Ted Soqui

Christopher Dorner: Protesters Blame LAPD For Ex-Cop's Demise (PHOTOS)

Was Christopher Dorner assassinated by the LAPD? Was he the victim of not only racism but of a twisted system of internal justice at the department when he was fired in 2009?

Occupy LA Campers' Old City Hall Park Reopens Without Them

Updated at the bottom with news that the park's fence will remain. First posted at 6:09 a.m. As City Hall's lawn reopens to the public today for the first time since the Occupy LA encampment was uprooted in a November raid by the LAPD, organizers said they'll return for their regular "general assem ... More >>

L.A. Weekly Wins Big With 6 SoCal Journalism Awards, 3 AltWeeklies Awards

Last night's SoCal Journalism Awards -- an annual affair put on by the L.A. Press Club -- were more star-spangled than usual. Among the presenters and honorees were Martin Sheen, Ron Perlman (so much shorter in person, but with an even bigger voice), Daniel Pearl's extended family and every journal ... More >>

From the Archives: LA Weekly's Original Coverage of the L.A. Riots May Surprise You

This week's print edition of LA Weekly is a "Then and Now" retrospective on the L.A. Riots -- a seven-page dive into the scenes of destruction across Los Angeles 20 years ago, and the state those places find themselves in today. All this reminiscing led us to wonder: What was the Weekly's immediate ... More >>

L.A. Riots: 5 Most Disturbing Videos on YouTube

While we were talking to LA Weekly photographer Ted Soqui about his coverage of the L.A. Riots, he mentioned that he'd only recently realized how much riot footage was up on YouTube. "I didn't get to see much live TV coverage because I was either shooting or processing; I was in a bubble with my ph ... More >>

Occupy, the Art Show: Ted Soqui, Our Photographer Who Did Time Cover With Shepard Fairey, Gets an Exhibit

Ted Soqui​See our previous post, "Occupy L.A. Photos by Ted Soqui, Photog Behind Shepard Fairey's TIME Art, to Show at Gallery Where Cover Protester Sarah Mason Works" Six weeks after LAPD riot cops cut short the revolution and forcibly cleared Occupy L.A. from its home on the City Hall lawn, ... More >>

Occupy L.A. Photos by Ted Soqui, Photog Behind Shepard Fairey's TIME Art, to Show at Gallery Where Cover Protester Sarah Mason Works

The Robert Berman Gallery in Santa Monica saw the show of the century fall into its lap this winter. Sarah Mason, who works at the gallery, was catapulted into accidental fame when a photo of her at an Occupy L.A. protest -- snapped by LA Weekly photographer Ted Soqui -- was reworked by graphic art ... More >>

Shepard Fairey Based TIME's 'Person of the Year' Cover on Occupy L.A. Image by Ted Soqui, LA Weekly Photographer

TIME Magazine​Update: The covergirl's name is Sarah Mason. Details below. It's ironic enough that TIME Magazine chose L.A. street artist Shepard Fairey to design today's "Person of the Year" cover, which depicts an anonymous protester peering from between her beanie and bandana. Fairey is the ... More >>

Occupy L.A. Remains Another Night; Shrinks From Thousands to Hundreds

Ted SoquiOccupiers infesting street on Sunday 27​Occupy L.A. stays untouched Monday night and protesters stay put 30 hours passed the eviction deadline. But unlike Sunday night, which had more than 2,000 occupiers present, the late Monday/early Tuesday population in front of city hall shrunk ... More >>

Photography is Not a Crime: ACLU Suing L.A. Sheriff's Department For Detaining Photogs Simply Because They Took Pictures

Jonathan CastilloStop or we'll shoot.​Updated at the bottom with juicy details about how this anti-photog movement in policing actually grew out of an LAPD policy. First posted at 1:29 a.m. We got a lot of attention when we scolded Long Beach police Chief Jim McDonnell for declaring that deta ... More >>

Carmageddon is Over: 405 Reopens Early on Sunday

Ted Soqui​Carmageddon turned out to be much ado about nothing (as predicted). More surprisingly crews got their work done on the old Mulholland bridge earlier than expected. On Sunday morning L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced that the 405 freeway between the 10 and 101 freeways would ... More >>

Carmageddon, Day 1: Cyclists, Joggers, DUI Suspect Brave Empty 405 Freeway; Rest of L.A. Stays Home

John M. via FoursquareThe Wolfpack, high off their big win against JetBlue (and a city of cars) today.​The first day of the big 405 closure was disgustingly sunny, carefree, car-free, and otherwise lovely. We'd go so far as to say there's been a magical warm-and-fuzzy feeling in the air -- ma ... More >>

Carmageddon Countdown: FAQ (Along With All Your Not-So-Frequently Asked, But Equally Burning, Questions)

This is Carmageddon, the game. Please do not attempt this during Carmageddon, the Los Angeles traffic event.​We've spent a lot of time joking about Carmageddon -- meming it, crowd-sourcing it, naming drinks after it, etc. Admittedly, though, beneath the stupid hype, which has reached quite i ... More >>

California Has Most Failing Schools in Nation

PHOTO BY TED SOQUIOnly 3 percent of kids at McKinley Elementary in Compton will go to college one day​Here, we'll give you the good news first: The U.S. Department of Education is handing out $3.5 billion to the America's worst-performing schools this year! And lord (slash Obama) knows they n ... More >>

Welcome to the Club, Deutsche Bank! Here Are 5 More of L.A.'s Sleaziest Slumlords

PHOTO BY TED SOQUIOne Hollywood gem, belonging to Slumlord No. 3​Don't feel bad, Deutsche Bank -- you may be sleazy, but you're not alone! Los Angeles has a long, messy history of rich goobs who profit off the unacceptable living conditions of their tenants. In honor of your recent induction ... More >>

Whittier Narrows 'Discovery Center' Sees Legal Appeal to Stop Development at San Gabriel River

Ted SoquiLet's build right here.​Opponents of a water museum on the Whittier Narrows nature area have filed an appeal to block the project, they announced Monday. The museum would essentially tear out a beautiful area along the rivers (the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo diverge here) to install a ... More >>

Bell's New City Council to be Installed: A New Day For the Scandal Plagued City?

Ted SoquiA new day for Bell?​After nearly a year of political upheaval and scandal, the little urban city of Bell will see a whole new City Council take charge this week. The "installation" of city's new council happens at 7 p.m. tonight at the Bell Community Center, 6250 Pine Ave. Yes, you'r ... More >>

Slideshow: Graffiti Removal on Eagle Rock

Ted Soqui​ You read that headline right. We're not talking about buffing over graffiti in Eagle Rock. We're talking about Eagle Rock itself. Today a team of civil servants used power tools and rappelling ropes to remove tags from the giant rock that gave a neighborhood its name, and we've g ... More >>

Elizabeth Taylor Dies at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles at 79: Her Children Were at Her Side

Elizabeth Taylor in 'Father of the Bride.'​Updated at the end with church wackos planning to protest her funeral because Taylor was a friend of the gay community. Check out our slide show of 12 of Taylor's most iconic roles here. Check out our piece about reaction from the HIV/AIDS activism ... More >>

Dead Fish Mystery in Redondo Beach: A Slimy, Reeking Flotilla of Anchovies Washes Ashore

Ted SoquiThis is not an abstract painting.​Photos by Ted Soqui Updated after the jump: Officials indicate most of the fish might be sardines and that, yes, the wind might have been a culprit. All we need is some freshly baked pizza and maybe Jonathan Gold to help us eat 'em. Because a bonanz ... More >>

Valuable Banksy Street Art Stolen From East Los Angeles Wall (Photos)

Ted SoquiBanksy's 'Caution.'​Photos by Ted Soqui. British guerrilla artist Banksy was robbed, and it wasn't at the Academy Awards, where is Exit Through the Gift Shop documentary was nominated but didn't win Sunday. No, another one of his pieces around L.A. was taken down. But this one appea ... More >>

Lindsay Lohan Looking at Jail Time if She Doesn't Take Necklace-Theft Case to Trial (Photos)

Ted SoquiLohan heads to court ... again.​Photos by Ted Soqui If Lindsay Lohan doesn't fight her grand theft case, she's looking at jail time. No way around it, Judge Keith L. Schwartz told her at LAX Superior Court Wednesday.

Bell Salary Scandal Figure Robert Rizzo Taken Out of Downtown L.A. Court by Paramedics

Ted SoquiR to the Izzo.​Robert Rizzo, the rotund figure at the center of the Bell salary scandal, was supposed to be in court Wednesday for a hearing on misappropriation of public funds charges against him. Instead, he ended up in an ambulance. The defendant, who reportedly made as much as $ ... More >>

Banksy Facebook Protest Erupts to Protect Westwood Graffiti Art (New Photos)

Ted SoquiBanksy's telltale work in Westwood.​Photos by Ted Soqui L.A. art lovers are banding together on Facebook in an attempt to prevent the removal of another Banksy piece in the city. This after ...

Late 'Gypsy Rose' Lowrider Creator Jesse Valadez Honored With Procession of Customs (Photos)

Ted SoquiJesse Valadez's iconic 'Gypsy Rose.'​Photos by Ted Soqui Mourners over the weekend paid their last respects to the man who created arguably the most-celebrated lowrider in history, "Gypsy Rose." Jesse Valadez died last month of colon cancer at age 64. The hot-pink 1964 Chevrolet Impa ... More >>

1,440 Bodies Of Indigent, Poor To Be Buried In Boyle Heights Mass Grave

Ted SoquiA photo from today's mass burial.​Updated with photos by Ted Soqui. First posted at 7:05 a.m. Contemporary L.A. County is home to Rodeo Drive, more than its share of billionaires, and some of the priciest real estate in the world. But a Dickensian scene will unfold Wednesday when L. ... More >>

Jon Stewart's Rallies, Including One In L.A., Help Restore Comedy Central's Ratings

Ted SoquiComedy Central's ratings cup runneth over.​ See Ted Soqui's slideshow from the L.A. rally here. Call it the "Rally to Restore Ratings." Jon Stewart's "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear," which was based in Washington, D.C. and had a satellite event at L.A.'s MacArthur Park Saturda ... More >>

Rogue's Gallery: Mug Shots Of Robert Rizzo And 'The Bell Eight' For Your Next Dart Game

Ted Soqui​They're quickly becoming known as the "Bell Eight" -- those illustrious officials from that working-class, Los Angeles suburb accused of misappropriating public funds and, as state controller John Chiang put it Wednesday, using public money "like a petty cash drawer." On Tuesday they we ... More >>

Sound Of Gunfire, Then Flames At Koreatown Apartment Building

Ted Soqui​Updated with the fire department stating that the fire was electrical. First posted at 11:35 a.m. Check out Ted Soqui's slideshow of shots from the scene. The cracking sound of gunfire proceeded a fire at a Koreatown apartment building Friday morning, according to KNX 1070 Newsradi ... More >>

Bell City Manager Robert Rizzo Actually Saw $1.5 Million In Pay And Benefits

Ted Soqui​That exorbitant salary being drawn by former Bell city manager Robert Rizzo -- the nearly $800,000 annual pay that set off a scandal with statewide implications -- was really only half the story. Fox 11 News reported over the weekend that, with paid vacation and sick days, he was g ... More >>

Family Of Barbara Ware, Victim Of Grim Sleeper, Reflect On An Eventful Week

Updated: Now with photos. Ted SoquiDiana Ware, step-mom of Barbara Ware​ Larina Corlew needed to be in Church Sunday. "Church is a good place to be because it reinforces the need to forgive," she said. "But it's hard." Corlew's beloved step-sister Barbara Ware was murdered in 1987 by the so ... More >>

Villaraigosa Mural Gets A Face Lift

It was probably destined to happen, and now it has. The controversial mural of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at Susy's Meat Market in East Hollywood, which, over the past few weeks, had red-painted splattered on it, the word "vendido" (translation: someone who sells out his people) spray-pa ... More >>

Obama Joker Poster: It Does Exist!

The Obama joker poster spread so fast globally that the phrase "obama joker posters" as of now leads to 242,000 Google hits, and set off an international debate, ranging from the UK to South America, over whether the poster's message is "free speech" or a "dangerous" racial hit on the prez. Ted Soqu ... More >>

Lightning-Fast Earthquake Could Hit Southern California

Just when Southern Californians have begun to pat themselves on the backs for having the Ted Soqui​world's stiffest earthquake building codes, there now comes news of "supershears." These are not competitors to Supercuts, but a newly discussed type of earthquake known for the incredibly high veloc ... More >>

Lotus Festival Minus the Lotuses

Photos by Ted Soqui For the second year in a row, Echo Park's Lotus Festival will be without lotuses. In fact, it appears the plants are in worse shape this year than they were last year (See end of this post for some photos from last year). Two years ago the lotuses did bloom, but arrived too la ... More >>

Flooding in Hancock Park and Larchmont

Storm drains in the ritzy Hancock Park area couldn't handle an inundation of water from a storm the National Weather Service says dumped 4.2 inches on Beverly Hills and 3.4 inches in downtown Los Angeles - more than some areas have received in the past year. Another storm could dump even more. See ... More >>

The Impossible Dream

A map to the most buried of cinematic treasures

Let’s Roll!

Fun with gravity on our city’s finest grassy hills

2005 LA Weekly Music Awards

3 Arnold Predictions

Of course, he’s running for president in 2012. Anybody can predict that one. But what will Arnold Schwarzenegger do in the next 12 months?

Rebel, Rebel, Your Face Is a Mess

Why protests fail . . . and fail

Shop and Awe, Cart Attack

The Interregnum Riots

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

The Checkout Line

L.A. Weekly Music Awards 03

Waiving the Flag

Work: Part 2

Hello, Dali

WMA winners announced, worlds collide

Neighbors

The Guns of Autumn

Getting the county out of the arms trade