Letter from the editor:

The way the media covers political unrest and clashes with the police has long been a charged topic of debate. One of the many major takeaways of the past few weeks has been that the language we use matters. Back in the 1960s and '70s, the Los Angeles Free Press was the only LA paper to chronicle police violence and, importantly, make connections between racial disenfranchisement and mass unrest. Billy Anania dives into the Free Press archives and shares a timely history. 

On the note of language, the Palm Springs Art Museum has been criticized for staying silent, and then attempting to remain "neutral" in the wake of George Floyd's killing. This latest debate has revealed some bizarre and insensitive trends among museums right now, like censoring their Instagram comments (SFMOMA) and using the far-from-neutral artworks of Alison Saar to make "neutral" statements (Toledo Museum of Art). 

To the Angelenos reading this: You might consider participating in this fun, upcoming telethon organized by the LA Department of Transportation. They're asking people to share their stories of commuting during the pandemic. We got a sneak peek of one of the stories shared for the event, and I found it surprisingly touching.

The Los Angeles Paper That Documented Police Brutality in the 1960s and ’70s

For years, only the Los Angeles Free Press chronicled the many incidents of police violence in Los Angeles, making crucial connections between racial disenfranchisement and mass unrest.

Billy Anania

News

Palm Springs Art Museum Criticized for Staying “Neutral” in Wake of George Floyd’s Killing

An open letter criticizes the museum for staying silent for 10 days and for then offering a “message of neutrality using the artwork of Alison Saar, whose work is far from neutral.”

Man Shot and Wounded During Demonstration Against Colonial Statue

Gunshots were fired outside of the Albuquerque Museum as members of a right-wing militia infiltrated an attempt to remove a statue of New Mexico’s colonial governor, Juan de Oñate, in Albuquerque.

SFMOMA Announces Second Wave of Layoffs, Impacting 55 Additional Workers

This follows March’s announcement that the museum would lay off 131 on-call (contracted or freelance) employees and furlough around 200 regular staffers.

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