More on the Redel Jones shooting decision, how athletes engage in the conversation surrounding social issues, how are Asian Americans joining the BLM movement?
LA's Day of Dialogue a safe space for civilians and officers alike
Tonight, President Obama will host a conversation about race relations, justice, policing and equality.
The goal is to bring together police officers, parents, students, and families affected by recent violence in Baton Rouge, Minneapolis, and Dallas in a frank yet civil dialogue.
It was much more of a public discussion than the one that the had yesterday when he spent more than four hours in a closed-door meeting with about three dozen elected officials, law enforcement representatives, and community activists.
Present at that White House meeting were police groups and activists who don't always agree with each other, but, in the end, they did agree that the meeting was productive and could eventually lead to building trust.
Among the attendees were LA Mayor Eric Garcetti and LAPD Chief Charlie Beck. Beck told the LA Times, "We didn't agree on everything ... But we all agreed that the discussion has become far too polarized, that people aren't listening to each other, people aren't showing empathy."
In LA Wednesday night, people attempted to hear each other and show such empathy.
At a conference room in Exposition Park, LAPD officers and residents gathered for an event titled, Days of Dialogue; it's part of an ongoing program organized by a group called The Institute for Non-Violence.
For next-day reflections, Take Two spoke with two guests:
- Avis Ridley-Thomas, co-director of The Institute for Non-Violence
- Bill Scott, deputy chief and commanding officer of operations at the LAPD's South Bureau
(Questions and answers have been edited for clarity.)
Highlights
When and how did the Days of Dialogue program first come to be?
Avis Ridley-Thomas: Days of Dialogue started in 1995 in response to the criminal trial of OJ Simpson and the Million Man March and the environment in which we found ourselves — really a divided community. So our prophetic leaders were called together, and one of them just recommended that we just have a day of dialogue in Los Angeles. We decided a day of dialogue on race relations would be our first activity.
Avis Ridley-Thomas, you've been doing this for a while now. Over the years, what have you learned about ways in which you can best create spaces where people feel free enough to speak their minds, and yet still safe and comfortable?
What I have learned is what I have learned as a founding director of the City Attorney's Dispute Resolution Program: that when you have neutral facilitators of a conversation, a structure in place, ground rules, when you ensure that everyone's voice will be respected and heard, and you have that facilitator helping to make that happen, and each of those small groups have the opportunity to dialogue, there is always a positive evaluation of that dialogue.
Bill Scott, can you talk to me about some of the conversations that you were a part of last night?
There were a lot of questions directed to me, particularly because of my position and twenty-six years of experience with LAPD. There were a lot of questions regarding use of force, shooting of unarmed black males particularly that were directed toward me, and many of them in the context of what does or what would LAPD do in a certain situation.
The other part of it is as an African-American male; some of the questions were directed towards me as, "how do you feel as an African American male to see these incidents happening?" One of the things when you're in uniform — you have to be very careful about what you say and how you say it because you're representing — not only law enforcement — but you're representing your city and your organization. It's difficult to infuse your personal opinion into a conversation about that.
I would imagine that at some point it must be so hard that you have to let down some of that guard to answer somewhat personally. Is that even possible?
Bill Scott: It is possible, and this is the beauty of last night's event and this type of event. I'm gonna use Mayor Garcetti's words because I sat in a meeting with him the other day and one of his goals was to create safe places and safe spaces to have those conversations. And what I think that means is give the law enforcement officers a place to have dialogue as well, because often, you don't feel safe in having those type of really deep conversations. Last night's event — at least for me — I felt safe in having that kind of conversation, and that was — believe it or not — an empowering feeling for me.
Press the blue play button above to hear the full interview.
Redel Jones ruling comes amid week of heightened racial tensions
Tuesday's LA Police Commission ruling on the officers who shot Redel Jones comes at a sensitive time in the country.
The ruling follows closely on the heels of the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. Each case is different, and yet, each has sent ripples through the nation's African-American communities.
To examine these individual situations in the context of what has been happening across the country, Take Two spoke with two guests:
- Brenda Stevenson, professor of history at UCLA
- Cheryl Dorsey, retired LAPD sergeant and author of the book, "Black & Blue"
Sports update: Athletes and social issues take center stage
A special look at sports this week: Athletes and social issues take center stage.
A look at the WNBA's Lynx game in which players wore t-shirts that took a stance on social issues and caused four off-duty Minneapolis police officers to leave the game. For more, regular Take Two contributor Andy Kamenetzky joined A Martinez to discuss.
Interview Highlights
Let's start in Minnesota. Saturday night members of the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx wore t-shirts that on the front read "Change starts with us" and on the back had the names of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, the Dallas PD shield and at the bottom Black Lives Matter.
Four off-duty Minneapolis police officers working security for the game decided to leave in response. Both sides are making a statement but it feels like a line was drawn in the sand.
"Well, there was a line drawn in the sand, to a point because Lynx players ended up not wearing those same shirts during warm-ups in a game Tuesday against the Silver Stars in San Antonio and maybe that was the result of them feeling like their point was best made during a game in Minneapolis, where Philando Castile had been killed. Maybe it was out of respect to playing in Texas, it being so close to where those Dallas officers lost their lives. Or maybe they just didn't want any animosity between them and Minneapolis PD to be potentially spun in a way that could overshadow the message that they're trying to put out there. Lynx spokesperson Ashley Carson said that they would not be wearing the Black Lives Matter clothing in San Antonio, they said:
'The Lynx organization was made aware about the concerns of the off-duty police officers. While our player's message mourn the loss of lives due to last week's shooting, we respect the right of those individual officers to express their own beliefs in their own way, we continue to urge a constructive discussion about the issues raised by those tragedies'
And what I also thought was interesting about the line drawn in the sand that you mention, is the reaction within the Minneapolis policing community towards those off-duty police walking out on what was essentially security duty. You had Minneapolis police federation, Bob Kroll, telling the star tribune that he commended the officers and he took their names off a list to work future games but then, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges called those comments 'jackass remarks'. She said 'Let me be clear labor, leadership, inherently does not speak on behalf of management, Bob Kroll sure as hell does not speak for me, about the Lynx or anything else' and then the Minneapolis Police chief Janee Harteau said that 'ultimately, these police, it's their duty to be out there serving and they have a contractual obligation to provide a service to Lynx games and they need to be held to expectations.' "
Additionally, Andy and A spoke about Cleveland Brown's Isaiah Crowell's Instagram post that was quickly deleted and forced him to issue an apology. Also, a look forward towards the ESPY's and the Olympics. How might sports shape or influence this conversation?
To hear the full segment, click the blue play button above.
Bryan Cranston: Acting and filmmaking are not (always) BS
Bryan Cranston is probably best known for his award-winning performance as cancer-riddled drug dealer Walter White in the show "Breaking Bad."
In just about every episode, Cranston's character adeptly lied to protect his real identity.
In his latest film, "The Infiltrator," the actor is at it again, playing a real-life guy named Robert Mazur, who also lied a lot, but in his case to bust the drug-runners.
Back in the 1980s, Mazur went undercover to infiltrate Pablo Escobar's Medellín drug cartel.
He transformed himself into a money-laundering businessman named Robert Musella who befriended one of Escobar's head honchos — a guy named Roberto Alcaíno (played by Benjamin Bratt).
Take Two's Alex Cohen recently spoke with Cranston and director Brad Furman about "The Infiltrator."
Interview highlights:
Bryan Cranston on what drew him to the role
What really got me… was that this man as Robert Musella, laundering money, was then clocking out and going home as Robert Mazur and helping his daughter with a math test and taking the trash out and being dad and ‘Honey, how was your day?’ and he can’t say anything. How did he reconcile living that dual life? How did he go and pretend that he was someone else and possibly lose his life on any given day and then go home and be family man and husband? It was fascinating to me.
And the other element that really got to me, if he does his job right, it means they have gained a considerable amount of trust in him. In order to get that, he has to make friends, he has to break bread with these people, he has to meet their families, he has to infiltrate on a social level as well, and so he does… And at the end of the two-and-a-half year operation, he then has to ostensibly betray that friendship by saying “I am not who you think I am. And you are under arrest. And I will do everything in my power to send you to prison.” Now you can intellectualize and say, “Well it was his job, it’s good for society, it’s the right move.” But emotionally how you deal with that?
Brad Furman on how getting into filmmaking involves a bit of ‘BS’
Unfortunately, and I’m not necessarily proud of it, but everybody in life has certain versions of gifts. I’m quite an okay orator, and you know, I remember watching “Fletch” as a kid, which is a funny analogy, but there was all this Chevy Chase giving his bulls---, and I was fascinated and I wanted to learn how to bulls--- like that. That was like something that I wanted to do. And when you become a filmmaker and you have no idea what you’re doing… I think you’re lying if you’re not completely frightened and you’re lying if you’re not insecure and worried that you can’t do or achieve what these other people who’ve come before you can achieve, so that’s when you tell people you know what you’re doing, and that’s when you sell people a bill of goods that you have no idea if you can deliver, but you’ve got to convince them that you can or you’re never going to get your first shot. And then all of a sudden as you go through the process you make a believer out of yourself.
Bryan Cranston on whether he saw similarities between the characters of Walter White and Robert Mazur, two characters who lead double lives
There are some similarities in the umbrella sense of it: that they’re both dealing with the drug wars and whether you’re going to get caught or not and that sort of thing. I think there’s some similarity there, but I think by and large the stories were so different in my mind that I didn’t even cast a thought back to that entity at all. You know, Brad was talking about whether he was bulls---ing or something, but sometimes I would say that it’s not always bulls---, but you’re speaking from a point of view of faith… because bulls---ing has a connotation that you are trying to con someone out of something.
Bryan Cranston on how acting and filmmaking is more than just lying or pretending
It’s not about lies. You look at a child when they play house or they play doctor — they do it with devotion. They don’t stand outside of themselves and critique what they’re doing. They’re just all in. And we as actors and as filmmakers, you have to take that sense of childlike devotion and put it in and believe it yourself, and dive in the deep end, and just see what happens.
Asian Americans 'need to stand up, show up for Black Lives Matter'
New York-based ethnographer Christina Xu has written an open online letter that explains to older generations of Asian Americans why they should care about Black Lives Matter.
The letter highlights a history between Asian Americans and African Americans that is not often thought about. Betty Hung, policy director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, tells more about how Asian Americans in Los Angeles are getting involved in the Black Lives Matter movement.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
Jewel's Catch One helped generations of black gay people in LA
A new documentary captures the history of one of L.A.'s most influential gay nightclubs: Jewel's Catch One.
The film, also titled "Jewel's Catch One," chronicles the rise of the club in the Arlington Heights neighborhood, which opened in 1973 during the middle of a recession.
"I decided it was time to try and start a recession-proof business," says founder Jewel Thais-Williams. "People, even in times of crisis, will respond to having fun, going to a party, going to a club."
Although the club closed in 2015, it provided a safe space for those who couldn't find it anywhere else in Los Angeles for 42 years.
Thais-Williams first eyed the building that would become Jewel's Catch One from her job at a grocery story across the street.
Back then, it was a neighborhood bar that didn't welcome black people.
Thais-Williams, who is black, was able to rent it out at night to create a space for herself and friends despite not having any restaurant experience.
It started off as a supper club with acts and shows. Soon, the daytime clientele drifted away and it became a gay club because she was a lesbian, herself.
"It's a tight community and an underground community," says Thais-Williams. "Whenever they found out someone was doing something – whether it was a party or dance or whatever – then most of the folks would flock to it."
Celebrities like Madonna and Thelma Houston also patronized the club, but Jewel's Catch One wasn't beloved by everyone.
"There was no red carpet laid out for us by the police, by our neighbors," says Thais-Williams. "We were not the most welcomed group coming into the neighborhood."
She recalls how when she refused to sell the space, it was set on fire and no investigation was ever done by the L.A. Fire Department.
But it was buoyed by its clientele who wanted to make it home for their own safety.
The favor was not left unpaid: at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis, Thais-Williams turned the parking lot of the venue into a soup kitchen for affected people.
She also helped to raise money for black AIDS victims, who were often overlooked while white AIDS victims were getting more financial and medical assistance.
"It gave me a stage to be of service to community that was rejected and neglected in so many ways," she says.
Hear more of Take Two's interview with Jewel Thais-Williams and filmmaker C. Fitz by clicking the audio player above.
The documentary "Jewel's Catch One" is a part of Outfest in LA, screening on Sunday July 17th.
5 pieces of sports history for sale at the LA Sports Arena auction
On Wednesday, fans around the country are getting a chance to bid on L.A. sports history thanks t to items from the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena being on the auction block. Items for sale include seats, concession stands, scoreboards, hockey goals, lockers from player locker rooms, signage and more.
The Exposition Park venue, which debuted in 1959, has a storied history. In 1960, John F. Kennedy accepted the Democratic presidential nomination on its stage. The Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers and Kings have all called it home. Muhammad Ali boxed here. Scenes from "Rocky" were shot here. And tons of top musical acts — Michael Jackson, Madonna, U2, Bruce Springsteen — have headlined the joint.
The arena will soon be demolished to make way for a $250 million, multi-use complex featuring a soccer stadium, a museum and businesses.
Bidding ends on Thursday at 1 p.m. Here are five unusual items you can find if you head to the site.
1. 1984 Olympics banners - The arena hosted events from the Summer Games and it has the leftover banners to prove it. Banners for the USC basketball team, which played its home games here in the pre-Galen Center days, and Bruce Springsteen's last show are also up for grabs.
2. Turnstiles - Next time friends come over to watch the game, make them show you their ticket before they head to the vintage stadium seats you've installed in your living room.
3. Original seats - Because your den wouldn't be complete without them.
4. Vintage ATM machines - Sorry, there's probably no cash inside.
5. Hockey Nets - The Kings briefly called the arena home in 1967 but at one time or another so did the Ice Dogs, the Blades, the Sharks and the Stars. And the venue still has the nets to prove it.
Auction supervisor Zenaido Zermeno gave a tour of the Sports Arena to A Martinez, who talked about the significance of the stadium with Harbor City resident Herman Few.
Click on the blue player to listen to the segment.
The Styled Side: red carpet styling when you're not size 0
If you're wearing something strange and it don't look good, who you gonna call?
The Styled Side!
Ghostbusters is the theme this week because, ahead of the premiere for her new movie, actress Leslie Jones tweeted that he had a sartorial problem.
It's so funny how there are no designers wanting to help me with a premiere dress for movie. Hmmm that will change and I remember everything
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg)
It's so funny how there are no designers wanting to help me with a premiere dress for movie. Hmmm that will change and I remember everything
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) June 28, 2016
Designer Christian Siriano stepped up to the plate and delivered a stunning off-the-shoulder crimson gown.
But Jones isn't the only woman who has had problems dressing up for the red carpet.
"The good news is that Hollywood is getting better at embracing the fact that women come in all shapes and sizes," says Lauren Stillman, VP of Film Fashion, a firm that specializes in matching fashion and accessories brands with celebrities. "But the gowns we have to work with are often the sample sizes that fit the models."
Those dresses come in size 4 or smaller.
"The economy has hit fashion hard, so there are not a lot of designers who have the budget to have multiple sizes on hand," says Stillman.
Michelle Dalton Tyree from Fashion Trends Daily explains that finding the right outfit for a gala or premiere is already a complicated and lengthy process for celebrities.
"Stylists do the heavy lifting for the actors by reaching out to individual designers themselves and also to fashion showrooms and PR houses that represent multiple designers," she says.
As part of their usual process throughout the year, designers will create samples – or real-life creations – of dresses they have in mind.
Those samples are only created in a limited number of sizes before going into mass-production, if at all.
Who has access to those samples is a political jockeying game.
"Fashion publicists and designers consider a variety of things: what is the event, who else will be at the event, does the celeb represent our brand well?" says Tyree.
"You have to protect the pieces that brands lend out," adds Stillman, "Once something is worn by a celeb on the red carpet, it's basically red-carpet Kryptonite for anyone else."
A celebrity then may have several designs to choose from before heading out for the red carpet.
But an average- or fuller-sized woman is generally locked out of that process.
Tyree adds that Jones might have had another roadblock for her: being a comedienne.
"One fashion insider I spoke with behind the scenes confirmed some brands' hesitation with dressing comediennes," she says. "Brands don't want them doing crazy things in their gowns."
One example is when Amy Schumer pranked Kim Kardashian and Kanye West at a gala by faking a fall in front of their feet on the red carpet.
"After that some brands were more hesitant to loan," says Tyree.
For celebs who do want to dress up for a red carpet – and the rest of us who might be attending a gala, wedding or other luxurious event – Tyree says several designers are coming up with dresses with different body shapes in mind.
"Christian Siriano, obviously, but also designer Elizabeth Kennedy, who dressed Mindy Kaling for the Oscars last year and got a ton of press," she says. Tyree adds that L.A.-based Kevan Hall and Jovani are great local options, too.