Adam West Tribute at LA City Hall

The City of Los Angeles gave tribute to the Batman, Adam West, last night.
Mayor Garcetti and Chief Beck lit the Bat signal against city hall, as thousands of Angelenos watched as it glow against city hall.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2017

LA does it right.

Los Angeles Remembers 4/29/1992

Fellow citizens from all over Los Angeles remember the events of 4/29/1992 at several city-wide locations. 

It has been 25 years since the city of Los Angeles exploded in rage after the not-guilty verdicts of the LAPD officers who beat Rodney King. Much has changed since then, and some things have remained frozen in time from that day. 

A whole new generation of people have grown up since then, hopefully we all can all just get along.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2017

Giant puppet at Florence and Normandie.

Tom Liquor Store at Florence and Normandie.

The corner.

Young resident of South LA.

Rally at Florence and Normandie.

Traditional Korean dancers perform at Florence and Normandie.

School children born after 1992 prepare to march.

Candle light vigil in West Adams.

LA Riots Revisited 25 Years Later

Here are some juxtaposed images I rephotographed 25 years later after the LA 92 riots.
Some things and places remained the same, and others completely disappeared.

Use the sliders in each image to juxtapose 1992 images over their 2107 counterparts.

Click here for LA Weekly Slideshow.

Photographs by Ted Soqui/for the LA Weekly © 1992 2017

LA City Council Votes to Tear Down Parker Center

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to have former L.A.P.D. headquarters, Parker Center, torn down and replaced with new development. The city council also voted against naming the building a historic or cultural landmark due to the police department's past ties to racial discrimination.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2016

LAPD Chief Beck closing down Parker Center.

The thin blue line at Parker Center 4/29/1992.

Twenty Years Ago in Noho

Twenty years ago today, two heavily armed gunman with fully automatic assault weapons and wearing full body armor battled LAPD officers for 44 minutes in streets of North Hollywood. The gunman had just robbed a Bank of America branch and were attempting to make a get away.
Several officers and civilians were injured during the battle, the gunman died.
The event was televised live.
Below are images of a LAPD cruiser with bullet holes from the assailants.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2017

Bullet hole in the windshield of a LAPD cruiser.

Front view of a LAPD cruiser raked by automatic gunfire.

"to protect and to serve"

The Thin Blue Line.

24 Years Ago in LA

Twenty-four years ago today, Los Angeles burned in rage in response to the not-guilty verdicts in the brutal beating case of Rodney King by four LAPD officers a year earlier.
Hundreds of LA businesses burned and were looted, fifty-five people were also killed in the three day period beginning on April 29, 1992.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 1992

7th and Union.

Downtown LA.

LAFD Station 13 firefighters on West Adams Blvd.

A young boy near Crenshaw Ave.

Four Years Ago in LA

Four years ago, Occupy LA set up camp at city hall.
Then city councilman Eric Garcetti welcomed them to stay as long as they like and that the city will support the cause.
Two months later, hundreds of LAPD would forcible remove the occupiers from the city hall grounds.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2011

Councilman Garcetti welcoming occupiers.

We are the 99%.

83 year old Lucy Horowitz, occupier.

#Occupy

#BlackLivesMatter Meets With Mayor Garcetti

The mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti finally met with the group #BlackLivesMatter this morning. The group has been dogging the mayor over the last few weeks over the recent unarmed shooting deaths of black LA residents by LAPD officers. The group has camped in front of the mayor's mansion and have chased him around various press conferences to get him to meet with them. #BlackLivesMatter is calling for the firing of LAPD Chief Beck and for serious reform in the way the LAPD's rank and file officers deal with black residents.
Today's meeting was held in private at a church in South L.A. and the press was not allowed to attend. The mayor left the meeting without comment.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2015

Closing the door.

LAPD Memorial

A memorial to fallen law enforcement officers out front of the LAPD headquarters in downtown.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2015

Tribute to those who served Los Angeles.

"Dozer"

"Dozer" the dog waits sadly and patiently next to the spot where his master, Brendon "Dizzle" Glenn, was shot and killed by a LAPD officer.
Glenn was unarmed and a homeless youth that lived in the Venice Beach area. The shooting on Windward Ave. in the heart of Venice, has sparked outrage by the community and LAPD Chief was "concerned" by the officer's use of force during the shooting.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2015

Dozer waiting.

4-29-1992

Downtown Los Angeles 23 years ago today.

First night of the Los Angeles riots of 1992.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 1992

LAPD cruiser on fire on Main Street.

A thin blue line at Parker Center.

Next to Parker Center.

Security Pacific Bank.

Metropolitan Newspaper Building.

Wolcotts.

...No Peace

A solidarity protest for the City of Baltimore in downtown Los Angeles today on the eve of the 23rd anniversary of the LA Riots of 1992.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2015

...no peace.

Florence and Normandie

Today at Florence and Normandie in South Central LA.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2015

Ground zero.

Skid Row Marches Against LAPD Shooting of Homeless Man

Hundreds of people marched to LAPD headquarters from the site where a LAPD shot a homeless man on March 1, 2015.
The unarmed homeless man was shot and killed by a LAPD officer during an arrest struggle.
The incident was captured on video from bystanders, the video went viral.

Photo by Ted Soqui © 2015

#Homelesslivesmatter

Pro Law Enforcement Rally

About 100 supporters of law enforcement officers, many of them family and friends of LAPD officers, held a rally out front of LA City Hall. Several retired LAPD and other law enforcement officers joined the rally. 

A small counter protest demonstrated out front of the LAPD headquarters building.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2014

Members of the Tribunal, a law enforcement member motorcycle club.

Thin blue line of support.

Pants up.

Near LAPD HQ.

Counter demonstration.

Police Protest at LAPD Headquarters

Dozens of protesters showed up to protest against the shootings and killings of unarmed black men by police from across the nation, in front of the LAPD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles.
The small crowd chanted "I can't breathe" in tribute to Eric Garner who was choked to death by NYPD officers during his arrest. The protesters proceeded to march to South Los Angeles at the spot where Ezell Ford was killed by LAPD earlier this year.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2014

Protesters in front of LAPD HQ.

No More.

At LAPD HQ.

Young protesters.

LAPD officers at LAPD HQ.

Angelenos React to Ferguson Decision

Angelenos gathered in LA's Leimert Park to await the city of Ferguson, MO grand jury's decision on to try a Ferguson Police Officer for shooting of Michael Brown.
The grand jury decided not to try the officer for the shooting of the unarmed youth. Many Angelenos felt that the decision was racially motivated and just another form of racism against black people in America.
Hundreds of people took to the streets of LA in protest. Several roads and freeways were shut down in to the late evening.

Photos by Ted Soqui © 2014

At Leimert Park.

After the grand jury's decision.

Leimert Park.

Taking the 'Shaw.

Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Blvd. sit in.