Tag Archives: African Americans

Black L.A. 1947: Killers Restage Deadly Robbery of Watts Liquor Store for LAPD Movie

10952 Wilmington Ave., Watts, in 2012, as shown in Google Street View. Two two-story residences were built on the property in 2014. April 17, 1947: LAPD detectives have three men reenact the killing of liquor store owner Louis de Ciodda, … Continue reading

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Black L.A. 1947, Jackie Robinson Joins Dodgers

  April 17, 1947: Jackie Robinson’s signing with the Dodgers is Page 1 news in the Sentinel…. … And on the cover of the sports section in the Los Angeles Times – and no picture or even a Page 1 … Continue reading

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Black L.A., 1947: White Student Refuses to Leave Black School

April 10, 1947: James O. Plinton Jr., left, and Sentinel Publisher Leon H. Washington with one of the Grumman planes Plinton bought for his air service. April 10, 1947: Karla Rosel Galarza, 22, is refusing requests by the Washington, D.C., … Continue reading

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Education | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Black L.A., 1947: 126 Men, 3 Women Arrested in Raid on ‘Wild Stag Party’

The former La Vada Apartments, site of a stag party in 1947, via Google Street View. April 10, 1947: Police raided the ballroom of the La Vada Apartments, 249 E. Vernon, arresting 126 men who had paid $1 for admission … Continue reading

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Black L.A., 1947: Mother Sues Hospital Over Baby Mix-Up

Jewell Sperling with her son James Sperling Jr., Pittsburgh Courier, April 12, 1947. April 3, 1947: Jewell Sperling of 714 W. 32nd St., sues Hoover Hospital for $3,500, charging that she suffered mental distress from being sent home with the … Continue reading

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Black L.A., 1947: Reward Offered for Leads in Streetcar Conductor’s Killing

1117 E. 58th St., where streetcar conductor Harold D. Moon was robbed and killed, March 30, 1947, via Google Street View. April 3, 1947: Harold D. Moon, a conductor on the “U” streetcar, was shot in the back and robbed … Continue reading

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Black L.A. 1947: Bert McDonald Dies; First Black Deputy City Atty.

The latest records by Jimmy Rushing, Duke Henderson and King Perry are at 1065 N. Fairfax Ave. 1065 N. Fairfax Ave., where you got the latest hip 78s in 1947, via Google Street View. March 13, 1947: The Sentinel publishes … Continue reading

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Black L.A. 1947: Late-Night Streetcar Service Captures the Heartbeat of the City

Feb. 27, 1947: I missed this ad for Los Angeles Transit Lines in my previous pass through the Sentinel and I just had to run it. Militant Angeleno: This is for you!

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Black L.A., 1947: Robberies of Merchants Raise Racial Tensions in Little Tokyo/Bronzeville

March 6, 1947: North American Aviation had a male choir called the Navioneers that performed at Second AME church at 43rd Street and San Pedro Place. On the editorial page, the Sentinel seeks to defuse racial tensions in Little Tokyo … Continue reading

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Black L.A., 1947: Onyx Club Opens in Pasadena; Cafe Was Site of Sensational 1950 Killing

March 6, 1947: The Onyx Club opens at 109 S. Fair Oaks in Pasadena. The former site of what was variously called the Onyx Club, Onyx Cafe or Onyx Bar on South Fair Oaks in Pasadena, via Google Street View. … Continue reading

Posted in 1947, 1950, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, Music, Nightclubs, Pasadena | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Black L.A. 1947: Huge Blast Kills 17, Show Dangers of Industry Moving Into Black Neighborhoods

Feb. 20, 1947: An aerial view of the devastation from the explosion at the O’Connor Electroplating Corp.,  926 E. Pico Blvd.  Los Angeles Public Library Herald Examiner collection. The site of the O’Connor Electroplating explosion via Google Satellite View. The … Continue reading

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Black L.A., 1947: Willie Earle Lynched by South Carolina Mob

Feb. 20, 1947: The lynching of Willie Earle drew nationwide attention. Here is the New Yorker’s 1947 account of the trial in which 28 men were acquitted.

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Black L.A., 1947: ‘Milk Bottle Murder’ – Couple’s Fight Ends in Death

  Feb. 20, 1947: Lois Ellis, victim of the “Milk Bottle Murder.” The neighborhood of 1207 E. 47th St. via Google Street View. From his bed in the jail ward of county hospital, Sam Ellis told of killing his wife, … Continue reading

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Black L.A., 1947: Stylish Men in Harlem Wearing Berets

At top, the home at 2443 S. St. Andrews Place is for sale at $16,500 cash or $18,000 “terms.” Above, the 2400 block of South St. Andrews Place via Google Street View. Feb. 13, 1947: Columnist Bill Smallwood says “Richard … Continue reading

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Black L.A., 1947: ‘Why Do 14-Year-Old Girls Get Drunk and Fall Into Bed With Men?’ Judge Asks

The Sentinel runs a publicity photo of Flora Washington, who released “Broken Hearted” and “If I Ever Cry, You’ll Never Know” on the United Artist label in 1946. Flora Washington sings “Broken Hearted” via Archive.org.   Feb. 13, 1947: Municipal … Continue reading

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Black L.A. 1947: Judge Backs Racial Ban, Orders Native Americans Out of West Hollywood Home

Feb. 13, 1947: Dorothy Bradley becomes the first African American cashier hired at the Safeway grocery store in Watts. She was hired as the result of a campaign by the Watts Citizens Welfare committee protesting Safeway’s refusal to hired black … Continue reading

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Black L.A. 1947: Jazz Musicians Outraged by Esquire Jazz Book for 1947

Feb. 13, 1947: Coming to the Shrine Auditorium – Esquire Award winners Lester Young, Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, Lucky Thompson, Benny Carter, Dodo Marmarosa, Barney Kessell and Vic Dickenson. Feb. 13, 1947: Esquire magazine began an annual poll in 1943 … Continue reading

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Black L.A. 1947: Black Passenger Sues Greyhound After Driver Has Her Arrested for Not Giving Up Seat

  At left, a three-unit property at 3509 5th Ave., listed for sale in 1947 at $17,500. Above, the property sold for $600,000 in 2016, according to Zillow. Feb. 6, 1947: The Sentinel reports on a lawsuit filed by Alpha … Continue reading

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Black L.A. 1947: Ascot Hills Rapist, Shot by Police, Faces 51 Counts

Minton R. Scott, the Ascot Hills Rapist, after being shot in the head by police. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive. Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA Feb. 6, 1947: Minton Robert Scott is accused of being … Continue reading

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Black L.A. 1947: Four African Americans File for City Council 7th District Race

Jan. 30, 1947: An ad in the Sentinel announces a preview of a model home in Carver Manor, a housing development designed by Paul R. Williams at 135th Street and Avalon Boulevard. Stanford Avenue in Carver Manor, via Google Street … Continue reading

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