STORIES
The following is a collection of short stories highlighting residents, business owners, organizers, community leaders, and others. Each story includes excerpts from interviews conducted by Clockshop. Additional commentary may be provided for context and clarity in addition to the excerpts.
Whether in written or video form, these stories present the many personal histories found in Northeast LA neighborhoods.
Browse the stories here, or explore them in geographical context on the Maps page, where you can listen to selected audio clips from the interviews.
TAKE ME TO YOUR RIVER: WATCH
Kruegermann Pickles
Carl and Greg Kruegermann are brothers who grew up in Elysian Valley (not Frogtown!) in a East German immigrant family whose livelihood was to make pickles. Their family’s business employed members of the community to make traditional dill pickles in the German style. At the end of 2022, the brothers face the devastating truth that…
Yancey’s (Childhood) Instacart Route
Yancey Quinones grew up in Cypress Park adjacent to the LA River. One of his jobs as a boy was to do the food shopping for senior citizens in the neighborhood. Some might even say he was an early pioneer of Instacart! Yancey learned how to navigate a safe route on his bike and how…
“Paayme” sung by Lazaro Arvizu
Lazaro Arvizu Jr. is an artist, educator, musician, and researcher dedicated to the culture of the First Peoples of Los Angeles. In the video he performs the song “Paayme”, meaning “West” in the Tongva language, which he wrote with his mother Virginia Carmelo. With the LA River as a backdrop, Lazaro sings about moving West…
LA River x Gnarly Charly
Gnarly Charly x Los Angeles River, centers on long-time Northeast LA resident, Carlos “Charly” Hinojosa. Often described by a multitude of words instead of one, Charly has over the years become known as an activist-anarchist–punk rocker-cyclist-parkourer. The current lead singer of Pedal Strike, a “bike punk” band with roots in Northeast LA, Charly’s music and…
TAKE ME TO YOUR RIVER: READ
New Era
Ask Marco Ortiz for an introduction, and you’ll receive one. “I’m Marco Ortiz, one of the most famous male performers from Hollywood. They know me as the best performer of Juan Gabriel.” But before he was known for his famous impersonations of Juan Gabriel and other Latino musical superstars, Marco was just finding his way…
The City as Teacher
Charly Hinojosa is an active community member in Northeast LA, where he has served on the Cypress Park Neighborhood Council, led kayak tours for BIPOC individuals on the LA River, and coached at-risk youth in the community. However, Charly spent his “active, outdoor childhood” immersed in youth countercultures. A punk rocker, he was against playing…
Silent Killer
Dayana Molina is no stranger to gentrification. As a longtime resident of and advocate for Northeast LA, she has seen her community change drastically. It is part of the double-edged sword that comes with fighting to improve one’s neighborhood. Dayana has engaged with community activism since her youth. As a teenager playing in Anahuak Youth…
Las Nannies de Glen Park
Debajo de los árboles de Glenhurst Park en Atwater Village, podrás encontrar a las “Nannies de Glen Park”; un grupo de 20 niñeras que a través de los años se han reunido aquí para convivir y celebrar los cumpleaños de los niños. Cada nanny tiene un relato diferente de cómo llegó a encontrar este parque…
The Nannies of Glen Park
Under the trees at Glenhurst Park in Atwater Village, you might find a group of 20 nannies who have been gathering there for years. They socialize, let the children play on the playsets, and celebrate many, many birthdays. Each nanny has a different story about how they found both the park and the group. This…
Finding the Right Path
Daniel Paredes recalls a childhood typical to Frogtown in the ‘90s — a tight knit community where everybody knew each other and neighborhood kids would hang out in the streets. “I was forbidden to go to the river when I was a kid. That didn’t stop me from going to the river. I used to…
A River’s Watershed
Mark Hanna is a civil engineer with a specialization in water resources management and river restoration and revitalization. His passion for rivers has led him to work extensively on a variety of projects up and down the LA River. “I prefer projects that are right here in Los Angeles. I live here, my family lives…
Memories of a Neighborhood
Bobby Arcos grew up on a quiet street in Atwater in the 1970s — before it was known as Atwater Village. Around his childhood home on Glenhurst Avenue, he recalls the smells of the old Van de Kamps bakery, 50 cent ham and cheese sandwiches from Vince’s Market, and playing football, and baseball at John…
The Rule Breaker
Charly Hinojosa is an active community member in Northeast LA, where he has served on the Cypress Park Neighborhood Council, led kayak tours for BIPOC individuals on the LA River, and coached gymnastics and parkour for at-risk youth in the community. Spending his youth immersed in countercultures like skating, punk rock, and graffiti helped set…
River Playground
“My dad worked the graveyard shift, so my mom took care of us, but my mom was busy oftentimes at the sewing machine meeting her deadlines. We got to go play when we didn’t have to support her.” Helen Leung cherished the moments when she and her sister were given free reign to explore the…
The Story Behind the “Orange Bridge” Pt.1
Over the years, many pedestrian bridges have popped up along the Glendale Narrows section of the Los Angeles River in Northeast LA. One bridge has a pointy mast that soars 60 feet into the sky, another is full of love locks rivaling the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris. The newest addition? A bright orange…
Building Los Angeles State Historic Park (LASHP)
The 32-acre plot that now houses the Los Angeles State Historic Park (LASHP) is a testament to the power of community activism. Throughout hundreds of “hearing sessions” hosted by California State Parks, nearby residents voiced their wants and needs for the land — and, by doing so, saved it from becoming the “River Station Business…