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“Everything Comes from the Streets” Filmmakers Seek Funding

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Local Lowrider Documentary Needs Help for Post-Production Costs

By Brent E. Beltrán

In my neighborhood of Barrio Logan lowriders are a ubiquitous presence. They’re part of the cultural fabric that sews this community together. It’s not a new phenomenon. They’ve been around here for decades and are part of the history not only of Barrio Logan but of San Diego as a whole.

Recognizing a need to document and tell that history local lowriding legend Rigo Reyes joined forces with professor Alberto Pulido to create a documentary on the beginnings of San Diego’s lowrider scene. Though the film, Everything Comes from the Streets, might be their first these two longtime San Diegans know their stuff when it comes to lowriders and Chicano history.

Rigo Reyes is a founder of Amigos Car Club, which organizes the annual Chicano Park Day lowrider car show, and the San Diego Lowrider Council, which have been in existence since the late 1970’s. Dr. Pulido is the chair of the Ethnic Studies Department at the University of San Diego. Both have been members of the Chicano Park Steering Committee for many years, Rigo since the takeover on April 22, 1970.

As a professor Alberto has come to recognize that all learning doesn’t happen inside the ivory towers of academia. A lot happens outside the hallowed halls of learning institutions. “As an educator one of the things that I’ve come to realize is that so much of the knowledge that we’re trying to do in the classroom is actually out in the community or like our film says its out in the streets.”   [Read more…]

Las Monthly Ondas September Edition: Spend a Weekend with Picasso

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Herbert Siguenza Returns as the Iconic Artist

By Brent E. Beltrán

Some may have thought that Pablo Picasso died at the gravely old age of 91 while entertaining friends at his home in France. That was not the case because the famous artist lives on here in San Diego.

This month you can see him live and in the flesh as Salvadoran actor Herbert Siguenza, of Culture Clash fame, captures the pure essence of the master himself in A Weekend with Picasso. From his mannerisms and speech to painting live Siguenza channels his inner Picasso and transforms into one of the most influential artists in modern history.   [Read more…]

I Bought Into Bob Filner as Mayor and Was Betrayed

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I’m not a registered Democrat or Republican (or as I prefer Democrata or Republiklan). I never bought into the two party system and I probably never will. As the late Chicano leader Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzalez said, Democrats and Republicans “are one party that feed from the same trough.”

Under rare circumstances have I ever voted for either political party. When I did it was usually to vote against the Republican candidate. For most of my 20’s I didn’t vote at all.

I didn’t vote for Bill Clinton or Al Gore. I didn’t vote for John Kerry either. There was no way I would’ve voted for either of their Republican opponents. During the Clinton elections I didn’t vote. During the Bush/Gore race I voted for Ralph Nader and during the Bush/Kerry election I voted for imprisoned American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier.   [Read more…]

Las Monthly Ondas August Edition: Mesa College to Pay Tribute to Long Time Chicana Activist

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Event to Raise Funds for Gracia Molina de Pick Glass Gallery

By Brent E. Beltrán

In March I wrote about long time San Diego activist/educator Gracia Molina de Pick donating $80,000 to the Mesa College Chicana/o Studies Endowment. This month the San Diego Mesa College Foundation and the Mesa College Chicana/o Studies Department return the favor and will honor Sra. Molina de Pick with a tribute fundraising event.

“The Chicana/o Studies Department is partnering with the San Diego Mesa Foundation to create a tribute event to Gracia Molina de Pick in order to raise funds to commission a series of naming honors that will create the Gracia Molina de Pick Glass Gallery on the San Diego Mesa College campus in the rotunda area of the Languages, Humanities and Multicultural Studies Building,” said Chicana/o Studies chairperson César López in an email.   [Read more…]

Adventures in Comic-Conlandia: A Nerd’s-eye View Wrap-up

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By Brent E. Beltrán

I survived another San Diego Comic-Con International. This one, perhaps, being the most grueling.

I had initially planned to write my wrap-up on Sunday night but was too tired. I was then going to write it on Monday but my exhausted corpse refused to get off the couch.

So here I am on Tuesday, slightly less exhausted but determined to finish writing about my Adventures in Comic-Conlandia.

Of my many Comic-Cons this was the first where I actually had work to do. I volunteered in the past but I don’t consider that work. Over the course of Comic-Con I posted 160 photos to Instagram and only three short videos. I had hoped to take more Instagram videos but I got caught up in everything and went the easy route by mostly snapping pics.   [Read more…]

A Good Day to Exercise Our 1st Amendment Rights; Barrio Logan BofA Chalk-In Demonstration a Success

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By Brent E. Beltrán

On Saturday, July 6, a little over a dozen people showed up in my neighborhood to exercise our 1st Amendment rights with chalk. At noon we gathered at Bank of America’s Barrio Logan branch on the corner of National Ave. and Sampson St.

The reason for our action was to protest not only Bank of America’s policies but to show our solidarity with Jeff Olson who had recently been put on trial by the out of control San Diego City Attorney, Jan Goldsmith. Mr. Olson faced up to 13 years in prison and a substantial fine for writing anti-bank slogans in chalk outside of BofA branches in North Park and Hillcrest on the publicly owned sidewalk.

The push to prosecute Mr. Olson was at the behest of Darrell Freeman, Vice President of BofA’s global corporate security. He made numerous efforts to get the San Diego Police Department’s Gang Unit to forward the case to the City Attorney’s office to prosecute.

And boy did they. The equally out of control deputy city attorney Paige Hazard went after Mr. Olson as though her life depended on a conviction. Her zeal to see Mr. Olson behind bars bordered on the ridiculous if not a downright obsession. Luckily the jury saw through her madness, as well as Lincoln Club stooge Goldsmith, and acquitted Mr. Olson of all charges.   [Read more…]

Las Monthly Ondas July Edition: Free Speech Chalk-In at BofA Barrio Logan and Other Branches

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By Brent E. Beltrán

Last week floundering Republican City Attorney Jan Goldsmith, at the behest of Bank of America, chose to prosecute Occupy San Diego protester Jeff Olson for writing anti-bank slogans on the sidewalk, in washable chalk, in front of their North Park branch.

Mr. Olson was charged with 13 counts of vandalism and faced a year in jail and a $1000 fine on each count. He faced a total possible sentence of 13 years in jail and $13,000! Luckily a San Diego jury on Monday, July 1st, using common sense, found him not guilty on all counts.

City Attorney Jan Goldsmith wasted over one hundred thousand dollars of taxpayer’s money to prosecute someone for exercising their 1stamendment rights, on public property, to do the bidding of his corporate master.

Freedom loving progressives and liberals all over San Diego are tired of right wing politicians working on behalf of corporations and the rich instead of defending the rights and interests of average citizens like Jeff Olson.

So tired that a Recall Jan Goldsmith Facebook page has garnered over 230 likes in less than a week. So tired that a nationwide Chalk-In is taking place this Saturday at various Bank of America branches throughout San Diego and the rest of the country.   [Read more…]

Desde la Logan: Artist Mario Acevedo Reflects on Golden Hill

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By Brent E. Beltrán

Mario “Torero” Acevedo is one of those crazy cats that you look at and instantly think this guy is an artist. He rocks the cool shades with a stylin’ hat, neatly trimmed white beard and occasional outlandish, paint splattered threads.

But he’s more than just a crazy artist. He’s San Diego history. He is Chicano history even though he’s from Peru. And since he came to San Diego in 1960 he’s been an integral part of Golden Hill’s history.

Torero has a long history of being an artivist in San Diego. From the founding of Chicano Park and the Centro Cultural de la Raza to the Community Arts Center and Sol Arts Gallery to Reincarnation, the Art Station and more. He was instrumental in leading the effort to change the name of Crosby St. in Logan to Cesar Chavez Parkway. His artwork can be seen all over San Diego.   [Read more…]

Las Monthly Ondas June Edition: Taco Shop Poets Dream of Sugar Skulls

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Read Tacos. Eat Poetry.

By Brent E. Beltrán

Has it already been twenty years since a band of guerrilla word slingers thought to share poetry with taco shop patrons? Apparently so, as the Taco Shop Poets are back in poetic motion for a gig at The Front in San Ysidro.

Founding Taco Shop Poets member Adolfo Guzman Lopez told me “it’s been 20 years since the idea for taco shop poetry was put in motion. We’re presenting the group’s 2011 book Sugarskull Sueños at the Tijuana book fair and what better place to reflect on our personal journeys as Mexican Americans, Chicanos, Latinos, cuarentones, border vatos, and fathers than a homegrown community space in San Ysidro.”

Originally started as a large, loose knit group of mostly Chicano and Latino raconteurs the Taco Shop Poets almost singlehandedly helped recreate the California spoken word poetry scene. They eventually whittled themselves down into a tight collective of border bards that have toured the nation and beyond. Their influence on the Chicano poetry world can still be felt today even though they’ve been relatively dormant the past few years.   [Read more…]

Desde la Logan: They Served and Are Now Finally Recognized for Their Sacrifices

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Chicano Park Memorial Honors Logan Heights Veterans 

By Brent E. Beltrán

On Saturday, May 18 military veterans from the community of Logan Heights were finally recognized for the sacrifices they have made throughout the years. Located in Chicano Park, a large stone memorial and flagpole—which initially broke ground on November 11, 2008—was dedicated to the many veterans from the Logan Heights area who have served and died in this country’s armed forces.

Around 300 people were on hand to watch the dedication ceremony near the pedestrian bridge that crosses over the I-5 freeway. Many were veterans, family members, friends and community members. Including almost a dozen veterans from World War II as well as many from the wars in Korea, Viet Nam and more recent ones like Iraq and Afghanistan.

The dedication ceremony, emceed by Logan Heights Veterans Memorial Committee member John Crespin, included a presentation of the flag—which will fly on the Fourth of July, Veterans and Memorial Day— by veterans Adam Gastelum, Tony Milan and Ruben Rivera; a singing of the National Anthem by Julia Price; and a twenty one gun salute and the playing of Taps by the Airborne Honor Guard–National City.   [Read more…]

Desde la Logan: The Ice Cream Man Cometh to Barrio Logan

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Family Owned Tocumbo Ice Cream Opens at Mercado del Barrio

By Brent E. Beltrán

Monday, May 13 was a beautiful, hot day in San Diego. Temperatures broke records throughout the county. But in my community of Barrio Logan things were a lot nicer because Tocumbo Ice Cream opened shop. And neighborhood residents flocked to get their cool ice cream fix.

On May 4, as I was walking to a few community events here in Barrio Logan, I was handed a flyer announcing the opening on May 13. Not only did the flyer announce their opening it also offered a free scoop! Happy happy! Joy joy! The opening was around the corner and I was gonna get a free scoop too!

Tocumbo Ice Cream was founded in 2004 by the Ramirez family which includes patriarch Gerardo Ramirez — who works between 80-100 hours a week doing what he loves, his wife Martha and children Omar, Kelly and Crystal. Grandson Junior also helps out as well as do other family members.   [Read more…]

Desde la Logan: All They Will Call You Will Be Deportees…No Longer

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An Interview with Author Tim Z. Hernandez

By Brent E. Beltrán

On occasion I feel the need to write about issues outside of the comfy confines of Barrio Logan and San Diego. This is one of those times.

Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye, Rosalita,

Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria;

You won’t have your names when you ride the big airplane,

All they will call you will be “deportees”

     – Woody Guthrie, Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)

 The first time I heard those lines was in 1998. It was in Spanish on the CD Siempre He Estado Aquí by Teatro Campesino co-founder and Fresno residents Agustín Lira and his partner of many years Patricia Wells Solórzano. At the time I didn’t know that it was originally written by famed folk singer/activist Woody Guthrie. Later on that year I heard it in English by the Latin super group Los Super 7.

Since then I’ve heard Woody sing it and fellow folk traveller and activist icon Pete Seeger as well as other performers such as Bruce Springsteen, Concrete Blonde and recent Grammy award winners Quetzal. Many more have recorded and performed this classic piece of American music.   [Read more…]

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