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Dear Alexandra, Emely, Ingrid, Perla, Delilah, and Mariana,

I appreciate the time and true representation shown in Los Angeles.  Often times, people will think of Los Angeles as a beautiful city, but fail to recognize the true problems that pertain to it.  It was powerful to hear about Ms. Hernandez’s everyday life, and the struggles that many people deal with every day.  Additionally, I have overlooked a lot of the gentrifying that has occurred while being a student at USC, and this film definitely was able to open my eyes.  Slowly the neighborhoods are changing culturally and physically because of the gentrification, and I really hope that you are able to take back your community soon.  Additionally, as a Real Estate Development major, it has motivated me to develop areas in the future, but to still strongly consider the established cultures in an area.  Each of your individual dancing really demonstrated to me the passion that you have not only for your neighborhood, but also the love for and impact your culture has on each one of your lives.

The idea of gentrification relates to an idea that Jane Desmond talks about in her piece called “Embodying Difference”.  One key theme that she discusses is “whitening”.  Although it relates to dance, the concept to me was able to directly relate to an area being stripped of its people and culture.  Desmond defines whitening “as the dance form migrates across social lines, it is no longer the same form in the community of origin” (Desmond, 43).  Similarly, when places like El Super get replaced with Starbucks or Trader Joe’s a sense of community is gone, and it will no longer be the same as you said.  This whitening not only forces community stores that directly appeal to the local culture, but it also forces the people out and displaces them.

Sincerely,

Sheldon Wong (From Professor G’s Class)

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Thank you so much for your film.

It provided an important perspective that I don’t believe is considered often enough when it comes to gentrification and the development of communities in South Los Angels. Too often we hear about how new zoning, and development projects in South LA will benefit the city. That it will drive new, wealthier investors into parts of Los Angeles south of the I-10, but they always negate to mention how it will impact the communities that call this place home, especially those who have resided here for generations. Through your interviewees’ testimony, you’ve underlined the importance of the “food”, “the culture” and “the people” as integral parts of a community. And that is something these faceless corporations and developers want to change to fit their own image of what a community should look like, and how they interact with food, culture and people (usually in a manner which provides them profits). As your film so poignantly displays, it is not only affordable housing that is at risk, but the local grocery stores and family run businesses which serve their communities. Instead, they are to be replaced with corporate chains that have little interest outside of increasing their profits. In your film, you’ve given a voice to those who are most impacted with these changes in South LA.

Aside from the very powerful message, your film was wonderfully shot; the contrast between the downtown Los Angeles skyscrapers, with the very intimate footage in the home, in the kitchen and in the bedrooms, makes for a really engaging experience. You feel as though you’ve been taken out of the “glamorous” and “shiny” Los Angeles into a much more realistic and connected portrayal of its inhabitants.

Thank you so much for your thought provoking film.

Jackson G. (Prof. G’s class)

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I found this film very interesting in the way it contrasts most of the popular media that takes place in LA that glamorizes Hollywood, celebrities, a booming night life, and mansions in the hills. This film portrayed the true LA, and although it was slightly disheartening, I felt that it had a very genuine tone and provided useful education regarding gentrification. The consequences of gentrification such as lack of culturally diverse foods and increased rent for local residents are very important aspects of the problem that many people do not take into account, and I really appreciated the way these issues were explained and portrayed in this film. The interviews with members of the community were very informative and gave outside viewers a look at how gentrification truly affects local residents which many people may not see elsewhere. I also really enjoyed the production of this film, especially the scenes throughout the interviews. Overall, amazing film, I can tell how much hard work went into its creation.

-Griff Riggs (Professor G’s class)

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I really loved this film, especially the interviews because it helped me understand on a personal level how real the struggle is when you are being pushed around by a force you cannot control. I never really considered the impacts of having new businesses/new developments come into an area, but I can see that its effects are very hurtful for so many people. It’s definitely unfair that the people who are most affected by gentrification are so often already marginalized and cannot afford to be hit with more troubles, but that is unfortunately the case. I think this is a social issue that definitely needs to be addressed, but I can see how those in power could easily ignore the problem unless it was a problem affecting them directly. The film opens up a much-needed conversation on how we can address this issue. I can see the capitalist tendencies in the US to cause those who already have money to get richer and those who don’t have money to become even poorer. It won’t be easy to find a good fix to issues like this, but I believe your film is a great starting point to help more and more people realize that this is an issue that needs to be addressed, and from there, change can be made. Great job! -Eric Wang (from Prof G’s class!)

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That was amazing. The ability to show us the vulnerable side of LA, the genuine side, and the overlooked and under cared for people was fantastic. Gentrification is present, is real, and is completely hurting people. The practice of "scripting the the...body." It will continue to occur as long as everyone does not see how bad it truly is. I love how well put together this was. It was precise, a great calling to action, and another means to be proud of your culture not just in LA but wherever you are. It had me wanting to join the dance at the end and let loose while also being upset at how much needs to be done.       Much love for sure  ~Benjy from Professor G's class

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I’d like to start this off by commending you all for the phenomenal work in this film. Notably, I greatly appreciated the emotional flow of this piece. The transition from beautiful visuals of downtown Los Angeles to testimonies of LA residents describing their new economic struggles emphasized the problems of gentrification. Further, it highlighted the fact that gentrification takes the soul away from a city. Los Angeles is loved for its cultural diversity, a commodity that’s endangered by active gentrification. Hearing individual stories about how gentrification has negatively impacted your lives was very moving. It forced me to consider the topic further, to the point where I now will always consider gentrification when walking around Los Angeles.

The transition at the end of the film to you guys joyfully dancing to Selena’s “El Chico del Apartamento 512” was a powerful and amazing tool. It showed a sliver of the countless beautiful features within the now endangered LA cultures. I found myself dancing to the song as well, wanting to find a group of people to celebrate something with. It further cemented to me the idea that gentrification should be halted, and culture should be actively celebrated. I was left with the belief that gentrification is killing the characteristics of Los Angeles that true Angelinos have come to love. To preserve the cultural beauty of Los Angeles, we all must first realize that gentrification is one of the main issues. Your work has greatly helped to spread this lesson.

Thank you for this wonderful piece of education.

Best,

Greg Sarandi from Professor G’s class

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This film was amazing because it touched on a topic that a lot of people outside LA never really think about--how high rent is lowering the overall quality of life for most low-income residents in LA. As you mentioned in the beginning of the film, when most people think of LA, they picture the glamour, the glitz, and the fame. Rarely do people think about how the increasing cost of living and gentrification of low-income neighborhoods is hurting poor people, particularly people of color. Like your other films, I think your choice of depicting individual stories and how these problems affect low-income individuals helps put a name and face to the problem and not just numbers and statistics. This helps people better sympathize with the people affected by these issues, thus encouraging people to take action to solve the problem.

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As a student at USC who knew nothing of what L.A. was like prior to 2017, I wanted to thank you for creating an intimate space with your audience to expose the effects gentrification has had on communities of families that were here long before these big businesses that are meant to cater to our majority white, well-off, college aged students. Disregarding the culture of the individuals in an area by getting rid of their spaces creates an environment that’s uncomfortable to live in. And as you all said, the goal is to thrive. Also, your use of dance throughout the film highlighted the emotions expressed by whomever was speaking, and that really made this piece sing when paired with your in-depth interviews. Creating and sharing this was a major step in taking back your community, and for that, I applaud you.

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Dear Alexandra, Emily, Ingrid, Perla, Mariana, and Delilah,

All of you did an outstanding job on this film! I truly appreciate all the heart and soul you guys put into it, and your hard work really shows. This film was so personal, and the interviews with family members were very powerful and essential to the message of this film.  This video brings awareness to the massive gentrification problem specifically in South LA, and how people’s lives are being affected. Each personal story was very touching and upsetting to hear about. This issue of gentrification reminds me of a phenomenon we discuss in Professor G’s class called “whitening”. In our class, we specifically talk about  “whitening” in terms of dance, music, and popular culture. For instance, Desmond writes “in the process of "whitening" as the dance form migrates across social lines, it is no longer the same form in the community of origin”(43). However this “whitening” also occurs when discussing gentrification, because historically Black and Hispanic neighborhoods are being redeveloped and community members become displaced.  These cultural neighborhoods become “whitened” as local businesses get bought out, or can no longer afford rent and the high costs of living that occur after gentrification.  I absolutely love how the film ended with you all dancing. It shows your pride and love for your culture.

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The effort and heart your truly put into this film was not only impressive but it was very clear that it was all coming from a place of strength. The way you guys showed off the communities where you have spent so much of your life in and showed how much it means to you really warmed my heart and gave me a proud feeling. It hurts me as the viewer to hear about the struggles you also encounter through this and certain things that you have gone through. When you talk about your favorite convenience stores to your favorite spots around your community its very inspiring because I always see as its the things you grow up with and really admire that help shape you into the great human you become and I see nothing but success coming to your guys' way. Keep it up because I came across this from school and now I am extremely inspired by you guys! Thank you!!

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Dear Alexandra, Emely, Ingrid, Perla, Delilah, and Mariana,

This film was done very well to show the truth behind LA, oftentimes it is easier to sweep pressing issues under the rug and pretend nothing is wrong. When Alma told us she spent 15 years at her company yet still does not have financial security it seems so unbelievably unfair. The United States likes to preach this idea of the American Dream where if you work hard enough you will succeed and have a stable life. Unfortunately, this is not the reality and is made even harder by the systematic racism in place against people of color. A lot of times I hear people say things that place blame on people for not getting a job or being unable to rise in their success rather than looking inward at the real problem. In many of your examples, someone was once able to live happily in their neighborhood but was forced out due to Starbucks replacing small supermarkets like what happened to Minerva. It is so disheartening to learn that Minerva was forced to move from her comfortable and friendly neighborhood to somewhere she felt unsafe and yet still had to stress over rent. Amely noted how hard it is to change your environment to something unfamiliar after you have already made your life one place which conveys just how much of a problem it is not just for numbers-wise, but also for one's mental health. I thought your point about the goal being to thrive rather than just survive was genuinely so very important: I think it is easy to lose sight of what people need to do well and feel happy.

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Great interviews! This video inspire me to think the negative influence of gentrification. As an international student, my first impression of LA was diversity and opportunities but not the life of local communities. However, the interviews in the film reflect the impact of “urban updates” toward to local communities. You mentioned that many local business like restaurants and shops were gradually replaced by chain brands. I think it would definitely have negative influence to the local characteristic and homogenize all neighborhoods. After watching all interviews, the word I remember is “stress”. The stress of increasing rental rate push local residents move out from their home. Combined with the renewal of community business, all this will accelerate the changes of the local communities.

Thank you so much for sharing this video!

Ruoming Li from Professor Grimes’s class.

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I loved this film. Thank you so much for sharing. You did such a great job of providing insight to the emotional attachment you all have to the communities you’ve grown up in. It bears a different kind of weight to the audience’s ear when we hear about these struggles directly from the source. Hearing about how important your favorite corner stores and small business were leaves a big impact. Your discussion on how gentrification began and has affected you and your families was extremely clear and made me want to help prevent these things from happening- great job. This is such an important message that so many more people need to hear so thank you for sharing. I enjoyed that you ended the film by dancing. It’s so personal and also demonstrates an understanding and celebration of your culture. “Take back our community” is such a great line to end the film on providing hope and hopefully inspiring change.

s/o to Professor G. This film was great!

~Luke Csordas

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This film really made me think about gentrification. Personally speaking, gentrification has a very positive connotation. With gentrification, houses get renovated and people’s life quality improves. However, listening to the stories of those who had originally been living in places where gentrification happened, your film taught me that many people actually suffer because of gentrification. Some people are forced to leave because of an increase in rent, while some people feel like they have lost their sense of community. I think this film is very much needed, because it is through this kind of storytelling that people become more aware that gentrification can bring harm to the community. Thanks for your video!

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I really liked how this film showed the real LA and the struggles that many people endure. I feel like many times LA is looked at as only this amazing place with so many opportunities, but what people fail to realize, is that there were people there before gentrification and are being affected by it emotionally, and financially. I love how I was able to watch first hand and be able to empathize with the stories that were told. I also liked the ways the interviews were formatted and how all the responses to the words money or rent were similar among the women showing how much hardship it causes to anyone affected by it. Thank you so much for this film, it was really educational, and I was able to get a first-hand experience of the gentrification in LA and how people deal with it. -I am a student from Professor Grimes class, and I'm really glad he recommended these films to us!

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Right off the bat I want to say how impressive the production of this film was. The shots of LA, the illustrations, all wonderfully done.

The film brings up great points on how expensive it is starting to get in Los Angeles, specifically South LA. With stores like El Super closing, only mega corporations are able to afford doing business in the city. With these changes, Los Angeles slowly starts to lose its soul and culture.

Gentrification is a major issue and the more our city bends the knee, the more we the people struggle. Where is one supposed to go when we can no longer afford rent? The rich are able to leave the state at anytime, and are. But the average Angelino can't just pick up and leave as easily. I know this is a film about South LA specifically, but California is often rated amongst the worst states for people to do business in. As a result we are seeing countless family businesses unfortunately failing.

This is a good topic you are addressing as there are thousands of families going through what you presented in this film. Gentrification puts a lot of stress on families as you showed with the interviews. You filmmakers did a great job showing us the first hand experience of what it is like living here in South LA.

Love from Professor G's class,

CJ

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This film was amazing! It really made me think about the reality of the families and original communities in south LA who are suffering and experiencing difficulties performing basic tasks such as paying rent, all at the expense of wealthy investors and companies who only want to spread their businesses in order to make more money. It makes me very sad hearing some of the adults in the film who were experiencing discomfort and worry when thinking about the word rent. Experiencing economic hardship, especially for something as simple as having a roof over your head, should not be forced upon families and community members who are sacrificing their community and time because they did not have a voice for their communities when they were being gentrified. At the beginning of the film, it was explained how one of you had moved to the community near USC because it was safer and was still affordable. However, near the end, it was stated that you had to move back to your old community due to the increase in the cost of living because of the capitalist ideals trying to be implemented into the community such as the metro rail and the Trader Joes and Starbucks replacing the cultural stores such as El Super. It's very unfair to the community and I hope that more people become aware of how families who live in South LA actually feel about the gentrification that's happening. The community should have a voice and this film was a great form of expression that I hope is heard! Beautiful Production!                     -Hayan Khan (Student from Professor Sabela Grimes's class)

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I really enjoyed this film! Although many individuals may have a superficial understanding of what gentrification is and how it affects minority communities, this film really depicted the challenges and effects caused on those who live this reality. I think your choice to interview individuals also further supports this and puts a face and name to the individuals who suffer from this growing inequity. I also really enjoyed the fact that you incorporated dance into the film! Celebration of one's culture, especially in the face of forces that try to exclude it, is a wonderful way of showing pride and strength during times of hardship or unfairness. Apart from the content, I really liked the transitions and stop and go shots as well. I thought they were really innovative and a great addition to the narration. Overall great film!

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Great job with this film - it's important to highlight the experiences of native Angelinos throughout gentrification. The bottom-line of the country we live in is profit - and unfortunately that leads to unjust and uncalled for developments in the heart of cultural hubs like South LA. There is no reason why there should be Starbucks and Trader Joe's in communities where people still struggle to meet rent.  Like you said, the goal is to thrive - not survive. That being said, I loved to see the gratitude shown in this video - it reminds me of my own upbringing. For example, your mother being grateful for holding a job is something that many people take for granted. This film did a great job of highlighting the importance of cultural small businesses/communities in South LA, and how the displacement and gentrification going on is severely limiting and erasing it. Thank you for shining light on this ongoing issue and calling for action. And great job once again!
- Ygor Pereira (from Professor G's class)

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It is so tough to watch the gentrification that has swept through South LA. Being a native who also now attends USC I feel like I am in a weird position when it comes to this topic. As before I got into USC I was so angry to see a loT the affordable places I used to go to be torn down. However, now that I am a USC student I benefit from the gentrification as it has allowed me to live in brand new dorms and gave us college students more social spaces. Even though I receive the benefits of gentrification I DO NOT SUPPORT IT. I  have been preaching to many USC students about their privilege to enjoy these new spaces as they are at a cost of many people’s livelihoods. I have had so many friends move away or their parents lose their jobs simply because people think making LA better means kicking out the community that has loved here from the beginning. I appreciate your film as it brings so much perspective to the physical and emotional displacement of South LA residents.  It must be so tough living day by day not knowing if you will be able to afford your rent, especially with the pandemic. This was truly a brilliant film and I enjoyed watching it. (I am glad Professor Grimes sent me to watch these films)

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Great work! "Rent Free" shined light on the economic problem caused by gentrification. This film was beautifully put together. I loved the fact that the students included the interviews. I gives a sense of reality to the film. Gentrification is a very big problem in LA. I'm glad that you young ladies are aware of that and are speaking up about it.

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Wonderful film! This film was incredibly touching. It raises awareness over the emotional and physical displacement of different communities in South LA.  It was interesting to learn about South LA, given that I have not been yet. Your interviews, where you asked about one specific word that be "money" or "rent" and how that resonated with your interviewers enlightened me with the emotions these individuals go through. Like one of the interviewer's said, they are living day by day when it comes to money. This information was incredibly touching, but more than anything words of awareness. The emotion's you project through these individuals experiences when having to leave a community due to gentrification are immensely powerful. Additionally, I loved your last clips where three individuals danced to latin music. As a Latina, I noticed the salsa and bachata moves that were incorporated which created this immediate connection between your film and I. This cultural recognition made me feel that pain of being displaced because of gentrification, even stronger. After watching these individuales journeys with displacement I felt the pain you attempted to project, however, it was later concealed by this latino music and dance practice. This change of emotions, demonstrates that your film is so authentic that is has the capacity to take your viewer through this roller coaster of emotions, victims of displacement from gentrification must go through. I wanted to thank you for doing such a tremendous job! You taught me valuable thing about South LA, its people, and the institutions surrounding it. Great Job!                                               P.S I am Professor Grimes's student! He guided us towards watching your films (it has been great)!                                 -Stephanie Schroer

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Phenomenal work!! "Rent Free" took me on a journey through the pressure of economic hardships caused by gentrification. I think this film did an amazing job of bringing viewers intimately into this community through its usage of stop motion animation, captions, and interviews. One scene that struck me was the stop motion animation of watching money literally go down the drain. It really emphasized some of the films central messages. I am one of Professor Grime's students, and I am thankful for his recommendation to watch these films as I've been so impressed with the work all of you have produced. Kudos to all of you!! Keep up the amazing work and keep sharing your stories. This film was wonderful! -Emily L.

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WOW! good job! i love those clips you guys captured of LA. thank you for speaking about the issue of gentrification. -FS

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BRAVO! Amazing job! Proud of you guys! I enjoyed the idea of having mothers speaking on their financial status and jobs. I loved the background music and your dance moves! - Brenda B.

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What a wonderful job you did here ladies! I loved the ending and how we all got to see your beautiful smiles! Yes we shall take back our communities and never stop fighting for our neighborhoods! Keep documenting and sharing these stories! --Lynda B. XO!