San Pedro Today - July 2020

JULY 2020

BLACK LIVES MATTER COVERAGE: WILLIAMS ON BLM | UNITY MARCH PHOTOS | LANSING: IT IS TIME

Now entering...

PHASE III WITH GYMS & HAIR SALONS REOPENING - AND MASKS REQUIRED EVERYWHERE SAN PEDRO FACES A NEW SENSE OF NORMALCY.

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Dr. Ardalan, D.D.S. Education: USC school of Dentistry Doctor of Dental Surgery Professional Association: American Dental Association, member California Dental Association, member Western Dental Society, member

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ASSOCIATES Ian Woo, D.D.S., MD. Education: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Los Angeles County / University of Southern California Medical Center

Dr. Marvis Sorrel, D.M.D., M.D.S. Education: University of Pittsburgh, Master of Science in Dentistry, Doctor of Dental Medicine Advanced Education in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics Orthognatic Surgery Externship / Invisalign Certification

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Dr. Rebekah Coriaty Education: University of Pacific Professional Association: American Dental Association California Dental Association

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The chapter on 2020 in future history books is already destined to be a thick one, and we’re only halfway through the year.

I wasn’t sure how we were going to approach this particular issue, given the events of the past month. Between the Black Lives Matter protests across the nation following the tragic and senseless murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the continuing coronavirus pandemic, and the state’s Phase III reopening, it felt like June was moving at breakneck speed, and many of us were suffering from information overload.

As the kids would say, June was a lot.

While seeing some Downtown San Pedro businesses boarded up for a week was a bit unnerving, I’m thankful the few protests in town were positively received and remained peaceful.

Regarding the Black Lives Matter protests, I’m the first to admit, I am completely unqualified to speak on issues of race and what the movement is fighting for. These days, I often worry about being perceived as a clumsy and inadequate ally. But knowing this topic was too big not to address, I asked Lee Williams, Board Chair of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce and local realtor, to share his experiences as both a Black man and a San Pedran and how his experiences with racism helped shape what Black Lives Matter means to him today. It’s an important column that I hope readers find inspiring and enlightening.

THREE DOWN, ONE TO GO Switching gears, San Pedro has finally reopened, for the most part.

With the state’s move into Phase III of its reopening plan in mid-June, a new sense of normalcy seems to have crept in. We can now get a haircut, dine-in at our local restaurants, go to a bar, and go to the gym; things we took for granted only four short months ago. We still have to wear masks whenever we venture out of the house, but it’s a small price to pay in order to keep the spread of the virus low without having to experience another full citywide lockdown.

This month, our focus is on the reopening of gyms and hair salons.

We interviewed a few local salon and gym owners to get their stories on how they’ve managed to adapt and survive in in the wake of the pandemic and what they see as challenges ahead in creating and maintaining a safe and operational workspace.

California has one more phase to go before we can put the coronavirus pandemic behind us. Let’s all continue to follow the stay-at-home orders, keep our masks on, and maintain our social distancing. Just because the weather is about to get hotter, doesn’t mean we should get ahead of ourselves and think the pandemic is over. We’re almost there; let’s continue to stay the course. spt Joshua Stecker is publisher/editorin-chief of San Pedro Today. Letters to the Editor can be emailed to contact@sanpedrotoday.com.

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329 W. 6th Street | San Pedro | (310) 832-9364 JULY 2020 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 5

JULY 2020

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ADVERTISING:

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Patricia Roberts (562) 964-8166 | patricia@sanpedrotoday.com

ART DIRECTOR/PRODUCTION

Amanda Silva (310) 650-8051 | amanda@sanpedrotoday.com

Joshua J. Stecker Lori Garrett

Joseph A. Castañeda

AT-LARGE CONTRIBUTORS

Mike Harper, Peter Hazdovac, Pastor Nathan Hoff, Mike Lansing, Ricky Magana, Jennifer Marquez, Angela Romero, Sophie Schoenfeld, Lee Williams

PHOTOGRAPHER

John Mattera Photography

CONTACT INFO:

Phone: (424) 224-9063 Email: contact@sanpedrotoday.com San Pedro Today P.O. Box 1168 San Pedro, CA 90733

VOLUME 12 | NUMBER 6

General Inquiries: ads@sanpedrotoday.com

EMPIRE22 MEDIA LLC OWNER/PUBLISHER Joshua J. Stecker

San Pedro Today publishes the last Thursday of every month and is produced monthly

by Empire22 Media LLC. No portion of this publication can be reproduced without written permission by Empire22 Media. 25,000 copies are delivered to San Pedro and portions of Rancho Palos Verdes. San Pedro Today is a product of Empire22 Media LLC. Empire22 Media LLC, their subsidiaries and affiliates are released from all liability that may involve the publication of San Pedro Today. Copyright 2009-2020, Empire22 Media LLC.

ON THE COVER: Disinfectant is the new gym accessory. Photo taken at Heyday Elite Fitness in Downtown San Pedro on June 17, 2020. (photo: John Mattera Photography)

6 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I JULY 2020

JULY 2020 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 7

VOICES

BLACK LIVES MATTER

by Lee Williams

The last three months have been difficult in so many ways. The pandemic shut down businesses, friends lost livelihoods, and the number of people who are suffering due to COVID-19 is unimaginable. I see people having to settle for virtual funerals, and it breaks my heart. Funerals are a time when families and friends come together to remember all our best qualities and to support each other through loss. Funerals are a time to respect and reflect. We mourn and we mend. Deaths that could have been avoided are especially difficult to grieve, and we are often angry.

On Monday, May 25, 2020, the last

Ex 7/31/20

8 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I JULY 2020

moments of George Floyd’s life were captured on video. I have not been able to watch all 8 minutes and 46 seconds because, lying there on the ground, I see myself. I have a great relationship with many of our uniformed officers at LAPD Harbor Division. I consider many to be friends. However, for me George Floyd was another reminder that any time I leave the house, as a Black man, the difference between coming home and not coming home could be as simple as wrong place, wrong time, and wrong cop.

Floyd’s death brought back many painful memories. I too have been wrongly arrested, detained, and disrespected based on my race. This is not just about George Floyd; this is bigger than just one man. It’s about who we

Ex 7/31/20

want to be as a nation.

DON’T GET DISTRACTED Black Lives Matter is not anti-flag, anti-military, or anti-police. No matter how many people want to divide us on this, peaceful protest is part of the First Amendment for this very reason.

In fact, I would argue that protesting injustice is the most patriotic thing an American can do. Especially when it comes to saving lives. Ending systemic racism will make us a greater nation, strengthen community policing, and provide for a stronger union.

profited from selling autographed bags of Skittles, Confederate flags, and the gun he used to kill this unarmed teen.

This is why the message is Black Lives Matter, because we act as if they don’t.

Not being racist is not enough. We need to be anti-racist to create change.

COMMUNITY POLICING We all want faster 911 police response times and better protections for lives and property and eliminating waste. I may not agree with the voices shouting, “Defund the police,” but they are initiating conversations that need to happen.

Many municipalities are looking at BLACK LIVES VS. ALL LIVES how they spend our money and if it is When I see "All Lives Matter" in repossible to make communities safer by sponse to Black Lives Matter, it breaks fixing how we deploy our police. my heart. It either means you don't beWe need to talk about whether we lieve people of color value all lives, or it want police to respond to time-consummeans you don’t believe we should call ing and specialized calls that involve attention to the fact that Black lives are mental health, drugs and alcohol, or under attack and treated as less than. situations involving people who are Either way, I am sad. unhoused. Is deploying social workSometimes I ignore it. Sometimes ers a less expensive and more effective I can't breathe. My support for breast alternative? cancer solutions is not a slight to testicThis week, police unions in Los ular cancer. My support for #SanPedro- Angeles, San Jose, and San Francisco Strong doesn't mean I hate Long Beach. proposed requirements for de-escalation My support for Black lives doesn't mean and accountability, including a national I don't support blue lives. Being a cop database so cops fired for misconduct is a tough job – I couldn't do it – and I don’t get jobs in other agencies. They pray for the community members who proposed an early warning system to wear the uniform to keep us safe. identify and retrain or remove bad cops Black Lives Matter is a cry for help with an online portal tracking comand a call for you to recognize we are plaints. They asked for ongoing and being treated as though our lives don't frequent training to build and refresh matter. It doesn't mean you, as a white skills to improve police and community person, haven’t had challenges as great outcomes similar to SB 230 (California or greater than I have. It simply means Senate Bill 230). the color of your skin hasn't been the Change is coming. Let’s work togethprimary reason for those challenges. er to create a safer and better-connected San Pedro. spt BLACK VOICES MATTER BLM is speaking out against some Lee Williams is Board Chair of the deeply rooted injustices, from police San Pedro Chamber of Commerce brutality and racial profiling to the and leads The Williams Group at systemic racism and symbols of slavKeller Williams PV Realty. ery we continue to tolerate. Trayvon Martin was 17 years old when he was hunted down and murdered by George Zimmerman. Zimmerman went on to be acquitted of the murder and has

JULY 2020 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 9

ON THE TOWN

UNITY MARCH JUNE 6, 2020

10 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I JULY 2020

ON THE TOWN

On Saturday, June 6, hundreds of protestors joined members of LAPD’s Harbor Division for a march of unity in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests. The march, organized by L.A. City Councilman Joe Buscaino, the LAPD, and the local chapter of the NAACP, saw protestors and uniformed officers, including LAPD Chief Michel Moore, march from the Harbor Division police station on Harbor Boulevard to Pepper Tree Plaza outside San Pedro’s City Hall. The diverse crowd of protestors held signs supporting Black Lives Matter and protesting police brutality in the wake of the deadly arrest of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The peaceful demonstration included many local families with their children. The LAPD handed out white roses to protestors as a sign of peace and unity within the community. spt (photos: Angela Romero, San Pedro Heritage Museum)

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VOICES

IT IS TIME

by Mike Lansing

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I am writing this column as the death toll from COVID-19 reaches 120,000 in our country. But even in the face of this unprecedented loss of life, the number one issue on most people’s minds is the social justice finally being demanded by all races and all across our land.

The goal: to finally end systemic racism and singularly abolish police brutality directed at people of color – and especially African Americans – after the gruesome “slow motion” murder of George Floyd at the hands of an outof-control police officer in Minneapolis while three of his peers stood idly by.

It is time.

It is time to not only radically change policing in America but also our courts and prison systems, all of which have made being a Black male in America target number one.

It is time.

But police reforms are not enough.

It is time to finally, fully and truthfully face the immoral racism that permeates every neighborhood and corner of our country and implement the systemic changes necessary to finally end this scourge of our non-white citizenry and especially Black members of our society.

It is time.

It is time to finally address all of the other and cumulatively even more inhibiting inequities people of color in this country face daily, including but not limited to education, housing, employment, health care, and food insecurity.

It is time.

It is time for white America to stop rationalizing why we are “not racist” while we and our ancestors have stayed silent for decades and centuries. It is also time to finally acknowledge we ourselves have had affirmative action our entire lives and history in this country – it is called white privilege.

It is time.

It is time to finally and fully include our country’s racist past and pres-

ent in the “history” we teach to our children. Not a mere acknowledgement or footnote in our history books but full chapters and the dedicated teaching of our country’s history, including but not limited to decades of public lynchings, the Tulsa Race Massacre, Charlottesville, and the Watts and 1992 civil unrest; the Zoot Suit Riots, Chavez Ravine, and “cages” at the border; the Trail of Tears, Wounded Knee, and our reservation system; a “Chinaman’s Chance,” relocation of Terminal Island families (and taking of their homes), and current pandemic-inspired acts of discrimination against Asian-Americans.

It is time.

It is time to finally rid ourselves of our incompetent, narcissistic, ignorant, race-baiting president. He is not a “public” servant but rather enriches his family while he and his traveling entourage stay at his own properties; he empowers his equally incompetent family members and is overtly divisive when our nation needs a healing and compassionate leader during multiple crises, all while he panders to white supremacists and prioritizes the 1%.

It is time.

It is time to acknowledge that while all men are “created equal,” people of color have never been treated equally in this country. All people, regardless of color, deserve equal justice under the law and equal opportunities for a future life of quality. Sadly, it took the gruesome murder of George Floyd to bring to the forefront the extreme inequalities people of color face here every day. We must keep demanding the structural reforms necessary to end racism at every level in our country, and we must keep on peacefully protesting in the streets until we produce the changes our nation deserves. Marian Wright Edelman once said, “If you don’t like the way the world is, you change it. You have an obligation to change it. You can just do it one step at a time.”

It is time. spt Mike Lansing is the Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor.

JULY 2020 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 13

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VOICES

GROWING UP AT THE AQUARIUM

by Jennifer Marquez Raising children in an oceanfront port town has its perks, one being it is home to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. My children’s lives have been enhanced by years of visits to the aquarium and summers spent as docents. The aquarium staff has provided guidance and knowledge to my children as they have essentially grown up through their many programs and volunteer opportunities.

When my sons were babies, I took them to the aquarium on a regular basis. When family members were in town, we would meander through the aquarium, spending time at the touch tank demonstration or watching the gunnels, a personal favorite. Just when we thought we had seen it all there, we discovered something new to learn. After work on Wednesdays, when my kids were toddlers, we would stop by the aquarium to watch the animals being fed. Staff would often let my kids feed the abalone seaweed. A benefit of this small aquarium is the personal touch offered to the visitors.

Our family has attended the famous Whale Fiesta on many occasions. This is where we learned how to make sea creatures out of duct tape. We always fell short of the grand prize in the infamous duct tape sculpture contest but most importantly had fun together creating art. One year during family sandcastle building day, we built an Egyptian pyramid and a sphinx and somehow won first place. It was an upset to many who were competing, but the coveted plaque proudly hangs in our home.

When my kids attended Point Fermin Marine Science Magnet Elementary School, the students would walk from the school to the aquarium on a regular basis. They would visit the tide pools with aquarium staff or examine marine life under microscopes. My son volunteered as a Sea Ranger and helped hatch grunion eggs and led demonstrations with thousands of visitors at the grunion run. The aquarium was always a safe place for the kids to grow and learn. As my kids got older, the aquarium became more of their place, and I

gave them their space but was on call for when they needed a ride home.

Both of my kids have gained skills and knowledge by participating in the Summer Docent Program every summer. The program is for children entering 7th–12th grades, and applications are processed in April prior to summer.

To apply for the program, students must complete an essay, application, resumé with referrals, and an interview which are great skills for future job applicants.

The docents spend a week training with other students from a variety of schools.

There is an emphasis on marine science, public speaking, and teamwork. After the training, docents give group tours to schools and groups and lead demonstrations like at the touch tank.

My children spent summers giving tours and making meaningful relationships with other docents. It has a summer camp feel without the overnight part, with caring aquarium staff inspiring and guiding docents to learn and grow.

While the aquarium has been closed since March 13 due to the COVID-19 crisis, they have convened a reopening task force to ensure all safety measures are in place when they reopen. The staff has been busy taking care of the marine life, refurbishing areas in the aquarium, fundraising, and being part of the City of Los Angeles’ emergency response to COVID-19. Aquarium educators will soon be teaching at daycare centers set up for the children of first responders.

Children at each of the 48 sites will be able to hatch live grunion eggs and learn about the ocean. The gift shop has a new virtual store and has recently opened its actual store practicing protocols to keep everybody safe. The shop has a wide variety of gift items and proceeds benefit the aquarium.

The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is a San Pedro icon with staff and volunteers who inspire respect and conservation of our local marine life. Thousands of school children visit the aquarium every year. I am forever thankful for the resources they have provided to my children and to our friends in the sea. spt

Please consider supporting the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium by donating or visiting their virtual store at friendsofcabrilloaquarium.org.

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VOICES

OPENING UP WITHOUT A CURE

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In our culture of immediate gratification and constant stimulation, our attention spans – even in the face of a global pandemic – have a shelf life of two months. After being bombarded with an overload of information on every news platform, we collectively panicked and then swiftly overdosed on the virus. As the crowds took to the streets for social justice, we forgot about our masks and social distancing practices, while marching together against an altogether different enemy.

Despite our tendency to wish the virus away, the reality remains: there is no cure, and there is no vaccine. While our newsfeeds no longer focus on death tolls and Roman balconies stand empty of jovial COVID patients singing to one another in the spirit of the feast before death, the fact is that the virus is still raging. In our state, the numbers are still climbing, and despite our collective apathy, infections are growing. How cognizant and conscious are we of our own actions on a day-to-day basis? And how easily are we manipulated by the plethora of information designed to manufacture emotions?

As our state reopens, the wish to deny the reality and the urge to return to the familiar can overpower our understanding that we do not have a vaccine against this virus. Was our panic overblown? Did our sentiments change?

Do we not care about the numbers after all? Or is our denial and apathy more powerful than the anxiety of inhalation? Every time we look at a screen, we are confronted with a stimulus that is designed to illicit an emotional reaction, which is created in the brain through secretion of pleasure chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. These chemicals are released in the brain for a short duration of time until they are transformed into another chemical by another brain cell. In short, our screens make us feel things, but what do we do when the feeling is gone? We want another boost and then another and then another, hence, we become addicted to endless stimulation. The virus on our

newsfeed is like a horror movie that shocks you for a split second, and in a few minutes, you are awaiting another monster behind the curtain.

In order to execute a conscious, sustained plan of action, we must grow the capacity to delay gratification. Unlike hitting the like button, this process does not fly on the wings of pleasure chemicals. If we are to avoid a bigger second wave which can prove devastating, not only for the lives of many, but also for the longstanding economic health of the many, we are called upon to cultivate a different level of conscious awareness.

On a daily basis, we must remind ourselves that this pandemic is not over, that we still have to respect social distancing, wear masks that are uncomfortable, wash our hands frequently and manage the disappointment of not getting a table at our favorite restaurant. If we are to value our freedoms, we must also embody the personal responsibility that comes with it. Maintaining awareness even in the absence of perpetual stimuli that shocks us into remembering, we are asked to employ our executive functions in order to stay safe. Modern world no longer battles tanks and battalions; it tackles apathy, addiction and denial. We are not being nuked; we are being overtaken by mesmerizing screens that chronically engage our emotions yet leave us physically catatonic. We must challenge ourselves to engage our minds in order to act consciously.

While living in fear and panic is by no means a sustainable solution, the coronavirus pandemic forces us to face the reality beyond what is entertaining.

It is an opportunity to train ourselves to control our impulses so we are able to make conscious choices that benefit us in the long run. In reminding ourselves that what is out of sight should not necessarily be out of mind, we become more deliberate in our action, and in this deliberation, we are able to implement a lasting change and practice personal responsibility. spt Sophie Schoenfeld, MFT is a local marriage and family therapist. For more info, visit sophiemft.com.

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JULY 2020 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 17

PHASE III

time to sweat LOCAL GYMS REINVENT THEMSELVES IN ORDER TO SAFELY REOPEN.

by Joshua Stecker

ADAPTING TO THE TIMES: (l to r) Eddie McKenna and Ricky Magana, co-owners of Heyday Elite Fitness, and Ernie Avina, co-owner of All Fit. (photos: John Mattera Photography)

that has been hard hit by the virus (24 Hour Fitness recently filed for bankruptcy), local gyms have had a rough go of it, being forced to change their revenue models practically overnight in order to stay afloat.

The first thing you notice as you walk “That Monday [March 16], we were into Heyday Elite Fitness in Downtown like, ‘What do we do?’” recalls Ricky San Pedro are the squares. Twelve of Magana, Heyday co-owner (and San them in two rows, each measuring six Pedro Today columnist). “We decided feet by eight feet, taped in yellow on [right away] to go ‘live’ [online] and black rubber outdoor exercise mats that figure the rest out [later]. We converted take up more than half of their outdoor all our workouts to bodyweight at-home gym space. Inside each square is a specific ones. [It was] very much a bottle of disinfectant and a towel. These ‘building the parachute on the way are personal workout spots that Heyday down’ kind of thing.” clients will now have the option to reIn a bid to stay relevant during the serve through a new online system for quarantine, Heyday immediately began each group exercise class. setting up free remote home workout “This was not difficult, but it was sessions via Facebook Live. The pivot stressful,” says Eddie McKenna, coproved to be effective with their free owner of Heyday. “What’s been difficult online classes attracting more than is telling people you need to put your a dozen people per session. The free mask on. I have to be on people. ‘Wear workouts lasted eight weeks and were your mask when you come in. Around followed by a paid version via the poputhe gym, mask goes on. If you go in lar private video conferencing software, your box, masks are optional because Zoom. you’re outside.’ It’s really trying to “Our whole philosophy through this make the environment feel safe when entire thing has been, how do we get people come in.” ahead of it?” says Magana. “I think we Reservations, disinfectant, masks, were good at the technology stuff, but I and personal space (i.e. social distancthink Eddie and I both had preconceping): this is the new normal for local tions about what people would be willgyms during the coronavirus pandemic. ing to do. But given the fact that people no longer had a choice… it forced us to THREE MONTHS create this [at-home] program, but there Heyday reopened its doors on Monwas no roadmap to do it.” day, June 15, exactly three months since all gyms were forced to temporarily INDOOR VS. OUTDOOR close by orders of the state due to the A block away, the staff at All Fit coronavirus pandemic. In an industry are dealing with a different challenge: Editor’s note: The reopening of Los Angeles County continues to evolve. Please check covid19.lacounty.gov for the latest information on which types of businesses are reopening.

18 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I JULY 2020

trying to maximize indoor floor space to accommodate as many clients as possible. Unlike Heyday, which has a significant outdoor footprint, All Fit is an indoor gym filled with boxing bags, free weights, and machines. In order to adhere to the new safety protocols, the gym has to remove nearly fifty percent of its equipment in order to create the proper social distancing space required to open.

“We’re both a kickboxing and a circuit training gym,” explains Ernie Avina, co-owner of All Fit. “So, on the kickboxing side, we had 33 bags; now we’re down to about 15. In the circuit training area, we’re going to have to add equipment and expand the floor space. We need to use every inch to be able to get about 15 people in, instead of [our normal] 25. So that’s a huge impact [financially].”

According to the new state guidelines, gyms and fitness centers are being asked to follow a set of safety protocols that include: 1.) thoroughly cleaning high traffic areas, like lobbies and locker rooms; 2.) requiring patrons to disinfect their equipment, mats, and machines before and after use; 3.) providing “ready to clean” tags for members to place on equipment after use, to ensure it’s disinfected by staff; 4.) encouraging patrons to bring their own towels and mats and discouraging facilityprovided supplies; 5.) avoiding shaking hands and other physical contact; 6.) and requiring facilities with swimming pools to ensure that they are properly disinfected for patron use. Also, saunas, steam rooms, and hot tubs are to remain

closed for the time being.

In addition to the new guidelines, gyms are also being asked to use online reservation systems to control capacity.

One can imagine the level of frustration gym owners have suffered having to change business models a second time after just getting used to providing remote classes, but as McKenna accurately points out, “You need to adapt or die.”

IT TAKES A VILLAGE As local gyms begin to reopen across town, the owners of Heyday and All Fit are quick to acknowledge that they would not have been able to survive the quarantine if it weren’t for the large community of loyal members each gym has cultivated with their respective clienteles.

“If we hadn't built the culture we have in our gym, we wouldn't be opening our doors again,” says McKenna.

“We would be nowhere without our community.”

According to both McKenna and Avina, many of their patrons continued paying their monthly membership dues during the quarantine closure, a move both gyms expressed gratitude about.

“I think we’re blessed being in San Pedro and having a strong sense of community,” says Avina. “If it wasn’t for that, we wouldn’t be reopening. I think we have a key service to provide, and I think most people are grateful that we’re able to open up again. Just knowing that they’re committed to us, it makes you fight even harder.” spt

JULY 2020 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 19

PHASE III

The Cost of Beauty AS THE STATE ALLOWS HAIR SALONS TO REOPEN, LOCAL OWNERS GO ABOVE AND BEYOND TO MAKE SURE THEIR CLIENTS’ RETURN IS A SAFE ONE.

by Joshua Stecker

THE NEW WELCOME: Every client at C'e La Luna Salon is now greeted with hand sanitizer, a thermometer, a sign-in sheet, and face mask. (photo: John Mattera Photography)

Subterranean Hair’s Mitchel Wilson was in the middle of servicing his first client since the coronavirus pandemic shut his business down in mid-March, when an LAPD officer walked into his Downtown San Pedro salon and said, “[You should] board up and go home.”

It was Tuesday, June 2, and protests had erupted across the nation after the May 25 police-custody death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, who was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after being arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. Some protests devolved into riots in various parts of Southern California just a few days earlier, including Santa Monica and Long Beach, and word was spreading on social media that there was going to be a protest in Downtown San Pedro that afternoon.

With fears of more riots and looting coming to San Pedro, LAPD Harbor Division officers were encouraging downtown businesses to close up and board their windows as a cautionary measure.

“We had put so much anticipation and preparation [into our reopening] 20 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I JULY 2020

to then be told, ‘Hey, you guys need to close up and go home right away.’

That was devastating,” says Wilson, who opened Subterranean with his wife Rosemary in June 2019. “Literally, my client is sitting in the chair getting his haircut, and he’s like, ‘Should we stay, or do we go?’”

Heeding the LAPD’s advice, the Wilsons closed Subterranean after their first client that day and remained closed for the rest of the week. Fortunately, that protest, and the subsequent ones that followed, were all peaceful, and San Pedro avoided becoming a target for looters.

As June draws to a close, the threat of more civil unrest seems to have subsided for now. Downtown San Pedro has reopened again, and the Wilsons, along with every other hair salon owner in town, are facing a new challenge: how to open and maintain a hair salon in the time of coronavirus.

When asked about his feelings on reopening, Wilson answers with one word, “Trepidation.” He reveals that he falls into the high-risk category for COVID-19 due to previous health issues.

The husband, father, and small business owner understands the risks he’s taking for himself and his family by reopening, but he’s also confident that his attention to detail and training as a stylist will not only protect him, but also his clients.

“I have an autoimmune disorder [and] liver disease. So, I think that initially I was afraid [of reopening] a little bit,” he says. “But on that exact same token, both my licenses prove that I’m licensed to prevent the communicable spread of disease. That’s what a barber license or a stylist license is for. It’s not a proficiency test. It’s to make sure that you’re safe at all times… The Department of Consumer Affairs licenses us to make sure that when I’m using sharp tools, chemicals, and everything else under the sun, you are protected.”

DISCOVERING THEIR ROOTS It was the closure heard ‘round San Pedro.

When hair salons were deemed a nonessential business and were forced to close in mid-March in response to the pandemic, a collective gasp could be

heard across the port town.

“I was nervous because I didn’t know how long we’d be closed,” recalls Cinde Car, owner of Hairline on North Gaffey Street. “I never thought we’d be closed [for] over two months. I felt helpless.”

Few things can send this town into a panic. Closing our hair salons for nearly three months came really close.

By the end of April, a month and a half into the pandemic, many people started resorting to desperate measures in order to maintain some form of decent outward appearance. At-home haircuts started to become a thing. Sales of at-home hair coloring kits reportedly soared, with some local salons even selling their own kits for curbside pickup.

It certainly wasn’t the same as having it professionally done, but for those who couldn’t go another day with their real hair color showing, it would suffice.

“Do you know how many repair jobs we have coming up?” laughs Wilson.

“Seriously. Almost every client [we’ve had since reopening] sits down and apologizes. You’re going, oh man.”

San Pedro’s salon culture runs deep.

Even in this digital age of social media,

READY TO ROCK: Local hair salon owners are excited to finally welcome their customers back. From top to bottom: Kim DiLeva, owner of C'e La Luna Salon, Mitchel and Rosemary Wilson, owners of Subterranean Hair, and Cinde Car, owner of Hairline. (photos: John Mattera Photography)

some of the most important social interactions happen within the walls of this town’s many hair and beauty establishments, some of which have been around for decades. Car, for example, opened her first salon in San Pedro in 1980 and is celebrating forty years in business this year.

“I’m very excited to be back working,” says Car, who currently employs a staff of nine at Hairline. “Being a hairdresser, I’m very social. Being in isolation was hard.”

Kim DiLeva, owner of C’e La Luna Salon, which will be celebrating its 25th anniversary this October, couldn’t wait to get her doors open, even if she admits, it won’t be the same as it was before.

“I’m happy that we are able to reopen in some capacity for the sake of our business and livelihood and that of our workers,” says DiLeva, who manages a 12-person staff. “However, it’s definitely not the same due to all the restrictions.”

FOLLOWING THE RULES The protocols for getting hair salons reopened safely are incredibly thorough and will require an extra amount of time and effort on a daily basis to maintain.

For starters, barbers and stylists are now required to clean and disinfect their entire station, sink, and bathroom, before and after each client. They must also continue to use freshly disinfected tools with each new appointment, making sure to continually clean and disinfect them throughout the day, including washing brushes in soap and water. And following state guidelines, everyone inside the salon must wear masks at all times.

“Right now, it is taking most stylists twice the time to service half the amount of clients,” says DiLeva.

Social distancing is also required, which means many salons had to figure out ways to maximize their floor space while also trying to keep as many stations in operation as possible. To keep the number of people in the salon to a minimum, clients are asked to call the salon when they arrive in the parking lot to make sure it’s safe to come in.

Clients are also not allowed to bring any guests, including children and pets.

“We have always taken pride in having a clean, safe workplace, so that is nothing new,” says DiLeva. “However, we put a great deal of effort into making our salon even safer. It did take

more work and adjustments to do so with the new guidelines. We are taking temperatures at the door, masks are required by all, [and] waivers and logs are signed upon entry.”

“It’s not too hard,” adds Car. “It just takes time to do all the protocol. We stagger clients also, so there’s not a lot of people in the salon, which makes it hard because customers have been waiting for over two months.”

THE HIGH-RISK FACTOR One of the biggest issues facing salons as they reopen is how their senior clientele will respond. While people of all ages can be infected by COVID-19, older people and those with pre-existing medical conditions are at a higher risk to become severely ill if contracting the virus. The last thing any salon wants to be responsible for is getting any of their clients sick, especially their seniors.

This is why most salons are going above and beyond to make their workspaces extra safe in order for their clients to feel comfortable returning.

“We’ve tried hard to [follow] all the guidelines,” says Car, who wears a plastic face shield when she’s working.

“So, keeping with that, [I’ve had] no negative feedback. Seems like everyone is happy we’re open.”

“Most [seniors] are at ease with returning,” adds DiLeva, “but there are a few with current health issues that have some concerns about venturing out in general.”

We’re a month into Phase III, and a new sense of normalcy seems to be settling in San Pedro. Masks are now required for anyone venturing outside their house. Restaurants are now allowing dine-in guests. Gyms and hair salons are reopening. Barring any new spikes in coronavirus cases (or a second wave in the fall), the worst of the pandemic (knock on wood) seems to be in the rearview mirror.

“I know that the future is bright, that we’re a persevering community,” says Wilson. “We’re not going to let this ruin us. Yeah, it’s going to hurt us, and yes, we’re going to have to band together as a community to take care of each other and grow back to where we are in a prosperous position. I think at the same time, I’m so confident that that’s who this community is. I believe in us. That’s why we opened up here, because we believe that this community is a fighting community. That’s how we feel about it.” spt JULY 2020 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 21

HISTORY

UNREASONABLE

by Angela Romero “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.

Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” – George Bernard Shaw.

Over the last couple of weeks, we have witnessed a revolution spread from the United States to the rest of the world. Millions of voices are speaking out against police brutality and in support of racial justice. These demonstrations send a clear message that we can no longer adapt ourselves to a world where racism and injustice prevail. We must be unreasonable in our quest for equality for all. Revolution is scary, but the alternative has been deadly for far too many.

We don't have to look far in San Pedro history to find unreasonable people.

Everyone affiliated with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) owes their livelihood to some of the most unreasonable people to ever swing a cargo hook. Do you think the shipping companies cared about fair wages and safety measures? No. Eager workers were plentiful and easily replaced if injured.

In May of 1934, dockworkers successfully shut down most of the west coast ports in what would become a maritime strike that included truckers, teamsters, and pilots. On the workers’ list of demands were a $1 wage increase, a six-hour work day and thirty-hour work week, union representation, and to replace the unfair hiring practices with a union hiring hall. The striking workers were called vultures, combatants, and labeled communists.

When the shippers used the police and strikebreakers to force the ports open, violence ensued. On May 14, the first death of the strike happened in San Pedro when Dick Parker, a member of the International Longshore Association (ILA) for less than 24 hours, was shot in the heart by a guard. On Thursday, July 5, in San Francisco, strikers faced off in a deadly battle with strikebreakers 22 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I JULY 2020

Protestors at the recent Unity March on Harbor Blvd. last month. (photo: Angela Romero, San Pedro Heritage Museum)

and police armed with clubs, tear gas, and live ammunition. When the smoke cleared, Howard Sperry and Nick Bordoise were dead, and 67 strikers were injured. Bloody Thursday has remained a sacred day of remembrance for the ILWU ever since.

Harry Bridges was one of the leaders who emerged from the 1934 waterfront strike. He became the president of the San Francisco ILA in 1935 and transitioned his membership into the ILWU in 1937. Harry Bridges was a visionary, the epitome of unreasonable. He was also considered militant, radical, and controversial. Big movements forward require the leadership of those with big ideas and the bravery to employ extreme acts to achieve them.

The recent protests have kept another big personality on my mind, someone who, like Bridges, was militant, radical, and controversial. Yuri Kochiyama was a human rights activist and revolutionary who fought for social justice. She took part in some extremely radical stuff, including joining the Revolutionary Action Movement, a Black nationalist group that inspired the Black Panthers. She also took part in the occupation of the Statue of Liberty in 1977 to call for the release of a group of Puerto Rican political prisoners. Kochiyama was also a member of Malcolm X’s Organization of Afro-American Unity and was seated on the stage behind him when he was assassinated.

A picture of her holding his head as he lay dying appeared in Time magazine.

Later in life, Kochiyama was part of the group who won reparations for all the

Japanese Americans who were incarcerated by the government in concentration camps during World War II. Yuri Kochiyama was also born and raised in San Pedro. Her “Pedro” name was Mary Nakahara, and she was extremely involved and popular. She taught Sunday school, was assistant editor of the Fore ’N’ Aft at San Pedro High School and even served as student body historian. In 1942, the Nakahara family lived at the concentration camp in Jerome, Arkansas. While in the south, Mary managed the Japanese USO in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where she met her husband, Bill Kochiyama.

The descriptions of Yuri and Mary seem to be at odds with each other.

Mary was reasonable, so much so that she called her life in San Pedro, "red, white and blue." Yuri was unreasonable and unrelenting in her decadeslong career as an activist. Mary was an adolescent during the waterfront strike of 1934. She was here to see the ILWU declare that an injury to one is an injury to all. Yuri emerged, at the age of 40, when the Kochiyamas moved to a housing project in Harlem, NY. She educated herself on the discrimination experienced by her African American and Puerto Rican neighbors. Her experience in the American concentration camps was the foundation of this activism. She envisioned a world where people build bridges instead of prison walls, and she was immovable in her pursuit until her dying day.

I tell these stories to force parallels between what we are witnessing today and the battles that seem obvi-

ous to us now because they happened long ago, and we have benefitted from them. I was heartened to see photos of longshoremen with a banner that read, "Black Lives Matter," because I genuinely take their slogan to heart: an injury to one is an injury to all. When you hear people being called thugs on television for fighting for equality, keep in mind the names that longshoremen were called. When you think that some of the ideas that you're hearing go too far, remember that the things we take for granted now, like union representation and fair hiring practices, were once considered radical enough to kill someone over. And when you think you're too old or can't make a difference, know that one of the most respected activists and allies was the girl next door who, at 40, educated herself and became a force to be reckoned with.

Revolutions are uncomfortable; be unreasonable. spt San Pedro Heritage Museum’s Heritage at Home events for July:: July 1 - Virtual Landmarks Tour July 8 - All About Vista Del Oro July 22 - SNL Stars in SP July 29 - San Pedro School Days For more information about these events, please visit sanpedroheritage.org.

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A while back, I was talking to a client who had just lost 100 pounds.

As we were chatting about his own fitness journey, he kept saying, “If you saw me at my biggest, you would not have recognized me.” He then pulls out an old cell phone picture, and as he and I stare at it, he says, “Shoot, I don’t even recognize that guy anymore.”

I was absolutely astounded by his transformation. He had spent a significant portion of his adult life weighing well over 300 pounds, and one day, seemingly out of nowhere, decided enough was enough. And now here we are a few years later, he lifts and trains hard. At the gym, in his garage. He doesn’t stop. An active and healthy life is a part of him now.

I kept picking his brain because I wanted to know – what changed? How do you go through each day living one life and suddenly, at the turn of a dime, completely change into another? How can he lose 100 pounds when others can’t seem to lose 10?

These are the questions I flung at him as I was trying to solve this riddle. He said, “I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, I can recall the exact moment. It happened at work. One day I’m at my locker, and I see a woman and two kids clearing out a space a few lockers down.

They looked devastated. I recognized the woman as the wife of a coworker who just passed away. He had died of a heart attack a few days prior. Now here they were, grabbing his belongings. A wife without her husband, kids without their father.

“I finished changing and left, but that moment hit me hard. I kept thinking, ‘If I keep up the way I’m going, not taking care of myself, sooner or later it’s going to be my wife and kids clearing out my locker.’ That’s what did it for me. I had numerous reprimands from doctors and relatives over the years to watch my weight, start exercising, etc. But none of it seemed to stick until that day. I

started exercising the very next day and haven’t stopped since.”

He told me that story a couple years ago, and I never forgot it. I’ve been thinking about it recently with everything going on. Pandemics, riots, curfews and economic instability. 2020 has thrown nearly all of us crisis after crisis.

I don’t know about you, but one of the lessons I’ve gleaned this year and have had burned into my psyche is the idea that that which you ignore/delay/ avoid/put off does not go away. It only gets worse.

We all, at one time or another, have had a problem or challenge we prefer not to deal with. The debt that’s not going away, the cholesterol that’s climbing, the relationship we’re neglecting.

All of these things are painful to look at, so we sweep them under the rug and try to ignore/delay/put off the best we can. The problem is: problems earn interest. The longer you let them sit, the longer you pretend they don’t exist, the bigger they become. And sooner or later, you won’t have the option to not deal with it; the choice to deal with it will be made for you.

The client I talked about saw what was ahead if he continued down the path he was on, so he woke up and did something about it. Now you may have all your ducks in a row, but if not, you probably know the feeling. If you do, here’s something you need to know: problems cast long shadows. They always appear bigger and more overwhelming than they really are. But I’ve never encountered a single problem that wasn’t made drastically better by sitting for 30 minutes to clearly define the problem and naming three to five steps you can take to make it better.

And if you find, while the world opens up, that shedding the Quarantine 15 is one of those things on the list – you know where to find me. spt Ricky Magana is co-owner of Heyday Elite Fitness. For more info, visit heydaytraining.com.

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by Mike Harper & Peter Hazdovac inevitable with our economy coming to a screeching halt, massive job losses, and real estate not even considered an January column, essential service initially? we reported that As April approached, the real estate our local housing industry caught a break and made some market was significant adjustments. For starters, the chugging along State of California, including the City and continued and County of Los Angeles, deemed to remain stable. Although sales volume real estate services essential. This was was trending down, home values were a no-brainer and should have been the up slightly in San Pedro and much of case from the get-go. Additionally, C.A.R. the South Bay. The outlook for 2020, leadership worked swiftly to create based on projections from the California Association of Realtors® (C.A.R.), was for “Best Practices Guidelines” during the pandemic that would be adopted by the more of the same with a slight uptick in volume and an increase in housing prices industry to ensure the safety of sellers, buyers, agents and third-party services. upward of 3%.

These key adjustments, coupled with an Then came that memorable day, industry that worked diligently to adapt to March 12 to be exact, when life as we the new normal, have been paramount to knew it was suddenly upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. Chaos ensued over keeping our local housing market moving in the right direction during the safer at the coming weeks, with many sectors home order. The other significant factor of our economy paralyzed with panic was the favorable lending environment and uncertainty. This was certainly the that has continued throughout most of case for the real estate industry and our the year. Jumbo nonconforming lenders local housing market. It would stand to slowly began lending money again, albeit reason that, with all the craziness the with stricter qualification guidelines, United States was faced with, not even and rates for conforming loans (up to the durability of real estate would go $765,600) have remained under 3.5% for untested over the near term. Lenders much of the year. became extremely cautious, with many To be clear, the negative economic jumbo nonconforming loan originators indicators are apparent, and many (loans above $765,600) freezing funding industries continue to struggle. Massive altogether. unemployment, a decline in consumer How would a downturn not be

As you may recall from our

ability to purchase goods and services, and a decline in tourism and travel as well as other sectors, continue to be major concerns for our economy going forward. However, our local real estate market has remained fairly resilient since the pandemic hit in March. In San Pedro, there were 73 single-family residence (SFR) sales from March through May 2020 (based on local MLS statistics).

This was up approximately 1% from the same period during the previous year.

The average sales price during the same period was approximately $753,000, which was up nearly 3%. Days on Market (DOM) for home sales was 39 days, which was up approximately 10%. In Rancho Palos Verdes, there were 76 SFR sales from March through May 2020. This was down approximately 24% from the year prior. The average sales price of $1,614M was down approximately 1.5% during the same period, and 51 DOM was virtually

Chelsey Jones

unchanged from the prior year. In the South Bay as a whole, there were 747 SFR sales, which was down approximately 31% from March through May during the previous year. However, the average sales price of $1,246M was up approximately 3% and average DOM was 29, which was 10 days less than the year prior.

What’s the outlook for our local real estate market for the remainder of 2020? A continued decline in home sales volume is anticipated. However, favorable mortgage rates and a tight inventory environment are expected to keep prices fairly stable. Overall, real estate is expected to remain a safe investment and should be one of the bright spots in our economy. spt

Mike Harper and Peter Hazdovac are both licensed realtors with Keller Williams Realty. For more info, visit harperhazdovac.com.

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Estate Plans • Probates • Wills • Living Trusts Power of Attorney • Real Estate

FAITH

LITANY OF REPENTANCE

by Pastor Nathan Hoff

Raymond D. Green

Attorney at Law 30 years of service in the San Pedro & South Bay area

815 S. Averill Ave., San Pedro, CA 90732

(310) 784-8867

www.raymondgreenlawoffice.com rgreen.atty@sbcglobal.net

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Whatever happened to...

Janie Cracchiollo?

“Dad passed away and mom was lost without him. Days blended together and mom had difficulty keeping track of things. Mom had a friend at Harbor Terrace and had also heard from many about the “wonderful reputation” Harbor Terrace had. She was excited to see the community, liked what she saw and moved in as soon as there was an opening.

Today mom enjoys keeping up with her friends, she looks forward to the home cooked meals and loves the evening movie nights.

We are relieved mom is getting the care she needs including medication assistance and showering. Mom says she feels very lucky she was able to come in and be a part of this community.”

The Family of Janie Cracchiollo Resident of Harbor Terrace

• A Full-Service Retirement Community • Independent Apartments • Assisted Living Services • Delicious Chef-Prepared Meals • Housekeeping & Linen Services • Daily Recreation & Social Programs

-IN E V O LY! 435 W. 8TH ST., SAN PEDRO M www.HarborTerraceRetirement.com E JU E L (310) 547-0090 FR AL License # 198200855

28 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I JULY 2020

Have mercy. (Search Condoleezza When confronted with the brutal truth Rice American Creed) For buying and selling, trading and that some lives enslaving, abusing and killing humans haven’t mattered created in God’s image: as much as other Have mercy. (Search Harriet lives in our own Tubman movie) estimation, in our For vagrancy laws applied only to own institutions, in our own city of San Black men, incarcerating them the day after their emancipation: Pedro, and in our own nation, we are Have mercy. left with a couple options.

For Jim Crow laws, segregation and We can make excuses. “Almost all the Southern Manifesto: societies have tolerated bigotry and Have mercy. racism.” “America is not unique in her For San Pedro’s history with the Ku participation in the slave trade.” “We Klux Klan and other white supremacy did have a Black president for eight whole years.” We can blame. “That was sins: Have mercy. (Search San Pedro Ku a previous generation’s problem.” “My Klux Klan) ancestors didn’t own slaves.” We can For inequitable homestead, Federal deny. “I worked hard to get where I am.

Housing Administration, redline and Don’t tell me about white privilege.”

We can compare. “We weren’t as racist white-only deeds, and neighborhood covenants: as that other group.” “We are the party Have mercy. of Lincoln—we are the heroes in this For “law and order” rhetoric serving story.” “We are the progressive party as a cover for racist policy: of civil rights—we are the heroes in Have mercy. this story.” We can hyperfocus for a For responding to white drug use week and change our social media with compassion and rehabilitation background to black and share the while responding to Black drug use hashtag #blacklivesmatter and hope with disgust and incarceration: that time will heal that wound and we Have mercy. (Search Phil Vischer will get back to “normal” as soon as racism) possible.

For grave inequities in criminal God replies, “They dress the wound justice and in the application of the of my people as though it were not death penalty: serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when Have mercy. (Search Equal Justice there is no peace.” (Jeremiah 6.14 NIV) Institute or “Just Mercy”) Excuses, blame, denial, comparison, or For the Church’s indirect complicity temporary attention have not helped and direct racism in our city and nation: heal the racial wound reopened day Have mercy. after day in our neighborhoods and For our excuses, blame, denial, in our nation. Do you feel the call to justification through comparison, and something more profound? short attention span as a substitute for As a Christian Caucasian man, I am a true and lasting commitment to racial pretty much the definition of majority justice: culture in America. My voice has been Have mercy. heard and empowered, and I have been overrepresented in halls of power Our cry for mercy is to you, God of in every generation of our nation’s every nation and people, and to our history. It is not my turn to teach but sisters and brothers to whom we have to unlearn and learn. Not my turn to talk but to listen. Not my turn to call for committed grave sins of commission We haveSOON! said and done repentance but to repent. Maybe that is and omission.

COMING where I can begin? Maybe some of you sinful things that we ought not to have said and done. We have been silent fixer!

Ocean/Catalina view would join me? when we should have spoken.

Please forgive us for what we have After these 400 years, which mark done and for what we have left undone. the beginning of the slave trade to spt America: Have mercy. (Search 1619) Nathan Hoff is the Pastor at For the times when the American dream and the constitutional foundation Trinity Lutheran Church in San Pedro. Follow his blog at securing it have been withheld from trinitypastor.blogspot.com. whole populations:

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GRADUATION DAY: Friday, May 29, 2020 - Mary Star of the Sea High School graduate, Makayla DiLeva, walks the blue "carpet" to receive her diploma as her family drives beside her. (photo: John Mattera Photography)

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