The Brief

When 79-year-old Donald Bakeer walks into this South Los Angeles classroom, he was immediately greeted by a small group of 8-to-10-year olds.

"As-Salaam-Alaikum," the third and fourth graders say, or “peace be unto you.”

“Wa alaikum assalam,” he responds, “and upon you be peace.”

As Bakeer took his seat, the students at the private, Muslim Islah Academy sat down in a semicircle with one goal: to learn about his part in South L.A. history. Bakeer also had something to gain: He wanted to feel like he still mattered.

Recalling history 

Bakeer has worn many hats in his life. He fought in the Vietnam War, participated in restaurant sit-ins against discrimination while a student at Howard University in the 1960s, and taught in public schools across South L.A. during periods of police brutality and gang wars.

After observing the violence and unrest unfold in his community, he wrote the 1987 novel Crips: The Story of the L.A. Street Gang from 1971-1985, based on his research and experiences living in the area as a teacher who would watch his students fall into gang life. Crips was later adapted into the 1992 Oliver Stone-produced movie about a father and son who get caught up in L.A.’s gang wars.

He also shook hands with some well-known stars. He met Tupac after writing the novel at the premiere of the movie South Central in 1992.

He talked to Sidney Poitier for an hour during a film event. And he was longtime friends with boxer Muhammad Ali and filmmaker John Singleton.

'Crips' author Donald Bakeer holds his daughter Anjail while his longtime friend, boxer Muhammad Ali, gives her a kiss on the cheek.

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Kenyatta Bakeer

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Courtesy

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In 1992, the Los Angeles Times profiled Bakeer, calling him “part preacher, part teacher, part gang expert and always a father figure to the students at Washington High who they turned to when they are down, when they are feeling good and sometimes when they want to kill.”

Back in the classroom

Bakeer retired from teaching about 20 years ago and hasn’t really been back in a classroom setting since. He says he’s missed interacting with young people, so the opportunity to talk to the students at Islah inspired him.

Bakeer is one of the five “elders," or seniors, in the community who the Islah Academy has invited to speak to students about their lived experiences. It’s a way to teach kids about history — regional, national and international.

Azizah Ali, the principal of Islah Academy, said the program is part of a larger community initiative where students are mentored by elders as a part of their restorative justice discipline policy. She said that oftentimes the elders and the wisdom that they have is overlooked, but connecting elders has become a huge part of their community.

“In the last two years, so many elders in our community have passed away,” Ali said. “There’s so much history that goes with those elders that pass away. Why not interview them while they’re still alive? We want to make sure that we get those stories and that history from them while they’re still here and the history teachers connect their stories to primary sources.”

The school calls it the “Living History” program and it was Bakeer’s first time participating.

“[Before this] I kind of had my chin on my chest,” Bakeer says. “As you get older, you have these moods and you feel kind of irrelevant. You don’t really know if you still got it. So this was a good interaction for me. Plus, I got a perception of where these kids actually are.”

A changing Black Los Angeles

When Bakeer first moved to L.A. from Kansas City, Missouri in 1970, L.A. was about 18% Black. Now, the Black population hovers around 8%. At a time when Black Angelenos are leaving the region partially because of high living costs, Bakeer sees the importance of talking to young students about the region. He says it’s a way of helping them understand Black culture and Black community in South L.A., and why it’s necessary to preserve it.

He told the students about what it was like to teach in South L.A. in the past— the need to encourage young people to read so that they wouldn’t go into gangs. He highlighted the evolution of this community.

“That spirit, that South Central L.A. uniqueness is being preserved, there is a pride that keeps us going,” Bakeer says. “Though we don’t have the numbers like we used to, we still are prominent because of our culture.”

According to L.A. County data, between 1980 and 2009, there were nearly 14,000 gang homicides. In the 1980s, Bakeer researched gangs and interviewed more than 500 gang members before writing the Crips novel. He said that he became so knowledgeable about gang culture that CNN would hire him as a gang expert.

Bakeer tells the students about his protest sit-ins and how he taught in three different middle and high schools in the area for more than 30 years. He talks about his book and the screenplay and film that followed. That’s when one of the students asks a question that amazes him: “What is a gangbanger?”

“They were boys mostly who come together in packs who fight other boys,” Bakeer replies. “And they killed a lot of people. They don’t kill a lot of people like they used to.”

Bakeer says he remembers teaching at Manual Arts High School, just south of Exposition Park, and hearing about more than a dozen high school student murders a year around L.A.

Though his family lived in South Central, they moved to a gated community in Inglewood shortly after because of the violence in the streets.

“These youngsters get so much information from radio and television that they become anti-literary and it just frustrated me,” Bakeer said in the article from 1992. “I said, ‘I’m going to write a book that’s so compelling that kids who can’t read will want to read.’”

And 32 years later, he was still encouraging the students to read at the academy.

At the end of the 40-minute conversation, his daughter Kenyatta Bakeer told the students they can feel safer now because of the fight that people like her father had to experience.

Kenyatta Bakeer spoke up about why it’s so important for students to know about her dad’s part in history in South Central and in America. He lived in a time as a teacher where he saw a lot of gang violence. In another article, he said that he wrote Crips so that kids in gangs could read a book.

“They need to know the history of what Blackness looks like. So we're connecting the elders to students so we can let children know our history,” Kenyatta said. “Now they have the ability to not even worry, like he said, they can go to a restaurant and not worry about being discriminated against. The connection is knowing where you come from, so that you can know what your future is.”

She also talked about why this is so important for her father.

“I think it’s just crucial and critical for us to keep that connection with the elders,” Kenyatta said. “And in a space of making sure that our history is heard, but also that they feel heard.”

Making an impression

When thinking about his own life — the time he served in Vietnam when there were no Black officers, the times he spent protesting against racist laws in the Jim Crow era, the times he spent witnessing police brutality and gang wars in South L.A. — he remarks about the importance of sharing his story.

“I've had quite an historical life,” Bakeer says. “You know, that's a certain amount of courage that comes out of those experiences, when you vanquish them with your spirit. I do want to pass it on to the youth.”

And Bakeer’s stories do make an impression.

“It makes me feel proud because of all of the things they’ve gone through and it helps accomplish my goals,” says a student named Yusra Ghazi.

Bakeer says that he still has students that call him three decades later to keep him updated on what they are doing in their lives.

“When you teach 150 to 200 kids a day for 30 years, it’s a powerful position,” he says. “They open themselves up to you, and you could just put your experience and your knowledge into them. Most people have no idea about the bond that you build with students.”

To learn more about the "Living History" program and/or how to get involved, you can get in contact with the school.

By the end of January, students will have returned to two of the three public school campuses burned in the Palisades Fire one year prior, though their classrooms are temporary.

Palisades Charter High School students are scheduled to return to their campus Jan. 27. They’ve been in a refurbished Santa Monica department store since April.

“ I am just overwhelmed with gratitude for the constant support that has been shown for our school and for our families, our teachers, all of our administrators and staff,” said Principal Pamela Magee at a press conference Tuesday with Los Angeles Unified leaders. Pali High is an independent charter high school located on district property.

In June, the LAUSD Board approved a $604 million plan to rebuild the high school, as well as two burned district elementary schools— Marquez and Palisades.

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the three campuses’ new buildings will open in 2028— shaving two years off of the original 5-year timeline.

“ These projects will come in on time or ahead of schedule,” Carvalho said. “These projects will come in at or below budget, and these projects will honor the resilience, the determination, the courage and yes, the suffering and the sacrifice of the community of the Palisades.”

About the costs and the design

The district plans to use money from the $9 billion bond voters approved in 2024 to help pay for the rebuild, but also anticipates some reimbursement from its insurer and FEMA.

District-contracted architects are finalizing their designs and plan to submit to the state for approval in the spring, said Chief Facilities Executive Krisztina Tokes. She said the plan is to rebuild with future environmental risks in mind.

“ From the earliest design stages, wildfire resiliency has been treated as a core requirement and not an add-on,” Tokes said. For example, using fire-resistant concrete blocks, installing enhanced air filtration systems and planting shade trees where they won’t hang over buildings.

Environmental testing preceded students’ return to the fire-impacted campuses. Director of the Office of Environmental Health and Safety Carlos Torres said the district continues to monitor air quality through its network of sensors and is developing a plan for periodic testing.

“We just can't just walk away,” Torres said.

Enrollment is down at all three schools compared to before the fires, but district leaders say they are confident families will return to the rebuilt campuses.

“I find it hard to believe that this community won't come back to its former glory,” said Board Member Nick Melvoin, who represents the Palisades. “We gave a lot of thought in an accelerated timeline to rebuilding for the next century.”

Marquez Charter Elementary

What’s the damage? The campus is a “total loss.” More than three dozen classrooms, administration buildings, the school’s auditorium and playground burned down.

How much has LAUSD budgeted to rebuild? $202.6 million

Where are the students? Students returned in September to portables covering about one-third of the campus. There’s also two playgrounds, a garden, library and shaded lunch area. Enrollment has dropped 60% compared to before the fire from 310 to 127 students.

What’s next? District-contracted architects are finalizing their designs and plan to submit to the state for approval in the spring.

Palisades Charter Elementary School teacher Ms. Davison talks with her students in their new classroom on the campus of Brentwood Elementary Science Magnet last year.

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Brian van der Brug

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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

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Palisades Charter Elementary

What’s the damage? About 70% of the campus was destroyed including 17 classrooms, the multipurpose room and play equipment.

How much has LAUSD budgeted to rebuild? $135 million

Where are the students? Students continue to share a campus with Brentwood Science Magnet. Enrollment has dropped 25% compared to before the fire from 410 to 307 students.

What’s next? District-contracted architects are finalizing their designs and plan to submit to the state for approval in the spring.

Palisades Charter High School, pictured in December 2025, is scheduled to reopen to students Jan. 27, 2026.

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Kayla Bartkowski

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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

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Palisades Charter High School

What’s the damage? About 30% of the campus was destroyed including 21 classrooms, storage facilities and the track and field.

How much has LAUSD budgeted to rebuild? $266 million

Where are the students? Students started the school year in a renovated Sears building in downtown Santa Monica. Enrollment has dropped 14% compared to before the fire, from 2,900 to 2,500 students.

What’s next? Classes will resume at the main campus Tues. Jan. 27 in a combination of surviving buildings and 30 new portable classrooms.

The Trump administration says it’s planning to freeze about $10 billion in federal support for needy families in California and four other Democrat-run states, as the president announced an investigation into unspecified fraud in California.

The plans come on the heels of the Trump administration announcing a freeze on all federal payments for child care in Minnesota, citing fraud allegations against daycare centers in the state.

The state’s Democrat governor, Tim Walz — who ran for vice president against Donald Trump’s ticket in 2024 — announced Monday he was dropping out of running for reelection. He pointed to fraud against the state, saying it’s a real issue while alleging Trump and his allies were “seeking to take advantage of the crisis.”

On Monday, the New York Post reported that the administration was expanding the funding freeze to include California and three other Democrat-led states, in addition to Minnesota. Unnamed federal officials cited “concerns that the benefits were fraudulently funneled to non-citizens,” The Post reported.

Early Tuesday, President Trump alleged that corruption in California is worse than Minnesota and announced an investigation.

“California, under Governor Gavin Newscum, is more corrupt than Minnesota, if that’s possible??? The Fraud Investigation of California has begun. Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP,” the president wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

He did not specify what alleged fraud was being examined in the Golden State.

LAist has reached out to the White House to ask what the president’s fraud concerns are in California and to request an interview with the president.

“For too long, Democrat-led states and governors have been complicit in allowing massive amounts of fraud to occur under their watch,” said an emailed statement from Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which administers the federal childcare funds.

“Under the Trump administration, we are ensuring that federal taxpayer dollars are being used for legitimate purposes. We will ensure these states are following the law and protecting hard-earned taxpayer money.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office disputed Trump’s claim on social media, arguing that since taking office, the governor has blocked $125 billion in fraud and arrested “criminal parasites leaching off of taxpayers.”

Criminal fraud cases in CA appear to be rare for this program

Defrauding federally funded programs is a crime — and one LAist has investigated, leading to one of the largest such criminal cases in recent years against a California elected official, which surrounded meal funds.

When it comes to the federal childcare funds that are being frozen, the dollar amount of fraud alleged in criminal cases appears to be a tiny fraction of the overall program’s spending in California.

A search of thousands of news releases by all four federal prosecutor offices in California, going back more than a decade, found a total of one criminal case where the press releases referenced childcare benefits.

That case, brought in 2023, alleged four men stole $3.7 million in federal childcare benefits through fraudulent requests to a San Diego organization that distributed the funds. All four pleaded guilty, with one defendant sentenced to 27 months in prison and others sentenced to other terms, according to authorities.

It appears to be equivalent to one one-hundredth of 1% of all the childcare funding California has received over the past decade-plus covered by the prosecution press release search.

Potential impact on California families

The plans call for California, Minnesota, New York, Illinois and Colorado to lose about $7 billion in cash assistance for households with children, almost $2.4 billion to care for children of working parents, and about $870 million for social services grants that mostly benefit children at risk, according to unnamed federal officials speaking to the New York Times and New York Post.

In the largest category of funding, California receives $3.7 billion per year. The program is known as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF.

 ”It's very clear that a freeze of those funds would be very damaging to the children, families, and providers of California,” said Stacy Lee, who oversees early childhood initiatives "at Children Now, an advocacy group for children in California.

 ”It is a significant portion of our funds and will impact families and children and providers across the whole state,” she added. “It would be devastating, in no uncertain terms.”

About 270,000 people are served by the TANF program in L.A. County — about 200,000 of whom are children, according to the county Department of Public Social Services.

“Any pause in funding for their cash benefits – which average $1000/month - would be devastating to these families,” said DPSS chief of staff Nick Ippolito.

Ippolito said the department has a robust fraud prevention and 170-person investigations team, and takes allegations “very seriously.”

It remains to be seen whether the funding freeze will end up in court. The state, as well as major cities and counties in California, has sued to ask judges to halt funding freezes or new requirements placed by the Trump administration. L.A. city officials say they’ve had success with that, including shielding more than $600 million in federal grant funding to the city last year.

A union representing California childcare workers said the funding freeze would harm low-income families.

“These threats need to be called out for what they are: direct threats on working families of all backgrounds who rely on access to quality, affordable child care in their communities to go to work every day supporting, and growing our economy,” said Max Arias, chairperson for the Child Care Providers United, which says it represents more than 70,000 child care workers across the state who care for kids in their homes.

“Funding freezes, even when intended to be temporary, will be devastating — resulting in families losing access to care and working parents facing the devastating choice of keeping their children safe or paying their bills.”

Federal officials planned to send letters to the affected states Monday about the planned funding pauses, the New York Post reported. As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, state officials said they haven’t gotten any official notification of the funding freeze plans.

“The California Department of Social Services administers child care programs that help working families afford safe, reliable care for their children — so parents can go to work, support their families, and contribute to their communities,” said a statement from California Department of Social Services spokesperson Jason Montiel.

“These funds are critical for working families across California. We take fraud seriously, and CDSS has received no information from the federal government indicating any freeze, pause, or suspension of federal child care funding.”