Charges against Price draw outrage, sadness and sense of ‘Black loss’ in South L.A.

Curren Price was sworn in for his third term on Los Angeles City Council last fall with a promise to mend rifts. “It’s disturbing and heartbreaking that, for a city as diverse as Los Angeles, we only have two African American people left in council,” said Claudia Oliveira, chief executive of the DTLA Chamber of Commerce, identifying herself as “Afro-Indigenous Caucasian.” Price’s third term representing the 9th District expires in 2026, but Oliveira and others immediately recognized the criminal charges could put the seat in play sooner. “There is a sense of Black loss or erasure” across the district, said Manuel Pastor, director of the USC Dornsife Equity Research Institute and the co-author of the book “South Central Dreams.” Price, who was first elected in 2013 and last year trounced Dulce Vasquez, a Latina, by a 2-to-1 margin to win his third term, recognized those changing forces. Kahllid A. Al-Alim, a parent activist for Students Deserve, said he considered it “paramount” for the City Council to have a Black person holding the 9th District seat in light of the leaked audio. It feels petty.” “We’re a bit skeptical about the whole situation,” said Edward Garren, who has lived in South L.A. since 2011 and said he and his neighbors hold Price “in an incredible amount of esteem.” “Like when you find out a member of your family is in trouble, you don’t really care whether the allegations are true or not … You feel bad,” said Garren, who serves on the board of the Voices Neighborhood Council.