San Pedro Today - October 2020

OCTOBER 2020

TEN THOUSAND VILLAGES JOINS CRAFTED | THE CREATIVE BRAIN DURING COVID | REMEMBERING TONY PIROZZI

CAT’S OUT OF THE BAG!

THE MYSTERIOUS ARTIST BEHIND THE ‘SAN PEDRO CAT’ REVEALS THE FELINE’S ORIGINS & HOW IT'S BEEN ABLE TO KEEP ITS NINE LIVES INTACT

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I never saw his face. That’s the one detail that sticks with me about this month’s cover story.

I’ve interviewed hundreds of people in my career, some quite strange in their own right, but never have I interviewed someone in person with their face completely covered in an effort to hide their identity.

But that’s what happened last month with the anonymous “San Pedro Cat” street artist known only by the hashtag #ifoundyourcat.

This was a story I’d been wanting to write for years. Ever since he turned San Pedro into his personal canvas starting in 2013 to paint his popular black-and-white cat, people have asked me if I knew the identity of the “San Pedro Cat” artist. Obviously, I didn’t then, and I still don’t now, even after interviewing him for this month’s cover story.

I blame myself for not jumping on this sooner. Whenever I thought about reaching out to the artist through social media, I’d sabotage myself assuming he’d never agree to an interview, so I never followed through. I assumed that since he clearly wanted to remain anonymous, there was no way he’d want to sit down for an in-depth interview and answer questions from a journalist about his life and work, risking the chance of revealing himself.

But I had forgotten an important lesson I learned long ago when I was working in entertainment journalism: artists have egos. So, while he still wished to remain anonymous, he certainly had a story he wanted to tell.

We sat together for two lengthy in-person interviews, both of us wearing face masks, of course, except his covered the entirety of his face with sunglasses hiding his eyes and an L.A. Dodgers cap on his head. Had this happened a year ago, it would’ve looked very unusual. But for anyone that saw us sitting in front of Sirens Java & Tea on those days, we looked like two nor-

mal guys wearing state-mandated face masks having a chat in the middle of a brutally hot August day during a global pandemic. Such is life in 2020.

I really enjoyed interviewing #ifoundyourcat. For all the mystery surrounding him and his work, he’s actually an incredibly funny and outgoing guy. We developed a great rapport and I’m appreciative that he trusted me to tell his story this month.

I've been told to expect to see a few new “San Pedro Cats” around town in the coming days and weeks. Art is good medicine, and this town could use a good-natured pick-me-up as we enter the final months on what has been a tumultuous year.

DONATIONS Lastly, I want to say thank you to the anonymous reader (seems to be a theme this month) who sent us a cash donation in the mail to help out with our operating expenses. It was a pleasant surprise and I’m humbled by the gesture.

Even in our leanest months, we’ve never publicly solicited donations to help support the magazine. Call it pride or stupidity (or both), but for some reason, I just never felt comfortable doing that.

The magazine’s success and longevity has always been due in no small part to the strong support and goodwill we receive from our small business community every month. By supporting the local businesses who advertise in our pages, you are, by proxy, supporting San Pedro Today.

So, if you want to help the magazine through these pandemic times, please spend your hard-earned dollars on the businesses that support this publication and let them know you saw their ad in our pages. In my opinion, that’s the best support you can give us. 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 OCTOBER 2020 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 5

OCTOBER 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

General Inquiries: ads@sanpedrotoday.com

Pastor Nathan Hoff, Ricky Magana, Jennifer Marquez, Anthony Pirozzi, Angela Romero, Sophie Schoenfeld, Sophia Ungaro

EMPIRE22 MEDIA LLC OWNER/PUBLISHER

Steve Marconi will return next month.

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.

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

Joshua J. Stecker

VOLUME 12 | NUMBER 9 ON THE COVER: #Ifoundyourcat's work on the side of The Sardine on Pacific Ave. (photo: John Mattera Photography)

6 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I OCTOBER 2020

OCTOBER 2020 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 7

EVENTS

TERRIFYING TALES WILL (STILL) BE TOLD SCARY STORIES 18 GOES VIRTUAL AS CORONAVIRUS REDEFINES HALLOWEEN

by SPT Staff HOW IT USED TO BE: A photo from a past Scary Stories event at Angels Gate Park. This year, the stories have moved online. (photo: courtesy Melanie Jones)

Not even a global pandemic can frighten away Halloween revelers from wanting a good scare. Of course, with this particular year being what it is, instead of gathering around a firepit at Angels Gate Park as they’ve done for nearly two decades, the folks behind the annual Scary Stories event are taking it online.

“Due to the pandemic, we won’t be able to gather around the bonfire,

but we will join each other around the stories, all in the comfort and safety of our own homes,” says Melanie Jones, producer and director of Scary Stories 18, in a statement.

This year, Scary Stories will be available as an online program from October 24–31. Anyone will be able to gather around their virtual fireplace (or real one, if you have it) and listen at their leisure to an all-new line up of spell-

8 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I OCTOBER 2020

binding storytelling suitable for young and old, living and, well… you know.

Produced and directed by Jones, with help from Heather Handwerk and Bill Wolski, this unique, annual event showcases unforgettable tales for the Halloween season, some comic, some unsettling, and some truly terrifying.

The audience provides the visual effects with their own imaginations, inspired by the evocative readings and the realis-

tic sound effects.

You can access Scary Stories 18 at the URL: melaniejonesstoryteller.com/ writer/witch.

The event is free and is accessible from Oct. 24 through Halloween. spt

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TONY PIROZZI, MY FATHER & BEST FRIEND

by Anthony Pirozzi, Jr.

On August 13, 2020, my father and best friend passed away and left us with a big hole in our hearts. When I think about my father, I recall many of his accomplishments, growing up working at the family business, Tony’s TV, his love for the game of soccer, our first trip to Italy, and Sundays watching soccer. We would cap off Sundays with pasta and what he called “soupy-soupy,” cookies dunked in espresso.

He was born on the beautiful island of Ischia, Italy in 1937 and on April 5, 1956, he arrived in San Pedro with his parents Ciro and Maria and sister Angie. The rest of his siblings would arrive in America years later. He would meet my mom, Filomena “Cookie” Costa, at a family picnic on July 4th at Peck Park. It was love at first sight.

Mom knew at that moment she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

They were married in 1961, had four children — Jerry, Domenic, me, and Amy — and eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Growing up in Ischia, he was fascinated with radio, which eventually led him to earn an electronics technical degree from the National Technical School in Los Angeles. He would then open his trademark business, Tony’s TV, in 1965, serving San Pedro for 43 years. Due to his passion for soccer, the business would evolve in the 80s into Tony’s TV and Soccer Supplies, which made National Lampoon magazine’s list of interesting business combinations.

Over the years, his passion led to filling the gaps Italian immigrants were feeling after coming to America. He became involved in radio broadcasting in 1957 by providing soccer scores from Italy to Gianni Lauro’s Sunday Italian radio program using a shortwave radio.

Eventually he started his own radio program and was on the air for 47 years.

In 1960, he started the Olympia Soccer Club and the Italian Sports Associa-

tion, which would evolve into the Italian American Club, to fundraise for the team. In 1973, he formed the San Pedro Italian Soccer Club, which captured the First Division Championship in 1979.

Finally, he promoted Italian music to audiences at the Warner Grand, the Hollywood Palladium, and many other theaters across Los Angeles.

His most memorable moment was during the 1982 World Cup celebration after he announced on his radio program that “when” Italy wins the Final against West Germany, fans should meet at his shop on 12th and Gaffey to celebrate.

When Italy won, 2,000 people came from all over Los Angeles, the Valley, and San Pedro and filled the street waving Italian flags.

This was a first-of-a-kind celebration in San Pedro that many still remember.

He received the 2014 Italian Spirit Award: Excellence in Community during Italian American Heritage Month from Councilman Buscaino to recognize his accomplishments.

Soccer was Dad’s main passion.

Together, we rooted for Napoli and the national team of Italy. During the 2006 World Cup, Italy played the USA in the group stage. I was rooting for the USA and told him that we shouldn’t watch the game together as he might get upset with me rooting against Italy.

He laughed and agreed. During the first half, I see my parents walking up my driveway. I said, “What happened?”

With a big smile he said, “The power went out at the house.” I laughed and said, “God didn’t want us apart for the game.” Thank goodness the game ended in a 1-1 tie and Italy won the World Cup that year. Most recently, we watched the 2020 Coppa Italia final together as Napoli beat rival Juventus

10 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I OCTOBER 2020

Father & Son: Pirozzi with his father in June 2020. Inset: Pirozzi wrote about his trip to Ischia with his father in the Sept. 2005 issue of San Pedro Magazine. (photos: Pirozzi family, San Pedro Today)

to capture the cup. The picture of us holding the Napoli jersey celebrating the win is our last picture together.

I will always cherish being the firstgeneration son of an Italian immigrant.

Dad would say, “Don’t forget where you come from.” In a Christmas card I told him it was time for us to go to Italy for the first time together so I can see where we come from. He said yes with one condition: we plan the trip around two soccer games. So, in 2005, we planned the trip around Napoli/Rimini and Roma/Lazio. Walking the streets of Ischia together and seeing the very places he had talked about for years was a dream come true for me. I wrote about this experience in San Pedro Magazine.

I spent my youth working at his TV shop which led me to earn an electronics engineering degree. In 2018, I took him on a tour of the Boeing satellite factory that I lead in El Segundo.

He was impressed by the size of our facility and the size of the satellites and was beaming with pride. I put my arm around him and said, “I am here because of you, Dad.” He looked at me perplexed. I said, “Because of the shop, I became an engineer to help you, but landed here.” He had tears in his eyes.

My father left us with memories of his passion, kindness, friendship, generosity, and especially his smile.

His example taught me that we will be remembered not for the big accomplishments in life, but the little things, the times spent together, how we made a person feel, and the small thoughtful gestures amongst family and friends.

Rest well, Dad, and may you enjoy the soccer games in heaven. I love you. spt Anthony Pirozzi, Jr. is a Los Angeles Harbor Commissioner. He can be reached at apirozzi@yahoo.com.

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VOICES

REINVENTING CHURCH

by Jennifer Marquez

San Pedro United Methodist Church is a large, unassuming building on the corner of 6th Street and Grand Avenue.

Built in 1923, the church once had a large rotating beacon of light in the steeple and served as a haven for visiting sailors, providing respite, showers, a hot meal, and a place to write a letter home.

The church has evolved over the years and with the leadership of Pastor Lisa Williams, it is returning to its roots to provide services for those in need.

The church is not just handing out food or clothing, they are providing services that support families and individuals who are unhoused to get back on their feet.

“One of the reasons I got so involved in advocacy and housing is because I heard a speaker say the faith community has abandoned those in need,” says Williams. “Many churches are dying and need to change, need to be open and willing to look around their cities to see how they can help.”

Traditionally, a church would open their doors on Sundays for church services, and their empty buildings would be mostly unused during the week. United Methodist has seen an increase of people who are becoming homeless for the first time and wanted to offer help. They have been involved with a program called Family Promise of the South Bay for the last four years.

Homeless families are provided shelter for a week at each rotating church like United Methodist. They provide food and shelter to up to four families at a time once a quarter in rooms inside the church. Ongoing social services are provided to the families through Family Promise as they work with families on their goals like getting a job or attending school.

United Methodist was gifted a large lot that is adjacent to the church over 20 years ago and once owned by a mortuary. The lot has been vacant for years but is in the process of becoming 54 units of affordable and permanent sup12 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I OCTOBER 2020

portive housing for families and singles.

There will be wraparound services provided to the people who will live there and rules that they must follow.

The project is currently in the funding and application stages.

The church has been hosting mobile showers, funded by Supervisor Janice Hahn, every month. United Methodist is part of the San Pedro Faith Consortium along with First Presbyterian San Pedro, The Garden Church, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, and Temple Beth El. They provide bagged lunches at the mobile showers and other resources with a goal to provide new supplemental services to the unhoused members of San Pedro.

Also, United Methodist works with Toberman Neighborhood Center during the holidays. Children are given toys at Toberman, and then the families head to United Methodist so the children can shop at no cost for gifts for their parents. Items like body wash gift sets, small speakers, and small toolsets are popular. Donations of these types of products are appreciated. United Methodist works closely with the two new shelters in San Pedro and provides product donations to them as they are limited on space. Donations needed are new sweatpants, new unisex t-shirts, Crystal Light to flavor water, new socks and underwear, cleaning supplies, adult coloring books with pens/pencils, and lunches for mobile shower days at the church.

“United Methodist is doing the work that is kind and respectful and shows dignity to all people,” says Williams.

“Agencies, social workers, and churches need to work together and share resources, and none can do it alone. Now more than ever with so many first time homeless, it is about trying to connect people and be an advocate for those who don’t have a voice.”

If you are interested in donating or volunteering, visit umcsanpedro.org, contact Pastor Lisa at (310) 548-1001, or email her at pastorlisa.sanpedroumc@ gmail.com. spt Jennifer Marquez can be reached at jennifertmarquez@yahoo.com and @jenntmqz on Twitter and Instagram.

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VOICES

THE CREATIVE BRAIN, YOUR SUPERPOWER

by Sophie Schoenfeld, MFT

At birth, our brains come equipped with approximately 100 billion neurons (brain cells), ready to be utilized and wired into a complex network of neural connections. Only half of these nerve cells are wired together at birth, which means we do the majority of our neural wiring through life experiences.

Our brains can grow, change and learn throughout our lifespan; this, in current neuroscientific language, is known as “neuroplasticity.” Neuroplasticity allows us to be the architects of our

inner worlds, but to activate this process, one must learn how to consciously engage in the creative process. What, then, helps us create optimal conditions for such a process? And how does it work? Recent developments in neural imaging have provided an opportunity for us to explore and research vast amounts of data, including the brain’s interaction with visual processing and the importance of creative flow.

The brain has two hemispheres, left and right. Left is mostly responsible for logical, verbal, and computational functions, whereas the right hemisphere is involved in emotional processing.

Historically, creative people have been

14 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I OCTOBER 2020

believed to be more right brain, whereas more analytic individuals have been seen as more left brain. This is actually not entirely true; both hemispheres play an integral role in generating creativity.

Deductive reasoning is not capable of producing novel ideas, as it is a process of reaffirming existing facts.

It's through nonverbal recall of smells, sounds, and images that we free associate, creating analogies and connections that birth the creative flow. In order to translate this emotive process into our consciousness, left brain has to analyze and deliver it to our thinking brain. This can be understood as an evolutionary function. In order to manage the everchanging external reality, we have to actively interact with it, creating new meanings and connections relevant to our experiences.

Human beings don’t simply record their external reality through sensory experience, they actively co-create an artificial reality as a response to external stimuli. In doing so, we find purpose and project endless possibilities into the future.

Certain environments are more conducive to encouraging creativity while others can be thwarting. Being in nature allows our brain to wonder; this is a daydream state of mind, an open-ended meandering. Activation of sensory perception that comes from watching the sunset, hearing the ocean, and smelling freshly cut grass stimulates the creative flow. When our minds are thus engaged, the brain enters into a meditative focus, which then calibrates our nervous system, balances hormonal fluctuations, and allows us to enter into a state of cognitive meaning making. This can manifest as a novel thought process, as well as drawing, dancing, singing, etc. Similarly, visiting a museum, traveling, being exposed to new stories and languages, and physical activities all can activate this process.

Without creative flow, our internal realities shrink and become less adaptive, hence making us ill-equipped to handle the ever-changing landscape of life.

Play is one of the most important

creative activities. Logical reasoning does not beget construction of new ideas, because it has predictable rules that are deductive and therefore have only finite possible outcomes.

Play, on the other hand, is a fluid process where rules can change, allowing the activity to have an infinite number of outcomes. The reason children love to play is because they are in a natural phase of active construction of their inner worlds. Play involves multiple brain functions, which not only improve mental agility but also provide an opportunity for motor skills training.

It also activates reward centers in the brain, which enhance positive emotional states and teach an individual about their strengths and weaknesses, thus improving self-esteem. It is a process of constructing schemas of inner worlds.

Unfortunately, in our current culture, play and creativity are underestimated, hence we are seeing an increase in mental health problems.

Making art is a form of play; it has no particular rules, no predictable end result. Art making allows our minds to wander, free associate, and experiment through trial and error, creating new neural connections expanding our inner worlds, making them more interesting, complex, rewarding, and meaningful.

As we age, we begin to over rely on preexisting mental constructs that were formed in our youth; we utilize familiar neural pathways and in doing so, limit the production of new, consequently becoming “set in our ways” and less adaptable, and our worlds begin to shrink. We become anxious and avoid the unknown, causing cognitive decline and low self-esteem, thus activating negative emotions of shame, frustration and loneliness. In short, when we stop playing with the world, we begin to die.

Being alive means remaining creatively engaged, seeking new experiences, and plunging into the unknown. It is in this vast abyss of space that life is born. spt Sophie Schoenfeld, MFT is a local marriage and family therapist. For more info, visit sophiemft.com.

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CAT’S OUT OF THE BAG!

THE MYSTERIOUS ARTIST BEHIND THE ‘SAN PEDRO CAT’ REVEALS THE FELINE’S ORIGINS & HOW IT'S BEEN ABLE TO KEEP ITS NINE LIVES INTACT

by Joshua Stecker A recent 'San Pedro Cat' spotted at Park Plaza on Western Avenue. (photo: John Mattera Photography)

It’s been a local mystery for the better part of seven years. Who’s been responsible for painting a particular black-and-white cat in various locations all over San Pedro… and why?

In a community where secrets are not exactly well kept, the identity of this street artist seems to have remained steadfast in its anonymity.

The popularity of the “San Pedro Cat,” as it’s commonly referred to these days, has only risen over the years, helped by social media and two local gallery exhibitions in 2017 and 2018.

Though controversial at first, the community seems to have grown fond of the feline over time, demonstrated by the hundreds of photos on social media of people posing with the various stencils, paintings, posters, and sculptures of the cat, hashtagged with the artist’s only known public name, #ifoundyourcat.

The artist has been called everything from a “community treasure” to a “vandal” to a “Banksy ripoff,” a reference to the famous England-based street artist and activist who gained mainstream notoriety through the 2010 Academy Award-nominated documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop. Not surprisingly, that film holds special significance in #ifoundyourcat’s origin story.

When a new piece appeared in early August in Park Plaza at the Shell gas

station on Western Avenue, the first after a prolonged hiatus, it sparked renewed interest in the “San Pedro Cat,” and I was curious if this mystery artist would be willing to tell their story in the pages of San Pedro Today.

Fortunately, he was.

SETTING THE PARAMETERS I sent a message to the artist through his Instagram page (instagram.com/ ifoundyourcat) in mid-August asking if he’d agree to an interview. I wasn’t sure what to expect. After two days of silence, a reply appeared in the magazine’s inbox, “Wow! Are you serious?

I’m on board if I get the cover.” Knowing this was always a cover-worthy story for the magazine, that was a no-brainer.

The only other parameter he requested was to remain anonymous, to which I agreed. The goal was never to “out” him. Instead, I wanted to tell this story in a way that was interesting and honest, but also kept the mystery behind it. The artist’s anonymity is part of the charm about the cat. In many ways, it’s allowed people to appreciate the art in its purest form, without any preconceived ideas that might exist if the identity of the artist was publicly known.

We met twice in person, both times outside Sirens Java & Tea. For each

16 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I OCTOBER 2020

meeting, the artist arrived with his face and head completely covered.

The pandemic made it convenient to conduct our interview outside in public without garnering stares, since wearing face masks has become the norm.

In our second meeting, he wore dark sunglasses, causing us to not even make eye contact. For the record, after two lengthy in-person interviews, I’ve never seen the artist’s face, nor did he confide to me anything that would reveal his identity, including his real name.

Here’s what I can tell you about #ifoundyourcat. He’s older and taller than I imagined, with broad shoulders and the build of man who did not seem to work behind a desk, though he never revealed what he does for a living.

Without telling me his exact age, he says he was “born in the ‘70s” and is a “first generation San Pedran.” Yes, that’s actually his cat. It’s a male that’s a few years old, but he wouldn’t tell me his name. His cat has even been trained to use the toilet. (There’s video evidence of this on his Instagram page.)

While many aspects of his story were impossible to fact-check, given the confidentiality requested and what little in the way of specific information was revealed, there was no reason for me to doubt that I was indeed speaking to the artist known as #ifoundyourcat.

When asked about who knows his

real identity, he says that the only people who know are his parents and a “very small” group of friends who apparently all have an amazing ability to keep a good secret.

‘I CAN DO THAT’ The way he tells it, #ifoundyourcat’s artistic journey began in his early teens.

Like many kids at that age, he was exploring what interested him, and graffiti art caught his eye.

“That’s when I started getting into graffiti, doing old school lettering and stuff like that,” he says. “When I was going to junior high, these guys would get bussed in from Wilmington. They were hardcore graffiti artists, and they were young, like 13, 14. They were getting up on freeways and stuff like that.

When I was driving with my mom on the freeway, I would see them and be like, ‘Man, this is cool.’”

He would learn to replicate what they were doing by sitting next to them in class. “They were artists, and I guess they had family that were artists that were inspiring them to do art,” he says.

“I [ended up being] inspired.”

His passion for art lasted all through high school, even though he points out “a lot of my friends weren’t into what I was into.” It wasn’t until college that #ifoundyourcat found his artistic calling.

OCTOBER 2020 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 17

CATS, CATS, CATS: A sampling of the various 'San Pedro Cat' art across San Pedro through the years.

Most of these have already been removed or painted over. (photos: courtesy #ifoundyourcat)

“When I went to college, I took as many art classes as I could,” he explains.

“I went to a four-year university and got my bachelor’s degree. Throughout that period, I took everything – sculpting, painting, illustrating, photography, you name it. I even took extra classes in the summer.”

Armed with a well-rounded arts education, after college he attempted to make a name for himself in the street art scene but couldn’t find a hook, something that people could latch on to and would get him noticed. It wasn’t until a date night in 2013 that #ifoundyourcat found his muse.

“We’re at my house, and I put in the Banksy movie [Exit Through the Gift Shop],” he recalls. “We were watching it, and [my girlfriend at the time] was really intrigued by it, and I told her, ‘Hey, you know I can do this.’ And she looked at me and said, ‘If you can do it, why don’t you do it?’”

It was a challenge he wasn’t expecting but was willing to accept. The only problem was, he wasn’t sure what to paint.

“I was like, ‘What am I going to do? I can’t just do anything,’” he says. “Then I remembered what one of my teachers told me in school. He said, ‘You got to paint what you love.’ I looked down on the ground, I saw my cat. I was like,

‘I’m going to paint my cat.’ It wasn't the first stencil that I had done, but it was the only one that caught on.”

many photographs and mentions of the cat on social media. A recent search of the hashtag on Instagram shows more than a thousand mentions.

MIXED RECEPTION The cat wasn’t greeted in San Pedro While most of the cats he’s painted with open arms at first. In the early in San Pedro have been removed or days, arguments over whether the cat painted over through the years, #ifwas considered art or vandalism were oundyourcat says one of his first early plentiful in the comments section in lostencils is still around. cal social media groups. The buzz about “It’s next to Brouwerij West,” he #ifoundyourcat’s work was so heated says. “When you go into the parking that a story about the cat and the conlot, right there on the corner, it’s on the troversy ended up on the front page of backside of it. There’s a black cat image the Daily Breeze in September 2013. that’s at least eight or nine years old.”

“All I did was paint a couple of cats, The “San Pedro Cat” has evolved and next thing I knew [the cat] was on over time. It started off as a plain black the front page of the local paper. Then stencil, which then graduated to a it was on the six o’clock news, and then multicolored one, giving the cat the Telemundo,” he recalls. “My head was black-and-white look with a red collar, spinning. It was crazy.” which was more in line with what his At one point, after the cat appeared cat actually looks like. He’s since moved in the newspaper, there was a small yet on to gluing pre-made posters of the cat concerted effort to paint over any cat as using wheat paste, a popular method soon as it was found. It got so bad that used by many street artists, which he #ifoundyourcat asked his social media still uses today. He’s also experimented followers to post photos but not identify with hard foam and cement statues the art’s location for fear of it being of the cat that were placed in various removed too quickly. locations, including Point Fermin Park “There was this one person that and Cabrillo Beach. Those statues have would go around and spray tan spray since been removed. paint over my cats,” he recalls. “It was The artist’s moniker also serves a happening for a while, every time I dual purpose. Aside from being an alias, painted a cat, someone would [post its the hashtag also helps organize the location], then the next day, it would

18 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I OCTOBER 2020

be painted over with tan spray paint.

So I started painting over the tan spray paint with my cats again. I was doing that with a bunch of people that were painting over my cat.”

Fortunately for #ifoundyourcat, as time has moved on, the controversy has died down and the community, for the most part, seems to have embraced the image. It’s lasted long enough to become a part of San Pedro’s everevolving cultural and artistic history. So much so that someone (not the artist, he says) even made a tile for it on the 25th Street Mosaic wall.

“I love it,” he exclaims. “This is my community, and my community likes me. You know what I mean? I’ve gone through so much in my life that making other people happy [with my art] isn’t a crime in my eyes. It’s just a little cat.

People seem to connect with it.”

INVISIBLE IN PUBLIC Without revealing any of his methods, when asked how he’s been able to remain anonymous and not get caught, he says it’s not as hard as people think.

He claims to have had a few close calls, but says he’s never been arrested or even ticketed as a result of his art.

“Doing it in open space when people are walking around, it’s just great,” he

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Art from #Ifoundyourcat's first gallery show at Machine Studio in Downtown San Pedro in April 2017. (photo: #Ifoundyourcat)

says laughing. “It’s so quick, you really have to catch me in the act. I pretty much stick to myself, and nobody bothers me. I was talking to my dad once and he asked me, ‘How fast can you do these stencils?’ I’m like, ‘I can do them in about five seconds.’ He was so impressed by it. I’ve evolved to pasting now, so it’s a little easier, a little faster, and I can get more intricate with the pieces that are put on the wall.”

Riding the popularity of the “San Pedro Cat,” the artist decided to try and capitalize on his work by putting together a gallery exhibition at Machine Studio in Downtown San Pedro in 2017.

“For about three years, I was putting all my work into [the cat],” he recalls.

“Then I met Mike Machin [at Machine Studio], and we just clicked. He’s a great guy. He said he’d keep my anonymity and handle the sales. The show got such a huge response that we did another one the following year. It was a huge steppingstone for me.”

In addition to prints of the blackand-white cat, for his first show, he also produced large paintings of the cat as various pop culture characters, like Battle Cat from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Lion-O from ThunderCats, thinking those could be sold at a premium. Unfortunately, his audience had other plans.

“Those were my treasures.” he says. “I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to put these paintings in the show, that’s going to be awesome!’ So, I put them in, and no one cared about them. Everybody just cared about the little stencil of the cat.

I put all this time and effort into these illustrative paintings, and no one even looked twice at [them].”

The shows did well for #ifoundyourcat financially. He invested his profits into producing merchandise, like stickers, pins, prints, and t-shirts. “All that money I just put back into the stickers, the equipment, the paint,” he says. “My art studio now is just a wall full of spray cans. It’s really great.”

FUTURE OF THE FELINE San Pedro isn’t the only place where 20 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I OCTOBER 2020

the cat has appeared. It’s been seen as far north as San Jose and as far south as San Diego, but he says the port town will always be its home.

“I love this community,” he says.

“If the cat could be as popular as the Three-Eyed Fish, that’d be dope. It’s an honor to be a part of this town.”

The evolution of the “San Pedro Cat” continues. In preparation for the publication of this issue, #ifoundyourcat mentioned he may be extra active in the coming weeks and hit some new locations. Three new cats have appeared across town since our last interview, as documented on his Instagram page.

More will undoubtedly follow.

So, what’s next? The artist says the cat may appear in ceramic tile form soon, like that of the popular European street artist Invader, who’s known for creating ceramic mosaics modeled on the pixelated art of early 1980s 8-bit video games.

“I've already done something similar to that with the foam releases,” he says.

“I made a 3D foam cat that I put on the Vincent Thomas Bridge. I wanted something to say, ‘Hey, I’m here, you got to pay attention to me.’”

San Pedrans are definitely paying attention these days. Ideally, #ifoundyourcat says he’d love to be able to support himself financially through his art, but until that day happens, he still has to keep a day job.

“There are a lot of talented people in San Pedro, but they just have to get up off their [butts] and do it,” he says. “I did it. I had a little bit of motivation. I had to wake up at three or four in the morning, go hit up a wall, then go back home, take a shower, and go to work.”

He adds, “[San Pedro] is a working man’s town. Even the graffiti artist has to do a nine-to-five.” spt For more info on #ifoundyourcat, you can find him on Instagram at @ifoundyourcat. For art inquiries, he can be reached via email at ifoundyourcat.art@gmail.com.

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IT TAKES A VILLAGE

NEW FAIR TRADE ARTISAN BOUTIQUE OPENS AT CRAFTED

by Sophia Ungaro

In the midst of global uncertainty, Ten Thousand Villages is working to make a difference.

The nonprofit retailer offers handcrafted, ethically sourced goods made by artisans all over the world, and now they’ve expanded into San Pedro.

Originally hailing from Redondo Beach, Ten Thousand Villages has set up shop at Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles, making its offerings of sustainable, fair trade products available to San Pedro shoppers. Customers can explore merchandise ranging from charming kitchen decor and quaint jewelry to adorable children’s toys and more, all while supporting a movement that puts “people and planet first.”

The store is volunteer-run, and most of the volunteers are previous customers who enjoy the product. The store is constantly recruiting. Store manager Michelle Dever-Ryan believes customers are drawn to the store’s core values and mission. “The whole purpose behind the store is that we are selling products made by people who wouldn’t have an opportunity to get their things to market in the U.S. if it wasn’t for Ten Thousand Villages,” Dever-Ryan says.

“Also, because we’re fair trade, they know [the merchants] are paid a fair, sustainable living wage and have great working conditions.”

The store’s founder Tom Hoffarth became interested in fair trade products in 2012. Shortly after, Hoffarth and his wife launched the physical store

Ten Thousand Villages at Crafted. (photo: courtesy Ten Thousand Villages)

in Redondo Beach. Originally, the two experimented with the store for the parishioners at American Martyrs in Manhattan Beach, but after seeing the love for the products, they decided to expand.

“The crafted items felt like they were from a museum store,” says Hoffarth. “They were just so creative and resourceful and used all earth-friendly products, and I mean, they were pieces of art in a lot of ways.”

The Hoffarths and a few of their friends began to search for donors and eventually found a landlord that understood the mission of the store. Ten Thousand Villages settled in Riviera Village in Redondo Beach and opened its doors in the summer of 2014.

“The key part of this fair trade is that the person who made this gets a fair and living wage,” says Hoffarth. “In the negotiation for how this product is made, we talk to them about what you need as far as supplies and materials and labor.”

The difference that lies within fair trade as opposed to conventional trans-

actions is the conversation between the maker of the product and the company buying it. All over the world, whether it be Burkina Faso or Peru, Ten Thousand Villages is helping artists earn a sustainable living wage.

“A company often goes into these countries and says, ‘We will pay you X amount of dollars to make this, take it or leave it,’” explains Hoffarth. “Often the person making it says, ‘Well I need the business, so we need to do this.’”

After a long career in retail, DeverRyan enjoys continuing to learn about fair trade. She’s been working for Ten Thousand Villages for a year now and has fallen in love with her position.

“I’ve been in retail [for] 20 years, so a lot of this is entirely different for me, but it is impacting lives,” shares DeverRyan. “[In] most of our artisan groups, the workers are women, so [for] some of them, it’s keeping them out of sex trafficking. [For] others, it’s just giving them the opportunity to support their families, because they might not have a man in their life to do so, and they’re coming from cultures [where] that’s

what the expectation is.”

Dever-Ryan’s favorite products are those made from repurposed saris. The products include patterned bags, colorful baby blankets, and unique cushions.

Both Hoffarth and Dever-Ryan are passionate about helping those in need get the sustainable wages they deserve in order to create products that can be sold in the United States. “What can we do to help people around the world stay in their countries, keep their children safe, get their children educated, and stay out of human trafficking?” asks Hoffarth. “Ten Thousand Villages feels like the perfect model we can all get our arms around and explain and support.”

Those looking to get a head start on holiday shopping can find Ten Thousand Villages at Crafted on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m.–6 p.m. with COVID-19 safety protocols in effect. spt For more info, visit tenthousandvillages.com.

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HISTORY

THE ONLY MORTUARY IN TOWN

McNerney's Mortuary. (photo: courtesy McNerney's Mortuary)

by Angela Romero It’s hard not to get wistful when thinking about pre-coronavirus times. For the last few years, October was the time when we got to focus on the spooky and haunted in San Pedro. Whether it was on foot or our very first haunted trolley tour last year, talking about the paranormal in San Pedro has always been a popular topic. Due to the scary times we are living through at the moment, I feel more drawn to focusing on the human and humane aspect of death and the proud stewards who care for us between this world and the next — morticians.

My best friend is married to a mortician. Prior to meeting him, I probably thought a mortician was a creepy man with gray skin and sunken eyes. A bit like Lurch from The Addams Family.

Robert is nothing like that; he’s probably one of the warmest, funniest and most thoughtful men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. He’s the kind of guy you want ushering you through

one of the hardest times in your life. He has a profound respect for the dead and the service he provides to their families. I’ve thought about Robert often throughout the pandemic, wondering how his job has changed because nothing is normal in these times, not even death.

When the pandemic hit and I was just experiencing it like everyone else, a Facebook post snapped me out of my existential dread. Suddenly I realized that I had to start viewing the pandemic for the historical event that it is. This meant documenting how our lives are affected by it. Within the first month, it was plain to see that the pandemic touched every aspect of our lives, including the dead and funerals. In the six months that this pandemic has raged on, I am sure that we have all either experienced or heard secondhand stories about how funerals were happening.

This had to be challenging for the mortuaries to keep up with new regulations and processes that took many forms: families watching interment from their cars, a handful of socially distanced mourners at the gravesite, or even funerals via Zoom. Some of you may have even seen the green ribbons tied to

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the fence at Green Hills Memorial Park, one for each of the people who died but couldn’t be celebrated with a funeral in the customary fashion.

It’s in times like these that we have to reflect on the ways that we are lucky. We are lucky that we still have a longtime family-owned mortuary like McNerney’s leading us through these challenging times. This isn’t to knock the corporate mortuaries, but it helps having someone who understands the community because they are part of the community.

The McNerney family has been serving San Pedro since 1926, when Thomas J. McNerney became partner in the Palm & McLin mortuary. Robert McNerney bought out the remaining partner, John McLin, in 1939, and the McNerneys decided to build a new mortuary under their family name on Fifth Street. When McNerney’s Mortuary officially opened to the public 80 years ago on September 29, 1940, it completed the trifecta and sandwiched itself between San Pedro’s two other longtime mortuaries, Halverson-Leavell on Sixth Street and Cleveland Mortuary on Fourth Street. Eighty years later, McNerney’s is the only firm still serving

San Pedro.

Losing a loved one is always difficult, but it is especially difficult in times like these. Being in the capable hands of morticians like Robert and community firms like McNerney’s gives families peace of mind. Theirs is a profession where dignity and respect are the baseline, and I just wanted to thank them for being those stewards for this community.

Prior to the quarantine, my plans were to celebrate McNerney’s 80th anniversary with a presentation in the chapel. Unfortunately, that is no longer possible. Instead, I will be honoring McNerney’s Mortuary, and all other San Pedro mortuaries, with a special Zoom presentation on Wednesday, October 21 at 7pm. If you are interested in attending, you can register by emailing angela@sanpedroheritage.org. spt Angela Romero is the president of the San Pedro Heritage Museum.

She can be reached at angela@sanpedroheritage.org.

For more info, visit sanpedroheritage.org.

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HEALTH & FITNESS

HOW CELEBRITIES TURN INTO SUPERHEROES

by Ricky Magana A while back, I saw a post that I thought was fake because of how unbelievable it was. It was a picture of actor Kumail Nanjiani, the nerdy actor/comedian from Silicon Valley. The Kumail I’m familiar with is a skinny-but-pudgy guy who doesn’t look like he’d ever lifted a weight in his life. But the guy in this picture said otherwise. A man who once looked like he only read comics now looked like the hero in the comic.

The photo was posted to his Instagram and after initially writing it off to Photoshop, he explained he had been training for a role as a superhero. What followed was a slew of comments and questions begging for him to share his secret diet and workouts that allowed him to have such a staggering transformation.

It got me thinking about how these film transformations fuel the fervor of “celebrity diets” that have most of the public thinking Hollywood elites possess some sort of secret for youth and fitness (outside of a scalpel).

Anyone casually interested in fitness will usually find themselves googling “favorite celebrity + diet plan” hoping for some insight. So how do these celebrities achieve such staggering transformations in such a short amount of time? Do they possess some insider info only the stars have access to? Well the short answer is no. There is a recipe

they follow, and given enough time and commitment, most people can replicate their results (although I’m not sure you’d want to).

Either way, I’m going to shed some light on how they do it, and my hope is that in the process, you’ll understand they possess no magic pill. I’m going to assume it’s a given that these celebrities possess formidable resources to hire personal trainers, nutrition coaches, surgeons and even a bit of pharmaceutical assistance. But honestly, tummy tucks, anabolic cocktails, and skillful camera angles aside, there are some things you can’t fake. So here goes.

Step 1 — They achieve radical focus with a high-stakes deadline.

When a celebrity is getting ready for a role, he or she is quite literally getting paid to achieve a certain look and hell or high water, they better be film ready.

This means for 3-12 months at a time, they live like monks on extremely strict workout and nutrition regimens typically divided into two phases: a “bulk” and a “cut.”

Step 2 — They begin with a strength training and/or musclebuilding cycle. Depending on the role, physical rigors it calls for, and the athletic background of the actor, almost every actor has to pack on a fair amount of lean muscle. This means 12-24 weeks of heavy muscle-building/strength training coupled with a diet geared towards gaining weight. This means a coach is watching every calorie to make sure they eat enough to sustain the twoplus hours in the gym doing compound

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Kumail Nanjiani (photo: Instagram.com/kumailn)

movements like presses, deadlifts and squats, along with bodybuilding splits.

Step 3 — They transition to a cutting cycle to lose body fat that reveals the muscle they built. Once they have completed the first phase of their training and diet, having gained the necessary weight, a huge emphasis is shifted to their diet. No longer do they need to eat a surplus of calories but rather, a deficit. Typically, this means they go high-protein, low-carb probably consuming 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight and .5 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight (under 100g a day usually) for 8-12 weeks. This allows them to rapidly drop weight leading up to filming.

As soon as they complete their cut, the transformation is complete. Three to six months of bulking to put on 10-

20 pounds of mass followed by two to three months of leaning out. They peak physically during filming the same way a bodybuilder would peak for a competition. Although far more drastic, this is the same time-honored formula any average Joe can use to build muscle and/ or lose weight — a clear goal, timeline, and focus for a sustained period with coaching to keep you on track.

Hollywood may have lots of tools at their disposal, but when it comes to body transformation, they have to use the same methods as anyone else.

Remember that next time one of them tries to sell you a weight loss tea. spt Ricky Magana is co-owner of Heyday Elite Fitness. For more info, visit heydaytraining.com.

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FAITH

RELEVANT SILENCE

by Pastor Nathan Hoff

“The Lord is in his holy temple, let all the earth keep silence.”

(Habakkuk 2.20) “For everything there is a season...a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” (Ecclesiastes 3.1,7) Silence is not always relevant.

Being quiet in the face of injustice is unrighteous passivity. Recently a brother recalled a story from school.

His friend from the neighborhood, a little girl with epilepsy, started to seize in the schoolroom. Jim, always the first responder, knew exactly what to do. The teacher disagreed, but this didn’t stop his plan to rescue her from physical harm and schoolroom shame. Eventually the teacher relented.

Thank God for people who move and speak when the time calls for it.

Sometimes there is nothing more relevant than silence. Job had the worst season imaginable in his life. His kids were killed, his livelihood destroyed, and he developed a painful skin disease.

Then his wife turned on him. When his friends heard about everything that happened to him, they showed up, “raised their voices and wept...and sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.” (Job 2) There are times when silence is more profound than speech. That is relevant silence.

These are loud days. Televisions are on in every room, and there are devices in the hands of each person.

Everything and everyone and every moment is “on.” It seems there are only a few unspoken thoughts. Even though I was born in San Pedro, I grew up in Minnesota. It was required that every conversation needed to start with a discussion about “the weather.” Now every conversation everywhere needs to start

with a discussion about COVID-19.

The only thing that can distract us from the virus is the upcoming elections.

One of my favorite churches in the world is Bethlehem Church just outside central Copenhagen, Denmark.

Bethlehem has strong pastoral leadership but not the kind that stands in the way of the whole people of God joining in. The church building has a small footprint but soaring rafters. The people fill both spaces. I asked the old priest, Ole Skjerbæk Madsen, about this dynamic. He said during most of the year, the congregation is encouraged to pray out loud for real things in their and others’ lives. They are more interested in the congregation’s voice than in professional singers. They take time to pray for healing and experience it.

Bethlehem Church is active, but Pastor Ole said their activity looks different during election seasons. They don’t stop praying, but they do stop praying out loud. For the weeks before Election Day, the Church prays for their nation silently. He smirked and said, “During election season, it is nearly impossible for people not to go on a prayer campaign.

They aren’t so much bringing their requests before God as they are trying to convince their fellow worshippers of who a true believer would vote for.”

There is “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” Wise Solomon doesn’t say, “There is a time to pray and a time not to pray.” Look at where we are. Look at the choices before us. Frankly, what is there to say but, “Lord, have mercy,” and then deep, profound and relevant silence. spt Nathan Hoff has served as pastor at Trinity San Pedro since 2005 and can be contacted at nathan@trinitysanpedro.org.

Whatever happened to...

Dottie Hill?

“I had several falls while living in my home.

My boys felt it wasn’t safe for me to be there any longer. I knew Harbor Terrace enjoyed an excellent reputation. Plus, I personally heard really good comments about it.

“I moved in and voilà… it was so much more than I could ever have imagined. It has been a godsend to me. Here I have found safety, security and all the support that I have needed, with so many added bonuses. It truly far exceeded my expectations. People need to know how beneficial and incredibly wonderful this place really is. As the saying goes, you have to see it to believe it. I say, come and visit us!

“For me, it was meant to be. I am very happy and thankful and so are my children!”

Dottie Hill Resident of Harbor Terrace

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75 YEARS AGO: The San Pedro fishing fleet celebrated the end of World War II by holding the inaugural Fishermen’s Fiesta in October 1945. The boats would get decked out for the annual parade and blessing of the fleet. (photo: San Pedro Bay Historical Society)

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