Moderator: I’maiya Milan Wright
Producer: Bridgette Creamer
Associate Producer: Veronica Barriga
Anchor: Ethan Hanson
Social Media Editor: Esteban Reynoso
Reporters: Veronica Barriga, Bridgette Creamer, Ethan Hanson, Jasper Harris, Esteban Reynoso, Londy Sagastume and I’maiya Milan Wright
Moderator: Veronica Barriga
Producer: Jasper Harris
Associate Producers: Veronica Barriga, Ethan Hanson, Esteban Reynoso
Anchor: Bridgette Creamer
Social Media Editor: I’maiya Milan Wright
Reporters: Veronica Barriga, Bridgette Creamer, Ethan Hanson, Jasper Harris, Esteban Reynoso, Londy Sagastume and I’maiya Milan Wright
Los Angeles has long been known as the entertainment capital of the nation, but in recent years, it’s also becoming known as the homeless capital. Places like downtown Los Angeles’ Skid Row, Venice Beach, the Los Angeles River bed, and even the sidewalks around City Hall, have become home for many people. According to the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, more than 60,000 people in Los Angeles are homeless. All over the county, homeless people are struggling to live, struggling to stay clean, and struggling to get back on their feet — and all of them have stories to tell. But for journalists, covering these stories can present particular challenges.
CSUN Photojournalism Professor David Blumenkrantz has been documenting the lives of homeless people for years, and he said he tries not to show the ugliness of homelessness, but rather tries to show the beauty in the struggle. “We [need to] know them as people, not as a species,” he said. Blumenkrantz said he uses his photography to portray homeless individuals’ struggles.
But journalists and reporters have ethical standards, and Blumenkrantz said he must try to walk the line between what’s right and what’s wrong in his photography.
“[There can be a problem with] how [homeless people are] used, and how they’re presented,” he said. “It depends on their situation, but you try to put a human face to the crisis.”
“[I try to] remove the stigma,” Blumenkrantz said. “We have enough pictures of people in pain and suffering.”
Laura Rathbone is an activist for the homeless, and co-founder of Sisters on the Streets and the Hygiene Campaign, serving homeless people in the San Fernando Valley.
“I remember the first time [I helped a homeless person],” Rathbone said. “I got them connected. [I thought] ‘they’re gonna be off the streets’. But it wasn’t that easy. [It] took them eight months before they finally got off the streets.”
Those months on the street can be especially difficult for women. “Sometimes [homeless women] have to choose between a meal or female hygiene,” Rathbone said. “It’s not right. [Help for women] is needed.” The Hygiene Campaign has opened shower stations and provided soaps, hand sanitizers, and other hygiene products to homeless people, especially women. “And if you see a homeless girl,” Rathbone said, “give her a tampon!”
Blumenkrantz’s work has been exhibited at the Los Angeles Museum of Social Justice. He received the CSUN Exceptional Creative Accomplishments Award last spring for his work covering the homeless community.
Moderator: Londy Sagastume
Executive Producer: Ethan Hanson
Associate Producers: Veronica Barriga, Jasper Harris & Esteban Reynoso
Anchor: I’maiya Milan Wright
Social Media Editor: Bridgette Creamer
Reporters: Veronica Barriga, Ethan Hanson, Jasper Harris, Esteban Reynoso, Londy Sagastume, I’maiya Milan Wright
CSUN athletics are on the rise, due in part to the success of the women’s basketball team, who won the Big West title last year. But this and other achievements often go unnoticed. Campuses like USC and UCLA have a reputation of bringing in tons of support from students and alumni at their games, but CSUN sports does not.
“I do believe there’s lack of school spirit on CSUN’s campus,” one CSUN student said. “Not everybody gets involved with what sports activity are going on. I personally don’t know when the volleyball season is or anything, so there’s no way for me to attend the games. I just feel there needs to be more advertisement for it.”
While UCLA may be defeating CSUN when it comes to attendance at games, the Matadors men’s soccer team defeated the #10 ranked Bruins on the soccer field this season. CSUN Athletic department officials say they hope the huge win might lead to a boost in attendance.
“I think students should be excited about anything that has the school name associated with it,” CSUN’s Women Basketball Coach Jason Flowers said. “We talk with our kids all the time about not only representing themselves well, but representing our University, every time they step on the floor and compete.”
Flowers said it is important for the athletes to build relationships with students on campus in order to see more fans in the stands. To build these connections, the women’s basketball team invited students to join them at a pool party where fans and students were able to meet players and staff. The Athletic Department is hoping to create a welcoming environment for students to attend games.
“We need to focus inwardly on who we are,” said CSUN Athletic Director Michael Izzi, “and where we can best create opportunities to be significant, and significant within our conference, as well as owning the area that we live in, and that’s the Valley.”
Flowers said he likes the new ideas Izzi is bringing to CSUN. Izzi spent the last 20 years at UC Irvine in the same position. “He has a clear plan of what he wants [CSUN Athletics Department] to be, what he wants it to look like, and what he wants it to do. Obviously with his history, with given time, we will get those things done,” Flowers said.
The women’s basketball coach says the athletic program is moving in the right direction.
“There are a lot of good things going on in our department,” he said. “I would like to see continued growth, and [I’d like to see us] continuing to shed light on the things going on at this University, whether it be academic research, or beautifully-run productions by students on campus. Hopefully we continue to grow and get better, and when people think of CSUN, they think excellence and a high level of performance.”
Moderator: Ethan Hanson
Producers: Veronica Barriga and Ethan Hanson
Anchor: Esteban Reynoso
Social Media Editor: Londy Sagastume
Reporters: Veronica Barriga, Bridgette Creamer, Ethan Hanson, Jasper Harris, Esteban Reynoso, Londy Sagastume and I’maiya Milan Wright
