Our parks are made by people! Throughout Los Angeles, our green spaces reflect the values and the determination that it takes as a community to cultivate spaces of respite from industrialization and development. A watershed example of this ethos and fight is LA State Historic Park, nestled just between Chinatown and the LA River.

A historic waterway, a railyard, a cornfield (or not), the land of LA State Historic has lived a rich life. When a real estate firm bought the site and announced plans for a large warehouse complex, neighbors knew they were in for a fight to secure the public green space they’d long needed. More than 30 groups—like the Mothers of East Los Angeles, the Latino Urban Forum, Save the Bay, TreePeople, more—formed the Chinatown Yard Alliance to tackle the formidable task of halting development plans and demanding public green space.

We gather here to honor this spirit of collective self-determination, to say Stop The Gondola, to fly kites, to listen by moonrise, to listen to music outside in the daylight and eat some fruit, to Bob Baker Day, and so much more.