Friday, May 11, 2007

Take me out to the ball game


Huh? From CBS2 TV:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Councilman Tom LaBonge, Fire Chief Douglas Barry and Los Angeles Dodger owners Frank and Jamie McCourt are expected to tour the area in the morning, then hold a news conference "to discuss joint efforts to rebuild the fire-damaged landmark," according to the mayor's office.

The owner of the Dodgers touring a disaster area with politicos?

If anyone remembers exactly how Los Angeles ripped families out of Chavez Ravine to build Dodger Stadium, this should be worrisome. What's next, a new baseball stadium where The Greek Theatre used to be?

Wikipedia:
Some years later, the city made the controversial decision to sell the land to the Brooklyn Dodgers and Walter O'Malley, at a financial loss to the city, in a move to provide incentives for a migration to Los Angeles. Many cities had been subsidizing sports stadiums in an effort to bring prestige to their cities, and Los Angeles was no exception. With Chavez Ravine slated to become the site of the new Dodger Stadium, the remaining members of the Chavez Ravine community were physically forced to relocate. While some had initially left the neighborhood, voluntarily or involuntarily through either the use of eminent domain or condemnation, others stayed until the end. Eventually the sheriff's department went in with bulldozers and armed men. The poor shanties and dirt-road streets were razed and the community was buried.

No comments: