March & April ‘26 Donor Updates

Thank you for supporting the Eastside Café (ESC)!

As an esteemed donor, we are updating you on some of the many initiatives the ESC is working on. Eastside Café is neither a business nor a non-profit organization, rather a

grassroots community space inspired by the Zapatista uprising: a third place, an 

incubator for community projects, and an operation solely funded by your donations.

We encourage you to consider donating monthly to help us continue our work 

in the community.

We would also like to invite you to join us for our 25th anniversary celebration on Friday, May 22nd, at 6:00pm. There will be free food, music, and a silent auction.

UPDATES

Calstate LA Students - Study Refuge: In April and May, we opened our doors to Calstate LA Students studying for finals.

Jiujitsu Warriors: The Jiujitsu collective is back. JiuJitsu Warriors shuttered its program in late 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Warriors have been back for a couple of months with plans to stay. The Jiujitsu Warriors sessions take place on Saturdays from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon.

Green Arrow: The Green Arrow Youth program is back after a 4-week hiatus. Green Arrow consists of formally incarcerated youth recovering from the trauma of prison and the situations that put them there. Their approach is based on indigenous principles, particularly the practice of connecting with Mother Earth. This is a joint project partnering with the El Sereno Community Garden, Eastside Café, and Green Arrow.

Book Night: Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of New Hampshire, was born and raised in El Sereno, CA. In her latest book, “The Edge of Time-Space situates El Sereno: “El Sereno, Los Angeles, California, United States, North America, Earth, Solar

System, outer arm of the Milky Way, Local Galactic Group, Universe. This book presentation was the joint work of the California Faculty Association at Cal State LA. We want to thank the Science Dept. Professor Weronica Cwir for co-hosting and leading the discussion with Chanda. It was such an honor and a pleasure to listen to Chanda, an astrophysicist, critique the US space program and its militarization objectives.

Humanitarian Gaza Flotilla Sumud: We are proud to report that the ESC is supporting the Flotilla. We (Mariella and Roberto) were able to interview one of the 2 participants, Jimena Hernandez from Mexico City, who was recently violently arrested and released.

Son del Sereno Fandango: On April 25 th, Son del Sereno, a group rooted in Son Jarocho, held its annual Fandango. A Fandango is a community gathering to celebrate life. Jarocho music originates from the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is a grassroots genre with Indigenous, African, and European influences in the music performed by students and teachers. The Fandango is a community-based tradition that celebrates life in the small towns, ranchos, and pueblos of Veracruz. We are borrowing from that tradition to create community here in El Sereno and elsewhere.

Food Distribution: The food distribution is expanding. Emille Tokich, the Food Distribution facilitator, has identified two additional food sources and will bring food at least twice a week. Additionally, Leo Cortez, who in another life was a gang negotiator, mediator, and unifier, brings food from his own sources at least twice a week. Many community members also bring food to be shared with neighbors. We need volunteers to help clean the 24/7 Community Fridge and assist with unloading food deliveries.

Capoeira: Capoeira for Change continues to grace the Eastside Café with Brazilian Capoeira, a spiritual exercise and a form of grassroots self-defense.

ROH GM: Reclaiming Our Homes Grassroots Movement is a grassroots organization dedicated to developing social housing. ROHGM and its closest allies are drafting a rough Rent Strike Manifesto to explain why a rent strike is a way for communities to reclaim their power. We cannot rely on

politicians to raise wages or lower rents. We, the people, must do it ourselves. Establishing a strike mechanism will be especially crucial as people realize that our demands to city officials might be heard but won’t necessarily be acted upon.

AA: Our 7:00pm Wednesday meetings have had attendance of between 40-50 folx. According to Dr. Gaber Matte, it is impossible not to have some kind of addictive behavior given the trauma

inflicted by capitalism.

Stay tuned for:

1. Eastside Café Open House 25-year Celebration on Friday, May 22 from 6-10 p.m.
2. Comedy Night Fundraiser for the ESC -May 30th, doors open at 7:00 pm with a VIP reception, sponsored by World-renowned inspirational comic, Ernie G., and our own Comic organizer, Cristine Siras.
3. More reports on the Gaza Flotilla

Power to the people,

East Side Café