Fast Fashion-Shndhi Khan

By Shndhi Khan

The Rise of Fast Fashion and Why it's a Problem

What is fast fashion? 

The United States is an example where consumerism is valued above all else. Fast fashion relies on labor practices that maximize the companies profit. This means cheaper quality clothes are being pushed out faster so that the next new thing can become the trend. This becomes a massive problem because of the underpaid labor and cheap textiles that are damaging to the environment. To make the most profit, which is true of most brands today, they use the cheapest fabrics and the cheapest possible labor. This is exacerbated by America's culture of "don't wear the same fit twice". Even the fabrics used to make these garments are unsustainable, usually made out of plastic.

Brands like Shein, Fashion Nova, H&M are a part of our everyday lives. They left an impression on American culture, where the next best thing is the only thing on our minds. Consumerism is a large part of our economy, and companies have such a firm grip on our people like they've never before.

https://www.forever21.com/us/2000445727.html?dwvar_2000445727_color=01

Do you ever just think about the waste you create when you buy from fast fashion brands? Everything is so cheap and affordable but what is the actual cost?

First-world countries often try to deal with their waste by passing it off to another country. But this means that we never see the consequence of our consumerism. No one ever cares about the labor that goes into textile production either, or what happens to the clothes that never sell.

Textiles boomed in profits in 2013 when companies such as Forever 21 were thriving. Retail stores such as Gap and Nordstrom were the norm, where people just do not buy as much because clothes cost more. The rise in fast fashion shows in our pop culture as well, as the 2010s were marked by tacky clothes with unnecessary details that ruin the clothing. Bright colors, graphic prints, frayed or excessive ruffles, all executed in poor quality. These garments are often made with synthetic fabrics that do not degrade, and because they are created so quickly, the stitching comes apart easily. These clothes are made to wear down, to make you buy more. 

Online Shopping

We've all done it, you start your assignment the day it is due. You have all your tabs open, and one of them always manages to be online shopping. Retail has changed over the decade, people are more likely to do their shopping online. But every time you open up an online shop for clothes you see "50-70% off your next purchase, the sale ends in 10 minutes!". They get us hooked into their gimmicks, and for some people, it's an addiction. This is understandable because fashion is something that makes people feel good, me included.

https://www.fashionnova.com/

Not to mention the damage fast fashion companies do to fashion designers, selling off the designs of small creators usually black or brown. Fast fashion companies even steal their advertisements off of these small creators.

 https://fashionista.com/2019/01/fashion-nova-knockoff-crochet-knots-and-vibes-dress

Luci Wilden, a black designer, created the design above. Her design was lifted by Fashion Nova. Nothing ever stops these brands from stealing these designs off of small creators. In this instance, Luci Wilden reached out to Fashion Nova to get her design off of their website. In response, Fashion Nova's team apologized and excused this by saying that a merchant bought one of her dresses and Fashion Nova decided to copy the design (Katz, Evan). There is no protection for these undervalued creators. Artwork is stolen in the name of profit, and the law is in favor of these large companies. How else do these companies bring out new designs every season?

Where is it going?

https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2021/11/8/chiles-desert-dumping-ground-for-fast-fashion-leftovers

These fast fashion companies rely on consumers to keep buying their products. They create these products in countries like Bangladesh or China where they can mass-produce with little to no regulation. Aside from the blaring human rights issues, this mass production is leading to an overproduction of synthetic fibers. These are being piled up in landfills of developing countries such as chile(Aljazeera). So whatever you saw in the stores last season is being thrown away to make room for a new style. The above image shows a woman picking out clothes from a landfill in Chile. Once again there is no mechanism for accountability for these countries. The supply chain is not equipped to handle any social issues it creates.

As shown by the graph above, as the human population grows, so does the production of synthetic fibers. The graph shows a large increase from 2000 to 2018. We are not using all of what we are making.

Textiles take up 20 percent of industrial water waste. A large proportion of textiles use fibers like polyester, made from petroleum. Fibers that do not easily biodegrade and will take 20-200 years to break down.

So what can we do?

There are alternatives to fast fashion. We are conditioned to like the next thing, like how people are more inclined to buy the new iPhone when it comes out. But when you buy a new dress to go to prom you will never wear it again. There are alternatives where companies rent clothes, some of these companies may have prices that are steep but it's better than having that dress stuck in your closet for years until you decide to throw it away. Also buying garments that will last you longer, for years rather than months will also help with this problem. Another option is to buy second-hand clothes from thrift stores, or new up-and-coming apps such as Depop.

Why should we care?

Why is it that, we as Americans feel so entitled to take advantage of other countries and bleed the Earth dry because of our greed? I may be American but I am also Bangali, so it's always at the back of my head. I know people that work at these factories because that is the only option that they have. It's something we take advantage of.  It affects our communities too because we end up buying from large companies instead of the black and brown people who created the designs in the first place. We never see the landfills piled high with clothes or the people who make your shirt. The damage created by the overproduction of textiles is something that we as humans are not capable of understanding. The problem exceeds our life span and unless we are responsible enough to recognize this issue we will only make the issue worse. Fast fashion takes advantage of people to satisfy us from every step of production and that is something that we are too comfortable with.

Citation

Al Jazeera. (2021, November 8). Photos: Chile's desert dumping ground for fast fashion leftovers. Gallery News | Al Jazeera. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2021/11/8/chiles-desert-dumping-ground-for-fast-fashion-leftovers.

Peters, Greg, Mengyu Li, and Manfred Lenzen. “The Need to Decelerate Fast Fashion in a Hot                 Climate - A Global Sustainability Perspective on the Garment Industry.” Journal of                      cleaner production     295 (2021): 126390–. Web.

Cell Phone Addiction (Michael Carino)

Cell Phone Addiction - Michael Carino

ART 3170 Section 2

Air Pollutants in Los Angeles: A Public Health Crisis (Rafael Velasquez)

 Air Pollutants in Los Angeles: A Public Health Crisis

        

Particulate Matter (AIR POLLUTANTS): Why it matters?  

•         According to EPA, gas exchange that forms into liquid droplets such as nitrogen, oxygen, carbon monoxide does have an impact on an individuals health. According to EPA, in Los Angeles, "50% of motor vehicles expose carbon monoxide above the atmosphere" (EPA, 2021). For instance, exposing ourselves under these harmful conditions can cause physiological effects in our hearts and lungs. A sequences of symptoms that follow includes respiratory, coughing, as well as chronic diseases like, bronchitis, emphysema, and other physiological factors.

            

• In Table 1 (below), according to AQI (Air Quality Index), the city of Los Angeles currently stands at near or about 101 to 150 AQI values, resulting in unhealthy air conditions for sensitive individuals. Nevertheless, Los Angeles is stated to be the worse major polluted cities due to the increasing amount of ozone being formed on a ground state level. In addition, gas pollutants, as stated by AQI in Los Angeles, are formed from the ozone layer, which attracts sunlight, forming nitrogen oxides. Thus, these gas exchanges are due to increasing amounts of the vehicle's exhaustion and heavy traffic in the city.          

                                               Table 1. 

• In Figure 1 (below), are the differences of gases that are formed in power plants or industrial companies, including greenhouse effects and power plant industries, spreading different and harmful gases in the atmosphere. According to EPA (2021), the major combinations of gases that are exposed in the atmosphere include, some but not all: lead, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur oxide.

1. Lead= a metal that is formed naturally in the form of solids and rocks. Due to human action, lead emissions derive from recreational vehicles, including tractors, construction machineries, and lawn and garden materials. 
2. Carbon monoxide= is a gas that is formed when fossil fuels are consumed to the atmosphere. Moreover, these gases are found in a variety of vehicles such as cars and trucks. 
3. Nitrogen oxides= are a combination of gases, which are also found in cars and trucks. When an individual breathes into these gases, it can bring detrimental effects in the lining of lungs, causing coughing and wheezing. 
4. Sulfur oxides= are another group of gases that are mainly found in power plants, industrial buildings, who all burn sulfur-containing fossil fuels.                             

                                                   Figure 1.

• In Figure 2 (below), according to Air Quality in Los Angeles, the PM 2.5 is an airborne particulate matter, that are in micron sizes (very tiny particles) that enter into our nostrils, spreading throughout our respiratory system which can cause harmful effects, such as heart disease, respiratory illness, and even premature death. Unfortunately, when the weather gets warmer, more gas pollutants combined with the winds are all formed on a ground state level, causing an increase of smog. (EPA, 2021). Altogether, these air pollutants that are formed need to be moderated; however, a city like Los Angeles, does not meet the air quality standards, and many cases are being involved under constant air pollution being formed in the atmosphere. Consequently, these air pollutants have a substantial affect to the public environment, these individuals include children, young adults and older individuals who have chronic respiratory diseases such as, asthma, coughing. According to Mazza S. (2018), 1 in every 10 children have been diagnosed with asthma and a overall risk of cancer, has increased to 900 million.           

                                                            Figure 2.

CONCLUSION: (Why do you feel personally affected?) 

• Air pollution is a global climate crisis and continues to have an affect in every human way possible, and these harmful health conditions continue to rise without moderation, impacting many people, involving children and older individuals. The varieties of gas pollutants that are formed in the atmosphere forces us in the community, to be exposed and breathe into the  many gases, resulting in many symptoms that can never be replaced. In a similar manner, it personally affects me because I do feel the same symptoms, where coughing and headaches are amongst the abundance of symptoms that I experienced, whenever I go outside for a walk or play leisure sports with my friends. Also, I have two younger brothers that I look out for, and because many children are exposed to these air polluted conditions, they too, can be increasingly harmed by it. Therefore, a reasonable way to reduce these pollutants is if we all limit the use of our vehicles and transition to battery-used vehicles, which limits carbon-emissions from exposing to the atmosphere. Unfortunately, this is isn't always the case, but if we can count on each other and work together as a community, we can save a person who struggles with respiratory chronic diseases.          

REFERENCES

http://www.aqmd.gov/home/air-quality/clean-air-plans/air-quality-mgt-pl

https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/los-angeles-air-quality-pollution/

https://www.iqair.com/us/usa/california/los-angeles

                                

        

    

                 

Natalie Wu- Homelessness in LA

 Homelessness in Los Angeles

You heard about how Los Angeles is one the main places to visit and it is filled with tons of tourists attractions, but no one talks about what actually happens. We see the faces of desperation on many faces on the streets including men, women, and children displayed for everyone to see. There are over 58,000 people in Los Angeles alone experiencing homelessness which is an 18% increase from 2018. 

    I am bringing awareness of homelessness in my community, because I believe we can as a community help lower the number  of individuals on the streets. We should have a safe and well preserved environment not only for those who can afford it, but for everyone. 

 Causes of Homelessness

• Lack of affordable housing
• poverty
• employment discrimination
• substance abuse/ mental health challenges
• domestic violence
• LGBTQ kids rejected by family
• kids who age out of foster care
• COVID

Research 

    Currently the county's current homeless population is around 66,000. Which is a 13% increase from 2019. Even with the expensive programs promising housing has little to no effect on the homeless number. The highest concentration of homelessness in Los Angeles is living on skid row. An estimate around 2,000 people are living on skid row. In skid row there's around 40 lost souls living on each city block.   This occurred due to the affordable housing crisis, rising unemployment rates, lack of services for the mentally ill, and the deterioration of the social safety net. It was found that African American and Latinos are the "overwhelming" majority of unhoused in this region with around 59% identified as Black and 23% as Latino. African Americans have four more times more likely to experience homelessness due to misrepresentation in Los Angeles community.

Who is Unhoused?

6% Veterans

38% chronically homeless

1% identify as transgender

19% have physical disability

27% substance disorder

7% fleeing intimate partner violence

 Why is it important to combat Homelessness?

                                                                              Photo by: Gary Leonard

Homelessness is an humanitarian emergency. The dominant narrative about who are living among the streets are labeled as drug addicts or severely mental ill, which is not the case. this damaging narrative dehumanizes people experiencing homelessness. This is factually incorrect 70% in the city of the unhoused have neither drug addictions or mental illness. In fact, the largest number of homelessness is from people fleeing from domestic violence or people with chronic medical conditions. Huge numbers of people p[primarily female are fleeing from violence. Especially with more increase in domestic violence leading to more increase in homelessness. 

How does it effect us?

Having more people on the streets can pose a threat to public health. Since they are more vulnerable to communicable diseases. When one lives on the streets they're exposed to multiple elements, leading to unsanitary living conditions and outbreaks. It also breaks down community. People start to feel unsafe and no trust with having others on the streets. it impacts the present as well as the future. Being able to end homelessness is not only help from the government, but a collective effort of everyone from all members of society. 

Making a Difference!

                                                                              Photo by: Tessa Tenborg

Homelessness doesn't have to be this way. One was is to combine housing with supportive services such as job training, case management, and healthcare in order to make a real impact. We as a community can join with donors, funders, and public/ private-sector institutions to make a permanent impact. By focusing on the root of homelessness we can help build a better future for everyone to have equal opportunity to contribute to the well being of our community. 

References:

    rkdgroupdev. (2018, September 6). Homelessness in Los Angeles: “Top Concern.” Los Angeles Mission. https://losangelesmission.org/homelessness-in-los-angeles-top-concern/

    Home L.A. Fund: Ending homelessness in Los Angeles. (2020, December 4). California Community Foundation. https://www.calfund.org/homela/

Social Media Dysmorphia- Isabel Cabral

 

                                            Body Dysmorphia Caused By Social Media 

             

                                                             What is Body Dysmorphia?

               Body Dysmorphia is a disorder that creates a sense of worry or unsatisfied feelings about how one looks physically. A very little defect is seen to be terrible by the individual when others either don't notice it or do not find it a big deal. This disorder is found in most individuals, but many will not seek help because they are too ashamed or in denial. According to an article called Prevalence of BDD, 1.7% to 2.9% of the population suffers from body dysmorphia. That is equivalent to saying 5 million to 10 million people in the US are suffering from this disorder. The disorder itself is said to be an impairment to psychosocial functioning, develops a poor quality of life, and is a factor of high suicide rates. 

                Studies have proved that body dysmorphia exists in individuals from 5 years old being the youngest and 80 years old being the oldest. I am assuming this is because at five years old individuals start to feel self-cautious or notice differences between themselves and others. Researchers found a point prevalence of 2.5% of women vs 2.2% of men, and 1.9% of women and 1.4% of men experiencing body dysmorphia. It is women who are experiencing it slightly more, but it is a pretty equivalent percentage in both men and women. They also found that individuals experience body dysmorphia more commonly than OCD, anorexia nervosa, or schizophrenia. It is shocking because those are major disorders, so body dysmorphia really made its way to be up there to the most common disorders. 

                                                          How it affects Self-Esteem?

                According to the article Body Dysmorphic Disorder, "Approximately 40% of individuals with BDD actively think about the disliked body parts for 3 to 8 hours per day, and 25% report thinking about them for more than 8 hours per day. These preoccupations are almost always difficult to resist or control, and they are intrusive and associated with significant anxiety and distress." It is so unhealthy to spend extensive hours of your day thinking of your body parts you do not like. Individuals who experience body dysmorphia tend to have a bad self-esteem. All those individuals go through is putting themselves down and feeling less than others which is not right. They always feel as if they are not good enough whether they are too thin or too thick. It is almost like they will never be satisfied but their body type because they are hoping to look as expected by society. 

              There are compulsive behaviors that are caused by those obsessive thoughts about appearance that will help reduce their anxiety, but the behaviors will for the most part be harmful. The most common behavior in a person experiencing the disorder is comparing themselves to others in a negative way. Individuals will find any little flaw and bring themselves down. It can get pretty extreme and affects individuals lives way more than people who are not familiar with the disorder may think. People miss out on life opportunities like jobs for example because they have a fear of being judged by others or "not being good enough". It becomes a life barrier because a job is essential in one's life and not being able to take a job because of the disorder may affect your life negatively.                                                

                                         Why is it That Social Media Is a Factor?

               The individuals who are constantly on social media are influenced by those they are looking at day to day. When looking at artists, influencers, or anyone on social media people gain ideas on what the ideal way of looking is which in reality doesn't exist. There is no set and stone to how an individual should look and that includes no body type, face structure, or style. Celebrities have molded an idea of how one should look, and they have truly influenced many individuals to try to be a copy and paste. The article mentioned that individuals will do excessive exercise, shopping constantly, or grooming themselves much more than needed. They are doing all this because they are being fed the idea of living a certain lifestyle to look like the people on social media look. People who experience body dysmorphia need to realize that many celebrities have gotten cosmetic surgeries to look the way they look. They also edit their photos from head to toe to resemble "perfection", which is not the case in real life. I found the photo I inserted below that says, "Don't wish to have a waist like her because she ain't having it too" referring to Kylie Jenner. It was captioned that because on the left you see a photo from her social media that is edited to make her body look super curvy, her face is practically flawless, and even the color of her outfit stands out way more. On the right she looks completely different because it is a screenshot of a video which was not edited. 

                 Individuals should realize that social media makes everything look perfect because they get to choose what to post and let the world see. They will not post themselves looking "bad" because celebrities will always be in competition with each other to look better than one another and stand out more. It is literally their job which is why individuals should not be influenced by them whatsoever. You do not need to look like they do to be beautiful, handsome, or stylish. There is no right or wrong to body types which is what needs to be known when looking at social media. Individuals often feel like they need to follow footsteps which is what causes body dysmorphia. In the past years, I think social media has caused more cases of body dysmorphia within people for the same reason. In one of the studies they did eighty percent of the people who have been experiencing body dysmorphia have blamed it on television, fashion magazines, and advertisements. They added that it was the number one factor that made them feel insecure about themselves and how they look. 

                     

                                                        How Can we Make a Change? 

                  Change can occur and should occur to bring more confidence to the individuals around us and lower the rates of individuals that experience body dysmorphia. All that is needed is more positivity and less judgment between ourselves to reduce those rates. Being thin is not what makes an individual beautiful and it needs to be addressed. Every commercial, movie, or advertisement always uses thin light complected models to play the role of the "pretty" or "main character" and that should change. The media needs to be more inclusive of any individual with any skin tone, height, weight, etc.. Being more inclusive in the media will make individuals feel more confident and bring reassurance to everyone no matter what they look like. 

                   First of all, in order to make a change, we must bring awareness to the disorder. There should be more insight on what body dysmorphia is and why it is caused. That way everyone around people with the disorder can be more supportive of one another and reduce the rates. Cognitive behavior therapy is recommended to help patients with body dysmorphia and has shown improvements in individuals. What is known as the "Kardashian effect" mentioned in the article called Combating 'Social Dysmorphia' should be cancelled. No one should think they need to look like that or that their body is the expectation because they bought themselves into those bodies. Natural should be seen as equally beautiful and never looked down on. As mentioned in the article individuals need to set realistic expectations, recognize that beauty is ever-evolving meaning there is always different trends, and practicing self-love.

              

                                                    How it Affects me Personally?

              This social issue affects me directly because I am an individual who is living through this new generation. This generation is full of fantasies you can say. It is sad to admit that no one can truly be themselves anymore. Not how they look, not how they act, not how they dress. Everyone kind of fell into a pattern of all wanting to look a certain way because social media says that is the perfect way a person should look or act. I stay true to myself and am natural on social media and in person, but I guess you can say I fall into the same patterns of others because they become styles. It is funny because I love the way I look but I look at social media and it makes me think I should try the looks they do or buy some clothes that the people on there are wearing. I do not experience body dysmorphia, but I see it more as fashion inspiration, I do not feel insecure about myself. I just do find myself doing things that I see online more often. 

                Not only am I affected but the people around me are too. A perfect example of this would be driving by a middle school, the little girls do not look little anymore. Social media has been influencing everyone to try to make themselves look a certain way and it is saddening. These past years I feel as if little kids did not have a childhood because they rushed to be grown. The media has really guided individuals to fit the social media expectations. They cover themselves with tons of makeup, wear baggy clothes because of insecurities, and overall try to be someone they are not.

                  I chose this issue because I don't think anyone should be a victim of body dysmorphia. Especially not if it is caused by factors like social media, other individuals' opinions, or simply the way others look. I mainly focused on body dysmorphia because many individuals focus on world disasters like poverty, addictions, and other disasters. I realized that sometimes people don't bring enough awareness to disorders like body dysmorphia because not a lot of people know what is even is. I asked around with my friends if they knew what body dysmorphia was and only some knew. I found myself explaining it to many of them and that's when I realized I was selecting a perfect topic to bring awareness on. 

                                                                    References

Bjornsson, A. S., Didie, E. R., & Phillips, K. A. (2010). Body dysmorphic disorder. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181960/. 

Germany, J. (n.d.). Combating 'social media dysmorphia'. Rush System. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://www.rush.edu/news/combating-social-media-dysmorphia. 

Prevalence of BDD. BDD. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://bdd.iocdf.org/professionals/prevalence/. 

Priscilla Fernandez - Abortion Rates in Women Of Color

Abortion Rates in Women Of Color

Abortion is a procedure used to end a pregnancy. It uses medicine or surgery to remove the embryo or fetus and placenta from the uterus. This procedure is done by a licensed healthcare professional.

Who has abortions and how is it affecting them?

In this chart, we can see that Black women consistently have had the highest abortion rates, followed by Hispanic women. 

Among the poorest women, Hispanics are the most likely to experience an unintended pregnancy. Overall, however, black women are three times as likely as white women to experience an unintended pregnancy; Hispanic women are twice as likely. Because black women experience so many more unintended pregnancies than any other group— sharply disproportionate to their numbers in the general population—they are more likely to seek out and obtain abortion services than any other group.

What are the causes of disparities in abortion rates?

According to Dehlendorf et al. (2013), "The abortion rates in the United States are higher than that in most other developed countries." Although this fact alone requires attention, looking deeper within these statistics reveals an additional area of concern: similar to many health outcomes in the United States, there are substantial disparities in abortion rates in the United States, with low-income women and women of color having higher rates than affluent and White women.

"These disparities are related to systemic hardships experienced by disadvantaged communities, including decreased access to health care, higher levels of stress, exposure to racial discrimination, and poorer living and working conditions."

   Induced Abortions In The United States

• "Eighteen percent of pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) in 2017 ended in abortion."
• "Approximately 862,320 abortions were performed in 2017, down 7% from 926,190 in 2014."
• "The abortion rate in 2017 was 13.5 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44, down 8% from 14.6 per 1,000 in 2014. This is the lowest rate ever observed in the United States; in 1973, the year abortion became legal, the rate was 16.3."
• "As of September 1, 2019, 29 states were considered hostile toward abortion­­ rights, 14 states were considered supportive and seven states were somewhere in between."
• "In 2019, 58% of U.S. women of reproductive age (nearly 40 million women) lived in states that were considered hostile to abortion rights. In contrast, 24 million women of reproductive age (35% of the total) lived in states that were supportive of abortion rights."

Data retrieved from https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-united-states

How can we continue to spread awareness and push for change?

Recently, California Senator Connie M. Levya authored Senate Bill 523 also known as the Contraceptive Equity Act of 2021 that was passed on June 1, 2021. It aims to expand and modernize birth control access in California regardless of an individual's gender, insurance coverage status, where they work, or where they go to school.

"In spite of the progress already made in California, health disparities in reproductive health outcomes persist among Black Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), including disproportionate unintended pregnancy, infant and maternal mortality, and STD rates. The COVID-19 public health emergency has also further highlighted the structural inequities that disproportionately affect youth, low-income people, and communities of color in accessing birth control services," says Guttmacher Institute following the passing of the Contraceptive Equity Act of 2021. 

Research and policy that recognizes the importance of all aspects of women’s reproductive health—including pregnancy prevention, abortion care, pregnancy services, and economic supports—are essential to meeting the reproductive health care needs of low-SES women and women of color.

We must start addressing social and economic disparities as it is critical to reproductive health. At the same time, empowering women and couples to decide if and when to have a child and enabling them to have a healthy pregnancy and baby are critical to achieving social justice, protecting and promoting family planning, and abortion rights. 

References

Dehlendorf, C., Harris, L. H., & Weitz, T. A. (2013). Disparities in abortion rates: a public health approach. 

          American journal of public health, 103(10), 1772–1779. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301339

Guttmacher Institute. (2020). Induced abortion in the United States. Guttmacher Institute. Retrieved from https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-united-states.

Cohen, S. A. (2020). Abortion and women of color: The bigger picture. Guttmacher Institute. Retrieved from https://www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2008/08/abortion-and-women-color-bigger-picture#.

Senator Connie M. Leyva. (2021). Senate approves Leyva Bill expanding access to birth control in California. Retrieved from https://sd20.senate.ca.gov/news/2021-06-01-senate-approves-leyva-bill-expanding-access-birth-control-california.

 Homelessness in LA

    Homelessness in LA has been an ongoing issue since the start of the great depression when people migrated to LA in search for jobs. A recent count by LAHSA which, " is the regional planning body that coordinates housing and services for homeless families and individuals in Los Angeles County." states there is currently at least 63,706 people in LA experiencing homelessness. It is important to understand the many reasons an individual might find themselves struggling to find permanent housing such as:

• poverty
• lack of affordable housing
• employment discrimination
• substance abuse 
• mental health challenges
• domestic violence
• rising housing prices

Gentrification is the reason for the rising housing prices and the fact that wages remain the same is forcing people to relocate. Substance abuse can lead to incarsaration and being incarseradted will lead to employment discrimination making it hard for people to become financially stable. Therefore homelessness is a result of many issues, and if we don't begin addressing these issues we will continue to see a rise in individuals affected.

Why this issue is important to me?

     As a resident of LA I have seen how common this issue is and I've seen how much worse it has gotten in recent years. There are people asking for change at every other red light, people asking for change at every drive through, people asking for change at the entrance of convenience stores. It's easy for people to dismiss those in these unfortunate situations but I know how easy it is for someone to lose everything. For some losing their job is all it takes, growing up I shared homes with other families (relatives) because they had nowhere else to go and sometimes all someone needs is a little bit of help but for those with a lack of familial ties it might not be so simple. I also had a friend in high school who would sleep in her car or couch surf when possible and knew of schoolmates who were kicked out of their homes for whatever reason. People who struggle with substance abuse and have no family support often times also become homeless because of the criminalization of substance abuse. I believe this is an issue that needs more attention because homelessness is a result of many other issues and without addressing those homelessness will continue to be an issue. 

How to help?

    There a few things we can all do to help those struggling with housing.

• Donate, online there are many organizations dedicating to helping the homeless
• You can donate directly, giving the homeless things like clothing can be a huge help or blankets to help them keep warm. Often times I buy shirts, socks, and benies to hand out because cold nights can actually be deadly for those not properly sheltered. 
• Advocate for affordable housing and renters rights
• Volunteer, there are plenty of shelters and kitchens that could use your help

Sources

“2020 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count Results.” Go to Main LAHSA Website, https://www.lahsa.org/news?article=726-2020-greater-los-angeles-homeless-count-results. 

“Homelessness in Los Angeles County 2020.” Homeless in Los Angeles County, California, http://www.laalmanac.com/social/so14.php. 

“Understanding LA's Homelessness Issues.” LAist, 24 Sept. 2021, https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/understanding-homelessness-city-los-angeles. 

Reckless Driving and Car Crashes

Reckless Driving

By Robert James De Vera

ART 3170-02

What is reckless driving?

Reckless driving is the act of driving with a complete disregard towards other drivers. For example, drunk driving is reckless driving. This is because you are not only endangering yourself, but the lives of others as well. By driving drunk you will not be fully aware of your environment and this can lead to traffic collisions. Other causes of reckless driving may consist of, but are not exclusive to: texting while driving, speeding, a general lack of attention, and so on and so forth. 

What are the statistics?

• In 2017, approximately 200,000 injuries were reported due to reckless driving
• In 2017, up to 3,582 fatal vehicular collisions were reported
• In 2017, around 3,900 deaths were caused by reckless driving from accidents
• In 2017, roughly 36,000 traffic collisions occurred in California

According to the West Coast Trial Lawyers, it's estimated that around 1 in 10,200 Californians were killed due to a car-related accident. In a car accident, it is reported that 1 out of 143 people are injured and that 1 out of 73 licensed drivers are involved in a fatal car accident. Additionally, California is the state with the highest amount of car accidents, injuries, and deaths.

• In 2017, every 3 minutes a car accident was reported in California
• In 2017, it is approximated that around 20 car collision incidents were reported every hour
• In 2018, the number of motorcyclists that were hit by a car increased by 7%

Why does this matter?

This matters to me, personally, because driving is my preferred and primary means of transportation. It is the most efficient means of getting around, in comparison to if I were to bike or skate. Additionally, I would not have to rely on other people for transportations unlike services like Uber or Lyft. With the roads being unsafe, due to reckless drivers, anything can occur at any moment in time. This does include the possibility of any vehicular accident, fatal or not, there will be repercussions.

Reckless driving is still a prominent issue, not only within my community, but in others as well. After research, it isn't a surprise because California is the state with the highest amount of car accidents and deaths. Furthermore, I, myself, have been involved in a vehicular collision. Luckily for me, however, it wasn't fatal and no one died or was injured. Unfortunately, I do have friends that have been injured in a car accident. Even worse, my friend passed away recently due to a car accident. 

Another reason as to why I chose this issue because I notice reckless driving almost everyday in my area. There are so many people out there that either don't know how to drive safely or choose not to. As said previously, driving is my primary means of transportation, and if the rads aren't safe, then it's likely that I, myself, will get into an accident at any given moment.

I assume that, due to technology, reckless driving will remain an important and reoccurring issue. Nowadays, there are more objects that are causing drivers to become more distracted than ever. Objects such as smartphones, smart watches, car TVs/touchscreens, and so and and so forth, are very tempting to look at. The slightest split in attention can mean life or death, not only for yourself but for the unfortunate person, or even people that happened to be in your line of sight. 

Sources Used:

https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/state-by-state

https://www.rkmlaw.net/california-auto-accident-statistics/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/675550/motor-vehicle-deaths-california/ https://westcoasttriallawyers.com/ca/los-angeles-car-accidents-lawyer/california-car-accident-statistics/

Diana Huerta- Crime

 (https://abc7.com/lapd-gun-violence-2021-crime-in-la-violent-south/9757544/) 

(https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/california/districts/los-angeles-unified-school-district/thomas-jefferson-senior-high-2552)

(https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-jul-12-mn-12045-story.html)

Crime in South Central

Diana Huerta

     South Central is home to many minority families and it is also home to crime. Gangs and violence have been an issue for my community for decades now. It is unsafe to walk the street alone or at night because of the danger. It has become very unsafe and needs to be controlled.

    Crime in this side of town is nothing new. The Los Angeles Times has an article "Sweeping Order to Limit Activity of 18th Street Gang" by David Rosenzweig and Matea Gold. This article was written in 1997 and says "Judge Alan G. Buckner approved a preliminary injunction that carries unprecedented provisions in Los Angeles’ long and frustrating war on gangs. The most significant and controversial: a ban on three or more gang members congregating, standing, sitting, walking, driving or appearing in public together anywhere in a 17-block area of Jefferson Park.Recalling the violence that accompanied the civil rights struggle in the South during the 1960s, Buckner said he never dreamed he would witness something similar 30 years later in Los Angeles “where moms and dads have to take their kids in the house to get them out of the line of fire.” These were measures taken years ago in order to try and stop gang violence. It is now 2021 and we still face these issues. The article "South LA seeing big spike in shootings in first two weeks of 2021, LAPD says" on the ABC 7 website mentions that "The South L.A. area saw 59 shooting victims in the first two weeks of 2021, compared to seven in that time last year, the chief said. He tweeted: "Officers have made 105 arrests of individuals with firearms. 130 firearms taken from street. Gang intervention trying, but we need our community and elected officials." This information is shocking and not in a positive way. Those who have the Citizens app and live in South Central know that the app is buzzing all the time because of so much crime. My nearest CVS is always being robbed, the street next to mines is home to a gang and cars/belonging are always being tagged.

      Violence and crime is so bad in my community there is even a movie about it. The movie is called "End of Watch," and was released in 2012. This movie is about two officers in the LAPD fighting gang violence in South Central. These officers find crazy things in the streets of South Central and show the harsh reality of gang violence. I remember watching this movie with my dad and realizing the streets being filmed where the ones right next to me, literally a block down. Sadly a lot of what they show is very close to the truth. 

     This violence and crime is affecting the community negatively. The nearest high school to me is Thomas Jefferson High School. This high school has an extremely low graduation rate and its testing scores are very low. If you walk down the street from this school you will find a sign that says Police enforcement area for narcotic gangs. It is tuff to see that our communities young adults are literally face to face with gang crime. Its environment is affecting their studies and personal lives. 

Not only do we see signs like these on the daily, we see several spots on the streets filled with flowers and candles. What does that mean? It means that someone was just killed in that spot. Most of the time they will include pictures and those pictures are usually young adults... Teens and young adults are being affected by such crime. They are involving themselves in it and losing their lives at a young age because of it. 

    This crazy violence has affected my family personally it has not been physical but it did affect us. My father has a small fruit business that has taken him years to build. He used to own this van in which he would deliver fruit to his customers. This van is essentially our money maker being that it was what helped his business succeed. One day the van was gone. This affected the business because we had no resources to do our job. This affected my dad personally because he became to feel unsafe in his own home, in his own community. After filling reports and investigating. We found the van tagged, with no parts. It is sad to see that things like these can happen right in front of you. This added on to our fear of violence. My father works at midnight and we always fear for his safety. South Central is not a safe space to be driving out at night in.

How can we work towards diminishing crime rates in South Central ?

    Many years ago there was an event at the recreational park down the street from my home. This event is called "Breaking the Cycle of Violence" and it is hosted by the L.A.U.R.A (Life After Uncivil Ruthless Acts) group. This event is dedicated to those who have lost their lives because of gang violence and crime. I never knew the name of this event or what it was for exactly, but I have a clear memory of what I saw. When I went I was probably 13, at first it was cool because I saw low-riders and Chicano Art which my dad and I have always shared a love for. As we continued walking what we saw was shocking. There was rows of posters with individuals faces on them. These people all died due to gang violence and crime. The families of these people shared stories and it was very moving. My family and I were in our own bubble, but seeing this made us wake up. It made a lot of people wake up because the park was filled with people of all races and for one purpose, to stop violence. This is rare to see because that park is usually split, if you look at someone the wrong way who knows what could happen. 

    It is events like these that actually bring communities together and remind us that violence is not the answer. All of those people passed away because of it and their families and communities are suffering because of these losses. I believe having more physical awareness like this event is amazing for the community and is a step in the right direction to diminish crime in South Central. 

Questions

1. How has your understanding of Civic Engagement changed by participating in this assignment? It has changed in a meaningful way for me. I was always aware of violence but putting it all together made me realize how bad it actually is. It also made me realize that the event for violence in my community was significant for a reason. That reason being that it was a Civic engagement project, it was a project with a purpose that brought the community together. 

2.Were you surprised at the number of people you found in your community who were also affected by the same social issue? No I was not surprised, when researching about the issue it was more sad than shocking because most of this has been all over the news.

3. If you were to redo this assignment, would you change anything ? I would have loved to know more about the L.A.U.R.A organization and maybe get some more information from them.

4. Did you receive any feedback from a community member that was surprising to you? Unfortunately I did not due to COVID.  

5. Do you feel as though you were succesful in your presentation? Do you feel as though members of your surrounding community and the outlying community will be affected by your blog post ? I think they would be affected by it. Crime is something that  has affected our community greatly and not only that many of the teens here attend Thomas Jefferson or surrounding schools with the same environment.

6. Did you face any challenges while going into your community and asking people if they were affected by your blog post? I faced a couple challenges when trying to research on the event for crime in my community. It is almost as if it were hidden. I think it is hardly talked about that it was almost forgotten. There are no pictures of the event just flyers. 

7. Do you have any other closing comments you wish to make about this assignment ? I really appreciate this assignment, it made me realize the struggles of my community and how important it actually is to us. 

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Works Cited 

“Sweeping Order to Limit Activity of 18th Street Gang.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 1997, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-jul-12-mn-12045-story.html.

Person. “South La Seeing Big Spike in Shootings in First Two Weeks of 2021, LAPD Says.” ABC7 Los Angeles, KABC-TV, 18 Jan. 2021, https://abc7.com/lapd-gun-violence-2021-crime-in-la-violent-south/9757544/.