Sahra Sulaiman
Sahra is Communities Editor for Streetsblog L.A., covering the intersection of mobility with race, class, history, representation, policing, housing, health, culture, community, and access to the public space in Boyle Heights and South Central Los Angeles.
Recent Posts
Controversial New L.A. Ordinance Cracks Down on Bicycle "Chop Shops"
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In a brief and anticlimactic session yesterday, City Council tentatively* approved a controversial ordinance cracking down on so-called “bicycle chop shops,” which advocates say targets unhoused people.
LASD Shoots Autistic Man After Just 83 Seconds
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Eighty-three seconds. That’s how much time passed between the moment deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) first stood at the door of the Cudahy home of Isaias Cervantes, a 25-year-old autistic man who is hard of hearing and suffering from depression and anxiety, and the firing of the shot that may have […]
Losing Loved Ones to Police Violence Was Just the Beginning
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"I don't have another life to give. I don't have any more breaths to take. I don't have any more hashtags. I don't have any more energy to be marching with my fist up in the air [only] to come back to the same thing," declared Khadijah Shabazz. "Right now, it needs to be all broken down, torn down, and started all over again."
What Really Happened to Dijon Kizzee
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The 2nd deputy doesn't draw his gun until nearly 2 seconds after Kizzee's gun has skittered along the ground to its final resting place
Unhoused Man Beaten by LAPD
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Making the case for why, if L.A. is serious about reimagining public safety, it must embrace the conversation around defunding the police
What It's Like to Live on the Street During COVID-19
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A true eviction moratorium might have kept Miguel housed and stable; now he fears for his mental health and his ability to get back on his feet
Street Vendor Who Can't Afford to Self-Quarantine Is Attacked
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Vendors across the city wonder how they will feed their families; a Street Vendor Emergency Fund aims to help.
Community Service Comes Full Circle for Members of Black Kids on Bikes at King Day Parade
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Youth BKoB inspired to join in the King Day parade years ago now serve as inspiration for the next generation
Transit Public School Set For Blighted L.A. Lots
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For black stakeholders eager to shed the despised "Death Alley" label and address the damage rooted in segregationist policies, the stakes feel especially high
“I Can’t Go Everywhere that I Thought I Could Go”: When Black and Brown Cyclists Need Safety from More than Traffic
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“I knew where I was,” muses Slimm, the 25-year-old road captain from the Los Ryderz Bike Club regarding his fateful decision to roll past 65th on Broadway – the heart of East Coast Crips territory, “but I was just riding by…” Keeping track of whose territory you are in is key to survival for many […]
Mobility Justice Advocates Gather in Leimert Park for Untokening California
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She had had enough of hearing her community spoken about in offensive ways by well- (and not-so-well-) meaning planners and advocates, enough of giving 110 percent of herself only to realize a fraction of what she put forward was being seen as having value, enough of how disinterested those with power over what happened in marginalized communities remained in the larger picture, and enough of being tokenized.
Twitter Chat on #Untokening of Mobility Advocacy Explores Costs of Tokenization
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"But whatever you do," the head of the history department told me, "do not use words like 'multicultural.' Parents will call to ask what on earth we're teaching their kids."