- Post date
- 20 Sep 2018
- Caption
- Here is a rare flyer from two back-to-back 2002 shows put together by Warning Productions at the American Legion in Walnut Park. Friday was a metal night with: Ankla (former PUYA members), Balistik, N.M.E., 3rd Degree Burn, Porcelyn & Master Cylinder. The Saturday ska line-up was led by Left Alone, Codename: Rocky in their first ever L.A. performance (according to the flyer). Plus, Suspect 7 and Cafeina.
The hall located the unincorporated area —next to Huntington Park— was a relic of the time that all of the South East L.A. cities (formerly known as the "Gateway Cities") used to be strictly white as a result of legal and social residential segregation.
In fact, Alameda street (located a couple block west from the site of the American Legion) represented the dividing boundary between black and brown L.A. and the "lily-white" Gateway Cities. It wasn't until the 1960s, with the advent of Civil Rights legislation that people of color began to be able to rent and own homes in Huntington Park, South Gate, Lynwood, etc.
In addition, factories soon left the area, compelling many white residents to move out while Latinas/os moved into S.E.L.A. Thus, becoming the demographic majority by the 1980s. Nonetheless, the halls of these (mostly white) civic institutions endured well after most of the original organization members were gone.
Now in the 2000s, attending a show at the "American Legion" was quite an experience. It was a small, stuffy, and dilapidated hall that featured countless age-old portraits of World War II and Vietnam (while) veterans on the walls. Meanwhile a bunch of brown teenagers would mosh to syncopated out of tune ska beats by their fellow high school friends.
The action was wearily observed by some old-timers from the attached bar operated by the overseers of the American Legion. They also probably turned a blind eye to the obvious underage drinking going on the small parking lot of the legion. There were shows at the Legion between 2001 and 2002. The site of American Legion Post 459 was demolished in the early 2010 and is now the site of Walnut Park Middle School.
????: @grlafrayd for sharing!
- Location
- Walnut Park, California
- Type
- flyer
- View on Instagram
- https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn96DR4ByIC/
- View on Internet Archive
- https://archive.org/details/200205177627_201907