With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Danny Trejo Rallies Behind Valley Restaurant Tagged With Homophobic Slurs
A helpful Machete (via Facebook)
Danny Trejo has made a career out of playing badass characters on screen, and it turns out you don't want to cross him in real life either.
Trejo will show his support this weekend for a San Fernando Valley restaurant recently vandalized by homophobic and misogynistic graffiti. The Echo Park-born Machete star will—peacefully—join restaurant owner Vivian Hartman and other community members on Sunday to repaint portions of Buffalo Bruce's Mercantile, the Sylmar cafe and barbecue joint that was targeted last weekend. The exterior walls and outdoor furniture of the restaurant were spray painted with the image of a penis and derogatory slurs, according to the San Fernando Valley Sun. The colorful restaurant and coffee shop serves as a community gathering point, and was founded in honor of Hartman's daughter who she lost to leukemia. Some of the graffiti also marred a mural for Hartman's non-profit organization Sofia's Angels, which helps families navigate medical care for children with cancer.
Why?
Posted by Vivian Hartman on Saturday, July 11, 2015
Unlike his machete and gun-toting on-screen counterparts, Trejo instead chose to rally local support in a video message posted to his Facebook page. In the video, Trejo appears with Hartman in front of her restaurant, and invites supporters to join this weekend. He also doesn't miss a moment to dismiss "the punk" who tagged the restaurant:
Sponsored message
The lady gives nothing but love to the community. She gives back every day, feeds the homeless. And her place was vandalized. Whoever did it, you're a punk. But we don't care about you. What we care about is this Sunday, we're gonna have a paint party here. Anybody who wants to attend, it's on the corner of Foothill and Hubbard. And it's Buffalo Bruce's. I'll be here. I'll be signing autographs and taking pictures.
Buffalo Bruce’s Mercantile is located at 13661 Hubbard St. in Sylmar. Trejo will begin signing autographs at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. A GoFundMe campaign has also been started to help support the restaurant.
This Sunday we're going to have a paint party at Buffalo Bruce's Mercantile, I’ll be signing and taking pictures.
Posted by Danny Trejo on Tuesday, July 14, 2015
At LAist, we focus on what matters to our community: clear, fair, and transparent reporting that helps you make decisions with confidence and keeps powerful institutions accountable.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
