. 22, on a sunny Sunday morning, while on an errand to buy some goods at a local store, his friends and family said. An argument erupted in an alley where two men, both brothers, chased Alfaro and shot him down near Cabrillo Avenue and 18^th Streets. The two men were later arrested and one was released. Police called Alfaro's death senseless and unrelated to anything he had done. Alfaro was not a gang member, officers said.

In the meantime, his blood still stains the street.

“I was hurt when I heard about the shooting,” said Central Neighborhood Council President John Delgado. “I’m very saddened for the family and the child. It just looks like this kid was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s terrible that we have this going on and there seems no solution.

“We want to be there to let the family know that it’s not in vain. Our goal is to get more police officers.”

I applaud that these two men for caring and being some of the first residents to start asking serious questions. Sitting in the living room with Alfaro's family and friends -- still stunned by his death -- was so painful for me and I knew I couldn't even begin to understand their agony. The boy they described had befriended just about everyone, from nerds to gang members, and was nicknamed “Batman” after his favorite super hero.

His closest friends and family members described Alfaro as a kid who would dance anywhere any time – with or without music – and who loved to play with younger children. His motto in life was: "Be a happy camper." In particular, he teased everyone that babies liked him more than anyone else – and was already planning his future with longtime girlfriend, Kenya Broadnax. Many women, including Kenya's mother, considered Alfaro like their own son.

Alfaro had dated Kenya, 18, for five years and they planned to marry and have children once the two graduated from an independent studies high school program.

An unpublished car wash attracted hundreds of people and raised more than $5,000 in two days to pay for Alfaro’s funeral services – where again – residents flowed in from all over San Pedro. Some people had to stand at the funeral, friends said.

Unfortunately, the day before Thanksgiving, while these family members should have been whipping up mashed potatoes and preparing pumpkin pie -- instead they sat stoically in a small apartment clustered together in a protective circle and trying to cope with this tragic loss of a young man. Nothing can wash away the amount of despair and the ripples this kid’s death will have on the hundreds who knew him. As the family struggled not to cry, so did I.

But perhaps, I have to say, we should all be crying. Many of us probably think, this won’t happen to our own kid or a kid we know. Then we should remind ourselves where Alfaro was shot to death – an area trekked everyday by hundreds of students pouring in and out of Dana Middle and San Pedro High schools

I've heard time and time again from officers how lucky we are compared to other areas of Los Angeles. San Pedro has less crime and fewer murders.

That may be so. But it also means we don't want to catch up to those areas either. We must take a stance.

LOS ANGELES COUNCILWOMAN JANICE HAHN ROUTINELY FAILS SAN PEDRO; SO MUCH SO THAT I'M READY FOR HER TO BECOME LT. GOV.

By Diana L. Chapman

Now that Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn revealed her ambitions for lieutenant governor, I’d like her to know the reality of what I think her leadership was representing the 15^th District on the L.A. City Council -- and what I got out of it.

Zero.

It’s sad for me, as I’ve always thought she is beautiful, glamorous, articulate – and I wanted to believe in her. But she was never there for peons like me, the volunteers, the folks in the trenches, the true activists who don’t make a dime, the smaller businesses trying to make it with less than a dime or the non-profits that didn’t interest her. She’d pat us on the back , smile a lot and act like she supported us. Then reality would hit. She did nothing at all.

Nada. Naught. Nil. Zero. Zilch.

And I believe many other residents here in San Pedro feel that way, too. If you’re a hard-core politician, a wealthy developer, a union leader, a big wig at a non-profit , an executive at a large business or just someone with bucks or clout – you got respect – and help. You have Janice’s ear.

If you’re someone like me, you may get into her office. When you do, you see Janice, who listens with lots of smiles, and let’s everything flow right back out or tucks it away for later use. I suspect it was a way to appease us and to pretend she was doing something to help – when she was doing nothing at all.

One of my many friends who volunteers kept asking me why city officials don’t help. “Do they think I’m doing all this for myself?” he asked.

Frankly, I answered as honestly as I could: They would rather have you go away, vanish, disappear, move on, give up. Get out of their lives, for God sake! Who do you think you are!?

I wanted to believe in Janice. Truly I did. But the growing list of things not done began to reverberate around me until I finally realized I’ve been had and let down by a beautiful, classy politician who fails to understand there is a coach section on the plane while she spends her time working in first class. So have many others. Here are a few examples:

--Janice failed to support residents opposing the plans for a 7-11 store on Pacific Avenue at 19^th Street – even though the Coastal Neighborhood Council backed the residents. Residents feared it would attract more late-night trouble and questioned the need for another store in the area. Within a five block radius of that intersection, I recently counted three liquor stores and two bars. No wonder the residents pleaded to prevent another operation that in the end will sell alcohol. City officials argued it will enhance our community. Well, I guess they haven’t visited recently the grim, constantly littered 7-11 store at Gaffey and Ninth Street. It’s not pleasant!

“It all fell on deaf ears,” said John Stinson, the Coastal Neighborhood Council treasurer who was one of many who spoke against the 7-11. “The argument was that anything is better than nothing and it went downhill from there. Following that logic, a massage parlor or nudie bar should be OK.”

--For a long time, it seemed Janice favored two non-profits, Gang Alternatives Program (GAP) and Toberman Settlement House. These groups enjoyed a tremendous amount of support from her offices, which is fine as they are both excellent operations, but naturally there are many other such organizations in town that she rarely helped or visited. Not until she decided to run for lieutenant governor did several non-profits tell me she was helping them suddenly, attending their events or working to aid them with city services. It just made me wonder where she’d been the last, let’s see, 10 years.

--Lest we forget, I’m here to remind you of the gunning down of a 14-year-old African-American girl, Cheryl Green, in Harbor Gateway. The killing was allegedly committed by a Latino gang member and racially motivated. Cheryl was standing on a street corner in 2006 with three friends after school when she was shot. The story raged on with television crews and cameras everywhere – and so were Janice and the mayor. The politicos stood firm that the Harbor Gateway, a much ignored strip of land, would get much more support after this outrageous killing. Janice later helped to open a Boys and Girls Club youth center there. But soon after – when the city ran into financial issues, Janice immediately opted to close down her Harbor Gateway office, forcing those who live in the gateway to drive to either Watts or San Pedro. “It just seemed like another symbolic slap in the face,” said resident Rosalie Preston at the time.” I don’t know how else residents there were supposed to take it.

--When the Target store moved into San Pedro with its mighty boxing gloves on – and boxed out Eastview Little League which had operated on the property for decades, it turned as most things do here, a battle of the big dogs against the little dogs. Instead of negotiating terms with Target that might have helped maintain the baseball site there – or some other financially appealing arrangement – Janice helped the Eastview league obtain “temporary” property at Knoll Hill. The port poured thousands of dollars into building baseballs diamonds.

The problem with this solution is that it booted out the group who worked for years to get a dog park. They were bitten down to a tiny pocket at the foot of Knoll Hill, a crushing defeat after years of work. Eastview Little League, a much leaner, stronger, meaner organization, had the backing of the ILWU. Add to this another complication: Knoll Hill might not be a solution for either groups because state law requires the use of port property to have a marine-related component to it.

--Lastly, I went to Janice on numerous occasions asking for help to pull resources in town together to build after-school programs at Dana Middle School and other middle schools in her district. The various resources out there needed someone to connect the dots. Tired of so many kids getting killed, maimed or enticed by gang members, my friends and I built a template how it was done at Dana and could be done elsewhere. We needed a leader to pull everyone together, and I asked Janice to do that, point blank. In return, I received that same beaming smile. Once again, nothing happened. I asked several times, but it died at the table until I became sick and could no longer work on the programs. Janice then announced her latest arrangement publicly to pull together the city, the school district and the Boys and Girls Club to begin after school programs to keep kids out of gangs. Ouch! I’d been waiting for her to do just that, so I was disappointed. The grassroots people, whose feet were stuck solidly in the earth to help children, are the people who truly care and aren’t tainted with hidden agendas. They don’t get paid. They don’t understand politics. They just want to keep kids out of gangs – and from getting killed. I know that one non-profit is not enough to fill this giant void. We need everyone.

There are many other illustrations, but I will conclude with this observation: Janice hasn’t been there for those riding in coach.

Please email comments to Diana at hartchap@cox.net and visit her blog at: http://www.theunderdogforkids.blogspot.com

LONGTIME TOT CARETAKER SEEKS JOB: AND SHE’S THE BEST!!!!!! FIRST THURSDAY WILL HAVE GUIDED ART WALKS! TAKE A LOOK....

Day Care Provider

My son’s longtime baby-sitter – who I can highly recommend to take care of any tot – is seeking a job taking care of children Monday through Friday – and even weekends.

For many years, Rita Dheming took care of my son when I was ill. He learned a lot of Spanish and gained a new family to boot! Rita, who we call “Mama” teaches the alphabet, numbers, colors and pre-kindergarten materials. For older children, she sets aside a structure to do homework.

She has babysat for children for more than sixteen years and will care for them in your home. For more information about Mama, email hartchap@cox.net.

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MEET DOWNTOWN SAN PEDRO WITH DOCENT LEAD ART WALKS

First Thursday in San Pedro takes on a new look with guided tours of different sections of downtown. On December 3, visitors will be welcomed at Mishi’s Strudel Bakery and Café, 309 W. 7^th Street, San Pedro. The tour will start from there at 6:30. Each month a different meeting point and route will spotlight unique historical buildings, shops, restaurants, galleries, and artists’ studios. Following the one hour tour, visitors will have an opportunity to shop, eat and enjoy the music and ambiance that fill the streets on First Thursday.

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SAN PEDRO HIGH OFFICIALS LOOK TO THE COMMUNITY TO AID FAMILY TO BURY 17-YEAR-OLD BOY SHOT TO DEATH SUNDAY: HE HAD MANY ADOPTED MOTHERS AND ONE CALLS THE KILLING A “HATE” CRIME; POLICE SAY BOY HAD DONE NOTHING WRONG ADDING THE KILLING WAS OUT OF REVENGE AND UNRELATED TO EITHER THE TEENAGER, GANGS OR RACE

By Diana L. Chapman

While San Pedro High School officials seek financial assistance from teachers and residents to help bury a likable, 17-year-old boy shot and killed Sunday, the mother of Geilser (Michael) Alfaro’s girlfriend called the shooting devastating to her family and believes it was racially motivated.

The teenager, a former Dodson Middle and San Pedro High school student, was shot and killed in a dispute that started in an alleyway around 18^th and Grand avenues about 11:30 Sunday morning. Police arrested two suspects, but one has already been released, said Los Angeles Police Lt. David McGill.

“It’s so sad,” said McGill, who added detectives believe it was a revenge killing that nothing to do with Alfaro. “It had nothing to do with race or gangs. We have the most up to date information. It’s got no bearing on the case.”

He added, however, that the Alfaro may have paid the price for some long ago feud between another family member and the suspect that didn’t involve him.

Gang members, however, had taunted Alfaro, who was Hispanic,for dating his long time, African-American girlfriend. He had a run-in with one of the suspect’s in the past.

Within a few hours of the shooting – which kept many residents locked in their homes on 18^th Street, police arrested two brothers -- Albert, 21, and Joaquin Ortega, 19. Joaquin was released Wednesday because the District Attorney believed there was not enough evidence to charge him, McGill explained.

Albert, however, has been charged with murder and remains in jail, McGill said. Police continue to call Joaquin “a person of interest.”

Friends and family described Alfaro as a happy-go-lucky teenager, who believed life was good.

Nicknamed “Batman,” -- a super hero Alfaro adored -- friends and family members in mourning Tuesday say the boy was always smiling, loved to play with young children, hated tomatoes, was a maniac dancer -- with or without music -- and still watched and enjoyed Pokémon shows despite his age.

He even played with Pokémon toys, said Jessica Dorado, a friend and neighbor, who called him “a big kid.”

“He just made the best of everything,” Dorado explained. “He’d play with bugs and put them on strings and watch them fly around. His saying was: ‘Be a happy camper.’”

He befriended just about everyone, from nerds to gang members and he saw no racial barriers dating an African-American girl, which some friends and family believe ultimately caused his death.

Regina Williams, mother of Michael’s long time girlfriend, said she’s outraged by his death; she considered the boy her son. Her daughter, Ken Ya Broadnax, dated Michael for nearly five years after the pair met at age 13. Because they were so young, Williams said, she believed it was a passing fancy and that Michael would soon vanish.

Five years later, the two announced they would finish school, marry and have a baby.

At an apartment on the north end of San Pedro, friends, aunts, uncles, cousins and neighbors poured in and out to talk about Alfaro.

The young couple, they said, had quit going to San Pedro High, because they felt uncomfortable and were frequently teased about being a bi-racial couple. Due to the issues, the two left San Pedro High and enrolled at Toberman Settlement House’s: the City of the Angels, an LAUSD program, the girlfriend said, to get their degrees and complete their high school studies independently.

Ken Ya insists the taunts and slurs they received forced the couple to leave the campus, because they were fearful – especially after the shooting death of African American LaTerian Tasby, a San Pedro High football player who was killed at a party allegedly by Hispanic gang members two years ago.

That killing was never solved.

Michael “had more problems because of me,” Ken Ya lamented about her boyfriend. “There were just so many problems. Gang members were saying: “You know you can’t be with her.”

Several friends gathered at the site of the shooting this week, one friend trying to scrub away all the blood in the street. But large, pooled stains still remained on the road. Several candles were burning and bunches of flowers leaned against a fence.

Despite ridicule, Alfaro refused to quit seeing Ken Ya and the couple continued to plan their future together, family and friends said.

“He didn’t see color,” explained Ken Ya’s mother Regina, who has been helping Michael’s Spanish speaking-only father by taking him to see detectives and make funeral arrangements expected to be held next week. “He had every friend, Asian, Mexican. He was a good kid, a really, really good kid. I hoped and prayed that my daughter would end up with a good guy…and she did.”

Schools officials are asking the community to help the family.

San Pedro High Principal Jeanette Stevens immediately notified teachers, some of whom sobbed when they learned who died, and has asked that the community to come together to bury the teenager.

“Our school community was saddened today because of the loss of one former young student,” Stevens said. “Many students were overwhelmed by the tragic situation...

“As I look at how we work together as a community, I am inspired to see programs that exist to support our students in our neighborhoods, but with events like this shooting, I can't help but wonder what more we might be able to do to engage more students in activities and clubs that keep students in safe environments.”

Los Angeles School Board Member Richard Vladovic extended his "sympathies and condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Alfaro. As a community, we need to reach out to his loved ones and ensure that they have love and support in their time of need."

Friends said Alfaro was bubbly and happy and always advised everyone to enjoy life. At school, he was extremely successful in math, but was intimidated and troubled by English. At least two teachers at the high school, they said, took interest in him and tried to help him with his struggles.

Viridiana Juarez, a neighbor who helped raise Alfaro since the age of five and also considers him like a son, said her younger children were charmed by his playfulness. He’d toss them in the air, pretend he was Batman and get on the ground to play with the boys and their toys. The boys considered him to be like a brother, and are “devastated,” Juarez said.

Most of all, Alfaro liked to prove repeatedly that babies adored him more than anyone else – and would do everything to make them smile. In his short life, he became extremely close to his uncle, Hugo Alfaro, and the two often went four-wheeling together that strengthened their bonds.

The uncle, tears welling in his eyes, just said: "I loved him."

While police reported that Alfaro was shot in the head, the family says that medical staff told them that he was hit once in the arm and again in the back when “he was running for his life,” his girlfriend said who believes it was tied to their dating.

“Gangs are racial,” she said. “They run along racial lines.”

One boy, who asked not to be identified, said Alfaro was always there for him, even when he was kicked out of his house. He listened to his troubles. The friend added that he was that way for everyone.

Services are pending, but will be announced soon. Alfaro is survived by his father, Fermin Alfaro, his mother, Kembly Bararalizsett Tamyo Oyama, a sister, Jennifer, 10 and a brother, Fernando, 13.

Friends are asking for financial assistance for services. A car wash will be held over the weekend where donations will be accepted. The time and location will be announced.