"Hip-Hop is not about gangsterism, but about hip-consciousness and hop-movement."

— Carmelo Alvarez

"Not all people are revolutionaries."

 — Elena Popp

"We know this about immigrants in general: when they come to a new country their diets change — for the worse."

  — Dr. Rodney Samaan

"My fear is a lot of people see street vendors as undesirable, dirty, like we are an invading army."

— Rosa Miranda

"A lot of times people have the impression the police come in as an occupying army, and our only goal is to arrest somebody without really caring about them personally."

— Officer Robert Solorio

"When we were walking through the park, everybody was so freely doing illegal activities … so  to turn it around we had to create a special street district, it was so hard with the long-time stigma of the gangs, and the drugs and the killings and the drownings in the park. We had to collaborate - everybody had a seat at the table."

— 'Mama' Sandra Romero

"People think food doesn’t make a difference in their bodies, they think they control it with pills; sometimes it’s dangerous, dangerous for our bodies." 

— Laura Gonzalez

"Our zip code determines our health, our zip code determines how long we will live, and our likelihood of developing diabetes or heart disease. Beause of that we have to change neighborhood conditions, we have to change what options are available to residents to improve their health on a fundamental level."

— Clare Fox

"As much as we appreciate the Lakers and the Dodgers,  real estate speculation is just as an important a sport in this city. So I don't start the conversation talking about gentrification, I start by talking about displacement."

— José Gardea

"It's time people wake up and realize that having a creative place is a big process for the youth; there is a big difference between societies that don't have that sort of creative outlet for kids - and one that does."

— Nicholas Villalobos

“Creative placemaking is something that is really layered and complex, and so Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles also takes into account creative placekeeping . People do see us as sort of like a hub or a place where people from many different walks of life can gather somewhat harmoniously and really enjoy each other‘s company and see each other as an asset.”

— Allegra Padilla

"At lot of people told me, you’re crazy. Someone could throw a bottle of gasoline through your window – I don’t think so. I’m not crazy. And I’m not afraid, because you know what, I’m not going anything bad, I’m doing good, and I’m doing it by the law, I’m not breaking the law."

— Bertha Wooldridge, 'Godmother' of MacArthur Park