“It doesn’t seem like turning an abandoned lot in Hawthorne from a receptacle for trash, used condoms and a goat carcass into a badly needed neighborhood park should be quite this difficult.”

Thank You Ms. Veronique de Turenne of the LA Times. (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2008/08/good-morning-18.html.)

A week ago, FLTS went up to Sacramento to convince the California Transportation Commission (CTC) to extend a deadline to secure funds to purchase the property on 118th Street and Doty Ave in order to create a badly needed park. Unfortunately, the CTC saw no benefit in the extension, despite letters from Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Assemblymember Curren Price, Councilman Danny Juarez and a long list of people like you: community activists, parkspace equity advocates, tireless environmentalists, general good-hearted gente. The property was officially transferred to the highest bidder of the Caltrans April public auction, Ali Awad.

We lost the battle, but not the war.
As we stated before, we are committed to continuing this fight.
Why?
Because environmental injustice is never okay.
Because social injustice is never okay.
Because land-use inequity based on the socio-economic make-up of your community is never okay.

We are meeting with our advisory board to strategize next steps on how best to move on and continue to place the community’s needs in the forefront. We will keep you updated.

We would like to sincerely thank you for your support and efforts. Many of you signed letters, made calls, provided us with resources.
We have been amazed at the amount of support and thank you deeply, on behalf of this community.
So, with this, a heartfelt and sincere thank you to you.

Inspired and fueled by the work of people like you: community activists, parkspace equity advocates, tireless environmentalists, general good-hearted gente, who do not stop because things get difficult – we continue.

Thank you.