African Methodist Episcopal Church

Meet Emanuel Pleitez

He's the Most Amazing Person Who Won't Win the March 5 Los Angeles Mayoral Primary

LAPD Gun Buybacks to be Crashed by Pro-Firearms Group Sons of Liberty LA

A Second Amendment rights group called Sons of Liberty LA says it plans to protest and intervene during the city of Los Angeles' annual gun buyback program this weekend. The city plans to offer up to $200 in gift cards for weapons turned into cops at six locations across the city Saturday (PDF). S ... More >>

L.A. Riots: Zev Yaroslavsky's Car 'Was Totally Destroyed'

South L.A. was gutted by the L.A. riots, which were sparked 20 years ago Sunday. Hollywood was hit. Parts of Koreatown burned. But news coverage of fires and looting further west was rare. As we look back at the uprisings with our Riot Stories vignettes, we checked in with L.A. County Supervisor Ze ... More >>

Grim Sleeper Suspect Tied to Six More Murders, Cops Say: LAPD to Hold Community Forum Tomorrow

Lonnie Franklin Jr.​The Los Angeles Police Department will host a "community forum" in South L.A. tomorrow following revelations that investigators have allegedly linked six more victims to Grim Sleeper serial killer suspect Lonnie Franklin Jr. The Los Angeles Times reported over the weekend ... More >>

South L.A.'s Rampant Chlamydia Problem to Be Tackled by... Local Church Ladies?

South L.A. gets tested.​Another "don't ask, don't tell" policy is being trampled today in the Southland: The backward, Palin-vetted, abstinence-only approach to sex-ed that's long plagued popular Christian culture. About 18 churches throughout L.A. County Supervisor Mark-Ridley Thomas' STD-ri ... More >>

Brick's Picks: Osama's Dead, but Jazz Goes On

Brick's Picks: Esperanza, the Upsetter

LAPD Looking at Two Possible New Victims That Might be Connected to 'Grim Sleeper' Serial Murder Suspect Lonnie Franklin Jr.

​Los Angeles police are looking into two homicides that could be connected to the Grim Sleeper serial murder case. The victims are women from South Los Angeles who died in the late 80s and early 90s, LAPD Det. Dennis Kilcoyne told the Weekly. "They're the most similar" of the unsolved homici ... More >>

Brick's Picks: Far East, Far Out

LA Weekly: Your Place For Quran Burning News

​Rep. Maxine Waters, the South L.A. Democratic congresswoman currently fighting House ethics charges, will be joined by other dignitaries and religious leaders, who will courageously come out against Quran burning this morning at the First AME Church on South Harvard Blvd. In case you missed ... More >>

Memorial Service Held for Grim Sleeper Serial Killer Victims

Victim Janecia Peters' family attend memorial service in South L.A.​Over 100 people, including family members and Los Angeles Police Department detectives, attended a memorial service last night for the 10 victims of the Grim Sleeper serial killer. The two-hour service also marked the 25th ann ... More >>

Where's Antonio? Chatting with Obama, Hanging with James Cameron

It was a big week for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who gave his annual "state of the city" speech on Tuesday, even though he said it wouldn't be that kind of speech. Instead, the mayor largely talked about his proposed budget and the Los Angeles of his youth.Office of the Mayor of L.A.LAP ... More >>

Mayor Villaraigosa Allegedly Snubs Black Leaders

Rev. Eric P. Lee.​Earlier this month we had a little chuckle over Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's slippage into a form of black-speak during a ceremony kicking off L.A.'s African-American Heritage Month. Mayor V. jived it up and called Jamie Foxx "this brother." Well, it turns out some African-Am ... More >>

Judge Not Lest Ye Be Sued: More Drama From First AME Case Emerges

Rev. Brenda Lamothe​Attorneys for Brenda Lamothe, the reverend who has taken First AME Church Pastor and head John J. Hunter to court over allegations of sexual harassment, on Friday released evidence they say proves Lamothe was being employed by the church at the time she alleges Hunter coerc ... More >>

Lord Have Mercy: AME Church Sex Claim Gets Scandalous

The claimant in a suit against first AME Church and its head pastor, Rev. John J. Hunter, put her cards on the table this week, including one lascivious greeting card from the preacher that states he pleasured himself to thoughts of her. Brenda Lamothe claims that she was coerced into having sex wit ... More >>

The Church Lady Sings: Rev. Used Power To 'Coerce' For Sex

The saga of the church lady versus First AME Church's Rev. John J. Hunter took another turn today as the plaintiff appeared before television news cameras and claimed that the pastor "used his position and his spiritual authority to intimidate bully and coerce me into a sexually relationship."First ... More >>

First AME Says Sex-Scandal Claimant Was Looking For Money

First AME Church has filed suit against a woman who is claiming in superior court that the powerful congregation's leader, Rev. John J. Hunter, coerced her into having sex with him as part of her employment. The legal push-back on the part of the South Los Angeles institution came Tuesday and was a ... More >>

Lawsuit: First AME Pastor Pushed For Sex As "God's Will"

A lawsuit against controversial First AME Church Rev. John J. Hunter claims that he pressured a subordinate for on-demand sex as "God's will."First AME ChurchRev. John J. Hunter is alleged to have pressured a subordinate to have sex.​Rev. Brenda Lamothe, who now works for the office of Mayor Anton ... More >>

Murder Was the Case: L.A. Homicide No. 128:Man Gunned down near AME Church

A 24-year-old man was gunned down on June 9 across the street from the First AME Church in South Los Angeles. View Larger Map According to detectives, Gasper Plummer Jr. was standing in the street about 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday, in the 2200 block of South Harvard Boulevard, when an unknown shooter ope ... More >>

Harlem Quartet Takes the A Train to First A.M.E.

It's not your daddy's string quartet

Edward James Olmos

The Chameleon

Antonio's Black Problem

Dissing the school board angers Maxine and other allies

Who Goes There?

L.A. security guards seek more security

True Colors

Colors of Optimism

The immigrants’-rights movement energizes a nation

How Bizarro

Street Justice

Remembering a 19-year-old African-American killed by police

The Cops and Minister Tony

A clash in South L.A. puts the city on edge

The Anger Commission

Mayor sends a message by sticking around to hear heated criticism about LAPD

The Dirt We Stand On

Tim Watkins on spawning a renaissance in Watts

B as in Betrayal

Loss of King-Drew trauma unit upsets residents who voted for Measure B

Ray Charles Hits the Road

The Interregnum Riots

Was the uprising of ’92 the end of black power?

High Stakes, Mixed Message

Voters turned out in record numbers, even where the polls weren’t working

Recallus Interruptus

Republicans on memory lane, Clinton on the pulpit and the Supremes on the spot

Fuckless in Las Vegas

Life at Ground Zero

Chief Bratton takes aim at gang violence

Break Dance

Secession may no longer be a dirty word for black people

Ten Years and a Cloud of Dust

Crenshaw in slow motion

A Famed Reformer Resigns

McKenna’s return to L.A. Unified lasts one year

Behind Hahn’s Lines

Villaraigosa in South-Central

The Hollywood 10-plus

L.A.’s political tone at stake in race to succeed Jackie Goldberg

Rail Against the Thief

A protester’s guide to Inauguration Day

No Respect

Police Commission falters on Rampart

The Last Roll Call

The cop funeral as civic pageant

A House Is Not a 'Home House'

Still King of the Slates

Willard Murray tastes life after term limits