Excerpts from Chapter 1, from the book, KJLH-FM and the Los Angeles Riots of 1992 (McFarland, 2009)
Excerpt 1: 3847 South Crenshaw Boulevard; Compton Studios.
Two former students, Jonathan Pluskota and Tejai Maxwell, who were familiar with the Los Angeles area, joined me for a site visit to the original KJLH-FM studios. Gathering information regarding the approaching 10th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots topped our agenda. A visit to the former site helped me to visualize the April 1992 events. It was here on South Crenshaw Boulevard in Spring 1992 that two station deejays looked out the studio window to watch the civil unrest unfold before their microphones. Driving through the South Central neighborhood a decade later, it was difficult for us to imagine the massive destruction that had taken place in the community around the original KJLH location. Some buildings were still crumbled around West Boulevard and Florence, but they were not obvious at first glance when driving into the neighborhoods. The boulevard had a steady pace of cars and trucks during the days that we visited KJLH....The neighborhood was a mix of bungalows sandwiched in between businesses; and in some instances, these businesses were once homes. Many of the houses had iron bars secured across the windows and doors, but that practice among residents seemed to be fairly common within many of the business districts throughout southern Los Angeles.
*I selected these two excerpts to remind us that is is necessary to revisit and reflect on the past, and consider the ongoing issues that still plague our communities.
Excerpt 2: 161 N. La Brea Avenue: Inglewood Studios
(photos above) The station was relocated in Inglewood (about five minutes away from its original location) after its lease had expired on the 3847 South Crenshaw property in the late 1990s. It was a Monday afternoon that we visited the former KJLH studios, which once shared space with a funeral home. That story, too, is forthcoming. Much earlier that day, we headed toward the new KJLH studios; the streets were quiet – not a car in sight. I sat in the passenger seat and soaked in my surroundings. After a 20 minute drive, including a quick stop for doughnuts along the way, it was about 4 a.m. when we arrived at Inglewood studios. We parked in the gated parking garage under the KJLH offices. The station‟s garage is located directly in front of the Inglewood Police Station. Not really the ideal place to situate your station, given the acrimonious relationship between some police officers and residents in the nearby neighborhoods and the somewhat historical hostility toward news and public affairs personnel armed with an investigative spirit. We entered KJLH through the back door, went up the stairs past the front door to the lobby and then turned left and kept walking until the hallway ended. Ten years earlier, the KJLH staff could look out the big picture window to observe the looting and then burning of The Crenshaw Square Mall that was directly across the street. Now at the Inglewood location, radio personalities and reporters were tucked away in a rear corner of the building. Was this coincidental? Or perhaps, it was merely the best use of the space.
Excerpt 1: 3847 South Crenshaw Boulevard; Compton Studios.
Two former students, Jonathan Pluskota and Tejai Maxwell, who were familiar with the Los Angeles area, joined me for a site visit to the original KJLH-FM studios. Gathering information regarding the approaching 10th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots topped our agenda. A visit to the former site helped me to visualize the April 1992 events. It was here on South Crenshaw Boulevard in Spring 1992 that two station deejays looked out the studio window to watch the civil unrest unfold before their microphones. Driving through the South Central neighborhood a decade later, it was difficult for us to imagine the massive destruction that had taken place in the community around the original KJLH location. Some buildings were still crumbled around West Boulevard and Florence, but they were not obvious at first glance when driving into the neighborhoods. The boulevard had a steady pace of cars and trucks during the days that we visited KJLH....The neighborhood was a mix of bungalows sandwiched in between businesses; and in some instances, these businesses were once homes. Many of the houses had iron bars secured across the windows and doors, but that practice among residents seemed to be fairly common within many of the business districts throughout southern Los Angeles.
*I selected these two excerpts to remind us that is is necessary to revisit and reflect on the past, and consider the ongoing issues that still plague our communities.
Excerpt 2: 161 N. La Brea Avenue: Inglewood Studios
(photos above) The station was relocated in Inglewood (about five minutes away from its original location) after its lease had expired on the 3847 South Crenshaw property in the late 1990s. It was a Monday afternoon that we visited the former KJLH studios, which once shared space with a funeral home. That story, too, is forthcoming. Much earlier that day, we headed toward the new KJLH studios; the streets were quiet – not a car in sight. I sat in the passenger seat and soaked in my surroundings. After a 20 minute drive, including a quick stop for doughnuts along the way, it was about 4 a.m. when we arrived at Inglewood studios. We parked in the gated parking garage under the KJLH offices. The station‟s garage is located directly in front of the Inglewood Police Station. Not really the ideal place to situate your station, given the acrimonious relationship between some police officers and residents in the nearby neighborhoods and the somewhat historical hostility toward news and public affairs personnel armed with an investigative spirit. We entered KJLH through the back door, went up the stairs past the front door to the lobby and then turned left and kept walking until the hallway ended. Ten years earlier, the KJLH staff could look out the big picture window to observe the looting and then burning of The Crenshaw Square Mall that was directly across the street. Now at the Inglewood location, radio personalities and reporters were tucked away in a rear corner of the building. Was this coincidental? Or perhaps, it was merely the best use of the space.
