We’ve got all the answers to your voting questions, Copa America is coming to the US, a chat with the Skid Row Stories photo series creator.
What’s the point of a hit list?
Former UCLA doctoral student Mainak Sarkar shot and killed two people before taking his life Wednesday.
Before shooting UCLA professor William Klug, law enforcement officials believe Sarkar killed a woman in Minnesota. She is believed to be one of three people on a 'hit list' they found at Sarkar's home.
Klug was also on the list, along with another professor at the university who hasn't yet been identified, but is safe, police said.
Hit lists are a common component in emotionally charged killings, but what do they mean, and who's supposed to read them?
For answers, Take Two spoke to Brian Van Brunt. He's a psychologist and trains mental health professionals to spot threats.
Press the blue play button above to hear the interview.
Human Voter Guide: More voter registration tips and voting via 'will call'
Your guide: Copa América brings global soccer giants to SoCal
For the first time, the U.S. is playing host to the Copa América Centenario soccer tournament, bringing the hemisphere's top teams – and some of the world's best players – to U.S. cities.
The tournament opens tonight as the U.S. takes on Colombia at 6.30pm in Santa Clara, California.
Here are some quick highlights of what to keep an eye on in the coming weeks:
What is the Copa América and why is it such a big deal?
Traditionally, the Copa América brings together the top teams from South America, but in recent decades it's expanded to include teams from outside the region – such as Jamaica, Mexico and the US. This year marks the 100-year anniversary of the event and the first time that the US plays host to the tournament. Last year, host nation Chile won, beating top-ranked Argentina in penalties. US coach Jurgen Klinsmann has set the bar high this year by saying he expects his team to reach the semi-finals, a daunting path that would likely require the U.S. to beat tournament giant Brazil.
Who are the players to watch for?
The teams are stacked with some of the top players in the world, starting with Argentina's Lionel Messi (though his teammates Sergio Aguero and Angel di Maria, who are also top-notch scoring threats, will have to step up as Messi will miss at least the first game from a back injury). Uruguay features Barcelona striker Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez will lead Colombia. And Chile's Alexis Sanchez will head up a strong defending champion team. Also, you can't overlook Mexico's Javier Hernández, who scored a beautiful header for the winning goal this week against Chile in a friendly match.
How is the U.S. team shaping up?
Well, Landon Donovan has retired and long-time goalkeeper Tim Howard is coming off the bench, so the team looks different than in recent years. Also, first-choice striker Jozy Altidore is injured. Yes, Clint Dempsey will most likely be on the starting 11 and captain Michael Bradley still plays a critical role in the midfield. But this Copa América is a great opportunity to see some of the new and younger players try to make their mark and secure a spot on the national team for the World Cup in two years, taking place in Russia. A few of those to keep an eye on: Gyasi Zardes, Bobby Wood, Christian Pulisic, John Brooks and Darlington Nagbi. (Check out the full roster here.) If the U.S. goes far in the tournament, more than one of these new faces will likely have to step up and make a splash in the Copa.
Mexico is coming to Southern California next week – what are the team's chances?
Mexico has continued its run of success, even after the departure of coach Miguel Herrera following the Gold Cup win last summer. The team is ranked 16 in the latest FIFA list of global teams and is coming off an impressive 1-0 win against Chile in a friendly match this week. All eyes are on forward Javier "Chicharito" Hernández – he'll have to score goals for the team to go far. But he's supported by a strong cast, including Andrés Guardado, Hector Herrera and Miguel Layún. Their first big test will come Sunday when they face-off against South American powerhouse Uruguay. Next Thursday, El Tri will visit the Rose Bowl to take on Jamaica.
Check out more details about the Copa América Centenario tournament here. See the full schedule below:
Copa América Centenario 2016 Schedule
World-class runner Alexi Pappas takes on filmmaking
Alexi Pappas has always run to the beat of her own drum.
Besides being a world-class distance runner, Pappas is also a poet and an actress who, with her partner Jeremy Teicher, just co-wrote, directed, produced and starred in her first feature film, Tracktown.
The film is premiering at the LA Film Fest this weekend. Then, later this summer, she's scheduled to run the 10,000 meters for Greece in the Rio Olympics this summer.
Alexi and Jeremy joined us to talk more about the film and the directing process.
From biker to reanimated cop: 'Sons of Anarchy' actor Kim Coates talks new film 'Officer Downe'
The LA Film Festival line up includes a wide range of films, documentaries, comedies and dramas.
But there's also a competition category known as Nightfall, reserved for dark films meant to be watched after the sun goes down.
Featured in this group is a movie called "Officer Downe." It's based on a graphic novel by the same name and it's set in a hyper-real Los Angeles.
It stars actor Kim Coates as a police officer who is repeatedly killed in the line of duty, only to be brought back to life by the LAPD a la Frankenstein's monster.
Coates, who is from Canada, is also known for his role as Tig on "Sons of Anarchy." He joined host Alex Cohen to talk about his latest role, that one time he was on "Miami Vice," and everything in between.
"Officer Downe" premieres Friday night at 11:15 p.m. in Culver City. A screening will also be held Tuesday, June 7 at 9:15 p.m. Events are open to the public. Click here for more information.
Interview Highlights
How one of his earliest roles on the "Viking Bikers from Hell" episode of "Miami Vice" foreshadowed "Sons of Anarchy":
"I came right from Stratford, I went right to New York, all these agents were going, 'You have to come to New York.' I did happily, and then boom, I land, I go see Bonnie Timmermann, who cast me in 'Blackhawk Down' and two other movies as well, I love Bonnie. Anyway she goes, 'Yeah, that guy, yeah, he's gonna play this little biker here with Don Johnson.' I never was on a bike, though. Don Johnson came to visit me in a biker bar, and as fate would have it, Don kind of pushed me up against a wall, and I'm right into it, I do my own stunts as much as they'll let me, and I cracked my head wide open. I had to take a break and they put some band aid stitches on, finished the scene, then went and got a couple stitches in my head. I said, "Thanks Don!" He said, "Thanks Kim!" And I haven't seen him since... I'm proud of me in that I always went with my gut my entire career. That was 1987 with Don Johnson, maybe '87, '88, and you know, it was 18 years later with 'Sons of Anarchy,' 2006 when it started or maybe 2007 I guess. I've never planned anything, but I've always gone with my gut, and I'm really really glad that I decided to finally take the foray into being a lead on a television series like 'Sons of Anarchy.'"
Web extra: Kim Coates talks about playing Tig on 'Sons of Anarchy'
On how his "Officer Downe" role is taking him in a different direction:
"The greatest stretch for me was, forget about all of the stunts that we did so eloquently and beautifully, and on screen it looks absolutely crazy, was this guy. He is killed in the line of duty. He's a good cop. Good through and through, wears the badge smartly and beautifully. No girlfriends, no wife, no kids, no dog. He's married to the badge. He dies. Then they put him on ice for 20 years down in the depths of the LAPD. And finally its in the future a little bit and LA's gone to crap, way worse than Gotham City times 20, it's truly horrific stuff going down. And I'm this super cop, and they figure out how to bring me back alive. So I'm part Frankenstein, part RoboCop, part for sure human, dealing with emotions and I die four or five times in the picture and they keep brining me back, and the ending is spectacular."
Web extra: Kim Coates talks about acting in the changing media landscape
If LA felt any different in those moments that the city was the backdrop for real life, and not the film:
"It wasn't the city that was freaky for me, it actually gave me a breath of fresh air after everyday of being in makeup for three hours, getting punched around, and this that and the other. But what I am proud of, is we filmed it here, Alex, where we are, and we're showing it at the LA Film Festival. Joe Casey, who wrote it, said, 'No one's shooting this movie unless we shoot it in LA.' So that's what I'm really proud of, using crew, that we're not running away to another state or another country. We stayed right here in LA. And when people see this, they're going to recognize the streets, they're going to recognize the visuals, they're going to recognize a lot of things, and it's crazy."
To listen to the interview, click on the blue audio player above.
The Generosity Gap: Why charitable giving is down in LA county
In 2014 researchers from UCLA published a paper thatfound that charitable giving in Los Angeles had not rebounded to pre-recession levels.
It's called the generosity gap. So, two years later, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs teamed up with the California Community Foundation to release a new report.
The results released Friday show that this gap is actually widening. Even as the housing market has rebounded and the stock market has reached record highs, charitable giving is on the decline in L.A.
Shawn Landres, one of the report's authors, joined the show to discuss the reports findings including how charitable giving in L.A. County is down by $1 billion since 2006 – and those with higher incomes who could donate more, aren’t doing so. The report also includes other facts about local behaviors around philanthropy like motivations and causes supported.
For the full report, see below. Additional information available here.
To hear the full interview, click the blue play button above.
CA public libraries offer free lunches for kids this summer
According to the food bank network Feeding America, one in four kids in LA County is at risk of hunger.
That's about 600,000 children.
Many of them receive free and reduced-price lunches at school, but what happens when summer rolls around?
Well, in some communities, libraries have been stepping up to feed these kids.
...not just in this area but all around the state.
On Wednesday, we reached Greg Lucas, he's the California state librarian.
Joining Take Two to discuss:
- California State Librarian Greg Lucas
L.A.-area libraries offering free lunch:
Carson Library, 151 East Carson Street, Carson
Huntington Park Library, 6518 Miles Avenue, Huntington Park
Lancaster Library, 610 W. Lancaster Blvd., Lancaster
La Puente Library, 15920 E. Central Ave, La Puente
Norwalk Library, 11949 Alondra Blvd., Norwalk
San Fernando Library, 217 N. Maclay Ave., San Fernando
San Gabriel Library, 500 S. Del Mar Ave., San Gabriel
Covina Public Library, 234 N. Second Avenue, Covina
Glendale Central Library, 222 E. Harvard Street, Glendale
Hemet Public Library, 300 E. Latham Ave., Hemet
Crenshaw-Imperial Branch Library, 11141 S. Crenshaw Blvd., Inglewood
Main Library, 101 West Manchester Blvd., Inglewood
Canoga Park Branch Library, 20939 Sherman Way, Canoga Park
Central Library, 630 W. Fifth Street, Los Angeles
Eagle Rock Branch Library, 5027 Casper Avenue, Los Angeles
Echo Park Branch Library, 1410 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles
Exposition Park Regional Branch Library, 3900 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles
Hyde Park Branch Library, 2205 W. Florence Avenue, Los Angeles
Mark Twain Branch Library, 9621 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles
Pacoima Branch Library, 13605 Van Nuys Blvd., Pacoima
Panorama City Branch Library, 14345 Roscoe Blvd., Panorama City
Pico Union Branch Library, 1030 S. Alvarado St., Los Angeles
San Pedro Branch Library, 931 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro
Vermont Square Branch Library, 1201 W. 48th Street, Los Angeles
Vernon Branch Library, 4504 S. Central Ave., Los Angeles
Watts Branch Library, 10205 Compton Ave., Los Angeles
Garden Grove Chapman Branch, 9182 Chapman Ave., Garden Grove
Ovitt Family Community Library, 215 E C Street, Ontario
Desert Hot Springs Library, 11691 West Dr, Desert Hot Springs
Glen Avon Regional Branch Library, 9244 Galena Street, Jurupa Valley
Eastside Library, 4033-C Chicago Avenue, Riverside
Main Library, 3581 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside
Feldheym Central Library, 555 W 6th Street, San Bernardino
North Torrance Library, 3604 Artesia Blvd., Torrance
The Museum of Broken Relationships puts a twist on tales of heartbreak
Love letters, mixed tapes, boyfriend T-shirts and wedding rings. These are just some examples of things that are left behind when relationships end.
When that break up happens, you might consider destroying the relics or crying over them in private, all while bingeing on an obscene amount of Ben and Jerry’s and breakup songs. But now, there’s another option: donating them to the Museum of Broken Relationships.
It's a new spot opening Saturday at the intersection of Hollywood and Highland in Los Angeles. The space isn’t very big. It’s pretty sparse. But scattered throughout are remembrances of lost love: a collection of old cologne bottles that belonged to a dead husband, a wooden spoon given to a philandering ex-boyfriend who liked to cook, and old breast implants that were removed after a breakup (Yes, those are actually on display).
The idea for a museum of broken relationships came from two artists in Croatia who, themselves, had broken up. The collection traveled the world before a permanent museum was set up in Zagreb in 2010. Here at the L.A. museum, like it’s sister site in Zagreb, all items are donated anonymously.
For some, donating can be like purging old demons, without actually destroying the keepsakes.
"My best friend likes to tag things she thinks I’ll like on Facebook. So she tagged me 'The Museum of Broken Relationships' and so the first thing I thought of was this dang baby cactus that I cannot stand like, I’m gonna get rid of it."
That’s Kevin. His boyfriend broke up with him just shy of their six month anniversary in February. When they were together, Kevin asked his ex for a love letter as a Christmas present, but he ended up with a cactus."I think the cactus is symbolic of how him and I were never on the same page," he says.
Kevin’s cactus is one of over 250 donations to the L.A. museum. Nearly 100 items will be chosen for the opening exhibition. But why would so many people take something as private as a breakup and make it public? "It’s almost a public shaming in a sense, especially if it was a very particular, recognizable object," says USC Sociology Professor and Marriage and Family Therapist Julie Albright. "In some subconscious way, it’s sort of letting others know how they were done wrong."
The museum’s president, John B. Quinn, has a different perspective on why people donate. " It’s cathartic to have your story told," he says. "To be able to share with people something that happened in your life that is so important to you."
Next to each item is the story of where it came from. And not every story is about a breakup. Some are far more tragic.
"The object that I keep marinating over is an dress that we received from a girl in Brooklyn," says Amanda Vandenberg, the museum’s assistant director. The dress in question is a reminder of the donor’s eighth grade boyfriend.
"The way that she describes his mannerisms, the way that he looks, it’s so clear that this person is so special in her memory. And he had picked out a dress for her to wear, a dress that he wanted to see her in. And the day that she did go over to see him, she had never put it on, and the very next day, he killed himself," she says. "And she regrets, all these years later, that she never put on that dress for him."
Kevin, with the cactus, hopes people go see all these items and experience a range of emotions. "I think we live in a world where people are afraid to feel anything and I just, something like this, it’s like how can you go in there and look at these objects and not feel something."
Since breaking up with his ex, Kevin’s moved on. He met someone on a recent trip to Nashville and is optimistic about his love life. But he’ll still head over to the Museum of Broken Relationships to remember.
How a California lynching law led to the conviction of a Black Lives Matter activist
This week an African-American woman was convicted after being charged under California Penal Code statute 405a.
The law reads that the violation occurs when a person participates in the taking, by means of a riot, another person from the lawful custody of a peace officer. But until recently, that charge was known as “lynching.”
Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation that changed the text of the law. The woman, Jasmine Richards, could be the first African-American to ever be tried and convicted on the charges.
We talked about the case with Jody David Armour, a law professor at USC and author of the book "Negrophobia and Reasonable Racism: The Hidden Costs of Being Black in America."
Interview Highlights:
On the legal statute and how the term "lynching" relates to it:
Initially it was an anti-rioting statute. If you used force and violence ... acting with two people or more, that is a criminal offense ... and there was a special provision added (405a) that if you rioted and if you're trying to take someone away from officials in order to lynch them, we're not going to call that a misdemeanor, we're going to call that a felony. It was used to fight lynchings that was going on at the time.
Why the law could be used more frequently in situations where protesters are engaged in confrontations with law enforcement:
DAs have dusted off an old law and found that it's useful to go after protesters that they want to charge with and convict a felony rather than a misdemeanor ... she could have been charged with a misdemeanor ... what they're doing is taking out a portion of the law that says we want to prevent lynch mobs ... and focus on taking away someone from police custody.
(click on the blue arrow above to hear the complete interview)
County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl shares the latest on LA's housing vouchers
Los Angeles County has one of the largest homeless populations in the country, and its only getting bigger.
A recent count puts the number of people on the street, or in shelters, at almost 47,000. Government-subsidized housing vouchers is one solution for putting a roof over someone's head, but in a highly charged real-estate market with soaring rents, these vouchers don't go very far.
LA County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl works with the housing authority on this issue. She joined the show to talk about the status of theses vouchers, and whether there might be an alternative way to put roofs over people’s heads.
If you are a landlord interested in this program, please call The Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles at (626) 586-1572 or email LandlordVIP@HACola.org.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
Skid Row Stories photo project started from a random conversation and near suicide
L.A. native John Hwang never intended to become the creator of the popular photo series Skid Row Stories, which documents and tells the struggles of those he encounters on Skid Row and the streets of L.A. The idea came from a chance encounter on a bridge in downtown L.A. when he was just trying to kill time and wait for traffic to die down:
"One day, when I was just hanging out in downtown. I was on this bridge and this homeless person started talking to me. So we're just having a conversation and then he tells me he was on the bridge because right before he saw me he was going to jump off and kill himself... He said that somehow our conversation made him feel better and gave him hope in life. So I went home that night and it just — I couldn't stop thinking about it. So after work the next day, I just wanted to start heading down to Skid Row to learn more about the homeless because I was so intrigued."
After that encounter, Hwang would visit Skid Row almost every day for the next three years.
"I think I was always curious about people's stories and about how people end up the way they do. This connection though, really sparked a strong desire to learn more and to take it a step further and to just hang out down in Skid Row. Before I used to just hang out in downtown and just hang out at the cafes and just kill my time there but I just started hanging out down at Skid Row all the time, just going straight to Skid Row. Just wanting to learn more about this community that people don't know about."
Even after Hwang began visiting Skid Row daily, it was never a goal of his to take photos of the people he encountered. However, the more he visited, the more people began to open up to him and share their stories.
"I just felt like, man, I can't keep this all to myself. I felt like, I got to start documenting this and sharing this at least with my friends...one of the things though, that I was very cautious of is I didn't want it to feel like I was exploiting them or that I'm doing this for myself in some way...I value these relationships and these stories so much I felt like, at least I got to share this with my friends...taking their photo was almost the very last thing that I wanted to do. So...at the very end I just would say 'hey, would it be okay if I took your photo?' and often times they would say 'I would never let anyone take my photo, except you because I know you care.' so that meant a lot."
When Hwang spoke with Take Two host A Martinez, he shared some of his favorite shots and stories from his encounters on Skid Row.
Hwang first spoke about Latoya, a prostitute he met while visiting Skid Row. While walking around downtown L.A. he would notice how her face would light up around dogs and then she said 'dogs would never hurt you like people do.' When he asked her what she meant, she shared her story:
"When she was young, she was repeatedly raped by her stepfather until she was 11 and then she ran away...but her family didn't even bother to look for her because they wanted to continue to collect welfare checks on her behalf. And then she ended up getting picked up by a pimp and then she was caught up in human trafficking and she was a child prostitute until she was in her late teens and then, when she contracted HIV, that's when they just kind of let her go. And since that point, she's been on drugs and she's said that she takes drugs because that's the only thing that numbs her from the pain of feeling worthless and lonely.
And we were walking in downtown and I remember she was looking at these mannequins on the windows of this clothing store and I saw the way she was just looking at the nice clothes...I turned to her and I said, 'hey let's go inside. I'll buy you whatever you want. I'll buy you whatever you want in the store'. She couldn't believe it, she just had this shocked look on her face. We went inside and she was trying on all these different things...and just seeing that excitement on her face...seeing someone that was so hardened from living on the street and her life I felt like at that moment I saw this little girl...that never had that validation, that never had someone treat her with respect."
Among the many photos Hwang has posted on the Skid Row Stories Facebook page, there are some that detail the journeys. The most prominent of those journeys is Walter.
Hwang describes him as a close friend, almost a brother. Walter had been homeless for about 15 years when he met Hwang and it was after the two became close that Walter made a change in his life.
"One day he [Walter] came up to me and he's like 'John, I'm going to get housing.' and I was so excited for him...and he was like...'It's because of you that I got housing...' and I didn't understand what he meant because I didn't do anything and I said 'What do you mean Walter?' and then he said 'Well, you believe in me more than I believe in myself. ' ...and he's on Facebook too, and he will read the stories that I post about him and a lot of my friends will write really encouraging comments and he'll see all of them and he'll read all of them and I think that gave him a lot of confidence and made him feel really good about himself and motivated him to want to do better."
After sharing some of his favorite stories, one thing is clear, Hwang doesn't have any kind of agenda for documenting these stories. When asked what he hopes people will take away from his ongoing photo series he responded:
"I want them to feel that same sort of intimacy or connection that I had, that I built with this person...I just want people to say, 'hey this is who this person is' and this is the kind of connection I had with them and it's up to you, it's up to the reader and so, I leave it up to you."
To hear the full interview, click the blue play button above.