Classic American West Coast Boxing

[El Gato]

Rick...

You are right about "Alacran" Torres and myself. We grew up together. Jose Becerra started training us both on the same day at the San Andres Police Station boxing gym in Guadalajara. I was only 13 years old and he was about 15. His father, Margarito Torres, owned a shoe store and he owned several houses. The family was well off from the beginning. Alacran always wore a Levi jacket with a skull printed on the back of it and his collar was always sticking up. He was always a hot shot and liked the girls. There was a juke box across the street from the police station under the arches of the plaza where Alacran hung out with his friends. He would put money in the juke boxes and play the loud music for hours.

Jose taught us both the liver punch and Alacran used it alot to knock his opponents out. We were racing each other to see who knocked more fighters out.

I saw him just a few months ago in Mexico City when 70 world boxing champions were there to honor Carlos Slim, one of the wealthiest men in the world, who has done so much for boxing in Mexico and helped so many people in Mexico by creating millions of jobs for them. Jose Becerra wasn't able to make it because of his poor health. Alacran has total white hair but is in good health. His brother, Moi Torres, was a good boxer too and is in good health today. I don't know about a furniture store but I know Alacran does not work. He is a member of the Boxing Commission in the State of Jalisco. We talked about the good old days. He told me he misses his wife very much. She passed away several years ago.

El Gato

[kikibalt]

"Don't eat the cheese"

L.A. crackdown on unpasteurized Mexican cheese snares four
One of those charged with misdemeanors says the product is vital to his Oaxacan restaurant. An official says the problem is health risks from unlicensed cheese.



Expresion Oaxaquena Market in L.A. belongs to one of those charged. Quesillo cheese is a lifeblood of his businesses and his Oaxacan culture, the proprietor says. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times / August 27, 2009)


By Hector Becerra

August 28, 2009

For years, relatives of Zeferino Garcia in Mexico's Oaxaca state routinely sent him a cargo of quesillo cheese by airplane. From Tijuana, the bulk of unpasteurized cheese would be brought to his restaurant and two stores in Los Angeles. Life was good, he thought, and tasty.

"If you don't have quesillo from Oaxaca, you practically can't have a Oaxacan restaurant," said Garcia, 43.

Then three months ago, a health inspector first came to his store and told him he was breaking the law by selling unlicensed, unpasteurized cheese. An inspector returned about a month ago, then again about two weeks ago, when Garcia said he had an "audience" with health authorities.

On Thursday the L.A. city attorney's office announced the filing of misdemeanor charges against three businesses and their owners, in addition to a store manager, for allegedly selling illegal cheese. Garcia, president of Expresion Oaxaquena Market Inc., was one of them.

Prosecutors said they are going after businesses that sell unpasteurized, unlicensed and often unlabeled cheeses that could contain harmful bacteria. Quesillo is just one that authorities say is often sold or served illegally.

"We're looking at this as a public health risk," said Don Kass, a deputy city attorney. "This kind of cheese can cause a serious illness when pathogens are present."

Health officials say some of it is spirited into the country in suitcases and is then sold door to door to residents or restaurants and at open air markets out of coolers. In other cases, the cheese is made locally in bathtubs. Many consumers don't know that what they are eating is not regulated, he said.

"The risk of bacteria is worrisome," said Steve Lyle, a spokesman for the state Department of Food and Agriculture. "This is something our agency works on year around. We believe it's a significant problem."

But that doesn't mean the cheese is unpopular. And many people know its provenance is illegal but think it tastes better. Jonathan Gold, the Pulitzer Prize-winning L.A. Weekly food critic, said he prefers it.

"I will admit that there are some groceries . . . where you do kind of buy cheese under the table, and it tastes better," Gold said. "If you're the sort of person who believes milk has a soul to it, which I guess I am, then pasteurizing is taking something away." As for the potential danger posed by unpasteurized cheese, Gold added: "Life is filled with risks."

Lyle said unpasteurized cheese and raw milk can be sold legally as long as they are regulated and licensed. But he said the illegal cheese is simply not inspected, making it difficult to tell whether it was made in safe, sanitary conditions.

He said his and other agencies have launched task forces and sweeps to tackle the problem. "If it's not licensed and inspected, we can't vouch for the cleanliness of the product," Lyle said.

As they tried to beat the heat by standing in the shade of a gazebo in Boyle Heights, mariachi musicians Pablo Pulido and Ismael Rojas said that as long as it was made in sanitary conditions, they preferred unpasteurized cheese, whether legal or not.

"When you pasteurize the cheese, you take away from it what nature gave it," said Rojas, 52, who is from the Mexican state of Guanajuato.

Kass, the deputy city attorney, said Garcia and the three others charged with the sale of illegal unpasteurized cheese -- Faviola Martinez Garcia, Sabrina Aguilar and Maria Justo -- faced thousands of dollars in fines. They could also get up to 100 days of jail time, but he said that was unlikely. "We're trying to deter others," Kass said.

Garcia said the situation has indeed deterred him, but only from skirting the law. He said that after the inspectors started coming, he knew he had to find a legal way to get quesillo, also known as queso Oaxaca. It is a lifeblood of his businesses and his Oaxacan culture, he said.

"Our community is very large, and you can't not have quesillo in a Oaxacan restaurant or even with your family," Garcia said. "Without quesillo, a Oaxacan fiesta is not a Oaxacan fiesta."

[email protected]

[kikibalt]

Chula Vista Little League. Homies from my neck of the woods. GO ALL THE WAY

Chula Vista will play Texas for the U.S. championship on Saturday....

Its going to be a tough game for Chula Vista to win, as Texas is a very good team, as they showed beating Chula Vista earlier in the week, so this is a rematch. May the better team win...

Frank
The Chula kids need to keep their poise. If they get thru and play China or Curacao,they'll need it. And then there's that team from Reynoso, Mexico. I'm having more fun watching these kids than watching the pros.

Roger, the Chula Boys do lose their posie when things don't go their way, but I hope that they can hold together and beat Texas and Mexico beats China, so we can have the Mexicans vs the pochos in the championship game on Suday.

I'm NOT a beasball guy, don't watch much if any MLB, but I never miss the LLWS. My son James was a star in LL and his team was one game away from going to the LLWS some years back.

[kikibalt]

Randy, the Torres fight that I have is the Chartchi Chionoi I fight, which he won by 8th round tko, he lost the rematch.

Frank . . .

I know we've discussed this before, but the Hiroyuki Ebihara-Alacran Torres flyweight title fight was a barn burner, literally!
It was 1964 at the Olympic Auditorium and I know you were there.
In a close one, the Japanses world champ gets the nod and Torres' fans from below the border were not happy.

After the decision, a riot started. First, cups of beer were tossed from the balcony, then cherry bombs, fights broke out everywhere and the place started to smoke.
Seats that were bolted into the cement floors were dislodged and broken. All exits to the parking lot, Grand Ave. and 18th St. were filled with people trying to escape the violence.
I always considered the solid cement structure of the Olympic to be "bullet proof."
Well, the Olympic survived but not without a few scars. I forget the dollar amount affixed to damages but it was in the $thousands back when that was a lot of money.

I was always a fan of Efren "Alacran" Torres. When he won the title from Chionoi in 1969, five years after losing to Ebihara at the Olympic, I remember how happy I was.



-Rick Farris

Rick, I was there for that fight, took a punch on the jaw while I was trying to stay clear of the rioters. "But I didn't go down", Btw I thought Ebihara won the fight...

[dagosd2000]

"Don't eat the cheese"

L.A. crackdown on unpasteurized Mexican cheese snares four
One of those charged with misdemeanors says the product is vital to his Oaxacan restaurant. An official says the problem is health risks from unlicensed cheese.



Expresion Oaxaquena Market in L.A. belongs to one of those charged. Quesillo cheese is a lifeblood of his businesses and his Oaxacan culture, the proprietor says. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times / August 27, 2009)


By Hector Becerra

August 28, 2009

For years, relatives of Zeferino Garcia in Mexico's Oaxaca state routinely sent him a cargo of quesillo cheese by airplane. From Tijuana, the bulk of unpasteurized cheese would be brought to his restaurant and two stores in Los Angeles. Life was good, he thought, and tasty.

"If you don't have quesillo from Oaxaca, you practically can't have a Oaxacan restaurant," said Garcia, 43.

Then three months ago, a health inspector first came to his store and told him he was breaking the law by selling unlicensed, unpasteurized cheese. An inspector returned about a month ago, then again about two weeks ago, when Garcia said he had an "audience" with health authorities.

On Thursday the L.A. city attorney's office announced the filing of misdemeanor charges against three businesses and their owners, in addition to a store manager, for allegedly selling illegal cheese. Garcia, president of Expresion Oaxaquena Market Inc., was one of them.

Prosecutors said they are going after businesses that sell unpasteurized, unlicensed and often unlabeled cheeses that could contain harmful bacteria. Quesillo is just one that authorities say is often sold or served illegally.

"We're looking at this as a public health risk," said Don Kass, a deputy city attorney. "This kind of cheese can cause a serious illness when pathogens are present."

Health officials say some of it is spirited into the country in suitcases and is then sold door to door to residents or restaurants and at open air markets out of coolers. In other cases, the cheese is made locally in bathtubs. Many consumers don't know that what they are eating is not regulated, he said.

"The risk of bacteria is worrisome," said Steve Lyle, a spokesman for the state Department of Food and Agriculture. "This is something our agency works on year around. We believe it's a significant problem."

But that doesn't mean the cheese is unpopular. And many people know its provenance is illegal but think it tastes better. Jonathan Gold, the Pulitzer Prize-winning L.A. Weekly food critic, said he prefers it.

"I will admit that there are some groceries . . . where you do kind of buy cheese under the table, and it tastes better," Gold said. "If you're the sort of person who believes milk has a soul to it, which I guess I am, then pasteurizing is taking something away." As for the potential danger posed by unpasteurized cheese, Gold added: "Life is filled with risks."

Lyle said unpasteurized cheese and raw milk can be sold legally as long as they are regulated and licensed. But he said the illegal cheese is simply not inspected, making it difficult to tell whether it was made in safe, sanitary conditions.

He said his and other agencies have launched task forces and sweeps to tackle the problem. "If it's not licensed and inspected, we can't vouch for the cleanliness of the product," Lyle said.

As they tried to beat the heat by standing in the shade of a gazebo in Boyle Heights, mariachi musicians Pablo Pulido and Ismael Rojas said that as long as it was made in sanitary conditions, they preferred unpasteurized cheese, whether legal or not.

"When you pasteurize the cheese, you take away from it what nature gave it," said Rojas, 52, who is from the Mexican state of Guanajuato.

Kass, the deputy city attorney, said Garcia and the three others charged with the sale of illegal unpasteurized cheese -- Faviola Martinez Garcia, Sabrina Aguilar and Maria Justo -- faced thousands of dollars in fines. They could also get up to 100 days of jail time, but he said that was unlikely. "We're trying to deter others," Kass said.

Garcia said the situation has indeed deterred him, but only from skirting the law. He said that after the inspectors started coming, he knew he had to find a legal way to get quesillo, also known as queso Oaxaca. It is a lifeblood of his businesses and his Oaxacan culture, he said.

"Our community is very large, and you can't not have quesillo in a Oaxacan restaurant or even with your family," Garcia said. "Without quesillo, a Oaxacan fiesta is not a Oaxacan fiesta."

[email protected]

Everytime we come back from Michoacan we bring back chorizo,cheese,crema...I don't think anything has been pasteurized. I've never gotten sick. When we're down there we drink milk straight from the cow.Trying to tell Mexicans that that stuff is unsafe is like telling an Irishman that whiskey is bad for your liver.

[dagosd2000]

Rick...

You are right about "Alacran" Torres and myself. We grew up together. Jose Becerra started training us both on the same day at the San Andres Police Station boxing gym in Guadalajara. I was only 13 years old and he was about 15. His father, Margarito Torres, owned a shoe store and he owned several houses. The family was well off from the beginning. Alacran always wore a Levi jacket with a skull printed on the back of it and his collar was always sticking up. He was always a hot shot and liked the girls. There was a juke box across the street from the police station under the arches of the plaza where Alacran hung out with his friends. He would put money in the juke boxes and play the loud music for hours.

Jose taught us both the liver punch and Alacran used it alot to knock his opponents out. We were racing each other to see who knocked more fighters out.

I saw him just a few months ago in Mexico City when 70 world boxing champions were there to honor Carlos Slim, one of the wealthiest men in the world, who has done so much for boxing in Mexico and helped so many people in Mexico by creating millions of jobs for them. Jose Becerra wasn't able to make it because of his poor health. Alacran has total white hair but is in good health. His brother, Moi Torres, was a good boxer too and is in good health today. I don't know about a furniture store but I know Alacran does not work. He is a member of the Boxing Commission in the State of Jalisco. We talked about the good old days. He told me he misses his wife very much. She passed away several years ago.

El Gato

Nice story Rodolfo.

[kikibalt]

"Don't eat the cheese"

L.A. crackdown on unpasteurized Mexican cheese snares four
One of those charged with misdemeanors says the product is vital to his Oaxacan restaurant. An official says the problem is health risks from unlicensed cheese.



Expresion Oaxaquena Market in L.A. belongs to one of those charged. Quesillo cheese is a lifeblood of his businesses and his Oaxacan culture, the proprietor says. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times / August 27, 2009)


By Hector Becerra

August 28, 2009

For years, relatives of Zeferino Garcia in Mexico's Oaxaca state routinely sent him a cargo of quesillo cheese by airplane. From Tijuana, the bulk of unpasteurized cheese would be brought to his restaurant and two stores in Los Angeles. Life was good, he thought, and tasty.

"If you don't have quesillo from Oaxaca, you practically can't have a Oaxacan restaurant," said Garcia, 43.

Then three months ago, a health inspector first came to his store and told him he was breaking the law by selling unlicensed, unpasteurized cheese. An inspector returned about a month ago, then again about two weeks ago, when Garcia said he had an "audience" with health authorities.

On Thursday the L.A. city attorney's office announced the filing of misdemeanor charges against three businesses and their owners, in addition to a store manager, for allegedly selling illegal cheese. Garcia, president of Expresion Oaxaquena Market Inc., was one of them.

Prosecutors said they are going after businesses that sell unpasteurized, unlicensed and often unlabeled cheeses that could contain harmful bacteria. Quesillo is just one that authorities say is often sold or served illegally.

"We're looking at this as a public health risk," said Don Kass, a deputy city attorney. "This kind of cheese can cause a serious illness when pathogens are present."

Health officials say some of it is spirited into the country in suitcases and is then sold door to door to residents or restaurants and at open air markets out of coolers. In other cases, the cheese is made locally in bathtubs. Many consumers don't know that what they are eating is not regulated, he said.

"The risk of bacteria is worrisome," said Steve Lyle, a spokesman for the state Department of Food and Agriculture. "This is something our agency works on year around. We believe it's a significant problem."

But that doesn't mean the cheese is unpopular. And many people know its provenance is illegal but think it tastes better. Jonathan Gold, the Pulitzer Prize-winning L.A. Weekly food critic, said he prefers it.

"I will admit that there are some groceries . . . where you do kind of buy cheese under the table, and it tastes better," Gold said. "If you're the sort of person who believes milk has a soul to it, which I guess I am, then pasteurizing is taking something away." As for the potential danger posed by unpasteurized cheese, Gold added: "Life is filled with risks."

Lyle said unpasteurized cheese and raw milk can be sold legally as long as they are regulated and licensed. But he said the illegal cheese is simply not inspected, making it difficult to tell whether it was made in safe, sanitary conditions.

He said his and other agencies have launched task forces and sweeps to tackle the problem. "If it's not licensed and inspected, we can't vouch for the cleanliness of the product," Lyle said.

As they tried to beat the heat by standing in the shade of a gazebo in Boyle Heights, mariachi musicians Pablo Pulido and Ismael Rojas said that as long as it was made in sanitary conditions, they preferred unpasteurized cheese, whether legal or not.

"When you pasteurize the cheese, you take away from it what nature gave it," said Rojas, 52, who is from the Mexican state of Guanajuato.

Kass, the deputy city attorney, said Garcia and the three others charged with the sale of illegal unpasteurized cheese -- Faviola Martinez Garcia, Sabrina Aguilar and Maria Justo -- faced thousands of dollars in fines. They could also get up to 100 days of jail time, but he said that was unlikely. "We're trying to deter others," Kass said.

Garcia said the situation has indeed deterred him, but only from skirting the law. He said that after the inspectors started coming, he knew he had to find a legal way to get quesillo, also known as queso Oaxaca. It is a lifeblood of his businesses and his Oaxacan culture, he said.

"Our community is very large, and you can't not have quesillo in a Oaxacan restaurant or even with your family," Garcia said. "Without quesillo, a Oaxacan fiesta is not a Oaxacan fiesta."

[email protected]

Everytime we come back from Michoacan we bring back chorizo,cheese,crema...I don't think anything has been pasteurized. I've never gotten sick. When we're down there we drink milk straight from the cow.Trying to tell Mexicans that that stuff is unsafe is like telling an Irishman that whiskey is bad for your liver.

As a kid my grandma used to have cows that she would milk, we would drink the milk straight from the cow, no body got sick that I can remember...

[kikibalt]

Rick...

You are right about "Alacran" Torres and myself. We grew up together. Jose Becerra started training us both on the same day at the San Andres Police Station boxing gym in Guadalajara. I was only 13 years old and he was about 15. His father, Margarito Torres, owned a shoe store and he owned several houses. The family was well off from the beginning. Alacran always wore a Levi jacket with a skull printed on the back of it and his collar was always sticking up. He was always a hot shot and liked the girls. There was a juke box across the street from the police station under the arches of the plaza where Alacran hung out with his friends. He would put money in the juke boxes and play the loud music for hours.

Jose taught us both the liver punch and Alacran used it alot to knock his opponents out. We were racing each other to see who knocked more fighters out.

I saw him just a few months ago in Mexico City when 70 world boxing champions were there to honor Carlos Slim, one of the wealthiest men in the world, who has done so much for boxing in Mexico and helped so many people in Mexico by creating millions of jobs for them. Jose Becerra wasn't able to make it because of his poor health. Alacran has total white hair but is in good health. His brother, Moi Torres, was a good boxer too and is in good health today. I don't know about a furniture store but I know Alacran does not work. He is a member of the Boxing Commission in the State of Jalisco. We talked about the good old days. He told me he misses his wife very much. She passed away several years ago.

El Gato

I'm glad to hear that Torres is doing fine.

[Rick Farris]

Rick...

You are right about "Alacran" Torres and myself. We grew up together. Jose Becerra started training us both on the same day at the San Andres Police Station boxing gym in Guadalajara. I was only 13 years old and he was about 15. His father, Margarito Torres, owned a shoe store and he owned several houses. The family was well off from the beginning. Alacran always wore a Levi jacket with a skull printed on the back of it and his collar was always sticking up. He was always a hot shot and liked the girls. There was a juke box across the street from the police station under the arches of the plaza where Alacran hung out with his friends. He would put money in the juke boxes and play the loud music for hours.

Jose taught us both the liver punch and Alacran used it alot to knock his opponents out. We were racing each other to see who knocked more fighters out.

I saw him just a few months ago in Mexico City when 70 world boxing champions were there to honor Carlos Slim, one of the wealthiest men in the world, who has done so much for boxing in Mexico and helped so many people in Mexico by creating millions of jobs for them. Jose Becerra wasn't able to make it because of his poor health. Alacran has total white hair but is in good health. His brother, Moi Torres, was a good boxer too and is in good health today. I don't know about a furniture store but I know Alacran does not work. He is a member of the Boxing Commission in the State of Jalisco. We talked about the good old days. He told me he misses his wife very much. She passed away several years ago.

El Gato

Rodolfo- Thanks for the update and information on Alacran Torres.
I know that you are working on a production in San Diego with my friend John.
If you see him today say hello and tell him I'm ready for our workout sunday morning.
He is very appreciative of your sharing the secret of your gancho, hook to the liver.


-Rick Farris

[kikibalt]

Gatti’s wife to sue over husband’s death

August 28, 2009 by Edgar Gonzalez

The wife of boxer Arturo Gatti intends to sue the state of Pernambuco for arresting her as a prime suspect in her husband’s death a month ago.

Amanda Rodrigues spent 18 days in jail after husband found dead at Brazil resort town of Porto de Galinhas.

Rodrigues’ lawyer, Celio Avelino, said by telephone Thursday his client is taking action against the state for “wrongfully accusing her of murder.” Avelino said paperwork will be filed in about 20 days. He declined to provide further details.

A day after Gatti was found dead, police said his 23-year-old wife strangled him with her purse strap as he drunkenly slept. But on July 30, police ruled the 37-year-old boxer had committed suicide and Rodrigues was released from jail

[dagosd2000]

Gatti’s wife to sue over husband’s death

August 28, 2009 by Edgar Gonzalez

The wife of boxer Arturo Gatti intends to sue the state of Pernambuco for arresting her as a prime suspect in her husband’s death a month ago.

Amanda Rodrigues spent 18 days in jail after husband found dead at Brazil resort town of Porto de Galinhas.

Rodrigues’ lawyer, Celio Avelino, said by telephone Thursday his client is taking action against the state for “wrongfully accusing her of murder.” Avelino said paperwork will be filed in about 20 days. He declined to provide further details.

A day after Gatti was found dead, police said his 23-year-old wife strangled him with her purse strap as he drunkenly slept. But on July 30, police ruled the 37-year-old boxer had committed suicide and Rodrigues was released from jail

The gal has balls. She probably offed Gatti.The government protected her. She worked as a stripper?Who knows what kind of dance she did before the DA? Now she wants to sue the government.Down go the panties again.

[raylawpc]

Gatti’s wife to sue over husband’s death

August 28, 2009 by Edgar Gonzalez

The wife of boxer Arturo Gatti intends to sue the state of Pernambuco for arresting her as a prime suspect in her husband’s death a month ago.

Amanda Rodrigues spent 18 days in jail after husband found dead at Brazil resort town of Porto de Galinhas.

Rodrigues’ lawyer, Celio Avelino, said by telephone Thursday his client is taking action against the state for “wrongfully accusing her of murder.” Avelino said paperwork will be filed in about 20 days. He declined to provide further details.

A day after Gatti was found dead, police said his 23-year-old wife strangled him with her purse strap as he drunkenly slept. But on July 30, police ruled the 37-year-old boxer had committed suicide and Rodrigues was released from jail

The gal has balls. She probably offed Gatti.The government protected her. She worked as a stripper?Who knows what kind of dance she did before the DA? Now she wants to sue the government.Down go the panties again.

Wow . . .

[dagosd2000]

Gatti’s wife to sue over husband’s death

August 28, 2009 by Edgar Gonzalez

The wife of boxer Arturo Gatti intends to sue the state of Pernambuco for arresting her as a prime suspect in her husband’s death a month ago.

Amanda Rodrigues spent 18 days in jail after husband found dead at Brazil resort town of Porto de Galinhas.

Rodrigues’ lawyer, Celio Avelino, said by telephone Thursday his client is taking action against the state for “wrongfully accusing her of murder.” Avelino said paperwork will be filed in about 20 days. He declined to provide further details.

A day after Gatti was found dead, police said his 23-year-old wife strangled him with her purse strap as he drunkenly slept. But on July 30, police ruled the 37-year-old boxer had committed suicide and Rodrigues was released from jail

The gal has balls. She probably offed Gatti.The government protected her. She worked as a stripper?Who knows what kind of dance she did before the DA? Now she wants to sue the government.Down go the panties again.

Wow . . .

I often hear guys say that if they were a woman,they'd be a whore. If I was a woman I'd be a lesbian.

[kikibalt]

Young Latino artists envision an arts district in East Los Angeles
They want the neighborhood to keep its cultural soul.



Boyle Heights (JAKE DANNA STEVENS, LOS ANGELES TIMES / August 19, 2009)

On a cool summer Friday evening, in a former furniture store whose iron shutter has been painted powder blue, Abel Salas' literary salon Brooklyn & Boyle plays host to an event fairly rare in Boyle Heights until recently: an art opening.

A bald cholo with a backpack wanders wide-eyed past trays of cherries, cheese and wine, while a young couple, Jennifer and Mario Duarte of Alhambra, note the transformation brought on by night. "We didn't even recognize it," marvels Jennifer.

She used to drive through the neighborhood daily on her way to work but is only now getting out of the car to browse an eclectic selection of pieces with names like "Cinco de Bud" and "After Delacroix." Across the way, retired city administrator Janet Erwin plunks down $100 for a piece as local artists sip Negro Modelos and wonder whose work will move next.

Sandwiched between an underpass and a new police station, this part of Boyle Heights may not seem like anyone's pick for L.A.'s next cultural hot spot -- but then again, neither did Spring Street when some rather precocious signage declared a gallery row on the edge of skid row a few years ago. But these days if you brave the crowds of families, hipsters and party-seekers every second Thursday of the month in downtown L.A., you'll encounter one of the city's most popular art walks with 45 galleries, a tour bus and, the surest sign of success, illegal street vendors.

Now, as the Gold Line extension prepares to open, young Latino artists in Boyle Heights want to craft an arts district of their own. Eager to make a cultural destination out of the region's rich yet often overlooked heritage, they are offering a vision of galleries, studios, theaters and cafes along 1st Street between future Gold Line stations at Mariachi Plaza and Soto Street. Yet, they know that playing with the fires of revitalization can lead to the ashes of gentrification, so they're asking themselves how to promote a community's artistic identity without losing its soul.

An arts district has long been part of the city's community plan for Boyle Heights -- and something of a no-brainer to Councilman Jose Huizar, who grew up admiring the famous Estrada Courts Murals in the district he now represents.

"There's so much history for the arts in Boyle Heights, from the mariachi music to the Chicano rock 'n' roll scene to the murals," Huizar said in an interview.

But the area's artistic bona fides have more often been overshadowed by a reputation for gangs and economic stagnation. Changing that was one motivation for "Real Women Have Curves" playwright Josefina Lopez when she started her theater/gallery space Casa0101 on 1st Street in 2000.

"Growing up, I couldn't walk to the theater and to the gallery, I wanted to create that for the youth and for the people in the community. . . . I want people to know there's more than just gang violence," she said.

Others followed: Salas moved Brooklyn & Boyle out of his El Sereno house and next- door to Casa0101, and Lilia Ramirez took up residence in her gallery/studio space Liliflor Studios nearby. Suddenly, an area whose sole arts mecca had been the nationally renowned but perennially fighting-for-its-life Self Help Graphics, was experiencing a renaissance.

All this activity caught Huizar's eye: "You've got the Gold Line, you've got a new high school, Mariachi Plaza is now going to be reopened, I thought to myself, this was the beginning of a corridor."

So last fall at the beginning of the school year, he asked UCLA professor Leo Estrada's graduate class in urban planning to study it. The study revealed something about a possible arts district that was already obvious to Ramirez: "Organically, it's already happening." The students' report to Huizar described a community with the assets and interest necessary to justify cultivating an arts district -- but one fearful of gentrification and the rising rents that could change the conditions that make it possible.

No one appreciates that trade-off more than John Carlos De Luna, whose work was on display at Brooklyn & Boyle that Friday night. De Luna grew up in Estrada Courts beneath the legendary murals, painting ones of his own in the L.A. River. Art allowed De Luna to find peace amid the poverty and violence of his youth, but for his children, he'd prefer something different.

"I want my kids to grow up in this community, see that change and live through a time where they don't have to be fearful of walking down the street -- and have the opportunity for art and theater," he said.

So, De Luna moved back to Boyle Heights and opened his house as an art space for local youth, all with the help of his fiancée and fellow artist Kristy Lovich, a self-acknowledged gringa from the Valley. She smiled at the idea that she and De Luna put a human face to the changes Boyle Heights is bound to undergo, but she took seriously her role in protecting the neighborhood's fabric: "You can be here, but you got to do the work to appreciate the community."

This spring, after Estrada's students finished their project, a group of local artists who had participated in the study formed an organization called A.R.T.E.S. (Artists for Revitalizing the East Side) to build on the momentum. In addition to Lopez, Salas and Ramirez, A.R.T.E.S. recruited Boyle Heights artistic godfather Ruben Funkahuatl Guevara; former Self Help interim director Rose Ramirez; poet Linda Gamboa; and sticker artist Rosanna Esparza-Ahrens. A.R.T.E.S. has crafted a mission statement, coordinated with Huizar's office, formed a committee structure and held community meetings whose success surprised even ardent advocate Esparza-Ahrens.

"I had a swarm of people asking questions, wanting information," she noted. "It puts a fire under your feet to follow through with getting people's dreams to come to fruition."

A.R.T.E.S. is currently assembling a design team for their first proposed project, Art Squache, which will create installations in the windows of local businesses (starting with a 99 Cents Only Store across from Liliflor) to beautify the strip for the Gold Line's imminent arrival. The group also plans to create banner designs for the street lights along First Street and has hopes that one day Boyle Heights will host an art walk of its own.

A.R.T.E.S.' other motivation, however, is to temper the ills of possible gentrification. For, as Boyle Heights has begun to pop up on the hipster map, especially with the increasing popularity of local wine bar Eastside Luv, the rising rents and transformative capital of outsiders may not be far behind. Annie Lapin, an artist and alumna of UCLA's graduate arts school, has a studio just north in Lincoln Heights. She says she already knows ex-classmates pushing into Boyle Heights in search of cheap rent.

The members of A.R.T.E.S. are well aware of these dynamics and their role in them. As Guevara acknowledges, "It's a fine line between development and cultural integrity."

In fact, artistic success is often part of the draw -- when Lopez had to renegotiate rent with her landlord for Casa0101, she discovered that "because my theater was so successful, a lot of kids from the [downtown] artists' district were looking at Boyle Heights . . . and because of that he could charge more money." A.R.T.E.S. hopes that by working to assert the region's identity, educate residents and take an active interest in the Community Re-Development Agency's plans for the area, it can have some influence over whatever change outsiders may bring.

Notes playwright Lopez, "We want to make sure that people who come to Boyle Heights come to contribute and not just take. The community deserves an arts district, deserves these beautiful, wonderful things, but they don't deserve to get kicked out for it."

Still, even Ramirez must acknowledge, "It's unavoidable, an arts district is definitely going to change the demographics."

[email protected]

[dagosd2000]

Mantequilla Napoles

[Rick Farris]

Mantequilla Napoles

One of your best!


-Rick Farris

[kikibalt]

Mantequilla Napoles

One of your best!


-Rick Farris

I second that....

[Bobbin & Weavin]

Mantequilla Napoles

One of your best!


-Rick Farris

I second that....

A great painting of a great fighter.
Bruce

[Randyman]

I see "Alacran" Torres listed above. I didn't know too much about "Alacran" Torres when I met him in 1993 at the Brooklyn Street Gym in Boyle Heights where I was taking my son Andrew at the time. He saw me working with my son and came over and started a conversation with me. He more or less gave me some pointers to pass on to my son. He introduced himself to me as "Alacran" Torres. He said it with pride and as if it meant something. He must have noticed the blank stare in my eyes. He said " You don't know who I am? "No, I'm sorry, I don't." I felt a little embarrassed. He seemed irked but after a while he let it go.

He would hang around the gym a lot. He was selling boxing equipment at the time. I bought a few things from him, including a few pairs of gloves. Is he still alive, Frank?

Randy

Randy . . .

Alacran Torres is very close with Rodolfo Gonzalez.
They both started out together as young boys in Guadalajara, training under El Gato's cousin, Jose Beccera.
The WBHOF inducted Torres into the WBHOF in 2007, but his failing health prevented from him attending the banquet.
He still lives in his native Mexico.

I'm certain Rodolfo will want to comment on his friend, and he has some great stories, behind-the-scenes stuff.


-Rick Farris

Admittedly, I am not too familiar with Alacran Torres. I checked on his record here on Boxrec. His birth year is given as 1943. I remember the man that introduced himself to me as been older. That and the fact that Torres still lives in Mexico. Now I'm wondering if I'm confusing Torres with someone else.

The Alacran that I met was somewhat angry that I did not know who he was. Not speaking much Spanish, I asked him what Alacran meant. He said it was scorpion. So I know that I'm remembering right on that part. Was their another Alacran that fought earlier? Did Torres live in Los Angeles during the early 1990's? Lastly, did Alacran look much older than his age?

I'm curious. Now I'm wondering if I met a fake.

Randy

[Randyman]

Mantequilla Napoles

One of your best!


-Rick Farris

I second that....

Same here. Nicely done Roger!

[dagosd2000]

CHULA CHULA CHULA

[Randyman]

CHULA CHULA CHULA

Jeri's from San Antonio so you know I'm rubbing it in.

[dagosd2000]

NEEDLES IN THE OUTFIELD

I don't know if those Little Leagers from Chula Vista will win the Serious tomorrow,but that part of the South Bay has always come up with some pretty good youth baseball players. Benji Gil and Adrian Gonzalez are in the Bigs. I remember them swingin',slingin' and slidin' down here.

Here's a point I want to make though. Some of those kids were Tijuana transplants. With Mexican kids going back and forth across the border many of the Mexican kids were really Mexican kids going to school on the San Diego side. They'd get a residency address with a relative and they were home free to play in one the South Bay High Schools. From there they'd enter the baseball draft or get a ride to a 4 year university.

One TJ player that came to mind was big league all star Esteban Loaiza. He played Little League in TJ,but with his potential and skills,he knew he'd get his shot if he played ball on the U.S side. He was a star at Mar Vista High,a five minute drive from the border.

Not too long ago I was wandering around the Zona Norte right on the other side of the border on the Mexican side. The neighborhood is a footprint of an era where young Mexican athletes honed their trades and then skipped town to follow their dreams.

Right across the road where the fence seperates the countries is a public park in the Zona. There's a gym that has inscribed on the wall "Gimnasio De Indio Ortega."

The gym is padlocked and the windows are broken. Grafitti is scribbled on the walls. There's a Little League field also. The sign behind the outfield reads"Liga De Esteban Loaiza." The paint on the sign has faded. The grass in the infield died a long time ago. You can see needles on the dirt in the outfield. The park was empty. Cars speed along the road next to the fence with the razor wire. The United States is on the other side of the fence. You can't see the U.S. because the fence is sealed up.

I was walking onto the field to see what the place was like when I stepped on a broken beer bottle. I turned and walked back. I was thinking that those boys that played in TJ were lucky to get out of town.

[Rick Farris]

Lucia Rijker, A WBHOF inductee this year, sent me this interesting documentary on punching power:

www.isabeaux.com/lucia


-Rick Farris

[barry]

El Gato---A few years back on the CBZ forum...didn't you mention that Torres and You had a competition going at the beginning of your careers to see who would score the most consecutive knockouts in a row? I know that you ended up scoring the most consecutive KO's, but do you recall the total number of KO's that won?