King Estates
King Estates
Since 2008, we have empowered King Estates’ residents to ignit change in their community. Our efforts have focused on mitigating the impact of nuisance businesses, building key partnerships with community stakeholders, and pushing for investments from the City for renovations to the local park and increased youth programming. In the ensuing years, a core group of grassroots leaders has engineered a dramatic transformation in the community, with reductions in crime and increased community activism.
Reclaiming the park
Residents identified Martin Luther King Jr. Park — and the adjacent library and recreation center — as a hub for change. For decades, the City neglected the park, which became which became a hotbed for crime and violence, rather than a community asset. We worked with residents to developed strategies to pressure the City to reinvest in the park, pushing for increased park programming and physical improvements.
Our strategies worked. Today King Park has become a community space where families fill the park with recreational activities during the day and in the evening. Our community clean-up days have helped to beautify the park and our organizing efforts led to the opening of a newly constructed basketball and tennis courts. A recently renovated recreation center also offers programming for youth and families. Additionally, we often host community resource fairs, coordinating efforts with other community organization in the area to provide health services, legal help, and a host of other resources.
Transforming Nuisance Businesses
Right across the street from the park was a notorious liquor store that compounded problems in the park and disturbed the activity at the new library. Residents complained about public drinking while children were on the way to school in the morning, loitering throughout the day, and the selling of alcohol to underage persons. We organized those residents and protested the liquor store to demand changes.
The pressure worked. We captured the attention of City officials who imposed conditions on the liquor store: requiring a security guard, installing an ID card reader, and limiting the hours of alcohol sales. More importantly, these actions led to dialogue with the store’s owner, Mr. Park. Mr. Park expressed an interest in becoming a better neighbor, and was receptive to suggestions from the community about how to operate his business in a more responsible way. In fact, Mr. Park changed the name of his store from “Century Liquor” to “Century Market.”
We worked with Mr. Park on steps to transform his store. In July of 2013, Mr. Park agreed to host a weekly produce stand in his parking lot. Community Services Unlimited (CSU), a South L.A. non-profit committed to building sustainable communities, operated the produce stand and offers locally grown, fresh organic fruits and vegetables. After seeing the demand for fresh produce, Mr. Park agreed to host a full-time fresh produce stand inside his store, which opened with rave reviews in December of 2014.
Strengthening the Community through Programming
Thanks to the organizing efforts of residents, in 2010 King Park was selected as a host site for Summer Night Lights (SNL), a violence-reduction program run by the Mayor’s office, which provides late night programming for youth at parks throughout the summer. The program was an immediate success, with a 100% decline in homicide rates and a 50% reduction in aggravated assaults. King Estates residents continue to benefit every summer from SNL, which has contributed to making the park much safer according to residents.
In the summer of 2012, we launched our first summer Powerfest Music Festival at King Park. This all-day affair combines community resources and education with first-class entertainment from some of the country’s top musicians. With headliners, such as Aloe Blacc, Goapele, Las Cafeteras, Goapele and Mali Music, the festival draws thousands of families to safely enjoy a day in their local park. In some communities, the simple act of sitting in a park listening to live music may be taken for granted, but in South L.A. these small acts are truly revolutionary in a community once plagued by violence.
Proven Results
30%
Reduction in property crime
26%
Decrease in violent crime
1.5
Million in park infrastructure improvement