WEBVTT - MARK WILSON - Revolutionizing South LA 0:00:13.039 --> 0:00:16.160 Hey, guys, welcome to another episode of Eating While Broke. 0:00:16.360 --> 0:00:18.400 I'm your host, Colleen Witt, and today we have a 0:00:18.520 --> 0:00:28.520 very special guest, founder, owner of CRCD, Coalition of Responsible 0:00:28.600 --> 0:00:32.879 Community Development, is in the building. Oh right, And how 0:00:32.880 --> 0:00:34.200 long has CRCD been around. 0:00:34.360 --> 0:00:37.560 CRCD has been around. This year makes twenty years. 0:00:38.000 --> 0:00:43.320 Twenty years. So a little backstory about Mark, Mark Wilson 0:00:43.640 --> 0:00:47.959 is I don't even say your name, huh. Mark Wilson, 0:00:48.200 --> 0:00:52.199 owner of Coalition of Responsible Community Development, is in the building. 0:00:52.479 --> 0:00:54.440 It's an honor to have you, guys. I've tried to 0:00:54.440 --> 0:00:57.920 get this interview for a couple of years now. That 0:00:58.040 --> 0:01:01.040 just goes to show you know how much I wanted 0:01:01.040 --> 0:01:04.360 this interview. And you'll learn throughout this interview why on 0:01:04.400 --> 0:01:08.520 what Mark has done in the twenty years. But there's 0:01:08.560 --> 0:01:10.440 a lot to cover, so I want Mark to go 0:01:10.480 --> 0:01:13.320 ahead and talk about some of the stuff that CRCD 0:01:13.480 --> 0:01:15.800 has done. And just for a little sticker shock, guys, 0:01:15.840 --> 0:01:19.959 CRCD owns about seven hundred million dollars in real estate 0:01:20.080 --> 0:01:23.720 in South primarily in south central Los Angeles, which is 0:01:23.760 --> 0:01:28.120 a if you even own a condo in Los Angeles 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:34.240 and you're even fortunate to own one at all. You 0:01:34.360 --> 0:01:36.319 know how hard it is to possibly own one and 0:01:36.360 --> 0:01:40.679 how expensive it is let alone to do that under nonprofit, So. 0:01:40.840 --> 0:01:46.000 The Coalition for Responsible Community Development CRCD, we are not 0:01:46.120 --> 0:01:51.680 for profit community development corporation, so that our mission is 0:01:51.720 --> 0:01:56.320 to change lives and build neighborhoods responsibly. We do a 0:01:56.360 --> 0:01:59.840 lot of that work in workforce development. I'll go over 0:02:00.240 --> 0:02:03.080 a little bit about what we do. After a lot 0:02:03.120 --> 0:02:06.560 of workforce development, working with the state, the federal government, 0:02:07.160 --> 0:02:10.239 the County of Los Angeles, and the City of Los Angeles, 0:02:10.520 --> 0:02:16.640 providing workforce development and employment training to our most vulnerable Angelinos, 0:02:16.680 --> 0:02:20.120 particularly those that reside in South LA. So this is 0:02:20.200 --> 0:02:26.760 false youth, unhoused individuals, individuals returning to our communities from incarceration, 0:02:27.440 --> 0:02:32.440 and folks that have had difficult times finding employment, and 0:02:32.520 --> 0:02:36.640 we take them through a host of training programs with 0:02:36.760 --> 0:02:38.200 pathways to. 0:02:38.320 --> 0:02:40.640 Careers at their choice. 0:02:40.360 --> 0:02:44.400 Of course, providing them with wrap around support services along 0:02:44.440 --> 0:02:48.320 the way, because when you come from a vulnerable background, 0:02:48.760 --> 0:02:51.639 it's difficult to even keep a job. A lot of times, 0:02:51.639 --> 0:02:53.800 it's not folks fault that they didn't have. 0:02:53.800 --> 0:02:55.480 A place to sleep that night. 0:02:55.840 --> 0:02:58.280 It's not folks fault that somebody may have kicked them 0:02:58.320 --> 0:03:02.120 out because of of their gender, and it's not folks 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:07.720 fault on not having adequate transportation and the transportation system 0:03:07.760 --> 0:03:10.360 in their neighborhood so they can get to work on time, 0:03:10.720 --> 0:03:14.200 and so we provide those supports what we call barrier 0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:18.160 supports or support services, so folks can gav game full 0:03:18.240 --> 0:03:22.560 employment and get on their feet. We also do affordable 0:03:22.560 --> 0:03:27.840 housing development, as you mentioned where now embarking on you know, 0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:32.120 over seven hundred million dollars in real estate development in 0:03:32.360 --> 0:03:37.960 south central LA that makes up about sixteen hundred units 0:03:38.000 --> 0:03:42.000 of affordable housing in different phases of development. We have 0:03:42.120 --> 0:03:46.640 about six hundred units in what we call in the 0:03:46.680 --> 0:03:50.080 transition right now, meaning folks are actually moving in and 0:03:50.200 --> 0:03:55.400 twenty percent of our housing is dedicated to formally false 0:03:55.480 --> 0:03:58.600 youth or young people that find themselves unhoused. 0:03:59.080 --> 0:03:59.720 Each of our. 0:03:59.640 --> 0:04:03.640 Buildings and projects, all based in South LA, have wrap 0:04:03.720 --> 0:04:08.560 around support services, so we actually have offices and staff 0:04:08.680 --> 0:04:12.200 at each of our building sites, so they're providing residents 0:04:12.400 --> 0:04:15.880 with opportunities to move into employment, move into. 0:04:15.640 --> 0:04:18.000 Other services, access. 0:04:17.560 --> 0:04:20.920 To healthcare, and any other thing that will support them 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:24.560 and moving their lives forward and so we're we're proud 0:04:24.600 --> 0:04:27.040 of that to be able to provide those not only 0:04:27.120 --> 0:04:31.839 the housing which is very affordable, usually targeting individuals that 0:04:31.920 --> 0:04:35.400 can move in a place where thirty percent your average 0:04:35.400 --> 0:04:40.360 income is your rent and it's subsidized by other government sources. 0:04:40.440 --> 0:04:42.960 So in LA that's a really big deal. 0:04:43.240 --> 0:04:46.840 And they're really nice building and they're really nice when 0:04:46.880 --> 0:04:50.280 you get subsidized. I've pulled up on some of these 0:04:50.279 --> 0:04:54.240 buildings and these buildings are absolutely stunning. You would drive 0:04:54.279 --> 0:04:56.200 by it and say, this is a very nice building, 0:04:56.600 --> 0:04:58.279 and yes, when you do walk in, you do see 0:04:58.279 --> 0:04:58.799 the support. 0:04:59.120 --> 0:05:01.960 Yes, and so so you know, we're proud of that. 0:05:02.520 --> 0:05:06.760 We have partnerships with the LA Community College District, so 0:05:06.880 --> 0:05:12.680 we provide services on site in partnership with colleges like 0:05:12.880 --> 0:05:17.640 Los Angeles Trade Tech Community College, East LA Community College 0:05:17.680 --> 0:05:21.640 in Los Angeles Community College. At Los Angeles Trade Tech, 0:05:22.040 --> 0:05:24.960 we actually have office spaces there so we can work 0:05:25.000 --> 0:05:30.000 side by side with department chairs recruiting students into opportunities 0:05:30.040 --> 0:05:34.000 for employment, particularly those that are on track to graduate 0:05:34.080 --> 0:05:38.040 with their AA degrees, to possibly pair them with career 0:05:38.120 --> 0:05:40.719 opportunities in that degree or in their major. 0:05:41.240 --> 0:05:42.360 So that's pretty exciting. 0:05:42.400 --> 0:05:47.000 We've had and withstand that partnership for about almost fourteen 0:05:47.080 --> 0:05:47.760 years now. 0:05:48.279 --> 0:05:48.559 Yes. 0:05:48.839 --> 0:05:53.440 Yes, we also partner with youth Field Charter School of California, 0:05:53.520 --> 0:05:57.160 so we manage charter school on the campus of La 0:05:57.240 --> 0:06:00.160 Trade Tech where we're working with young people eighteen to 0:06:00.240 --> 0:06:05.719 twenty six primarily for whatever reason, they didn't complete traditional school, 0:06:06.200 --> 0:06:09.680 and so they find themselves at CRCD and go through 0:06:09.760 --> 0:06:14.280 CRCD Academy where they earn a high school diploma and 0:06:14.320 --> 0:06:18.200 they're duel enrolled in the community college at the same time. 0:06:18.440 --> 0:06:22.200 So when they graduate, they're already in college, they're already 0:06:22.240 --> 0:06:25.280 on track, and a lot of them are already on 0:06:25.400 --> 0:06:27.120 career paths with CRCD. 0:06:27.680 --> 0:06:31.120 Wow. Yes, and then to go back to workforce development, 0:06:31.160 --> 0:06:32.600 can you give you an example of some of the 0:06:32.640 --> 0:06:36.640 trades that do you guys teach or teach me? 0:06:37.040 --> 0:06:42.000 Yes, And so fourteen years ago we created CRCD Enterprises, 0:06:42.400 --> 0:06:45.719 which is a separate entity. It's a for profit entity 0:06:46.440 --> 0:06:50.480 that is now a general contractor licensed with the state 0:06:50.480 --> 0:06:55.000 of California. We're also licensed to do let abatement and 0:06:55.120 --> 0:06:58.640 let abatement training. And so young people that go through 0:06:59.120 --> 0:07:03.800 are workforce say particularly Youth Bill. So we run the 0:07:03.880 --> 0:07:07.320 South LA Youth Build or we are South LA Youth Build. 0:07:07.640 --> 0:07:11.480 That's part of the Youth Build Global international network. And 0:07:11.600 --> 0:07:16.000 young people they are enrolled in CRCD Academy, but then 0:07:16.040 --> 0:07:19.960 they have an opportunity to work side by side going 0:07:20.040 --> 0:07:23.640 through a multicore curriculum that's approved. It's called MC three 0:07:24.240 --> 0:07:27.280 and it's approved by the La Orange County Building Trades 0:07:27.640 --> 0:07:27.920 and so. 0:07:27.920 --> 0:07:29.080 That's the labor unions. 0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:34.160 So they have an opportunity to learn about multiple trades, 0:07:34.200 --> 0:07:40.320 so plumbing, drywall, painting, pipe fitting, concrete and then through 0:07:40.400 --> 0:07:44.400 that training which is typically about three weeks or three. 0:07:44.320 --> 0:07:47.680 Four weeks I want to get in that. 0:07:48.840 --> 0:07:51.080 Youth Build is three weeks, and then we have other 0:07:51.120 --> 0:07:54.640 traders that are eight weeks that are more apprenticeship base. 0:07:55.280 --> 0:07:57.720 So for Youth BUEL you do three hundred hours. 0:07:58.040 --> 0:08:02.080 If the young person decides for trade they like, they 0:08:02.120 --> 0:08:04.640 have an opportunity to go through a pathway with a 0:08:04.800 --> 0:08:06.600 union to become an apprentice. 0:08:06.640 --> 0:08:08.720 And the Youth Built age group is age group. 0:08:08.880 --> 0:08:12.120 That age group is eighteen to twenty four at entry. 0:08:12.240 --> 0:08:14.440 Wow you hear that, guys, So straight out of high 0:08:14.440 --> 0:08:17.760 school you could pick a trade you can. 0:08:17.640 --> 0:08:20.800 Pick a trade as soon as you actually during while 0:08:20.840 --> 0:08:25.040 you're getting your diploma. With Crcity Academy, you can actually 0:08:25.040 --> 0:08:28.320 be working on your trade and receiving your high school 0:08:28.360 --> 0:08:29.600 diploma at the same time. 0:08:30.040 --> 0:08:32.240 And when you graduate. 0:08:32.040 --> 0:08:34.880 You can work more towards that trade because you will 0:08:34.920 --> 0:08:38.000 be a pre apprentice. Because our training is approved by 0:08:38.040 --> 0:08:38.480 the union. 0:08:39.280 --> 0:08:41.880 Now is there stipulations if they don't go to the 0:08:42.000 --> 0:08:42.760 charter school. 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:46.199 If they don't go to our charter school, there's no stipulation. 0:08:46.320 --> 0:08:50.120 You still can enroll in our mc th training because 0:08:50.120 --> 0:08:56.280 we now have the Tresa McCoy Regional Infrastructure Development Training Center. 0:08:56.800 --> 0:09:00.000 So basically it's a training center that we now run 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:03.440 the community. It's right off of twenty fifth in Central Avenue. 0:09:03.920 --> 0:09:07.240 And any young person rather they go through Youth Bill 0:09:07.880 --> 0:09:11.280 or just want to come through one of crcd's workforce 0:09:11.320 --> 0:09:15.599 development training programs, they have access to going through these pathways. 0:09:15.840 --> 0:09:19.320 Wow. That's a big deal. Wow. And then would you say, 0:09:20.000 --> 0:09:21.959 I want to talk about race a little bit. When 0:09:22.000 --> 0:09:25.240 you think of South Central you think of predominantly a 0:09:25.280 --> 0:09:28.400 certain race. What race would you say is the community 0:09:28.400 --> 0:09:31.520 that you tend to help more so or what is 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:32.600 that divide of that race. 0:09:32.840 --> 0:09:37.920 So the community itself, meaning residents that live there, are 0:09:37.960 --> 0:09:42.000 directly a majority of Latino. I would say probably eighty 0:09:42.040 --> 0:09:46.800 five percent. In our programs, it's roughly fifty percent African 0:09:46.800 --> 0:09:48.640 American fifty percent Latino. 0:09:49.000 --> 0:09:49.320 Wow. 0:09:49.600 --> 0:09:53.800 And we get a higher number of African Americans unfortunately, 0:09:54.720 --> 0:09:58.880 because African Americans make up a high rate of the 0:09:59.160 --> 0:10:01.800 individuals that are returned to the community from prison. 0:10:02.200 --> 0:10:02.400 Wow. 0:10:02.559 --> 0:10:05.840 They are the majority of young people that are in 0:10:05.920 --> 0:10:09.040 the false care system and that age out. Also the 0:10:09.080 --> 0:10:12.679 majority of young people that are unhoused in LA And 0:10:13.880 --> 0:10:17.320 because of those statistics and because we work with that 0:10:17.480 --> 0:10:23.640 population primarily, our African American numbers are higher than the racial. 0:10:23.400 --> 0:10:24.199 In the community. 0:10:24.520 --> 0:10:27.880 So the community itself is eighty five percent Latino, but 0:10:28.040 --> 0:10:30.400 we hear about a fifty to fifty racial and the 0:10:30.480 --> 0:10:31.400 people that we serve. 0:10:31.840 --> 0:10:32.160 Yeah. 0:10:32.600 --> 0:10:36.280 I worked with a startup that dealt with a lot 0:10:36.280 --> 0:10:39.720 of apartment buildings, and when you're dealing with low income housing, 0:10:39.760 --> 0:10:43.800 I noticed when I would talk to property managers what 0:10:43.920 --> 0:10:48.440 they were dealing with on a regular basis in mental 0:10:48.559 --> 0:10:52.680 illness or mental struggles was all over the spectrum, Like 0:10:52.720 --> 0:10:55.360 you had to have a whole different caliber of I mean, 0:10:55.559 --> 0:10:57.640 you would assume that they were like numb to just 0:10:57.760 --> 0:11:00.920 so much trauma that these people go through. What do 0:11:00.920 --> 0:11:05.320 you guys do to deal with the mental illness, because 0:11:05.320 --> 0:11:09.080 there's got to be some would amagine that's a big 0:11:09.160 --> 0:11:10.000 part of the equation. 0:11:10.160 --> 0:11:13.800 Right, We're not a licensed therapist. And the good thing 0:11:13.800 --> 0:11:16.760 about SERISD is we know how to partner. We know 0:11:16.880 --> 0:11:19.719 how to do what we do well, and then we 0:11:19.800 --> 0:11:23.400 know how to collaborate and partner with others that do 0:11:23.520 --> 0:11:27.120 their craft well. And so we partner with Kedrin, which 0:11:27.200 --> 0:11:30.920 has a mental health hospital in South Los Angeles. They're 0:11:30.960 --> 0:11:34.720 actually working on building a new facility i think close 0:11:34.800 --> 0:11:37.960 to the Watts and they have some of the best 0:11:38.000 --> 0:11:41.120 mental health professionals that I've ever worked with and I've 0:11:41.160 --> 0:11:44.840 ever seen. And so when we have cases, because we 0:11:45.000 --> 0:11:49.560 do have a housing and support services department that primarily 0:11:49.600 --> 0:11:53.280 works with young people, and unfortunately a lot of young 0:11:53.320 --> 0:11:56.120 people are dealing with a lot of trauma, trauma that 0:11:56.160 --> 0:12:00.000 they've been dealing with for years, some of them decades, 0:12:00.640 --> 0:12:05.600 And having that partnership with Kedron really helps our coordinators 0:12:05.840 --> 0:12:09.280 to provide this young person with services. Because every young 0:12:09.400 --> 0:12:12.240 person that come through our doors because we have a 0:12:12.440 --> 0:12:15.360 dropping center called Ruth Place Yes. 0:12:16.840 --> 0:12:18.840 Dropping center called Place Yes. 0:12:18.880 --> 0:12:22.760 It's a youth dropping center, so young people from anywhere. 0:12:22.840 --> 0:12:25.040 Usually we get young people from all over the city, 0:12:25.400 --> 0:12:28.880 not just South LA. And we're probably one of the 0:12:29.000 --> 0:12:32.640 few dropping centers in the city of La, particularly in 0:12:32.720 --> 0:12:37.679 South LA. So they drop in primarily looking for housing opportunities, 0:12:37.720 --> 0:12:39.960 and we have housing navigators. 0:12:40.000 --> 0:12:42.760 Individuals may come in needing mental. 0:12:42.440 --> 0:12:46.200 Health support, so we provide support to them by way 0:12:46.240 --> 0:12:50.960 of KEDRON. Others may just be coming in for other services. 0:12:51.000 --> 0:12:53.560 Maybe they need to take a shower, maybe they just 0:12:53.679 --> 0:12:56.800 need to park somewhere and take a nap because they've 0:12:56.840 --> 0:12:59.440 been up all night. Because a lot of young people 0:12:59.520 --> 0:13:03.479 do not like going into the shelters that are available 0:13:03.720 --> 0:13:08.280 that are primarily for adults. There's not many youth shelters 0:13:08.559 --> 0:13:11.040 and so they don't like that, and so they're in 0:13:11.120 --> 0:13:13.840 the parks in a car if they have it, or 0:13:13.880 --> 0:13:17.440 they're walking around the streets because they're scared and terrified 0:13:17.440 --> 0:13:20.040 of going to sleep. And so we have a place 0:13:20.040 --> 0:13:22.000 where folks in come and if they need to take 0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:24.760 a DAP, they take a nap, and that's an entry 0:13:24.800 --> 0:13:27.880 point for us to see what other services they need. 0:13:28.160 --> 0:13:30.800 And these are folks that are not living in our 0:13:31.000 --> 0:13:33.840 apartment buildings and folks that we're connecting to what we 0:13:33.920 --> 0:13:37.760 call scatter site housing. So these are working with private 0:13:38.200 --> 0:13:42.440 apartment building owners, usually small mom and pop apartment building 0:13:42.480 --> 0:13:46.160 owners for the ten units, and we're master releasing buildings 0:13:46.240 --> 0:13:50.160 and we're working rental or leasing arrangements with those owners 0:13:50.520 --> 0:13:52.840 and placing young people in housing. 0:13:53.160 --> 0:13:56.280 Wow, that's a lot. Yeah, how many people do see 0:13:56.360 --> 0:14:00.440 RCD I'm getting all don't get all up in people 0:14:00.480 --> 0:14:01.840 to CRCD employing. 0:14:02.440 --> 0:14:07.359 So right now today because we're so CRCD the nonprofit 0:14:08.400 --> 0:14:12.400 employees about one hundred and sixty seven full time employees. 0:14:13.160 --> 0:14:15.880 We probably employ on part. 0:14:15.600 --> 0:14:19.320 Time basis through different services or whatnot, another two to 0:14:19.400 --> 0:14:22.200 three thousand people that come through our doors. 0:14:22.840 --> 0:14:23.000 Now. 0:14:23.120 --> 0:14:29.160 CRCD Enterprises On which is our for profit and construction company, 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:34.040 employees today about two hundred and fifty individuals full time. 0:14:34.600 --> 0:14:39.200 And then CRCD Partners, who is does everything real estate 0:14:39.240 --> 0:14:44.440 development and it's also a for profit entity, employees about 0:14:44.440 --> 0:14:45.520 forty individuals. 0:14:45.520 --> 0:14:47.400 So all together, if you. 0:14:47.400 --> 0:14:51.280 Do the math, we're employing about a little over five 0:14:51.400 --> 0:14:52.440 hundred individuals. 0:14:52.800 --> 0:14:54.400 Can do the math that quick, but. 0:14:54.360 --> 0:14:58.960 That's a lot and there's a lot of arms. Yes, yes, 0:15:00.720 --> 0:15:02.960 I'm genuinely curious what a day in the life of 0:15:03.000 --> 0:15:05.280 you is. Do you have two phones or one? 0:15:05.520 --> 0:15:07.360 I have one phone. 0:15:08.480 --> 0:15:11.680 They've tried to give me two phones, but I'm like 0:15:11.760 --> 0:15:14.560 one is enough. And then I have to have an 0:15:14.560 --> 0:15:18.240 executive assistant that is more than just another phone, but 0:15:18.320 --> 0:15:21.520 she takes care of other things and people that's been 0:15:21.600 --> 0:15:23.240 trying to find me or. 0:15:24.800 --> 0:15:27.120 So you have your cell phone number? Are you am? 0:15:27.160 --> 0:15:30.160 I am? I very lucky and fortunate to have this numb. 0:15:30.800 --> 0:15:33.240 I don't want to put it like that, but you 0:15:33.320 --> 0:15:36.280 wanted to look, I feel cool now. 0:15:38.040 --> 0:15:39.200 You got a direct connect. 0:15:39.320 --> 0:15:43.120 Yeah, I hit them directly, like please, please, please please, 0:15:43.400 --> 0:15:46.200 because I think I did try the other ways, which 0:15:46.240 --> 0:15:49.520 is like going to through other people. See but if 0:15:49.560 --> 0:15:53.600 you go direct, go direct. If you think about it, 0:15:53.600 --> 0:15:57.640 it worked best when I went direct. It does so 0:15:57.640 --> 0:16:00.600 if you see them on the street, guys hit me up. 0:16:02.560 --> 0:16:05.760 So that's a huge footprint. What I think is crazy 0:16:05.760 --> 0:16:07.680 about LA because I do work with like the LA 0:16:07.800 --> 0:16:09.680 Business Journal and all these guys, is like I have 0:16:09.800 --> 0:16:11.600 shocked sometimes that I don't see you on the cover 0:16:11.680 --> 0:16:15.000 of some of these, Like, I don't know if it's 0:16:15.000 --> 0:16:18.720 because you're not doing prs, the just you're just your 0:16:18.760 --> 0:16:20.440 footprint is pretty large. 0:16:20.640 --> 0:16:23.320 Yeah, it's a number of things. I don't think. 0:16:23.480 --> 0:16:26.480 I know, I'm not doing a lot of PR because 0:16:26.800 --> 0:16:29.040 I'm typically focused. 0:16:28.640 --> 0:16:29.160 On the work. 0:16:29.960 --> 0:16:32.960 I've never been someone that like to be all in 0:16:33.000 --> 0:16:37.760 the videos in front of the newspapers, so I ride 0:16:37.840 --> 0:16:40.680 a little low. So even doing this is a little 0:16:40.720 --> 0:16:41.360 different for me. 0:16:41.800 --> 0:16:43.360 I love it. I think you need to do more 0:16:43.400 --> 0:16:45.840 of it. I wonder if does that help or hinder 0:16:45.920 --> 0:16:48.600 your fundraising processes. I would imagine you have to do 0:16:48.640 --> 0:16:49.560 some level of PR. 0:16:49.840 --> 0:16:51.280 Yeah, I mean with fundraising. 0:16:51.520 --> 0:16:55.040 I mean, you know, I do the conferences, I do 0:16:55.680 --> 0:16:59.720 the panel discussions, and I do those things which helps 0:16:59.760 --> 0:17:02.360 to get our word and our message out. I do 0:17:02.400 --> 0:17:04.840 a lot of meetings with different foundations and things of 0:17:04.880 --> 0:17:08.240 that nature. So I would think that it may hinder 0:17:08.280 --> 0:17:12.480 it a bit because our message and what we do 0:17:12.560 --> 0:17:16.560 a lot of folks still don't know. Yeah, yeah, and 0:17:16.720 --> 0:17:20.800 I appreciate that, and so we're working on figuring out 0:17:21.160 --> 0:17:23.960 how to do better or be better at. 0:17:23.840 --> 0:17:25.879 PR and communications, you know. 0:17:26.080 --> 0:17:29.320 But for me myself, I'm just more focused on the 0:17:29.359 --> 0:17:32.760 work and then allow folks like the board and others 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:34.600 to think about ways that we. 0:17:34.600 --> 0:17:36.680 Can kind of get out more and get. 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:40.560 In journals, get interviewed by different magazines. Really, you know, 0:17:40.640 --> 0:17:43.840 talk about the unique work that we're doing in South LA. 0:17:43.960 --> 0:17:47.520 Because it's tough work that the team is doing. It's 0:17:47.560 --> 0:17:52.080 not easy when you're managing contracts that have time limits 0:17:52.160 --> 0:17:55.719 on them and you have a young person or an 0:17:55.760 --> 0:17:58.800 adult that doesn't have a time limit on when they 0:17:58.800 --> 0:18:01.560 can get on their feet or when they can somehow 0:18:01.680 --> 0:18:05.200 overcome trauma. I mean, when you have a contract where 0:18:05.440 --> 0:18:09.000 they say you have six months to produce these results, 0:18:09.240 --> 0:18:12.120 and you have someone that's just getting out that they're 0:18:12.160 --> 0:18:15.480 twenty years, it's going to take bore than six months. 0:18:15.359 --> 0:18:16.240 To work with him. 0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:20.160 So you know, that's why, you know, the work is difficult, 0:18:20.280 --> 0:18:23.240 and where there are opportunities for us to talk more 0:18:23.280 --> 0:18:26.080 about the work, we can be better at doing so 0:18:26.359 --> 0:18:28.360 because I know there's a lot more people that may 0:18:28.440 --> 0:18:30.560 want to support what we're doing. 0:18:30.680 --> 0:18:33.679 So yeah, yeah, did Amazon ever hit you guys up? 0:18:33.760 --> 0:18:36.119 I'll discouraged because she has been making it right all around. 0:18:36.680 --> 0:18:39.399 You know, I don't think they hit us up, And 0:18:39.440 --> 0:18:42.200 I can be mistaken, so I don't want a mistake openly. 0:18:42.600 --> 0:18:44.080 But I haven't seen anything. 0:18:44.359 --> 0:18:48.280 Oh you would know. I've heard, Sorry, she dropped millions 0:18:48.320 --> 0:18:51.600 on some nonprobability. They just say they just get a 0:18:51.640 --> 0:18:52.400 random I. 0:18:52.320 --> 0:18:55.000 Mean, I'm sure, but I haven't gotten a rack. 0:18:55.080 --> 0:18:55.959 Yeah, I think you would know. 0:18:56.160 --> 0:18:57.159 Yeah, I would know. 0:18:57.280 --> 0:18:58.320 I think you would. 0:18:58.600 --> 0:18:59.840 I think see. 0:19:00.119 --> 0:19:05.000 When you refer to Amazon about Kensey Scott. 0:19:04.760 --> 0:19:08.840 So I believe we did support from McKenzie Scott a 0:19:08.920 --> 0:19:09.760 couple of years ago. 0:19:10.200 --> 0:19:12.800 So yeah, I'm like made it. 0:19:12.920 --> 0:19:16.119 Yeah, No, No, she's good. They good folks. You're like 0:19:18.240 --> 0:19:19.639 a lot of Amazon packages. 0:19:20.320 --> 0:19:26.480 No, because she has she definitely, I don't know. She's 0:19:26.520 --> 0:19:28.080 definitely been making it rain on. 0:19:28.040 --> 0:19:30.520 A lot of I mean, her support definitely helped us 0:19:30.560 --> 0:19:34.359 to move a lot of our real estate development efforts forward. 0:19:34.440 --> 0:19:35.600 A lot of people don't know. 0:19:36.200 --> 0:19:39.320 You know, when we're doing these projects, you're putting, you know, 0:19:39.960 --> 0:19:42.720 millions of dollars into them before you even see one 0:19:42.800 --> 0:19:48.480 dime back, and so you're constantly raising money doing applications. 0:19:48.520 --> 0:19:52.760 They're very complicated projects to put together. It's not like 0:19:52.840 --> 0:19:56.640 your typical real estate investment deal where you just buy 0:19:57.280 --> 0:20:00.320 a hum flip or by rent because you. 0:20:00.560 --> 0:20:04.600 Break your progresies, break ground permit request. 0:20:05.080 --> 0:20:09.560 And so from from ground from acquisition to breaking ground 0:20:09.720 --> 0:20:14.000 to actually people moving in is typically a four year process. 0:20:13.760 --> 0:20:15.400 Geeze for each project. 0:20:15.440 --> 0:20:16.960 And then you're paying the whole time. 0:20:17.000 --> 0:20:20.680 You're paying the whole time, you're paying those twenty forty staff, 0:20:21.119 --> 0:20:25.600 you're paying for permits, you're paying for you know, engineering, 0:20:25.760 --> 0:20:30.400 architectural services, and a lot of legal fees. Yeah, So 0:20:30.480 --> 0:20:33.679 affordable housing for the good people that do it all 0:20:33.720 --> 0:20:38.440 across the country don't get recognized enough for the actual 0:20:38.520 --> 0:20:42.679 difficulty that goes into it and expertise that needs to 0:20:42.720 --> 0:20:46.200 go into it. To actually build a project for people 0:20:46.560 --> 0:20:50.400 that need affordable housing is very different than your typical 0:20:50.440 --> 0:20:52.000 real estate investment project. 0:20:52.400 --> 0:20:53.920 And that's honestly a. 0:20:53.840 --> 0:20:56.840 Lot of people don't do it because it's really hard, 0:20:57.400 --> 0:21:00.879 and it's because you're you have to put so many 0:21:01.040 --> 0:21:04.080 or go after so many different subsidies to make the 0:21:04.119 --> 0:21:08.040 project happen. So hats off to folks that do that work, 0:21:08.040 --> 0:21:12.080 include our team. 0:21:12.280 --> 0:21:14.240 How long is a waiting list for you guys for 0:21:14.280 --> 0:21:15.280 your affordable housing? 0:21:16.119 --> 0:21:22.480 So typically, unfortunately, on any given project, you'll have five 0:21:22.600 --> 0:21:25.800 hundred to two thousand people on the waiting lists, and 0:21:25.840 --> 0:21:30.359 the waiting list is even more you know, probably you know, 0:21:30.600 --> 0:21:32.720 I don't know the exact but we get a lot 0:21:32.760 --> 0:21:36.640 of referrals from Department of Mental Health, so they have 0:21:36.680 --> 0:21:40.080 a waiting list of thousands of folks we get on 0:21:40.160 --> 0:21:44.320 a waiting list with LARSA. They refer people to our building, 0:21:44.320 --> 0:21:47.439 particularly young people. They have you know, hundreds, if not 0:21:47.520 --> 0:21:49.280 thousands of people on the waiting lists. 0:21:49.640 --> 0:21:51.080 And that's why, you. 0:21:51.000 --> 0:21:56.879 Know, our mayor, our governor, our council members continue to 0:21:56.960 --> 0:22:00.600 fight to try to bring in more resources for housing 0:22:01.840 --> 0:22:05.160 because there's not a lot of units to support the need, 0:22:05.840 --> 0:22:09.760 so you have to build more. And you know, our 0:22:09.880 --> 0:22:13.200 mayor has done things to cut down the wait time 0:22:13.280 --> 0:22:17.720 and the time it takes to actually build a housing project, 0:22:18.119 --> 0:22:23.520 but it's still not enough yet of buildings in the 0:22:23.560 --> 0:22:26.640 ground to support the need. So you have a long 0:22:26.680 --> 0:22:29.720 waiting list. And that's throughout the state of California, not 0:22:29.920 --> 0:22:32.040 just the city of Los Angeles. 0:22:32.280 --> 0:22:35.959 Wow, that's when you get a wait list. I'm guessing 0:22:36.000 --> 0:22:39.000 there's some kind of lottery process to help. 0:22:39.240 --> 0:22:41.959 Unfortunately, I mean a lot of us don't like the 0:22:42.000 --> 0:22:45.600 lottery process because people that we're working with directly or 0:22:45.640 --> 0:22:49.200 have worked with directly, we can say, hey, we can 0:22:49.240 --> 0:22:52.639 get you housing. So in fairness to people that have 0:22:52.760 --> 0:22:56.680 been waiting for sometimes years, there is a lottery process 0:22:57.280 --> 0:23:01.480 that's controlled by either the housing the apartment, or Department 0:23:01.480 --> 0:23:04.600 of Mental Health or one of the county agencies. 0:23:05.080 --> 0:23:08.240 And as you can imagine, they fill up pretty quickly. 0:23:08.520 --> 0:23:12.320 Yeah, and it's with Ruth's Place, the dropping center for youth. 0:23:12.960 --> 0:23:14.920 How does that whole process work. Is there like a 0:23:15.000 --> 0:23:17.680 huge waitlist or they're just it's a safe It's. 0:23:17.560 --> 0:23:19.320 Just a safe place you can drop in. 0:23:20.000 --> 0:23:21.960 Okay. Is it like twenty four hours or something. 0:23:22.000 --> 0:23:26.000 No, No, So it is not a shelter and it's 0:23:26.000 --> 0:23:28.560 not open twenty four hours. It's an eight to five 0:23:28.640 --> 0:23:32.960 or eight to six where folks can literally drop in, 0:23:33.560 --> 0:23:37.520 go through an intake process, be placed with a case manager, 0:23:38.440 --> 0:23:40.879 or if they just coming in to get some food 0:23:41.880 --> 0:23:45.800 or just want a place to relax, they can do that. Okay, 0:23:45.920 --> 0:23:49.560 So it's radomly whoever, Yeah, safe place whoever wants to 0:23:49.560 --> 0:23:49.920 come in. 0:23:50.119 --> 0:23:52.159 And then if they come I'm just saying this for 0:23:52.200 --> 0:23:54.400 all y'all listeners. So if they come in and you're 0:23:54.600 --> 0:23:57.480 you know, you have say an issue one area transportation 0:23:57.880 --> 0:24:01.640 or food or how or whatever. You go there, you 0:24:01.680 --> 0:24:05.159 get linked with a case manager that helps redirect you 0:24:05.200 --> 0:24:08.600 to help you get those services at least temporarily. 0:24:08.960 --> 0:24:13.560 Temporarily and usually our staff is good at connecting folks 0:24:13.600 --> 0:24:14.639 to warm handoffs. 0:24:14.640 --> 0:24:17.400 We don't like you saying hey, go over here. 0:24:17.280 --> 0:24:19.320 To follow this website. 0:24:19.920 --> 0:24:23.800 It's usually refer to good groups that we work with 0:24:24.240 --> 0:24:27.520 that you know, have a relationship with our team, and 0:24:27.520 --> 0:24:30.240 then folks are placed in good hands with them. And 0:24:30.359 --> 0:24:33.520 usually it's a group, you know, like topics or others 0:24:33.920 --> 0:24:38.000 that may provide resources for un housed families. See, we 0:24:38.040 --> 0:24:41.240 don't do families and we don't do adults, and so 0:24:41.280 --> 0:24:43.920 when folks come in they may be over the age 0:24:44.160 --> 0:24:44.919 of twenty. 0:24:44.680 --> 0:24:45.480 Four years old. 0:24:45.840 --> 0:24:49.920 So we have partners like them and many others that 0:24:49.960 --> 0:24:52.920 we can refer people to and help them get services. 0:24:53.119 --> 0:24:56.240 Wow, that's a lot. So going back to my question, 0:24:56.760 --> 0:24:58.680 it was the day in the life. 0:24:58.800 --> 0:25:00.520 I mean, you know, the day life. 0:25:00.520 --> 0:25:03.880 I mean when you're you know, you're managing your family 0:25:04.119 --> 0:25:07.600 or the best I can and you know, so a 0:25:07.680 --> 0:25:10.520 day in the life starts at six in the morning 0:25:11.240 --> 0:25:15.800 and probably ends at about six about nine at night. 0:25:16.440 --> 0:25:20.959 Something like that. Yeah, no, sometimes it's longer than that. 0:25:21.040 --> 0:25:24.840 It depends on what's going on and everything scrunched in between. 0:25:24.880 --> 0:25:28.920 There's a lot of teams, meeting, conference calls, meetings in person, 0:25:29.640 --> 0:25:34.200 you know, meeting with you know, funders, investors, legal teams, 0:25:34.320 --> 0:25:37.520 so forth. It depends on what's happening in the week. 0:25:37.600 --> 0:25:41.360 But every hour, on an hour, there's something going on, 0:25:41.560 --> 0:25:43.840 and then you kind of sneak in some time for 0:25:43.960 --> 0:25:48.359 some grub and maybe yeah, speaking of it, maybe a 0:25:48.400 --> 0:25:51.520 happy hour, but usually a happy hour turn into a 0:25:51.560 --> 0:25:59.040 meeting too, So yeah, yeah. 0:25:57.560 --> 0:25:59.280 Did you take your shot yet? We're about to tell 0:25:59.280 --> 0:26:02.400 you something important, you man, I like it. You never 0:26:02.440 --> 0:26:05.840 get those like just me, well just tell me on 0:26:05.880 --> 0:26:08.720 the phone. No, No, you're going to you're going happy hour, lady. 0:26:08.800 --> 0:26:11.440 Let's wait till after happy I mean you. 0:26:11.600 --> 0:26:14.720 I mean in the earlier days, you know, you got 0:26:14.760 --> 0:26:17.320 a lot more of those calls. Nowadays it's more so 0:26:17.800 --> 0:26:20.560 because they want us to do more, you know, And 0:26:20.600 --> 0:26:23.040 so that's a good feeling to actually be at that 0:26:23.160 --> 0:26:26.879 place where you kind of the go to organization, or 0:26:26.880 --> 0:26:29.159 at least one of them that people can go to 0:26:29.280 --> 0:26:32.360 and depend on. And so because people know we're already 0:26:32.400 --> 0:26:35.199 doing a lot. Sometime a shock can help get to it. 0:26:35.280 --> 0:26:41.840 Yes, smart, I'll take a note in my mind. Now, 0:26:42.080 --> 0:26:45.000 now that everyone is caught up to who you are today, 0:26:45.119 --> 0:26:47.160 I had to give you a backstory because you don't 0:26:47.160 --> 0:26:49.359 do a lot of prs. So we are again thank you, 0:26:49.400 --> 0:26:52.040 thank you for coming on the show. Now I want 0:26:52.040 --> 0:26:54.200 to take us back to who you are, back with, 0:26:54.680 --> 0:26:58.639 way back, way back. So tell me what you're gonna 0:26:58.640 --> 0:27:03.680 have me eat today. Something you ate when you were broke. 0:27:04.160 --> 0:27:07.920 So the easy and you can't go wrong in la 0:27:08.400 --> 0:27:12.520 but especially when you broke without going to tacos. And 0:27:12.640 --> 0:27:17.360 so we're gonna have some chicken tacos today on flour 0:27:17.560 --> 0:27:22.360 tortilla shells. We'll go mix in some cilantro, some salsa, 0:27:22.520 --> 0:27:26.840 green and red or your choice, with some regular white onions, 0:27:27.160 --> 0:27:30.080 and then if you like cheese, once done, you can 0:27:30.119 --> 0:27:32.520 sprinkle some of that on with some dishal our. 0:27:33.400 --> 0:27:35.280 Yeah, this is this is good. By the way, We've 0:27:35.320 --> 0:27:38.639 had some guests do some taco type dishes, and so 0:27:38.720 --> 0:27:43.480 I went in our fridge I found this. Oh yeah, 0:27:44.440 --> 0:27:47.000 I tried it, you know, but go ahead, get your 0:27:47.240 --> 0:27:49.560 get yourself in the kitchen. I don't know if we 0:27:49.640 --> 0:27:52.359 put the right seasonings out for you. If we have it, 0:27:52.359 --> 0:27:53.919 it's okay because we could call cutting. 0:27:57.440 --> 0:27:57.879 We got some. 0:27:59.400 --> 0:28:06.520 Chicken seas season were good. Okay. So take me back 0:28:06.600 --> 0:28:09.960 to what was going on. Take me all the way back. 0:28:10.200 --> 0:28:13.560 I want to go broke, broke you. So take me 0:28:13.600 --> 0:28:16.080 back to what was going on when you were eating tacos. 0:28:16.080 --> 0:28:20.840 So my mom and dad, you know, I was fortunate 0:28:20.880 --> 0:28:25.400 to grow up in a house, two parent household, and 0:28:25.640 --> 0:28:29.080 both my parents were from the South, so I want 0:28:29.200 --> 0:28:34.520 my dad. My father was from Harris County, Georgia, and 0:28:34.680 --> 0:28:37.840 my mom was from Texas Cana, Arkansas, even though they 0:28:37.880 --> 0:28:41.440 say it's Texas, but I kind of reminded that it's Arkansas. 0:28:43.120 --> 0:28:46.520 But because of their background, we eat a lot of 0:28:46.560 --> 0:28:49.800 different Southern food, and one of them was tacos. 0:28:49.880 --> 0:28:55.040 I mean it's not traditional La style tacos. It's more like. 0:28:55.040 --> 0:29:00.880 Ground turkey, ground chacking, ground everything, I think, because stretch. 0:29:00.560 --> 0:29:02.960 Out a little longer and you just kind of eat 0:29:03.040 --> 0:29:08.320 on that for probably a few days. And my dad, because. 0:29:08.000 --> 0:29:11.040 He's a good country boy, busted up the concrete in 0:29:11.080 --> 0:29:14.400 the backyard and built out a garden so he wouldn't 0:29:14.400 --> 0:29:18.280 make his own tomatoes and squash and cucumbers. 0:29:18.320 --> 0:29:18.840 I think we. 0:29:18.760 --> 0:29:23.680 Grew watermelon at season and strawberries and you know, and. 0:29:23.600 --> 0:29:26.880 So that's where that's where it goes back to him. 0:29:26.920 --> 0:29:30.040 Remind me of of a you know, my elementary or 0:29:30.120 --> 0:29:34.280 childhood days of you know, eating tacos and it'll be 0:29:34.320 --> 0:29:37.920 tacos one day, it'll be a burrito the next day, 0:29:38.400 --> 0:29:40.520 but it'll be the same meat. 0:29:41.240 --> 0:29:43.840 I can respect that. Yeah, And you know, now that 0:29:43.840 --> 0:29:45.640 I think about it, you're right, because ground turkey, you 0:29:45.680 --> 0:29:47.880 could do tacos and spaghetti. 0:29:48.480 --> 0:29:51.120 You know. Yep, you can mix it up. 0:29:51.160 --> 0:29:51.880 You can mix it up. 0:29:52.080 --> 0:29:54.680 It wasn't no waste. Let's just say that. And so 0:29:54.720 --> 0:29:56.720 that's what it always remind me of. 0:29:56.800 --> 0:30:01.200 And my grandmother and my auntie's they were great, good cooks. 0:30:00.880 --> 0:30:04.080 And you know, and so it was just you know. 0:30:04.120 --> 0:30:07.920 Who made the best burrito or you know, like my 0:30:08.600 --> 0:30:11.960 auntie Debbie rest in peace, but she made the best. 0:30:11.840 --> 0:30:16.800 Chunky beef still tis there. I don't know how it 0:30:16.840 --> 0:30:18.000 was made, but it was good. 0:30:18.680 --> 0:30:19.960 And what did they do for work? 0:30:20.440 --> 0:30:24.640 So my father was a contractor. It was a contractor 0:30:24.920 --> 0:30:27.200 more of a like a foreman superintendent. 0:30:27.280 --> 0:30:28.160 He was the hands on. 0:30:28.360 --> 0:30:32.920 Guy probably built a lot of the early shopping centers 0:30:32.960 --> 0:30:36.680 in South LA. Did a lot of brick mason work, 0:30:36.880 --> 0:30:40.480 so a lot of the walls and other concrete related 0:30:40.520 --> 0:30:42.120 work in La. 0:30:42.560 --> 0:30:45.360 My dad was part of. He wasn't just one trade. 0:30:45.400 --> 0:30:50.040 He knew all of the trades and so that inspired 0:30:50.080 --> 0:30:53.680 me as a young boy when he told me I 0:30:53.800 --> 0:30:55.360 was you know, we had to get up and go 0:30:55.400 --> 0:30:59.240 to work when we were young. So it wasn't no 0:31:00.240 --> 0:31:01.640 up and go outside and play. 0:31:02.320 --> 0:31:03.840 Not for me and my sister. 0:31:03.920 --> 0:31:07.800 We had to get up, clean the backyard, wash the dishes. 0:31:08.280 --> 0:31:11.760 And that's because he had a strong work ethic early 0:31:11.800 --> 0:31:14.960 on when helping around, you know, things that need to 0:31:15.000 --> 0:31:18.800 be repaired in the house. He figured out probably when 0:31:18.800 --> 0:31:22.240 I was about four or five years old, that construction 0:31:22.440 --> 0:31:25.560 wasn't gonna be for me, meaning the actual being a 0:31:25.600 --> 0:31:29.320 construction worker wasn't gonna be for me. And so I'm 0:31:29.480 --> 0:31:32.800 seizing this a little different, but just work with me here, 0:31:35.320 --> 0:31:39.280 probably about a couple of days ago. It wasn't tacos though, okay, 0:31:39.640 --> 0:31:44.000 So he would you know, instill in me that I 0:31:44.080 --> 0:31:47.760 needed to use my brain to actually get a career 0:31:47.880 --> 0:31:51.200 or whatnot. Because these hammers and nails is not gonna 0:31:51.240 --> 0:31:55.880 work for you, And he was right. My little brother different, 0:31:56.040 --> 0:31:59.880 you know, he grew up and became an electrician, you know, 0:32:00.280 --> 0:32:04.600 and now owns his own electric electrician company in Las Vegas. 0:32:05.120 --> 0:32:08.280 And so that's in My mom. She did a lot 0:32:08.320 --> 0:32:12.240 of different things, definitely running the household, but she also 0:32:12.400 --> 0:32:15.720 was into insurance, and she worked at a lot of 0:32:15.720 --> 0:32:19.800 different department stores. But always know her as being the 0:32:21.280 --> 0:32:25.600 general manager of the house, if that makes sense. So 0:32:25.600 --> 0:32:29.280 she ran the home, she took care of business. She 0:32:29.360 --> 0:32:32.320 went out and work, but she always took care of business, 0:32:32.840 --> 0:32:35.680 you know, because when you're working in construction. 0:32:36.400 --> 0:32:36.640 You know. 0:32:37.400 --> 0:32:41.160 Before I may say global warming got into effect, it 0:32:41.280 --> 0:32:43.840 used to be when I was young, we actually had 0:32:43.880 --> 0:32:47.160 seasons in La You had your summer, you knew when 0:32:47.200 --> 0:32:49.680 it was gonna rain. They actually used to sell rain 0:32:49.720 --> 0:32:52.520 coats in the department stores. They don't know more. 0:32:52.600 --> 0:32:54.600 You gotta find it or go online. 0:32:54.760 --> 0:32:57.720 But it was like racks and racks of like rain 0:32:57.800 --> 0:33:01.960 gear that you don't find as much today, you know. 0:33:02.640 --> 0:33:06.000 And so when it rained, my father didn't work, so 0:33:06.120 --> 0:33:08.080 it was my mom that had to pick up the 0:33:08.120 --> 0:33:13.440 slack whole season without working because they couldn't work in 0:33:13.480 --> 0:33:17.040 the rain. Yeah, and so you know my mom would 0:33:17.080 --> 0:33:20.000 be there to pick up the slack. Make sure you know, 0:33:20.280 --> 0:33:22.800 when we were young, we didn't know no difference. I mean, 0:33:22.800 --> 0:33:25.000 it was not like it wasn't no food on the table. 0:33:25.480 --> 0:33:26.840 She knew how to stretch things. 0:33:27.680 --> 0:33:30.160 You know. It never was like lights didn't go off 0:33:30.200 --> 0:33:30.360 of it. 0:33:30.480 --> 0:33:32.640 Did they ever talk about did you ever hear them 0:33:32.760 --> 0:33:35.280 argue about money or it was it was seamless. 0:33:35.480 --> 0:33:38.840 Never never heard them arguing about money or anything like that. 0:33:38.920 --> 0:33:39.720 It was seamless. 0:33:40.280 --> 0:33:42.920 We would you know, you just have to like they 0:33:42.920 --> 0:33:46.520 were the old school managing the household budget. You know, 0:33:46.640 --> 0:33:49.880 there were times you just didn't get certain things. But 0:33:50.000 --> 0:33:53.160 we didn't never go without nothing, you know. 0:33:53.400 --> 0:33:54.880 I mean I don't ever remember. 0:33:55.440 --> 0:33:58.560 I didn't really like to wear a lot of fancy 0:33:58.640 --> 0:34:00.400 tennis shoes and clothes. 0:34:00.440 --> 0:34:00.880 Anyway. 0:34:01.600 --> 0:34:03.920 When I was in elementary, I used to tell my 0:34:03.960 --> 0:34:09.080 mom just brought me some dress shoes, just like to 0:34:09.080 --> 0:34:09.480 do that. 0:34:09.600 --> 0:34:12.719 You like to dressing slacks slacks? Did you see your 0:34:12.760 --> 0:34:14.560 dad dressing like that? 0:34:15.360 --> 0:34:17.120 Had? Yeah. 0:34:17.520 --> 0:34:21.200 I used to give speeches when I was a young kid, 0:34:21.960 --> 0:34:24.919 so you know I would go on I called a 0:34:24.960 --> 0:34:27.440 circuit tour to a lot of the black. 0:34:27.320 --> 0:34:29.120 Churches in the neighborhood. 0:34:29.160 --> 0:34:30.719 Oh you for real, for real? 0:34:30.880 --> 0:34:34.720 And I used to give speeches inspiring other young people 0:34:34.920 --> 0:34:35.600 at that time. 0:34:36.239 --> 0:34:38.200 And so to go to church you. 0:34:38.160 --> 0:34:40.759 Had to wear slacks, and you know, at least I think, 0:34:41.520 --> 0:34:44.320 and I took it real serious in the second grade. 0:34:44.400 --> 0:34:47.640 So second grade through sixth grade, that was my thing. 0:34:48.320 --> 0:34:50.759 Did you know then, what you kind of wanted to do. 0:34:51.440 --> 0:34:54.840 When I got to high school and I went to 0:34:54.840 --> 0:34:57.640 school all in South LA by the way, you know, 0:34:57.760 --> 0:35:02.000 I started wanting to be a school teacher, an elementary 0:35:02.000 --> 0:35:05.399 school teacher, because when I was in elementary school, there 0:35:05.480 --> 0:35:10.640 was only one black male teacher from kindergarten to sixth grade, 0:35:11.120 --> 0:35:14.920 only see one maybe two male black teachers. And I 0:35:15.000 --> 0:35:19.360 knew by high school what male teachers, how they influenced 0:35:19.440 --> 0:35:24.319 positively young black men. And I just wanted to be 0:35:24.360 --> 0:35:24.840 a teacher. 0:35:25.640 --> 0:35:26.399 That was my thing. 0:35:26.520 --> 0:35:30.080 I was gonna figure, I'll go to cal State Domingus Hills. 0:35:30.120 --> 0:35:33.160 That's where a lot of the teachers went Ril Camino 0:35:33.239 --> 0:35:36.520 to start, you know, So that's what I wanted to do. 0:35:37.080 --> 0:35:38.719 And then nineteen ninety two hit. 0:35:39.680 --> 0:35:40.919 But in nineteen ninety two. 0:35:41.080 --> 0:35:45.040 The uprising or what people will say, the riots, okay 0:35:45.080 --> 0:35:46.799 of ninety two, and. 0:35:46.760 --> 0:35:47.880 In my neighborhood. 0:35:48.280 --> 0:35:50.319 You know, I watched a lot of the buildings where 0:35:50.320 --> 0:35:52.839 I used to run down the street and shop at 0:35:53.040 --> 0:35:56.120 or you know, commercial corridors when we moved into the 0:35:56.200 --> 0:35:59.920 neighborhood in nineteen seventy nine, burned it. 0:36:01.160 --> 0:36:01.400 You know. 0:36:01.880 --> 0:36:04.400 Thirty years later, we happen to have a project that 0:36:04.719 --> 0:36:07.480 is about to open right there on the same corner 0:36:07.560 --> 0:36:11.960 of Vermont and Manchester in South la which is pretty exciting. 0:36:12.040 --> 0:36:16.240 But back then, in nineteen ninety two, being in high school, 0:36:16.880 --> 0:36:22.240 it changed me. I saw the disproportionate investment in resources 0:36:22.840 --> 0:36:26.920 in our community as well as in young people. And 0:36:27.000 --> 0:36:29.040 so from that moment, that's what I wanted to do. 0:36:29.400 --> 0:36:31.920 I wanted to work with young people. I wanted to 0:36:31.960 --> 0:36:35.680 become an advocate for change. That's what I started wanting 0:36:35.719 --> 0:36:39.840 to do because I couldn't believe our community was burning 0:36:39.880 --> 0:36:42.520 and I couldn't believe what appeared to be at the 0:36:42.560 --> 0:36:44.239 time people letting it burn. 0:36:44.360 --> 0:36:46.439 And I'm not talking about the people that lived there. 0:36:47.920 --> 0:36:50.719 You're talking about like a government and police. 0:36:50.719 --> 0:36:55.080 Just the investment politics at the time. They're very different today. 0:36:55.640 --> 0:37:00.480 The undercurrent of racism. You know, I mean we were 0:37:00.560 --> 0:37:05.839 called in the news media at the time thugs, you know, criminals, 0:37:06.480 --> 0:37:08.399 you know, things of course that they don't do as 0:37:08.440 --> 0:37:11.239 much today they hide it a little more, but then 0:37:11.280 --> 0:37:14.080 they were pretty blatant and that's how they described us. 0:37:14.160 --> 0:37:17.080 And they said, oh, they burning their community. Why would 0:37:17.080 --> 0:37:20.440 they burn their community? Well, people in that community at 0:37:20.480 --> 0:37:23.600 the time didn't feel like those businesses were their businesses. 0:37:24.200 --> 0:37:26.480 They were mistreated a lot of times. 0:37:26.520 --> 0:37:29.040 I'm not making up excuses, no, okay, Well, actually it's 0:37:29.080 --> 0:37:31.759 good to have that because of course that's a that's 0:37:31.800 --> 0:37:34.880 an obvious question to ask, but that's a very yeah, 0:37:34.960 --> 0:37:36.480 that's an answer that nobody would think. 0:37:36.600 --> 0:37:39.000 Yeah, I mean people didn't feel like they had a 0:37:39.000 --> 0:37:42.680 connection to those businesses, right. A lot of times people 0:37:42.680 --> 0:37:46.160 were mistreated when they went in those businesses. You had 0:37:46.280 --> 0:37:50.839 Natasha Harley that was unfortunately murdered and you know, her 0:37:51.560 --> 0:37:55.920 killer was given probation. You know, this was before Rodney Key, 0:37:56.200 --> 0:37:58.640 and so all of this build up was happening, and 0:37:58.680 --> 0:38:03.080 people didn't feel like those businesses were reflections of them. 0:38:03.760 --> 0:38:07.720 And so that's why it wasn't felt as if people 0:38:07.760 --> 0:38:11.680 were burning their own communities. Now, the unfortunate things is 0:38:11.719 --> 0:38:15.560 there are a lot of Korean Americans, Koreans that lost 0:38:16.040 --> 0:38:20.120 lifetimes of investments that they put in and that's absolutely, 0:38:20.600 --> 0:38:22.640 you know, heart wrenching and it's terrible. 0:38:23.120 --> 0:38:25.560 But the flip of the coin is that a lot 0:38:25.600 --> 0:38:27.560 of folks didn't feel that way. 0:38:27.880 --> 0:38:30.759 But there was just some plaane on looting and you know, 0:38:30.920 --> 0:38:32.720 just illegal activity as well. 0:38:33.200 --> 0:38:36.040 And as a young man, I was flat dabbed. 0:38:36.040 --> 0:38:41.040 In it right in it, not participating of course, but 0:38:41.280 --> 0:38:44.880 in it because I was witnessing something that was going 0:38:44.960 --> 0:38:47.280 to be with me for the rest of my life. 0:38:47.680 --> 0:38:51.240 And it actually changed your trajectory of what I wanted 0:38:51.239 --> 0:38:54.600 to do as a career. And so that's when I 0:38:54.640 --> 0:38:58.840 started working more with young people and looking at things 0:38:58.880 --> 0:38:59.520 that I can. 0:38:59.400 --> 0:39:01.520 Do more to support the community. 0:39:02.120 --> 0:39:05.960 I even started working with my Korean American and Asian 0:39:06.000 --> 0:39:10.000 brothers and sisters as well, particularly groups like the Korean 0:39:10.080 --> 0:39:14.160 Youth and Community Center KYCC, still doing good work today, 0:39:14.760 --> 0:39:18.000 work with a lot of them doing some community healing work, 0:39:18.400 --> 0:39:22.719 you know, bringing Black and Korean communities together. So part 0:39:22.760 --> 0:39:25.520 of that solution to healing is what I wanted to 0:39:25.520 --> 0:39:28.919 do as well. So I work with Korean youth, work 0:39:29.000 --> 0:39:32.000 with Latino youth, A lot of young people that were 0:39:32.440 --> 0:39:34.799 in the gangs, A lot of people who don't know 0:39:34.840 --> 0:39:36.759 that Korean's Gang Bang Do. 0:39:37.680 --> 0:39:39.279 I would never know that. Yeah, I would have never 0:39:39.320 --> 0:39:39.960 guessed it. 0:39:40.160 --> 0:39:44.000 And so you know, we had programs to address gang 0:39:44.120 --> 0:39:49.680 violence with Koreans, Latinos and African Americans, you know, and so, 0:39:50.520 --> 0:39:53.440 but it was nineteen ninety two that sparked something in 0:39:53.520 --> 0:39:58.160 me that said I needed to do more for community. 0:39:58.719 --> 0:40:01.880 And from just working with you've spun off this whole 0:40:02.560 --> 0:40:05.680 notion and ideal I had around would that young person 0:40:05.760 --> 0:40:08.359 need a job, get well, that young person is gonna 0:40:08.360 --> 0:40:11.080 need somewhere to live, that young person may want to 0:40:11.160 --> 0:40:13.560 own a business one day. And so that's when the 0:40:13.640 --> 0:40:17.680 economic development piece came along with my journey. 0:40:17.800 --> 0:40:20.600 But before we get to that part, take me back 0:40:20.640 --> 0:40:23.120 to Okay, so you find out in nineteen ninety two 0:40:23.400 --> 0:40:27.120 that now you have this sense of purpose is involved 0:40:27.160 --> 0:40:30.160 around youth. What is the first job or the first 0:40:30.239 --> 0:40:33.520 direction you take in like, what are those first conversations 0:40:33.560 --> 0:40:34.759 with your parents looking like. 0:40:35.480 --> 0:40:39.439 So, I mean with my mom and dad, they never 0:40:39.520 --> 0:40:42.400 said you need to do this. I mean basically, you know, 0:40:42.800 --> 0:40:45.360 black folks from the country. They want you to be 0:40:45.480 --> 0:40:49.480 doing something positive. Get your education so you can get 0:40:49.520 --> 0:40:53.760 a job, you know. But you know, curves happen in life, 0:40:54.160 --> 0:40:56.560 and one of the curves that happened outside of nineteen 0:40:56.640 --> 0:41:00.320 ninety two is that a few short years later, I 0:41:00.560 --> 0:41:02.560 found out I was going to be a young father, 0:41:03.160 --> 0:41:05.080 and so that changed. 0:41:04.719 --> 0:41:09.759 Me a young How old are you like in your 0:41:09.800 --> 0:41:11.080 early twenties at this point, a. 0:41:13.040 --> 0:41:14.280 Fresh out of high school? 0:41:14.800 --> 0:41:18.280 In high school, so I am now eighteen years old 0:41:18.480 --> 0:41:23.000 about to be a father following the nineteen ninety to 0:41:23.000 --> 0:41:25.600 two riots uprising. 0:41:25.719 --> 0:41:27.360 And and your parents weren't. 0:41:27.960 --> 0:41:31.720 Oh they was upset, Oh, no doubt, because that wasn't 0:41:31.760 --> 0:41:34.680 the direction that they thought I was going in. They 0:41:34.719 --> 0:41:37.879 thought I'm going to college, I'm going to do this thing. 0:41:37.960 --> 0:41:42.839 I'm doing that, you know, was accepted to Domingus. 0:41:42.320 --> 0:41:45.040 Hills, and so they thought, hey, you're doing what you 0:41:45.080 --> 0:41:46.200 said you wanted to do. 0:41:46.840 --> 0:41:49.080 And now you didn't throw this into the mix. 0:41:49.480 --> 0:41:51.279 I did not, just so you know, did not see 0:41:51.320 --> 0:41:51.800 this coming? 0:41:51.960 --> 0:41:55.200 Oh you h yeah, I did not. 0:41:56.920 --> 0:41:59.520 I'm so glad, I said, rewind, did you catch me? Like, 0:41:59.560 --> 0:42:03.680 don't be skipping, don't forget to hit your flower, I'm 0:42:03.719 --> 0:42:04.120 over here. 0:42:04.400 --> 0:42:05.840 Oh yeah, I'm hungry. 0:42:06.040 --> 0:42:08.160 So I just want to make sure that you you 0:42:08.360 --> 0:42:10.960 like it hard or or however. 0:42:11.080 --> 0:42:13.800 I mean, I just don't want to because it's chicken. 0:42:13.920 --> 0:42:14.840 I mean, you don't want to. 0:42:15.800 --> 0:42:19.399 You can't mess it up. But yeah, that's what I mean. Yeah, 0:42:19.719 --> 0:42:22.160 that's the thing. You just want to make sure because 0:42:22.200 --> 0:42:23.879 I ain't gonna do you like I do at home 0:42:23.960 --> 0:42:27.799 and be tasting it while I'm cooking. 0:42:28.320 --> 0:42:28.560 Dad. 0:42:28.600 --> 0:42:31.919 Okay, yeah, okay, So yes, I was a teen dad. 0:42:32.080 --> 0:42:34.719 So you was a teen dad to a boy or 0:42:34.760 --> 0:42:36.040 a girl to a girl? 0:42:36.440 --> 0:42:38.200 A girl name me money? 0:42:38.920 --> 0:42:42.600 Okay, Yeah I did not when I said I did 0:42:42.640 --> 0:42:46.160 not know this plot twist. Okay, so you become a dad. 0:42:46.200 --> 0:42:48.319 What's the first job? Are you still living at home? 0:42:48.360 --> 0:42:51.000 I got so still living at home. 0:42:52.520 --> 0:42:55.680 Because I never you know, so I'm still living at 0:42:55.680 --> 0:42:58.200 home because I was supposed to live. 0:42:58.080 --> 0:43:01.760 On the dorms, living on the doors for a minute. 0:43:01.800 --> 0:43:05.760 But you know, I, you know, I needed to figure 0:43:05.760 --> 0:43:08.160 out how it was going to earn money. I didn't 0:43:08.160 --> 0:43:11.319 want to borrow money from my mom and dad and 0:43:11.400 --> 0:43:15.080 didn't want to feel like I was taking advantage of them. 0:43:15.600 --> 0:43:18.920 I wanted to get out there and work, you know, 0:43:19.080 --> 0:43:23.080 and so I did, and I got odd jobs working. 0:43:23.000 --> 0:43:26.400 You know, for this store or this group or you know. 0:43:26.480 --> 0:43:29.200 At the time, because I'm still a youth, I qualified 0:43:29.280 --> 0:43:32.680 for some of youth employment. So I did that, but 0:43:32.920 --> 0:43:35.840 you know, of course that wasn't enough. And you know, 0:43:35.960 --> 0:43:38.360 worked at Staples. A friend of mine at the time 0:43:39.040 --> 0:43:41.879 that got me a job working with him. I did 0:43:41.960 --> 0:43:45.239 very well there, thought maybe I can do some work there. 0:43:45.239 --> 0:43:48.759 But I still was passionate about wanting to work in 0:43:48.760 --> 0:43:52.279 the community and work with youth. And so this couple 0:43:52.400 --> 0:43:55.560 are not couple, but folks came in to the store 0:43:55.960 --> 0:43:58.560 and I helped them because I was real passionate about 0:43:59.080 --> 0:44:01.840 everyone that comes here and you know need a computer. 0:44:02.200 --> 0:44:03.520 Yea, So that was my goal. 0:44:03.560 --> 0:44:05.960 Everyone that comes in, they need to buy a computer. 0:44:06.640 --> 0:44:09.080 So I was I think I was a pretty good salesman. 0:44:09.680 --> 0:44:11.879 Everyone didn't buy a computer, by the way, but they 0:44:12.040 --> 0:44:16.759 went and looked at it. And so those two individuals, 0:44:16.760 --> 0:44:19.040 they worked for a group called the Martin Luther King 0:44:19.719 --> 0:44:25.120 Legacy Association, which was under the Southern Christian Leadership Conference SELC. 0:44:25.800 --> 0:44:29.960 So part of the resources that came out of Washington, 0:44:30.080 --> 0:44:30.320 d C. 0:44:30.600 --> 0:44:35.120 To support South la under the Clinton administration, they were 0:44:35.160 --> 0:44:40.239 able to form an organization, a youth organization called Youth 0:44:40.239 --> 0:44:41.560 Empoment Project. 0:44:41.960 --> 0:44:45.279 And so they told me, hey, well we may have 0:44:45.360 --> 0:44:47.360 something for you. Because I was just telling. 0:44:47.120 --> 0:44:49.600 Them what I want to do, and they were like, huh, 0:44:49.680 --> 0:44:53.200 you would be good at maybe maybe you come for interview. 0:44:53.560 --> 0:44:55.800 I said, when can I come? They said, well, we 0:44:55.840 --> 0:44:58.520 got time today. So that day I went in my 0:44:58.719 --> 0:45:02.719 uniform my stables union and went to that interview and 0:45:02.760 --> 0:45:05.399 then they set up for a second interview to meet 0:45:05.480 --> 0:45:08.960 with the other staff, and after meeting with them, I 0:45:09.000 --> 0:45:12.239 got the job and there went my career as far 0:45:12.280 --> 0:45:17.600 as working with youth. I stayed with that organization, doing everything, 0:45:17.680 --> 0:45:20.800 working with black and brown. That's when I started working 0:45:20.840 --> 0:45:25.720 with Korean youth and Korean communities and Latino communities. 0:45:26.239 --> 0:45:29.640 I started doing community gardens. I was doing everything. 0:45:31.440 --> 0:45:34.040 And did what was your initial intake job when you 0:45:34.080 --> 0:45:34.759 first came on. 0:45:34.920 --> 0:45:38.880 So I was the program assistant, so I would assist 0:45:38.920 --> 0:45:43.920 the coordinator at the time, and we ran youth leadership 0:45:43.960 --> 0:45:45.560 programs at the time, which. 0:45:45.400 --> 0:45:46.480 I thought was very good. 0:45:47.000 --> 0:45:49.840 It worked with a lot of young people that to me, 0:45:51.000 --> 0:45:53.920 had every sense of being on track of going to college. 0:45:54.680 --> 0:45:57.799 But that wasn't a majority population in the community that 0:45:57.920 --> 0:46:00.960 I found out about because I started. 0:46:00.440 --> 0:46:02.360 Walking the community knocking on doors. 0:46:03.040 --> 0:46:05.040 You know, you got a black boy walking on doors, 0:46:05.040 --> 0:46:08.880 don't speak liquor Spanish, but talking to Spanish speaking people 0:46:09.600 --> 0:46:15.080 about the things that we do in the community that 0:46:15.160 --> 0:46:18.160 we provided because and that's when I learned that kids. 0:46:17.920 --> 0:46:20.480 Were game banging. They wasn't in school. 0:46:21.200 --> 0:46:24.880 And then I'm coming back to the organization, like we 0:46:25.000 --> 0:46:27.680 don't have program Why don't we have programs to serve 0:46:27.760 --> 0:46:28.600 these young people? 0:46:29.360 --> 0:46:31.919 And then they had to be created. So I created them. 0:46:32.520 --> 0:46:35.960 Wow, because at the time, the funding was only for 0:46:36.080 --> 0:46:40.960 that leadership program that that supported young people and it 0:46:41.040 --> 0:46:44.160 was a good program that was on track of going 0:46:44.280 --> 0:46:47.800 to college, and that was okay to me. That was okay, 0:46:47.840 --> 0:46:50.120 that was a good program. 0:46:50.160 --> 0:46:52.080 But if you. 0:46:52.080 --> 0:46:54.360 Want to change the needle or move the needle in 0:46:54.400 --> 0:46:57.520 any community, you got to go work with the people 0:46:57.800 --> 0:47:01.919 on the ground that's participated the things that are let's say, 0:47:01.960 --> 0:47:04.000 calls in the disruption in the neighborhood. 0:47:04.640 --> 0:47:06.839 And so so I chose. 0:47:06.560 --> 0:47:10.000 To work with the black and the brown gang members 0:47:10.280 --> 0:47:12.560 and create leadership programs for them. 0:47:13.120 --> 0:47:13.480 Wow. 0:47:13.640 --> 0:47:16.359 Yeah, And that was under the MLK. 0:47:16.480 --> 0:47:20.040 Yep Okay that was under Martin Luther King Association. 0:47:19.719 --> 0:47:21.600 And you were with this organization for how long? 0:47:21.680 --> 0:47:24.400 I was at this organization for about four and a 0:47:24.440 --> 0:47:27.000 half years. So when I left the organization, I was 0:47:27.040 --> 0:47:30.279 the director. So I went from program assistant. 0:47:30.400 --> 0:47:32.560 Through all that went all the way up in four years. 0:47:32.600 --> 0:47:36.080 That's great and four years so I became director at 0:47:36.080 --> 0:47:38.680 the age of twenty three and. 0:47:38.600 --> 0:47:41.479 Then when do you when? Why do you leave? 0:47:41.840 --> 0:47:48.040 So I left because the organization started changing, not necessarily SEOC, 0:47:48.760 --> 0:47:52.520 but leadership shifted. There was more of a focus around 0:47:53.280 --> 0:47:57.640 advocacy and things of that nature. It was less focus 0:47:57.719 --> 0:48:00.319 on kind of the work I wanted to do. And 0:48:00.360 --> 0:48:03.239 then I had an opportunity to do more economic development work. 0:48:03.680 --> 0:48:07.040 So that's when I went over to Dunbar Economic Development 0:48:07.080 --> 0:48:10.960 Corporation on historic South Central Avenue. 0:48:11.080 --> 0:48:14.120 And then for people that don't understand what economic development 0:48:14.160 --> 0:48:16.239 work means, can you break that down? 0:48:16.400 --> 0:48:20.840 So economic development work to me is a combination or 0:48:20.920 --> 0:48:24.360 community economic development work. So work that's driven by the 0:48:24.440 --> 0:48:29.360 community to build business, to look at ways to channel 0:48:29.760 --> 0:48:33.560 financial and other resources in the community. That helps with 0:48:33.880 --> 0:48:39.040 home ownership, helps with business own ownership, helps with job 0:48:39.120 --> 0:48:42.960 creation and create engines around the community where that confess 0:48:43.000 --> 0:48:45.520 your best and so that's what I wanted to do, 0:48:46.000 --> 0:48:49.600 as well as continue to do youth development work. 0:48:49.840 --> 0:48:53.680 Okay. Yeah, so you go to this new organization, I 0:48:53.719 --> 0:48:57.120 would assume that you enter in at director or higher level. 0:48:57.440 --> 0:49:00.480 I went in as the director of Community to Development. 0:49:00.680 --> 0:49:01.080 Okay. 0:49:01.160 --> 0:49:03.840 So that was a pretty big deal for me because 0:49:03.840 --> 0:49:08.160 it allowed me to work with or alongside the director 0:49:08.360 --> 0:49:11.719 of urban Development, which did a lot of the real 0:49:11.840 --> 0:49:14.560 estate development work for the organization. 0:49:15.040 --> 0:49:17.440 And this is your twenty three, this is your pacing 0:49:17.600 --> 0:49:19.680 very well for us, daddy. 0:49:20.000 --> 0:49:23.560 Yeah, and my daughter, I'm still raising her, you know, 0:49:23.719 --> 0:49:25.640 dealing with a little bit of or a lot of 0:49:25.680 --> 0:49:27.319 bit of baby mama drama. 0:49:28.880 --> 0:49:32.480 That you did you end up marrying your. 0:49:32.920 --> 0:49:36.680 I did not. I did not. 0:49:37.080 --> 0:49:39.080 You know, guys did the co parenting thing. 0:49:39.280 --> 0:49:42.360 We did the co parenting thing, We did the co 0:49:42.360 --> 0:49:46.600 courting thing, lock of meaning lots of going to court 0:49:47.040 --> 0:49:50.879 because I didn't want to just pay child support. Didn't 0:49:50.920 --> 0:49:54.880 mind it. But I think, quite frankly, it was abused 0:49:54.880 --> 0:49:58.040 on me because I wasn't dead, that wasn't taking care 0:49:58.080 --> 0:49:58.640 of my daughter. 0:49:58.800 --> 0:49:59.759 Yeah, I was there. 0:50:00.000 --> 0:50:02.440 It wasn't like I was the guy you had to 0:50:02.480 --> 0:50:05.920 go find or things that I hate today where people say, 0:50:05.960 --> 0:50:07.319 well I got to go watch my child. 0:50:07.320 --> 0:50:09.879 How do you watch your child? Is your child, you're 0:50:09.880 --> 0:50:11.839 going to be with your child? Well, I paid chilse 0:50:12.040 --> 0:50:13.040 what I bought diapers. 0:50:13.440 --> 0:50:16.160 The kid need diapers, I mean, so it was more 0:50:16.200 --> 0:50:19.520 than that for me. You know, it wasn't just you know, 0:50:19.600 --> 0:50:22.680 so I just felt like it was an unfair kind 0:50:22.760 --> 0:50:26.360 of thing to me. But I understand so as a 0:50:26.400 --> 0:50:29.520 young man you don't get it as much as you 0:50:29.560 --> 0:50:32.759 would as an adult. I wouldn't probably deal with some 0:50:32.800 --> 0:50:34.239 of the things that I dealt with then. 0:50:34.800 --> 0:50:37.359 So we did our co parenting as you call it. 0:50:38.000 --> 0:50:40.600 But she spent a lot of time with me, to 0:50:40.640 --> 0:50:42.919 a point, probably too much, some people would say. 0:50:43.920 --> 0:50:46.080 But I thought it was cool because. 0:50:45.800 --> 0:50:47.359 I figured, you know, if I'm going to go on 0:50:47.360 --> 0:50:48.799 the date, you want to go on a date with me, 0:50:48.920 --> 0:50:50.640 then you got to go with me and my daughter. 0:50:53.520 --> 0:50:57.319 That I just became. And I still don't know how 0:50:57.320 --> 0:50:59.239 to navigate that, I. 0:51:01.480 --> 0:51:01.719 Said. 0:51:02.280 --> 0:51:05.719 My navigation was quite frankly and giving shouts out to 0:51:05.800 --> 0:51:10.720 my auntie, to my mom, to my sister. I had support, 0:51:11.320 --> 0:51:13.719 you know, and I know that's tough because a lot 0:51:13.800 --> 0:51:17.319 of folks don't have that support and I have to support. 0:51:17.600 --> 0:51:18.120 So when I. 0:51:18.080 --> 0:51:20.160 Needed to go to work, I had someone that would 0:51:20.200 --> 0:51:23.200 watch my daughter. If I wanted to go out for 0:51:23.280 --> 0:51:26.480 the weekend, I had someone that would watch my daughter. 0:51:26.520 --> 0:51:27.680 She was very good baby. 0:51:28.000 --> 0:51:30.239 People used to call me to ask skin they watch her, 0:51:30.840 --> 0:51:33.240 and so I had that support. 0:51:33.760 --> 0:51:35.600 But I didn't want financial support. 0:51:35.719 --> 0:51:39.840 I needed the moral and support needed to help me 0:51:40.080 --> 0:51:40.400 do that. 0:51:40.480 --> 0:51:43.239 And that's a big thing. 0:51:43.239 --> 0:51:47.000 More. Oh yeah, no, I caregiver. 0:51:47.440 --> 0:51:51.480 Oh man that they liked, oh she loved and it 0:51:51.520 --> 0:51:53.279 was it was it was a win win. 0:51:58.080 --> 0:51:59.040 Got to make yourself one. 0:51:59.200 --> 0:52:01.440 Okay, here do you I'm gonna get you out the 0:52:01.480 --> 0:52:02.600 way on this one. 0:52:03.000 --> 0:52:07.839 So you're a young guy moving in all the right directions. 0:52:08.120 --> 0:52:10.640 Uh huh, you're at You're at. 0:52:10.480 --> 0:52:13.480 The dunbar economic development. 0:52:13.560 --> 0:52:16.359 Economic development. I'm not trying to give them too much shine. 0:52:16.800 --> 0:52:20.160 So how long are you there? Before you? Before you? 0:52:20.520 --> 0:52:21.960 I want to get closer to CR. 0:52:21.800 --> 0:52:24.040 So I'm there about four and a half years. 0:52:24.960 --> 0:52:29.759 The organization at the time was going through some financial 0:52:29.840 --> 0:52:36.960 challenges and a lot of us voice our opinions, not 0:52:37.120 --> 0:52:40.799 to the liking of the leadership at the time, and so. 0:52:42.239 --> 0:52:45.320 A few of the key people was let go, including myself. 0:52:46.320 --> 0:52:46.799 And so. 0:52:48.440 --> 0:52:51.239 What happened was there was a vacuum in the community 0:52:51.320 --> 0:52:57.480 because there wasn't a lot of groups providing those services 0:52:57.520 --> 0:53:00.680 in the neighborhood for young people, right, So there was 0:53:00.719 --> 0:53:04.920 a vacuum. So we left, and now you have, you know, 0:53:05.320 --> 0:53:07.240 no services offered to young people. 0:53:07.920 --> 0:53:10.200 So when you left, the company didn't shut down, they 0:53:10.280 --> 0:53:12.040 just stop providing the services. 0:53:12.120 --> 0:53:13.200 Yeah, because we were gone. 0:53:14.280 --> 0:53:16.360 And how many people did they lose? 0:53:16.440 --> 0:53:21.280 So they lost me and the director of urban development, 0:53:22.280 --> 0:53:24.959 and then the director of youth development left as well. 0:53:26.000 --> 0:53:31.239 So those are three key positions. Yeah, trying not to 0:53:31.280 --> 0:53:32.839 do this the way I do it at home. 0:53:32.960 --> 0:53:34.920 So it looks very very pretty, by the. 0:53:34.880 --> 0:53:38.440 Way, very impressed with So just forgive me. 0:53:40.360 --> 0:53:42.920 I'm very impressed. Look at this, guys. 0:53:43.080 --> 0:53:45.319 So look at that. 0:53:46.800 --> 0:53:49.920 So you know, we left, and a group of us, 0:53:50.080 --> 0:53:54.279 about five of us because they end up leaving or 0:53:54.880 --> 0:53:57.680 getting fired to left. 0:53:57.920 --> 0:54:01.000 And you know, we started meeting right. I called it. 0:54:01.040 --> 0:54:03.440 We went in the laboratory right away and said that 0:54:04.480 --> 0:54:07.760 you know, we all could have gotten jobs. I wouldn't 0:54:07.800 --> 0:54:11.760 say anywhere, but let's say we were sought after people. Yeah, yeah, 0:54:11.800 --> 0:54:15.239 you know, because people saw our passion and what we 0:54:15.280 --> 0:54:19.440 did for that organization in a very short time because 0:54:19.440 --> 0:54:22.879 they were just known for doing kind of historic and 0:54:23.000 --> 0:54:26.759 other development at the time, maybe some projects here and there, 0:54:27.360 --> 0:54:30.520 but when we all got together, it turned into something 0:54:31.239 --> 0:54:34.680 much more beautiful in the community. I think, working with 0:54:34.719 --> 0:54:39.440 small businesses, doing home ownership stuff, looking at other real 0:54:39.560 --> 0:54:45.400 estate possibilities, a rehabit of historic landmarks, and youth leadership development. 0:54:45.920 --> 0:54:48.520 We took you to like two or three different countries. 0:54:49.080 --> 0:54:51.799 Oh, this is prior to you guys leaving, prior to us. Now, 0:54:51.840 --> 0:54:54.239 you guys, so this is the So this is just 0:54:54.280 --> 0:54:56.719 so everyone knows. This is the rumor mill. You know 0:54:56.760 --> 0:54:59.880 when you hear little bits of people. This is the 0:55:00.080 --> 0:55:02.680 part of your story that excited me the most for 0:55:03.000 --> 0:55:05.759 any little bit of tidbits on the street that I heard. 0:55:06.640 --> 0:55:09.799 So now I can finally find out the truth, like 0:55:10.640 --> 0:55:13.880 from the horse's mouth. So this is a very interesting place. 0:55:13.920 --> 0:55:16.560 So just to recap a group of you guys, some 0:55:16.600 --> 0:55:18.840 of you guys got let oh some of you guys left. 0:55:19.080 --> 0:55:21.760 You guys instead of going, hey, let's pitch our jobs 0:55:21.760 --> 0:55:25.120 to different places. That definitely desire us. We're gonna get 0:55:25.120 --> 0:55:28.920 together and meet tell me about I know this is 0:55:28.920 --> 0:55:32.399 where a CRCD starts to convert. So walk me through 0:55:32.400 --> 0:55:35.480 the whole play on like everything's going down, including your 0:55:35.520 --> 0:55:36.439 emotions at the time. 0:55:36.560 --> 0:55:41.040 So you know, of course, we were all pissed off 0:55:41.760 --> 0:55:45.880 because of the void that was in the neighborhood. Primarily 0:55:45.920 --> 0:55:49.600 we were all thinking about the people really not ourselves 0:55:50.080 --> 0:55:52.319 at the time. You know, I'm a young man at 0:55:52.320 --> 0:55:56.799 this time, I'm probably twenty six, twenty seven, and so 0:55:56.840 --> 0:55:59.719 we're pissed and we you know, the truth is, we 0:55:59.800 --> 0:56:03.320 have I thought about something like this happening because of 0:56:03.360 --> 0:56:07.560 the way that the organization was moving, and you know, 0:56:07.680 --> 0:56:10.400 things that were happening, iris showing up to the office, 0:56:10.440 --> 0:56:14.040 things like that that you normally don't see. And we 0:56:14.080 --> 0:56:17.680 got together at one of the co founders, Miami Sodo's house. 0:56:18.320 --> 0:56:20.319 She's lived in City Terrace. 0:56:20.560 --> 0:56:23.839 At the time, which is near cal State Los Angeles. 0:56:24.320 --> 0:56:26.920 Lived in this hill where you got to climb up 0:56:26.960 --> 0:56:29.680 like eighty steps or it felt like two hundred, and 0:56:29.719 --> 0:56:33.040 we would go there every day after we were let 0:56:33.040 --> 0:56:37.919 go and talk about our vision for the community, sort 0:56:37.920 --> 0:56:41.560 of like a reimagining a group that popped up in 0:56:41.560 --> 0:56:45.359 the community. What would it be? We went through, we 0:56:45.400 --> 0:56:47.600 went through what would it be, what should it be? 0:56:47.719 --> 0:56:48.720 What should it be doing? 0:56:49.320 --> 0:56:51.279 Keep men with the co founder of the comedy that 0:56:51.640 --> 0:56:52.319 Let you Guys Go. 0:56:52.440 --> 0:56:54.840 That's an interesting Yes, it was a co founder. We 0:56:54.920 --> 0:56:58.239 all worked at Dunbar, you know, all of us. 0:56:58.280 --> 0:56:59.680 But did she still work there? 0:57:00.120 --> 0:57:05.839 Nobody also got let Go and she was the one 0:57:05.880 --> 0:57:10.000 that was running the youth programming at the time, and 0:57:10.080 --> 0:57:13.160 so she opened up her home, her living room. When 0:57:13.160 --> 0:57:17.560 we met at her dining room table circle table, and 0:57:17.720 --> 0:57:19.920 we were meeting around there with some butcher paper and 0:57:19.960 --> 0:57:24.560 markers every day talking about or reimagining what would an 0:57:24.680 --> 0:57:25.640 organization be. 0:57:26.440 --> 0:57:30.160 And we talked about that we should be providing jobs 0:57:30.240 --> 0:57:31.440 or workforce development. 0:57:31.480 --> 0:57:35.680 We talked about economic development, working with small businesses, real 0:57:35.800 --> 0:57:37.920 estate development, doing affordable housing. 0:57:38.680 --> 0:57:41.600 We wanted to do social entrepreneurship. 0:57:42.000 --> 0:57:45.680 So that's when we put on their social enterprise because 0:57:45.720 --> 0:57:48.520 before I left Dumbar, I was trying to convince them 0:57:48.560 --> 0:57:50.360 to do social enterprise. 0:57:50.480 --> 0:57:53.600 Work never got off the ground. And we wanted to 0:57:53.640 --> 0:57:54.280 do education. 0:57:54.440 --> 0:57:57.040 We wanted to figure out a way to have a 0:57:57.080 --> 0:57:59.960 school that focused on the art to serve young people, 0:58:01.640 --> 0:58:04.920 and we came up with different names, but what we 0:58:05.000 --> 0:58:09.240 landed with was Coalition for a Responsible Community Development. 0:58:10.000 --> 0:58:14.040 And the story goes, we used to go to a bar. 0:58:14.680 --> 0:58:18.640 Called four ten Boards in downtown Los Angeles on a 0:58:18.680 --> 0:58:22.480 street called Boyd and the address was fourteen, So creatively, 0:58:22.520 --> 0:58:25.720 I guess they created four ten Boyd and we would 0:58:25.760 --> 0:58:26.280 meet there. 0:58:26.400 --> 0:58:28.280 After we left her house and met up. 0:58:28.240 --> 0:58:32.600 With other people that necessarily didn't work at the Dumbar 0:58:32.840 --> 0:58:35.440 but used to be founders of the Dunbar, bankers of 0:58:35.480 --> 0:58:36.560 the Dumbar. 0:58:36.600 --> 0:58:37.480 That kind of stuff. 0:58:38.400 --> 0:58:41.640 But they liked us and they loved this concept, like, 0:58:41.680 --> 0:58:44.760 you guys are gonna do what? So we literally took 0:58:44.760 --> 0:58:49.080 a napkin and it was a designer there, and we said, well, 0:58:50.040 --> 0:58:54.000 we wanted to be called like Callition four, but we 0:58:54.120 --> 0:58:55.760 have to have responsible in there. 0:58:55.960 --> 0:58:57.520 And I love that part. 0:58:57.640 --> 0:58:59.560 Yeah, you know, it has to be responsible and it 0:58:59.560 --> 0:59:00.840 has to be community in it. 0:59:01.640 --> 0:59:04.680 And then that's when cr City was birth. 0:59:05.240 --> 0:59:09.000 On that napkin the name and then the designer at 0:59:09.000 --> 0:59:10.880 the time, her name was Selda Harris. 0:59:11.880 --> 0:59:15.800 She designed our logo right on napkin. She said, what 0:59:15.840 --> 0:59:16.280 do you want? 0:59:16.320 --> 0:59:18.960 I said, it should be like some colors and some 0:59:19.000 --> 0:59:22.120 boxes or something like that. That's all I got and 0:59:22.520 --> 0:59:24.880 the group agreed, and that's when she came up with 0:59:24.920 --> 0:59:25.560 our logo. 0:59:25.760 --> 0:59:28.880 So there's a group, how do you become the lead 0:59:28.920 --> 0:59:29.440 of the group. 0:59:30.080 --> 0:59:32.520 So I didn't want they thought I should be the 0:59:32.600 --> 0:59:33.560 executive director. 0:59:33.680 --> 0:59:36.880 Mind you, we had nothing, no budget, no nothing. 0:59:37.640 --> 0:59:39.280 And I said, well, I'll do it, but you guys 0:59:39.280 --> 0:59:41.600 got to vote for it to happen, so it can 0:59:41.680 --> 0:59:43.680 be your official first action. 0:59:44.840 --> 0:59:47.320 And if you don't want it, that's fine. I play 0:59:47.400 --> 0:59:51.080 my part. And they all voted and said, oh, you're 0:59:51.080 --> 0:59:51.560 doing it. 0:59:53.840 --> 0:59:57.360 And that's how I became the executive director twenty years ago. 0:59:58.200 --> 1:00:01.760 Wow yeah wow. And then the funders that you would 1:00:01.760 --> 1:00:04.400 meet up with ended up funding and helping getting it 1:00:04.440 --> 1:00:05.120 off the ground. 1:00:05.360 --> 1:00:05.960 Helping us. 1:00:06.440 --> 1:00:09.440 There was a contract that Dunbar was running at the time, 1:00:09.640 --> 1:00:13.120 or you know called and you may be familiar with 1:00:13.160 --> 1:00:14.600 this graffiti removal. 1:00:15.320 --> 1:00:19.240 Yes, and so they still do graffiti removal, we do, yeah, 1:00:19.240 --> 1:00:19.920 well you guys do. 1:00:20.320 --> 1:00:26.680 Un No, it went out of business and so we 1:00:27.920 --> 1:00:31.800 because they were having challenges running that contract, we had 1:00:31.800 --> 1:00:34.360 an opportunity and was asked, do we want to take 1:00:34.400 --> 1:00:37.480 on the contract and of course I'm like, yeah, we 1:00:37.520 --> 1:00:38.040 can do that. 1:00:38.280 --> 1:00:39.280 The High Eyes. 1:00:39.080 --> 1:00:42.960 Closed had a good brother named Bruce Tito who was 1:00:43.040 --> 1:00:46.720 running the Los Angeles Conservation Corps at the time, that said, 1:00:47.240 --> 1:00:50.439 we'll step up. If you guys get the contract, we'll 1:00:50.440 --> 1:00:53.080 manage it for you while you get set up. 1:00:53.680 --> 1:00:57.120 That was a wonderful thing. Council Warman jam Perry at 1:00:57.120 --> 1:00:59.080 the time. You know. 1:01:00.520 --> 1:01:05.360 At council Woman jam Perry at the time. Oh, I'm 1:01:05.400 --> 1:01:10.280 trying to clean up. So one of the things, sorry, 1:01:10.320 --> 1:01:14.280 I sweat over when I'm cooking. Yeah, but also one 1:01:14.280 --> 1:01:15.840 of the things I do when i'm cooking is I 1:01:15.920 --> 1:01:16.600 like to clean up. 1:01:19.600 --> 1:01:23.720 I apologize. So council Woman jam Parry was also instrumental. 1:01:23.800 --> 1:01:28.080 So Bruce, I told council Woman Jampari were instrumental and 1:01:28.160 --> 1:01:29.600 cr CD getting started. 1:01:30.240 --> 1:01:32.480 If it wasn't for them. 1:01:31.800 --> 1:01:38.400 Providing political support and organizational support and just being a cheerleader. 1:01:37.880 --> 1:01:39.840 For us, it wouldn't have happened. 1:01:39.880 --> 1:01:42.560 So we were a brand new group with a four 1:01:42.600 --> 1:01:44.000 hundred thousand dollars contract. 1:01:45.160 --> 1:01:46.680 Wow, to start. 1:01:46.640 --> 1:01:50.000 And what was it in your first project was the graffiti. 1:01:49.520 --> 1:01:53.760 Remove was graffiti abatement. We wasn't doing real estate. We 1:01:53.760 --> 1:01:58.360 wasn't doing anything. Everything started at cr CD because of 1:01:58.400 --> 1:01:59.760 graffiti removal. 1:02:00.240 --> 1:02:02.360 And at this point, are you when you take on 1:02:02.400 --> 1:02:04.600 these contracts, are you taking a pay cut too? 1:02:04.880 --> 1:02:05.720 Yeah? Of course. 1:02:06.000 --> 1:02:09.960 And are your parents still around? Are they saying he's 1:02:10.000 --> 1:02:11.840 like my first crash. 1:02:12.480 --> 1:02:16.520 Yep, yep, So took a pay cut. That was okay. 1:02:17.280 --> 1:02:20.280 At the time, I was living on my own take 1:02:20.320 --> 1:02:22.360 care of my daughter. It was enough to help me 1:02:22.440 --> 1:02:24.439 take care of my folks. 1:02:24.480 --> 1:02:27.720 And you know, that was enough for me. You know. 1:02:28.800 --> 1:02:30.960 Then later in life I was able to move in 1:02:31.000 --> 1:02:36.640 with someone and you know, and you know that's with 1:02:36.680 --> 1:02:37.080 the story. 1:02:37.120 --> 1:02:43.560 We started our youth program, and we started our twenty 1:02:43.640 --> 1:02:47.120 years ago, twenty years ago, twenty years ago. 1:02:47.840 --> 1:02:49.800 Have you guys celebrated your twenty year anniversary. 1:02:49.840 --> 1:02:52.400 We'll be celebrating it next year. So they're working on 1:02:52.480 --> 1:02:53.080 it this year. 1:02:53.800 --> 1:02:57.760 I want to call it. I'm gonna call them Ason. 1:02:58.760 --> 1:03:02.800 You gotta do what you shoo. Yeah, that's a huge accomplishment. 1:03:02.840 --> 1:03:03.200 It is. 1:03:04.000 --> 1:03:08.360 Now do you ever look back and just like, oh, snap. 1:03:08.120 --> 1:03:12.440 Up sometime every day like I can't believe that we 1:03:12.480 --> 1:03:15.760 was able to pull it off because it wasn't nothing small. 1:03:16.240 --> 1:03:18.520 And I asked a couple of people. I said, you 1:03:18.560 --> 1:03:20.760 think we can do that today? And the answer is 1:03:20.800 --> 1:03:23.360 always like no, no. 1:03:23.000 --> 1:03:26.200 No way, because the right the stars have to align 1:03:26.240 --> 1:03:29.600 themselves right, the right people had to be there, the 1:03:29.680 --> 1:03:33.840 right supporters needed to be there, the right circumstances need 1:03:33.840 --> 1:03:37.440 to be there. So, like with any entrepreneur, it's like, 1:03:38.000 --> 1:03:39.680 here's the moment where I got to jump. 1:03:40.160 --> 1:03:41.280 I got to jump off. 1:03:41.120 --> 1:03:44.720 This bridge and hope that that blue thing is water, 1:03:47.440 --> 1:03:48.800 you know, And that's what we did. 1:03:48.960 --> 1:03:50.880 It was just everything was at the right time. 1:03:51.720 --> 1:03:54.560 And then, you know, I was twenty seven years old, 1:03:55.320 --> 1:03:58.640 you know at the time when we started, and you know, 1:03:58.920 --> 1:04:02.800 I'm thinking, okay, from twenty seven year old in today's climate, 1:04:03.240 --> 1:04:05.120 would we get that same kind of support. 1:04:05.720 --> 1:04:06.280 Probably not. 1:04:07.240 --> 1:04:09.440 Why do you think that? So what's different between then 1:04:09.480 --> 1:04:09.880 and now? 1:04:10.120 --> 1:04:13.640 I think the circumstances then technology then, the way that 1:04:13.680 --> 1:04:18.280 people access services then is very different now. Social media, 1:04:19.000 --> 1:04:23.080 I think, could have come in and created all types 1:04:23.120 --> 1:04:26.360 of other narratives. We were able to create our own 1:04:26.480 --> 1:04:29.720 narrative because there was no social media then, so we 1:04:29.720 --> 1:04:32.680 were able to go to meetings, we were able to 1:04:33.120 --> 1:04:36.200 debunk any lies that were told about us from our 1:04:36.240 --> 1:04:39.960 previous employer. We were able to do that face to 1:04:40.040 --> 1:04:43.800 face phone call. A phone call wasn't no. 1:04:43.880 --> 1:04:45.479 Social media, we think. 1:04:45.600 --> 1:04:48.000 I think if social media was around, people could have 1:04:48.040 --> 1:04:49.600 created a false narrative. 1:04:51.160 --> 1:04:55.000 Like a press release exactly exactly. And I don't think 1:04:55.600 --> 1:04:58.520 in today's time that would have helped us. It would 1:04:59.120 --> 1:05:01.720 make this thing. I'm trying to be fancy here. 1:05:02.720 --> 1:05:06.640 I'm busy. These tacos look good. Turn off the stoves, 1:05:06.760 --> 1:05:08.760 sit down. You done told your whole life. 1:05:08.520 --> 1:05:15.480 Story almost almost hopefully bore you, far from boring. 1:05:15.840 --> 1:05:19.360 Okay, so we are back dishes plated. This looks like 1:05:19.440 --> 1:05:21.200 the best taco I've ever had in l A. 1:05:21.480 --> 1:05:23.680 Well, we shall see, we shall see. 1:05:23.720 --> 1:05:25.880 Okay, put the sauces on it. Do you need any 1:05:25.880 --> 1:05:26.600 extra sauces? 1:05:26.720 --> 1:05:27.280 No? 1:05:27.360 --> 1:05:29.520 Okay, I like this from the cheese. Is this the 1:05:29.600 --> 1:05:30.360 right size taco? 1:05:30.400 --> 1:05:33.040 Show a little smaller? I don't know. 1:05:33.480 --> 1:05:35.240 I actually do the shopping for the show. 1:05:35.280 --> 1:05:42.200 It works, people like them smaller. Okay, yeah, I ain't 1:05:42.200 --> 1:05:43.720 did it. That's up. 1:05:44.200 --> 1:05:48.480 I'm good. The first second you're gonna grill the onions, 1:05:48.520 --> 1:05:49.440 but they're perfect. 1:05:49.240 --> 1:05:52.120 Just they are. Okay, I'm gonna. 1:05:51.960 --> 1:05:52.760 Take your second bite. 1:05:52.760 --> 1:05:54.440 Guys, go for it. 1:05:55.880 --> 1:05:59.640 M take up. 1:06:01.080 --> 1:06:01.520 Very good. 1:06:04.200 --> 1:06:08.200 Okay for all your all listeners. Not only gonna you 1:06:08.240 --> 1:06:11.520 build an empire, hign cook it broke this. 1:06:12.680 --> 1:06:14.720 I'm glad you liked you, budget. 1:06:14.320 --> 1:06:20.320 Friendly, delicious, You added salsa, I'm gonna add more. 1:06:20.840 --> 1:06:21.600 Very good. Now. 1:06:22.720 --> 1:06:25.240 Do you also think that a part of why you 1:06:25.280 --> 1:06:28.920 possibly couldn't do what you did today is because I 1:06:28.960 --> 1:06:32.640 think and I have this opinion, but I'm curious to 1:06:32.680 --> 1:06:34.840 see what you say. You were twenty seven when you 1:06:34.880 --> 1:06:37.360 did a lot of these things, and sometimes I feel 1:06:37.400 --> 1:06:38.800 like life, I don't know if you want some of this. 1:06:39.720 --> 1:06:42.080 Life beats you up along the way where you stop 1:06:42.200 --> 1:06:46.480 to doubt things. Do you think that you, being young, 1:06:46.720 --> 1:06:50.200 kind of had that knowing what you know now? Do 1:06:50.280 --> 1:06:52.000 you think that if you knew what you knew now, 1:06:52.080 --> 1:06:53.840 you would have had the gun hole to do what 1:06:53.880 --> 1:06:54.280 you did? 1:06:55.040 --> 1:06:55.200 Not? 1:06:55.280 --> 1:07:00.200 No one probably helped kind of motivate it more. You know, 1:07:00.480 --> 1:07:05.640 the unknown was exciting to me, The possibility was exciting 1:07:05.680 --> 1:07:09.520 to me. So not knowing actually actually helped, and just 1:07:09.600 --> 1:07:13.280 being open to learning and being, you know, having good 1:07:13.360 --> 1:07:15.960 mentors that was willing to mentor me. 1:07:16.880 --> 1:07:19.240 They will say they did mentor me, but they did. 1:07:20.320 --> 1:07:24.080 They opened up their offices they opened up their back offices, 1:07:24.640 --> 1:07:27.320 and as much as I wanted to learn, they wanted 1:07:27.320 --> 1:07:29.720 to teach and expose me. Because I didn't want to 1:07:29.760 --> 1:07:32.920 be told. I wanted to be showed. And so in 1:07:33.040 --> 1:07:37.920 running any nonprofit, nonprofit is really the misnomers that it 1:07:38.000 --> 1:07:40.760 was nonprofit or selling cookies. You're doing the good for 1:07:40.840 --> 1:07:45.360 the community, and then everything around you somehow is discounting 1:07:45.680 --> 1:07:49.520 and that's absolutely false. A nonprofit is nothing but a 1:07:49.560 --> 1:07:52.880 tax code five oh one C three. You still have 1:07:52.960 --> 1:07:56.760 to operate and maintain a business. If you don't pay 1:07:56.800 --> 1:07:59.960 your taxes, Uncle Sam will show up to your business, 1:08:00.480 --> 1:08:03.560 yeah and shut you down if you don't. And so 1:08:03.760 --> 1:08:08.640 everything that any for profit has to do, a nonprofit 1:08:08.760 --> 1:08:11.400 has to do, but even more because we have to 1:08:11.560 --> 1:08:16.280 report on every dollar that we receive, public and non public, 1:08:16.880 --> 1:08:19.519 and a lot of for profits don't. And so we 1:08:19.640 --> 1:08:23.040 have to go through that rigor of understanding that we're 1:08:23.040 --> 1:08:25.640 a business. And so I had mentors to show me 1:08:26.320 --> 1:08:30.600 the business side, the appropriate business side of running a nonprofit. 1:08:30.680 --> 1:08:34.160 Why you want to be mission oriented. So I started 1:08:34.760 --> 1:08:39.000 off with the pursuit of approaching this as an entrepreneur, 1:08:39.560 --> 1:08:43.960 not as someone that is a social service worker or 1:08:44.000 --> 1:08:47.320 anything like that. My drive in my heart was community, 1:08:47.520 --> 1:08:51.439 young people making change, making the difference. But as far 1:08:51.479 --> 1:08:54.880 as building an organization, it was very much from an 1:08:55.080 --> 1:08:57.160 entrepreneurial landscape. 1:08:57.479 --> 1:08:58.000 Yeah. 1:08:58.160 --> 1:09:00.280 Now, some of the partners that you partner or with 1:09:01.080 --> 1:09:05.759 are impressive in their own right Prime store who from today? 1:09:06.439 --> 1:09:09.120 Were there ever any partners that you partnered with where 1:09:09.120 --> 1:09:11.519 you were like, please gotta let this happen, and oh 1:09:11.560 --> 1:09:14.200 my god, I can't believe they did this. 1:09:15.000 --> 1:09:19.240 You know, I think one of the when you say that, 1:09:19.560 --> 1:09:22.960 I go to Little Tokyo Service Center, which is based 1:09:22.960 --> 1:09:28.120 in Little Tokyo primarily focused around supporting and helping the 1:09:28.360 --> 1:09:32.320 Agent Pacific Island their community. But they were my boys 1:09:32.360 --> 1:09:35.360 and my girls, my sisters and brothers. We used to 1:09:35.400 --> 1:09:37.240 hang out at the same bar. 1:09:37.520 --> 1:09:38.559 This bar come up. 1:09:38.479 --> 1:09:42.680 A lot by the way, four ten boys. It's not 1:09:42.840 --> 1:09:44.640 there in the fourteen. 1:09:44.360 --> 1:09:48.519 Boy but but the bar is there. Yeah, asking detail 1:09:48.560 --> 1:09:49.280 is something like that. 1:09:49.360 --> 1:09:50.439 Yeah, I'm gonna look it up. 1:09:50.520 --> 1:09:53.559 Yeah, it's from It's still there, but it's not called 1:09:53.600 --> 1:09:57.840 fourteen Boyds. So that was there after work hangout because 1:09:57.880 --> 1:10:00.360 they was right around the corner and it was our 1:10:00.640 --> 1:10:04.360 after work hangout, and so we built this relationship in 1:10:04.479 --> 1:10:08.600 bond and so when CRCD was formed and wanted to 1:10:08.640 --> 1:10:12.400 get into real estate, a lot of doors were shut. 1:10:12.840 --> 1:10:15.120 You know, went to a lot of African American partners 1:10:15.360 --> 1:10:18.720 and they didn't necessarily want to make that step at 1:10:18.760 --> 1:10:22.040 the time, but Little Tokyo did. And what I mean 1:10:22.040 --> 1:10:25.559 by step that means they're putting their money on the line, 1:10:25.640 --> 1:10:29.880 their reputations online, their balance sheet on the line, all 1:10:29.920 --> 1:10:32.760 of that on the line, and they're signing for you 1:10:32.840 --> 1:10:36.719 as a guaranteur for your real estate deal. And these 1:10:36.760 --> 1:10:40.880 were Asian Japanese brothers and sisters that said, you know 1:10:40.960 --> 1:10:43.320 what I like and support your mission. 1:10:43.560 --> 1:10:46.400 It aligns with what we want to do. Let's do it. 1:10:46.880 --> 1:10:47.479 And we did. 1:10:48.880 --> 1:10:55.320 First partnership, Oh my first partnership that turned into many 1:10:55.400 --> 1:10:59.880 other projects since you know, that ten unit project that 1:11:00.160 --> 1:11:04.000 they decided to help us invest in and help us 1:11:04.040 --> 1:11:07.800 develop and teach us how to be good developers has 1:11:07.960 --> 1:11:12.800 manifested into over sixteen hundred units now today and we've 1:11:12.840 --> 1:11:16.760 done three three now doing another one now, so four 1:11:16.800 --> 1:11:20.000 projects with Little Tokyo Service Center since. 1:11:19.880 --> 1:11:22.479 And you went home that day after that partnership like, 1:11:23.560 --> 1:11:24.639 were you like, oh, I. 1:11:24.520 --> 1:11:25.400 Was so excited. 1:11:25.439 --> 1:11:28.080 I mean, just like what you said, like holy shit, 1:11:28.240 --> 1:11:31.080 like this is real, this is like because I knew 1:11:31.160 --> 1:11:34.559 what that would do for the organization, But I think 1:11:34.640 --> 1:11:39.280 it was more real to me for this community to 1:11:39.360 --> 1:11:42.559 believe in me because all I had was a vision 1:11:43.120 --> 1:11:47.240 and passion that we didn't have any resources, we didn't 1:11:47.280 --> 1:11:48.600 have any guaranteurs. 1:11:48.840 --> 1:11:50.479 Yeah, it was just you guys have. 1:11:51.520 --> 1:11:59.120 We had good credibility, you know, and we had good 1:11:59.160 --> 1:12:03.759 relationship and we had good political relationships that I think 1:12:04.320 --> 1:12:07.800 they felt could be beneficial to them as well. But 1:12:08.560 --> 1:12:12.160 they but still when when paying his paper, they took 1:12:12.240 --> 1:12:14.920 a leap of faith. And that leap of faiths has 1:12:14.960 --> 1:12:17.360 helped us to be where we are today. So I 1:12:17.400 --> 1:12:19.439 owe a lot of credit and give a lot of 1:12:19.439 --> 1:12:22.719 props to my brothers and sisters over at Little Tokyo 1:12:22.880 --> 1:12:23.479 Service Center. 1:12:23.560 --> 1:12:25.479 Shout out to them because without that, they were your 1:12:25.479 --> 1:12:26.080 first partner. 1:12:26.200 --> 1:12:26.439 Yeah. 1:12:26.479 --> 1:12:29.880 Now, I started my first business when I was twenty one, 1:12:30.040 --> 1:12:33.480 and I remember I got an investor. He invested sixteen 1:12:33.600 --> 1:12:36.280 thousand dollars to a twenty one year old that it 1:12:36.360 --> 1:12:39.120 took me a whole year to make like sixteen thousand 1:12:39.160 --> 1:12:41.519 dollars to get it and seeing in one check. It 1:12:41.600 --> 1:12:44.000 was like getting like an equivalent of getting you had 1:12:44.040 --> 1:12:46.080 to me a million dollar check for something I believe 1:12:46.080 --> 1:12:49.280 in when they signed that deal or I'm going to 1:12:49.360 --> 1:12:51.719 take it back to me. When I got that check, 1:12:51.760 --> 1:12:54.479 I was like, oh my goodness, what did I do? 1:12:54.880 --> 1:12:58.679 Why would this person believe in me? Oh my god, 1:12:58.720 --> 1:13:01.439 I don't want to lose this person money. Now, all 1:13:01.479 --> 1:13:04.439 of a sudden, it becomes real, like did I am 1:13:04.479 --> 1:13:06.920 I a fake? Am I a fraud? Am I going 1:13:07.000 --> 1:13:09.920 to be able to do? All these crazy emotions hit 1:13:10.640 --> 1:13:14.000 home when you're hearing I hear you say they guarantee, 1:13:14.040 --> 1:13:17.400 they signed a check. Were any of those emotions of 1:13:17.640 --> 1:13:20.559 doubt creeping in at all? Like, oh my god, this 1:13:20.720 --> 1:13:22.479 is no doubt. 1:13:22.960 --> 1:13:27.240 It just was a It was more motivation to what 1:13:27.320 --> 1:13:31.679 you said around. Now you have an added responsibility because 1:13:31.720 --> 1:13:37.240 you're now responsible for their relationship, for their credibility, for 1:13:37.280 --> 1:13:40.960 their guarantees, and for the money that they're putting into 1:13:41.040 --> 1:13:43.439 this project, because these projects. 1:13:42.960 --> 1:13:43.639 Are not cheap. 1:13:44.160 --> 1:13:46.920 It was a ten unit, you know, building, but it's 1:13:47.080 --> 1:13:49.000 it was still like ten million dollars. 1:13:51.439 --> 1:13:52.920 Oh my god. Yeah. 1:13:53.360 --> 1:13:57.599 So every day I would you know, when the staff 1:13:57.680 --> 1:14:01.880 and like I said, it's we have nothing more valuable 1:14:02.439 --> 1:14:06.920 than people's faith in people's trust. If that moves, this 1:14:07.120 --> 1:14:12.120 organization doesn't exist because of those two things that motivated 1:14:12.120 --> 1:14:14.280 me to do that more it was almost like I 1:14:14.360 --> 1:14:17.240 became a protector of that, like we were not going 1:14:17.320 --> 1:14:21.320 to do anything to put them in a bad situation 1:14:21.800 --> 1:14:22.680 no matter what. 1:14:23.240 --> 1:14:25.840 So your your integrity at the end of the day 1:14:26.040 --> 1:14:30.760 is the staple of the organizer. That's that integrity there, absolutely, yeah, 1:14:30.800 --> 1:14:35.519 because I would have been on the phone like, oh, 1:14:35.560 --> 1:14:40.240 what did I get it? If someone hands me any 1:14:40.320 --> 1:14:43.160 level of responsibility, I go into a deep dive of 1:14:44.560 --> 1:14:50.360 can I complete whatever I said? I can't complete? You know, 1:14:50.920 --> 1:14:54.160 But that's that's that's cool to hear that you you 1:14:54.240 --> 1:14:57.000 knew that. The strength of it was the faith in 1:14:57.040 --> 1:14:57.639 the trust of the. 1:14:57.560 --> 1:14:59.120 Relationship, the faith in the trust. 1:14:59.160 --> 1:15:01.800 And I think the motive aiding factor goes back to 1:15:01.920 --> 1:15:05.240 my parents, particularly my mom. She's a go get her, 1:15:05.400 --> 1:15:08.519 as a country will say, a whipper snapper, and she 1:15:08.600 --> 1:15:12.520 doesn't you know turn you know, everything is not no. 1:15:12.520 --> 1:15:17.680 No means maybe or not right now or not right now, 1:15:17.960 --> 1:15:22.960 maybe later, maybe later, Yeah, but it's never no. 1:15:23.120 --> 1:15:27.280 And I think that motivating fact yeah, and she's like 1:15:27.360 --> 1:15:30.519 that to the day. It really motivated me because I 1:15:30.560 --> 1:15:33.599 was excited to have the partnership. And you know how 1:15:33.800 --> 1:15:38.439 you you know, in an entrepreneurial facing place, you know, 1:15:38.479 --> 1:15:41.240 you get told a lot no, A lot of people 1:15:41.280 --> 1:15:44.360 tell you no or not right now or maybe, and 1:15:44.520 --> 1:15:47.760 it drags and drags and drags, and then you get 1:15:47.800 --> 1:15:50.320 to a point where somebody says yes, and you don't 1:15:50.320 --> 1:15:52.640 want to let that yes go and you want that 1:15:52.800 --> 1:15:56.120 yes to continue to turn into yeses and yeses and yeses, 1:15:56.200 --> 1:15:58.960 and and that's what happened because they believed in what 1:15:59.000 --> 1:15:59.360 we did. 1:16:00.120 --> 1:16:00.400 Yeah. 1:16:00.600 --> 1:16:03.760 Now, now trying to get into your business kool aid. 1:16:03.840 --> 1:16:06.720 But you have the non profit side, yes, then you 1:16:06.720 --> 1:16:10.280 have the for profit side. Can you explain when the 1:16:10.320 --> 1:16:14.280 for profit side came in and why you felt the 1:16:14.360 --> 1:16:18.160 need to add the for profit c RCD Enterprises side. 1:16:18.400 --> 1:16:20.920 So the founders five of us. 1:16:21.800 --> 1:16:23.679 Oh, there's five founders, five founders. 1:16:23.680 --> 1:16:26.680 So is myself knowing me so to? 1:16:27.080 --> 1:16:28.720 I was going to ask about her. She's still here. 1:16:29.600 --> 1:16:32.280 Yep, she's not with c r c D, but she's 1:16:32.320 --> 1:16:35.080 still doing good work in the community. You go or 1:16:35.080 --> 1:16:38.519 tease Fernando Miranda, I have a crush on him, and 1:16:38.760 --> 1:16:39.680 roof Tie I'll let him. 1:16:41.720 --> 1:16:44.720 Whenever he would come around him, I would look over 1:16:47.520 --> 1:16:52.479 that skept seeker just so you know. I how long 1:16:52.520 --> 1:16:54.560 do you think you guys would have never suspected it? 1:16:54.640 --> 1:16:57.840 Huh oh, well, you know he has charming ways with them, 1:16:57.840 --> 1:17:01.320 but very very cool. 1:17:04.360 --> 1:17:07.439 Tax someone showed up. 1:17:08.640 --> 1:17:10.759 He definitely helps us to close some deals. 1:17:10.840 --> 1:17:15.000 Listen, yeah, you know personality. Yeah, so he's a founder. 1:17:15.160 --> 1:17:19.160 He's a founder. Hugo ortis an ami solo myself and 1:17:19.320 --> 1:17:22.599 roof Teago Tea so roof. 1:17:22.479 --> 1:17:26.160 Tig was co founder, and roof Tiak was actually. 1:17:25.760 --> 1:17:30.960 My former fiance and she passed at the early age 1:17:30.960 --> 1:17:35.640 of forty six. And she was one of the original 1:17:35.720 --> 1:17:39.840 funders or financers of our projects because she worked for 1:17:39.880 --> 1:17:43.920 a group called Corporation for Support of Housing and she 1:17:44.360 --> 1:17:50.919 ushered in financing projects for young people, for affordable housing projects. 1:17:50.920 --> 1:17:54.240 And she was the you know, pretty much the captain 1:17:54.439 --> 1:17:57.800 or pushing groups like ours and others that she's not 1:17:57.920 --> 1:18:01.680 financing you if they're not archite, actually pleasing, if they 1:18:01.720 --> 1:18:04.960 don't have the same amenities that you and I would like. 1:18:05.520 --> 1:18:08.880 So our buildings have air conditions because some people feel 1:18:08.920 --> 1:18:12.040 like people don't need air condition they need fans, they 1:18:12.080 --> 1:18:16.200 need to have community space, they need good lighting, you know, 1:18:16.600 --> 1:18:18.400 it needs to be pleasing to the eye. 1:18:18.800 --> 1:18:21.880 They need walkable space. So all of these things was 1:18:21.880 --> 1:18:22.519 the priority. 1:18:22.960 --> 1:18:26.000 But she was in a position of leadership where we 1:18:26.000 --> 1:18:30.479 were able to access grants and acquisition financing to support 1:18:30.520 --> 1:18:34.200 our projects. And she went on to help finance a 1:18:34.200 --> 1:18:37.880 lot of projects for Little Tokyo Service Center and many 1:18:37.920 --> 1:18:41.840 other groups in Los Angeles that supported housing people that 1:18:41.880 --> 1:18:42.719 were un housed. 1:18:43.720 --> 1:18:45.679 Yeah, now, and that's what. 1:18:45.880 --> 1:18:52.960 That's my roothplace, correct, Okay, Now I got to get 1:18:52.960 --> 1:18:57.360 into this part. So she was, Yes, she sounds like 1:18:57.400 --> 1:19:00.919 an incredible person. She played a huge in the community, 1:19:01.680 --> 1:19:05.920 and her vision of making sure the playing field was 1:19:05.960 --> 1:19:09.759 fair and comfortable is really beautiful. With that being said, 1:19:10.160 --> 1:19:13.679 she was your fiance while your company is growing, how 1:19:13.720 --> 1:19:16.719 did you deal with the grief of her. This sounds 1:19:16.720 --> 1:19:17.799 like an early passing. 1:19:18.160 --> 1:19:20.960 It was an early pass So this year will be 1:19:22.160 --> 1:19:26.840 fifteen years or nearly sixteen years ago, and so it 1:19:26.920 --> 1:19:30.920 was the early passing into the life cycle of CRCD. 1:19:31.240 --> 1:19:33.040 Yeah, and you're still young at this point. 1:19:33.120 --> 1:19:34.320 I'm still young. 1:19:34.800 --> 1:19:37.880 So this is five years in so you're probably thirty two. 1:19:38.160 --> 1:19:41.639 I'm thirty two, a third round thirty two, thirty three. 1:19:42.240 --> 1:19:43.559 Yeah, so you know. 1:19:44.080 --> 1:19:46.840 Shed than how are you? It was unsuspected? 1:19:47.479 --> 1:19:51.759 It was it was unsuspected because she was diagnosed with cancer. 1:19:52.240 --> 1:19:54.800 She had been fighting it for a while. So when 1:19:54.840 --> 1:19:56.479 she got war. 1:19:56.320 --> 1:19:59.639 Ill, that's when it became unexpected because I just never 1:19:59.760 --> 1:20:03.719 thought that it would happen. I never, you know, live 1:20:03.840 --> 1:20:06.920 with or had a family member, and definitely not live 1:20:07.040 --> 1:20:11.599 with someone that you know, had that terrible disease. And 1:20:11.680 --> 1:20:15.880 so for me, it was highly unexpected and it was 1:20:16.040 --> 1:20:18.400 like bam, you know, how did. 1:20:18.280 --> 1:20:22.599 You deal with the grief? At the same time, like 1:20:22.640 --> 1:20:25.240 how did you not trying to get in there? But 1:20:25.360 --> 1:20:28.080 how do you get to that next milestone? Does your 1:20:28.200 --> 1:20:31.519 partners say fall back? Do you take a break? I 1:20:31.560 --> 1:20:32.880 don't know how. 1:20:32.520 --> 1:20:37.880 How So for me again, you know, another shift in 1:20:37.880 --> 1:20:41.960 my life. I had family support, and then I had 1:20:42.000 --> 1:20:48.400 boards support, other community partners support, and of course people 1:20:48.400 --> 1:20:51.719 thought I would fall back and just take a break. 1:20:52.200 --> 1:20:54.240 You know, I think I took like two weeks off 1:20:54.560 --> 1:20:57.479 and I got right in and just started working. The 1:20:57.560 --> 1:21:00.559 best thing that worked for me was to work and 1:21:00.640 --> 1:21:04.679 continue what she and I helped to start, and there 1:21:04.680 --> 1:21:07.040 were a lot of things that she wanted to see 1:21:07.479 --> 1:21:10.599 continue to happen, and so there was no one else 1:21:11.080 --> 1:21:13.559 that was going to be able to do that but me. 1:21:14.120 --> 1:21:17.680 One of them was the creation of CRCD Enterprises. That 1:21:17.880 --> 1:21:21.360 was a big piece of what she wanted to see happened, 1:21:21.439 --> 1:21:25.360 because to sustain an organization or to do be as 1:21:25.400 --> 1:21:29.360 creative as possible, you needed to have a social enterprise, 1:21:29.760 --> 1:21:34.000 an entity that had the flexibility outside of a nonprofit 1:21:34.520 --> 1:21:38.479 kind of structure because you're restricted by the brands that 1:21:38.520 --> 1:21:44.559 you have, or you're restricted by any funders priorities. But 1:21:44.720 --> 1:21:47.840 as a business, you can not necessarily do what you want, 1:21:48.080 --> 1:21:48.759 but you can. 1:21:48.680 --> 1:21:51.440 Prioritize what's needed for the community. 1:21:51.840 --> 1:21:55.880 And so creating CRCD Enterprises and her being able to 1:21:55.920 --> 1:22:01.720 see us obtain our contractor's license was the pathway that 1:22:01.760 --> 1:22:03.920 she supported particularly. 1:22:03.920 --> 1:22:08.240 Able to see it. So their motivation was really to 1:22:08.280 --> 1:22:11.920 fulfill that that dream. So it was that's a that's 1:22:11.920 --> 1:22:16.560 a beautiful, beautiful story. So when you're dealing with a nonprofit, 1:22:16.760 --> 1:22:19.400 is it that the need of the social enterprises was? 1:22:19.479 --> 1:22:22.160 When you're dealing with the nonprofit, you have more restricted 1:22:22.200 --> 1:22:25.720 dollars than dollars than unrestricted unrestricted. 1:22:26.240 --> 1:22:28.880 You know a lot of nonprofits, you know, we fight 1:22:29.000 --> 1:22:33.559 hard to obtain dollars that are unrestricted, whereas with the 1:22:33.560 --> 1:22:37.320 social enterprise, we're able to generate and come through fee 1:22:37.400 --> 1:22:41.479 for service contracts that are not like construction, that are 1:22:41.520 --> 1:22:44.320 not restricted. I mean, we have to deliver, but they're 1:22:44.360 --> 1:22:49.120 not restricted. When the income passes over as profit and overhead, 1:22:49.520 --> 1:22:51.480 we're able to use those dollars. 1:22:51.160 --> 1:22:52.479 In more flexible ways. 1:22:52.800 --> 1:22:55.960 We're able to keep programs open on the lights on, 1:22:56.439 --> 1:23:00.639 if you may say, when they're funding restrictions that would 1:23:00.680 --> 1:23:01.640 have prohibited. 1:23:01.280 --> 1:23:02.040 Us from doing that. 1:23:02.439 --> 1:23:06.160 So a lot of the construction training programs like MC three, 1:23:06.760 --> 1:23:10.519 we now have a wonderful partnership with LA County to 1:23:10.600 --> 1:23:14.400 do lead remediation. We call it the Letterbatement program. There's 1:23:14.439 --> 1:23:18.440 an excellent program. Both programs are excellent because they're pathways 1:23:18.439 --> 1:23:22.160 into the painters union, pathways into the labor and local 1:23:22.560 --> 1:23:27.960 local LAOC you know and Local three hundred and with Latderbatemen, 1:23:28.040 --> 1:23:31.599 and a lot of these pathways, folks are prevailing wages. 1:23:31.840 --> 1:23:34.120 And that's that was gonna be my next question. A 1:23:34.120 --> 1:23:36.280 lot of the trades that I see you training these 1:23:36.360 --> 1:23:40.160 jobs when people exit the program, they're not minimum wage jobs. 1:23:40.280 --> 1:23:42.439 These are what would you say the average like. 1:23:42.760 --> 1:23:47.040 So for US, if we have for letterbatement, we'll start 1:23:47.080 --> 1:23:48.200 with that program. 1:23:48.560 --> 1:23:51.200 When they're doing lad remediation in. 1:23:51.200 --> 1:23:54.920 The training program, which is roughly about seven hundred to 1:23:54.920 --> 1:23:58.519 twelve hundred hours of training. So when they leave, they 1:23:58.600 --> 1:24:01.880 leave US as an APPRINT level two or three, which 1:24:01.920 --> 1:24:04.559 is a big deal on your paycheck. So while they're 1:24:04.560 --> 1:24:09.680 in the program, they're earning anywhere between thirty and fifty. 1:24:09.360 --> 1:24:10.040 Dollars an hour. 1:24:10.200 --> 1:24:15.160 That's great, you know, with benefits, with benef with benefits, wow. 1:24:15.200 --> 1:24:15.439 You know. 1:24:15.640 --> 1:24:18.640 And that's while in the training. So when they graduate 1:24:18.760 --> 1:24:21.639 from US and they move on to the Painters Union 1:24:21.680 --> 1:24:25.320 and now they're at apprintice level three, let's say, you know, 1:24:25.360 --> 1:24:27.880 they're at fifty five bucks an hour and above when 1:24:27.920 --> 1:24:30.280 they're working on a prevailing wage project. 1:24:30.360 --> 1:24:30.719 Wow. 1:24:30.760 --> 1:24:33.920 And most of the most, if not all, of the 1:24:33.960 --> 1:24:38.360 affordable housing projects that are funded by state bond money 1:24:38.760 --> 1:24:43.000 has a project labor agreement or community agreement in place 1:24:43.439 --> 1:24:46.200 where contractors have to pay those wages. 1:24:46.760 --> 1:24:49.240 Wow. Yeah, that's wow. 1:24:49.479 --> 1:24:54.559 Impressive, very impressive. And then my last question I have 1:24:54.760 --> 1:25:00.240 in my head is does CRCD Enterprises end up doing, 1:25:01.000 --> 1:25:05.120 if not all, majority of the build development projects for 1:25:05.160 --> 1:25:05.840 you that so. 1:25:05.720 --> 1:25:08.200 That's the goal, that's always been the goal, that we're 1:25:08.280 --> 1:25:14.120 the go to general contractor for the development team. We're 1:25:14.160 --> 1:25:16.240 you know, a little ways away from doing a ground 1:25:16.360 --> 1:25:21.320 up project of that size because yeah, and because you 1:25:21.400 --> 1:25:24.920 have to get bonding and you know you and bonding 1:25:25.160 --> 1:25:29.840 requires everything, including your kids and you know, I mean 1:25:29.880 --> 1:25:31.360 they go real deep in. 1:25:32.040 --> 1:25:33.479 It's just not a credit score. 1:25:33.960 --> 1:25:37.760 They want to know everything and they want even more guarantees. 1:25:38.560 --> 1:25:42.320 And so we're getting to where we can bond to 1:25:42.600 --> 1:25:47.000 build a twenty five thirty million dollars construction project. 1:25:47.360 --> 1:25:48.960 We're doing a lot of rehab now. 1:25:49.040 --> 1:25:51.680 We do come in as a sub to do a 1:25:51.720 --> 1:25:56.360 lot of the interior exterior decorative painting or professional painting. 1:25:56.640 --> 1:26:00.200 So our guys and girls are earning prevailing wages. But 1:26:00.280 --> 1:26:04.400 we're close to doing ground up. We are general contractors 1:26:04.560 --> 1:26:07.400 on the last two projects that they're doing. They're all 1:26:07.920 --> 1:26:11.000 you know, rehab projects right now, and so you know, 1:26:11.080 --> 1:26:11.679 the team. 1:26:11.560 --> 1:26:14.000 Is moving forward. It's a it's a slow grind. 1:26:14.120 --> 1:26:16.000 I mean, our team wants to get at it now, 1:26:16.120 --> 1:26:18.760 but that's not quite how it works and how it's 1:26:18.760 --> 1:26:19.160 set up. 1:26:19.360 --> 1:26:23.439 I love it. I love it all. So where can 1:26:23.800 --> 1:26:27.439 people find out more information? Did we cover everything or 1:26:27.479 --> 1:26:29.479 is there a future projects or anything we need to 1:26:29.479 --> 1:26:29.880 know about. 1:26:30.680 --> 1:26:33.920 I mean there's just ongoing on going construction projects. 1:26:33.960 --> 1:26:37.200 I mean, we do have our Business Source Center that's 1:26:37.960 --> 1:26:41.519 contracted with the City of Los Angeles, whereas working with 1:26:41.600 --> 1:26:46.400 businesses to get them tapped into resources and entrepreneurs helping 1:26:46.439 --> 1:26:50.160 other entrepreneurs. I will say, what's new is that we 1:26:50.360 --> 1:26:55.960 created the CRCD Community Loan Fund where we will become 1:26:56.000 --> 1:26:59.559 a lender in the community separate entity of course for 1:26:59.600 --> 1:27:03.320 a proper so that we can work with banks and 1:27:03.520 --> 1:27:08.760 larger community development financial institutions to get money into the 1:27:08.760 --> 1:27:12.960 hands of entrepreneurs and small businesses to help them thrive. 1:27:13.479 --> 1:27:16.680 And so that's new on the horizon that we're working on. 1:27:16.760 --> 1:27:19.760 But we have it set up. We are down licensed, 1:27:20.080 --> 1:27:22.760 went to State of California to do lending and we 1:27:22.800 --> 1:27:26.599 did receive a technical assistance grant, went to Treasury Department 1:27:26.640 --> 1:27:31.120 to get our Community Development Financial Institution certification. 1:27:31.240 --> 1:27:33.479 Going that's a lot. That's a lot. 1:27:33.720 --> 1:27:39.960 So where can everybody keep up with Coalition for Responsible 1:27:40.200 --> 1:27:41.920 Community Development? 1:27:42.240 --> 1:27:45.200 So One easy way is our website. It's kind of 1:27:45.280 --> 1:27:49.000 loan is www dot coalition are. 1:27:50.400 --> 1:27:57.000 Its www dot Coalition RCD dot org. And that's the 1:27:57.040 --> 1:28:01.160 same social media handle for Instagram and. 1:28:02.720 --> 1:28:05.679 Meta and all that Coalition r c D. You can see, 1:28:05.720 --> 1:28:06.880 I don't use it that much. 1:28:07.040 --> 1:28:11.080 Yeah. And then for the enterprises side, where would they 1:28:11.080 --> 1:28:11.599 find out more? 1:28:11.960 --> 1:28:15.920 So more information for the mprise side is www dot 1:28:16.000 --> 1:28:16.559 c r c. 1:28:16.760 --> 1:28:20.200 D, E n T dot com dot com. 1:28:20.240 --> 1:28:25.160 And for partners you have cr W www dot c 1:28:25.439 --> 1:28:27.839 r c D Partners dot com. 1:28:27.960 --> 1:28:30.479 Okay, Now, if someone wants to go to one of 1:28:30.479 --> 1:28:32.840 the sites their links to link them all together to 1:28:32.880 --> 1:28:34.680 some you'll. 1:28:34.439 --> 1:28:37.479 Still be able to get to each of the sites, 1:28:37.520 --> 1:28:40.840 but you can learn more about each of those companies 1:28:41.320 --> 1:28:43.679 and who's leading those companies and so forth. 1:28:43.960 --> 1:28:46.920 Okay, cool, Well, thank you so much for feeding me. 1:28:47.040 --> 1:28:49.439 I'm going to finish the mail the second we rep 1:28:49.600 --> 1:28:51.840 and thank you so much for your time. I really 1:28:51.880 --> 1:28:55.920 appreciate hearing your story from the horse's mouth directly. No 1:28:56.040 --> 1:29:00.000 more rumors on how and when. Thank you so much 1:29:00.040 --> 1:29:01.960 for your time. We really are thankful for what you 1:29:02.000 --> 1:29:04.000 do for the community and for are you. 1:29:04.479 --> 1:29:06.080 Thank you very much for having me. 1:29:06.040 --> 1:29:14.280 Thanks for tuning in. Peace Out for more. Eating while 1:29:14.360 --> 1:29:18.320 Broke from iHeartRadio and The Black Effect, Visit the iHeartRadio app, 1:29:18.439 --> 1:29:21.519 Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.