INDEPENDENT glendaleindependent.com
US Attorney Indicts two Men's Central jail deputies On Friday the U.S. Attorney’s office announced an indictment alleging that two deputies illegally used force on an inmate in 2009, and then lied about the incident in their reports. One of the deputies had previously been relieved of duty as a result of an unrelated incident. The process to relieve him and the second indicted deputy of duty without pay began Friday. The Sheriff’s Department has been actively assisting the federal government’s investigation, including this case, and will continue to do so. Los Angeles County Sheriff John Scott said, “As I stated when I took office last week, my number one priority is to ensure that the Department continues Please see page 2
Downtown Burbank festival features digital EFX artists Streets in Downtown Burbank will be packed with digital artists, street painters, sculptors, photographers and more than 12,000 art lovers from 10:00am to 5:00pm on Saturday and Sunday, April 19 and 20, 2013. The Downtown Burbank ARTS Festival is free and open to the public. In a twist that pays homage to Burbank's reputation as Animation Capital of the World, Downtown Burbank Partnership is uniting with Creative Talent NetPlease see page 2
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13 - FEBRUARY 19, 2014
be sure to VISIT: PASADENAROSEPARADE.COM
FREE
Volume 2, No. 7
Black history parade and festival this Saturday Feb. 15
YouTube video surfaces slamming Alhambra USD
on topics such as Arroyo culture, Craftsman art and architecture, the Indiana Colony and their citrus groves, and the mansions of the very rich. While important, the emphasis on these particular stories leaves out the experiences of many of the city’s residents – individual and groups that contributed substantially to the growth of this area into the com-
By SHEL SEGAL A former Monterey Park elementary school student has posted a short video on the Internet site YouTube and is attacking the Alhambra Unified School District after the board revoked her and her siblings’ permit to go to Monterey Highlands Elementary School, which is located outside the students’ home district, according to a published report. The 11-minute video was posted by eighth grader Maia Wa – a Los Angeles resident – just two weeks after an Internet video went viral and led to the resignation of an assistant principal, according to the report. Wu said in the video the that the revoking of the permit is in retaliation for the family’s opposition to the district constructing a fence at the school over the summer, according to the report. “Monterey Highlands and the Alhambra Unified School District are obsessed with control and are no longer thinking about students when they make their choices,” Wu said in the video. “I have a vision of a school that will embrace student voice and student participation in civic matters. I want to learn in an environment that welcomes freethinkers, opposing viewpoints and values the democratic process.” There had been no gate surrounding the school for nearly 50 years, according to the report. However, recent events – such as trespassers and the school shooting in Newtown, Conn. – had worried administrators about having a campus with no fence, according to the report. Since posting a petition on change.org a few days ago, it has received more than 16,000 views and more than 500 signatures on the
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-Photo by Terry MIller
Pasadena’s 32nd annual Black History Parade and Festival will be held Saturday, February 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.one of the biggest and longest-running Black History parades in California. This year’s theme is “Black History: A Legacy for
the Present and Our Future.” This year, the parade will feature the Pasadena City College Band and Herald Trumpeters, along with 76 additional entries, including musicians, dancers, equestrians, local youth groups, dignitaries and community
ACLU puts supes in hot water, again
-Courtesy Photo
Not entirely unexpected, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California sued the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Thursday for voting to return a religious cross to the official County seal. “The restoration of the cross to the County seal favors the Christian religion over all other religions,” says the federal lawsuit. It argues that the addition of the cross would violate the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The
clause, part of the First Amendment, bars the preference of one religion over another by government agencies. The ACLU is representing eight religious leaders, including Reverend Edwin Bacon ofAll Saints Church in Pasadena, Rabbi Harold Schulweiss of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, and Shakeel Syed, a lay leader in the Muslim community. In 2004, under threat of another lawsuit by the ACLU, the board of supervisors voted 3-2 to remove the cross from the county seal. The cross was part of the first official seal, created in 1957, and was featured above a rendering of the Hollywood Bowl. The case went to the Supreme Court. Yaroslavsky, Molina, Burke – all Democrats – Please see page 4
leaders. The Grand Marshals are: Gary Moody, community activist and president of the NAACP Pasadena Branch, and Shirlette ButlerElder, childcare advocate and director of Butler-Elder Family Child Care. The parade begins at 10
a.m. at Charles White Park at Fair Oaks Avenue and Ventura Street in Altadena; then heads south on Fair Oaks Avenue before ending at Robinson Park, 1081 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena. Please see page 3
Glimpses of Black History in Pasadena, 1850-1950 Tuesday, February 25, 1:00 pm at Altadena Senior Center
-Courtesy Photo
PMH Education Volunteer Adrian Panton takes us on a visual journey through a century of Black history in Pasadena and neighboring communities at a free presentation at the Altadena Senior Center on Tuesday, February 25, at 1:00 pm. Despite this area’s long tradition of diversity, much local recorded history has been heavily focused on elite elements of local life, with emphasis