Friday Shootings; One Dead, One Wounded While Driving On Western Avenue and 42nd; One Shot 8th Ave near Jefferson

Friday morning, just after midnight, a man and woman were shot as they drove in their car along Western Avenue near 42nd Place. They were transported to a local hospital where the man was pronounced dead.  The condition of the woman was not immediately known. That is all the detail available at the current time.

Friday evening, a male black, 36, was sitting in his car in front of 3443 8th Ave when unknown suspects drove by in a black BMW and fired several rounds at him.   The victim was struck once in the head and three times in the torso. The victim was transported to an unknown area hospital in serious, but, as of the latest report, stable condition. The suspects fled there is no further information at this time.   

Anyone with information about either attacks can call LAPD's Southwest Division at (213) 485-2582 

In an incident Thursday night, two Hispanic men were shot in a drive-by on Denver Avenue and 111th place. One victim, age 30, was struck in the stomach and the other, age 24, was hit in the arm and leg. Both are expected to survive.

Anyone with information can call LAPD's Southeast Division at (213) 972-7828  

Marco Rubio's Woes Continue As Wife Files For Divorce; Cites Husband's Obsession With ISIS Conquering America If GITMO Closes

Citing that "My husband is obsessed and petrified ISIS will invade and conquer the United States if the prison at Guantanamo Bay is shuttered", Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio, wife of Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio, formally filed for divorce Wednesday morning in Florida.

Obtained by the Miami Herald, the filing, said to be "extremely derogatory",  could be damaging to Sen. Rubio (R- Fla) in as he attempts to pull away from rival Rafael "Ted" Cruz (R-Tex)  and establish himself as the only alternative to front-runner, businessman Donald Trump.

Spokesperson for the Rubio campaign, Tiffany Fox, said that "Marco knows Jeanette is under a lot of stress by the gruel of the campaign, and will likely withdraw the filing once it is over. Theirs is a marriage based on love and respect."

Still, political pundits said that, even if true, any reconciliation might be too late for Rubio whose has made so-called "family values" a corner stone of his policy when not talking about ISIS. Some voters were put off by the thought of a wife-less president.

"Single presidents are fine for the movies, but in real life, a president needs a wife," said an Uber driver in Ruth, Nevada who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "Michael Douglas was good in "The American President", but in real life a president has to be ready for anything, even the Russians, and not focusing on getting new trim."

In the excerpt released Wednesday morning online by the Miami Herald, Dousdesbes Rubio, 42,  says that "From sunrise to well after the midnight hour, Marco is going on about ISIS. He blabbers that they have two S's in their name, 'just like the British SAS commandos'.  Seriously. He really thinks their black flag can fly over the White House. I think it's a shame he doesn't have faith in the United States Armed Forces to defeat ISIS once they invade.  Me? I don't think they will invade. Do they even have a Navy?"

After learning of the divorce filing. Donald Trump said it was for the good of the country. "It shows poor judgment on Marco Rubio's part. Who in their right mind would marry a girl named Dousdesbes?" 

Two Homicides Tuesday Afternoon: Western Ave. and Venice Blvd; 62nd and Harvard Blvd.

Details are few as of now, but two men were shot to death in separate incidents Tuesday afternoon and police are seeking the public's assistance in finding the assailants.

In the first deadly encounter at 1570 S. Western Avenue near Venice Boulevard, two men became involved in a verbal dispute which quickly escalated. The suspect, a male Hispanic approximately 18-years-old, produced a handgun and shot a male Hispanic, 24,  in the back. The shooter immediately fled the scene on foot. 

The victim was transported to Cedars Sinai Hospital where he later died. 

The incident is likely gang-related. Anyone with information can call the LAPD's Olympic Division detectives at ( 213) 382-6628

In the other killing, shortly before 4 p.m., at least two black males exited a vehicle nears Harvard Recreation Center on 62nd Street and Harvard Boulevard and approached a male black seated in the driver's seat of his car. The suspects fired multiple rounds, striking the victim in the head and upper torso. 

The shooters fled in their car, possibly a white Chrysler. 

The victim was taken to California Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. 

This was a gang related killing.

Anyone with information can call the LAPD's Criminal Gang Homicide Division at (323) 786-5100

Saturday Night Road Rage Leads to Stabbing Death near Sunset Boulevard and Hoover Street

Shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday night, the occupants of two cars near Silver Lake got into a road rage situation.  One car drove off and the other car pursued it, authorities said.

Near Sunset Boulevard and Hoover Street, the idiotic driver and idiotic passenger of the car pursuing car, - a white male and black female - exited their vehicle, approached the occupants of the other car - two Hispanic males -  and began stabbing them.   One was stabbed multiple times in the chest. He was transported to USC Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. The other victim was stabbed in the hand, possible defensive wounds.

The suspects drove off in an older model, black Toyota 4Runner.      No further details are available now. Anyone with information can call LAPD's Northeast Division at (323) 561-3421.

Stanford and Harvard Professors Claim "Jeb Bush Is Actually Dumber Than Brother George W." Might Legally Be An "Imbecile"

Some records are thought to be untouchable. Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak of 56 consecutive games immediately comes to mind. Wilt Chamberlain' 100 points in a single basketball game is another. Politically speaking, few humans ever seriously thought George W.Bush's stupidity rating of .424 would ever be in danger of falling. 

Until today. 

George W's younger brother, Jeb Bush, a Republican candidate for President of the United States, posted a photo Tuesday of a .45 caliber handgun on Twitter with the single word caption "America".  (The picture gun appears to be from the respected Belgian company Fabrique Nationale, which has a manufacturing plant in South Carolina, where the Republican primary is set for Saturday. The Democratic primary is the following Saturday, Feb. 27.)

Instantly,  scholars who study "D.S.I," ( Dumbness, Stupidity and Imbecility) took out their Brain Wave Instruments, and several came up with a stunning conclusion; Jeb is dumber than G-Dub.

"This single act is among the most magnificent acts of straight-out dumb in modern times " said Roger Dithers, professor of logic at Harvard University.  "As an expert on logic, I must say I am impressed by his stupidity." 

Across the county colleagues agreed.

"I get it he's desperate, but this makes less-than-zero sense," said Darlene Johnson, professor of psychology at Stanford University. "To post a photo of a gun and caption it "America" when guns  kill thousands of Americans every year, well, like Sean Connery says in "The Rock", 'It's an act of lunacy'." 

Woman, 64, Shot 4 Times in Nickerson Gardens; Man, 32, Strangled to Death in San Pedro; Man, 50, Stabbed to Death by Son in NoHo

A 64-year-old African American woman was shot four times early Saturday morning  in Nickerson Gardens, but is expected to survive, according to the LAPD.  

Shortly before 5 a.m., the woman was struck in the stomach, right thigh, right calf and right arm shortly.  She was transported to St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood.

Anyone with information can anonymously call the LAPD's Southeast Division  at (213) 972-7828.

Earlier, in San Pedro, police officers received a radio call of a possible homicide on the 100 block of South Gaffey Street. When they arrived, they found a male Asian, 32, deceased in a vehicle. A Coroner's investigator responded and determined the victim had died of strangulation.

Anyone with information can anonymously call the LAPD's Harbor Division at (310) 726-7700.

In North Hollywood, shortly before noon Saturday, a domestic dispute escalated and, when it was over, a black male, 50, was dead from knife wound, allegedly inflected by his 25-year-old son. The son is in custody.

Nickerson gardens

Oregon's Governor Declares State of Emergency As Verona Masongsong's Arrival Nears; Hoarders Flock To Supermarkets

Widespread hoarding was reported at several Portland, Oregon area supermarkets Saturday morning as concerned residents prepared for the arrival of legendary eater Verona Masongsong and, in response, Oregon's governor Katherine Brown declared a State of Emergency, reassuring the public there is currently enough food stockpiled "to last at least two weeks".

As shoppers frantically stocked-up on essential food items, six people were injured at a Food4Less in the downtown area, four others at a organic market in the Pearl District  and three more at the Whole Foods near Reed College, authorities said. Most were treated and released at local hospitals, but two suffered so-called "trample" injuries and were listed in serious, but jittery condition at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.

In addition, Powell's City of Books reported record sales of survival guides Friday afternoon as rumors spread Masongsong could arrive as early as Sunday night. 

"I want to tell the people of Oregon, and those in the Portland metropolitan area in particular, that we have alerted both the federal authorities and the World Food Bank of the situation and we will have food for almost everybody", said Gov. Brown in a statement broadcast on the Emergency Public Radio.   Brown added though schools were let out early Friday, they are expected to be reopened on a normal schedule as early as Tuesday.

Masongsong - who has led the nation in most food consumed and least food shared for the last three years -  attempted to diffuse the crisis earlier this week when she  - to the shock of all who witnessed - actually refused some food. 

Masongsong said "No, thank you" when offered a tuna pepper Thursday afternoon by a local reporter who was at Pizzeria Mozza.  As the Pizzeria's maitre D' Eva Gallner looked on in disbelief, the reporter asked Verona,  "Are you okay?" 

"I don't share my food, so why should I expect you to share yours?", Masongsong answered. However, when offered again, Masongsong took a tuna pepper.

Verona Masongsong first gathered local news in 2010 at a Pizzeria Mozza anniversary celebration. As more than 100 Mozza employees mingled, Silverton spotted Verona sitting alone and quietly relishing a Double Double. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that a stack of empty Double Double wrappers were piled on a nearby chair. At that very moment, Hall of Fame Osteria Mozza server Ralph Waxman exclaimed "What the fuck happened to all the In-N-Out burgers?"

Masongsong originally denied any association with the missing burgers, but a review of the security footage showed otherwise. Like many legends, the actual number of In-N-Out Double Doubles Verona Masongsong ate that night is in dispute. Der Spiegel, Germany's premiere weekly news magazine, has put the total as high as 17, while the New York Times, in a recent editorial, listed the total at 11. 

Not long after that, Masongsong was in the news again when Silverton threatened to fire her for coming to work sober all the time, a condition - unlike in the past -  no longer considered acceptable. A quick learner, Verona took to the bottle. 

And she took the plate. With gusto. She garnered a  reputation for being first in line at a buffet and first to grab a to-go box.

Recently, at the farewell celebration for OG Pizzeria Mozza bartender Sean "Big Tasty"  Philbin, Masongsong was reported to have taken away four of the seven trays of Phillips BBQ ribs purchased for the party. The haul was so large that Masongsong allegedly enlisted the help of two Samoan men to carry the ribs to her waiting - and already idling - car. 

Though the Oregon presidential primary is not until May 17th,  candidates on the stump for next Saturday's South Carolina primary turned  the Masongsong food crisis into an political issue as they campaigned Saturday. 

Speaking to a crowd at a junior college in Myrtle Beach, front runner Donald A. Trump said "When I am president, America will be so great and so abundant we will have enough food for 40 Veronas."

At a rally in Hilton Head, Jeb Bush called that statement "Typical bombastic Trump stupidity and an impossibility". The Jebster vowed if he won the presidency, he would introduce legislation banning Masongsong from any HomeTown Buffet in the states that voted for him. (That could be as many as one state.)

Not surprisingly, Marco "The Robot" Rubio blamed the Masongsong crisis on President Barack Obama and ISIS. "When this is all said and done, we will find out this Verona situation was an elaborate Obama slash ISIS plan to induce wide spread hunger across America so the black flag of ISIS can fly over the White House," Rubio said. "I just hope the food shortage extends to Chris Christie."

On the democratic side, Hillary Clinton, eager to earn the young female vote simply said "Verona, you go, girl."

Masongsong will be moving to Oregon to be with recently-retired PIzzeria Mozza chef de cuisine Nikko Jerrel Marquez. Sources told Krikorian Writes that Nikko lured her to Oregon by promising to cook for her "three times a day".  Masongsong reportedly replied  "Three? What am I supposed to do in the afternoon and evening? Starve?"

Still, pro-Masongson advocates insist that her love of food is not only an inspiration to millions of people around the planet, but a testimony to the greatness of "The Corner", the street name for  Pizzeria Mozza, Osteria Mozza, Mozza 2Go and Chi Spacca.

"Who works best for Nancy - and The Corner - is the worker who loves great food so much that she -or he - might occasionally lose their mind in pursuit of that food," said Moruno chef Chris Feldmeier, former chef de cuisine of Osteria Mozza and himself a formidable eater.   "Why do you think they got rid of Arielle Chernin? It wasn't because she was drunk all the time and getting into bar fights. It was because she only ate tiny raw carrots. Verona? Verona can put it away. Up, up and away." 

Nancy Silverton said she was sad to see Verona - and Nikko - go. "They can come back whenever they like. And I'm sure they will be back. Big deal if our food costs soared when Verona was working.  She was worth it. "

2 People Killed Saturday In Separate South Los Angeles Shootings

Two homicides occurred today in South Los Angeles, one in Hyde Park and the other in the Broadway-Manchester area.

Shortly before 1 p.m. Saturday,  a black male approximately 25 to 30 years old was shot multiple times near Brynhurst Avenue and 67th Street, a decades-long stronghold of the Rollin' 60s Crips.. The victim somehow made it over to Crenshaw Boulevard where he was pronounced dead at the scene.  

About three hours earlier, officers from LAPD's Southeast Division responded to a "shots fired" radio call at 93rd Street and Broadway, Upon arrival, they found a  44-year-old black male laying face down, gunshots wounds to his back and neck. He was pronounced dead at the scene.  Officers searched the area for the suspected shooter, said to be a black male between 20 to 25 years of age..

Anyone with information can anonymously call LAPD's Criminal Gang Homicide Division at (323) 786 -5100.

More details when they become available.

The Death of Gerrik Thomas; Just Another South L.A. Killing?

Los Angeles Times Opinion  Op-Ed February 4, 2016

It was the fourth time in two days last week that a young black person was killed by other blacks in South Los Angeles. It didn't make much of a news splash. Like the 16-year-old girl and 20-year-old man at 81st and Avalon, like the 17-year-old boy at 83rd and Main Street, Gerrik Thomas' shooting death, on Jan. 25, was to everyone other than his family, friends and the homicide detectives, just another L.A. killing.

Why isn't [Gerrik Thomas'] excessive and unnecessary death a story? Why are the community, the hashtag leaders, the media and the politicians mostly silent?-  

Thomas, 21, had gone to the market to buy a soda. As he walked back to his great-grandmother's blue-and-white house eight doors down from the corner of West 54th Street and 9th Avenue, he was hassled — maybe asked, threateningly, “Where you from?” — by two males about his age driving by. He didn't answer; he called his mom. Moments later, according to police, at the corner, in front of the M & J 100% Hand Car Wash, the car stopped. The two guys got out. One grabbed Thomas, and the other shot him in the head. Thomas was pronounced dead at California Hospital.

There will be no protest marches organized in Thomas' memory. No downtown streets will be blocked; the entrances to the Harbor Freeway will remain open. No angry citizens will demand the arrest, trial and conviction of those responsible for his killing.

I get the outrage when a cop kills an unarmed civilian, I get the fury when a video shows what looks like an unnecessary, excessive police shooting. But what I don't get is why Gerrik Thomas' death barely signifies. Why isn't his excessive and unnecessary killing a story? Why are the community, the hashtag leaders, the media and the politicians mostly silent?

Is it that Thomas' death is acceptable? Does it just come with the territory in South Los Angeles?

I've been writing about gang killings in Los Angeles for well over 25 years, and I know these deaths are not acceptable to the families on Grape Street, on Success Avenue, on Brynhurst Avenue. Their pain is as deep as it gets. I know the answer is “no” to the question Reggie Sims, gang interventionist at Jordan Downs, asked about the lack of uproar over the killing of his son several years ago: “Just because he was shot by another black kid, that makes it OK?” I've heard that question from at least 100 different relatives of the slain.

By way of an uproar, I'll tell you a bit about Gerrik Thomas.

If you ask 20 of his friends and family about him, every one will say something about his smile.

Some might describe the tattoo on his right forearm — “Demicha”— his mother's name. Others will talk about how he took the bus to work as a security guard near the airport or at Los Angeles County Museum of Art. About how respectful he was. That he went to Daniel Webster Middle School and Crenshaw High. That he dreamed of being a doctor and was enrolled at Los Angeles Trade Tech to learn nursing. But all of them will bring up his smile.

“Who would do this to him?” asked his friend Shonda Smith, staring at dozens of “murder candles” set on the sidewalk where he was shot. “He wasn't the type of kid to even have the slightest confrontation with anyone. He was a good kid. A nice lovable young man. And that smile of his. His smile would brighten a whole, gloomy day. I can't believe it that he's gone.”

“Even when Gerrik had a rough day, when I could tell something was bothering him, he still had that beautiful smile of his,” said his great-aunt Karon Stinson. She was on the porch of his great-grandmother's house two days after his death. “Granny,” in a wheelchair, agreed about the smile, in her whisper of a voice.

LAPD homicide Det. Christopher Barling, head of the 77th Division squad, said Thomas was not a gang member; he had no record. It is unfortunate that when a killing happens south of the 10 Freeway, it is often assumed the victim was a gang member.

On Thursday, Demicha Lofton-Thomas, Gerrik's mother, posted a statement on Facebook. This is some of it:

“On Monday, January 25, 2016, at 6:30, my biggest fear came to reality. My son Gerrik Thomas was the victim of a violent crime. [He] had just called my phone at 6:24 and said that a dude banged on him. I talked to him for a couple minutes not knowing it would be the last time I'll ever hear [his] voice. At 6:33 I received a call ... I heard all the crying in the background.... I felt it in my heart. My stomach started to hurt. My legs were getting weak like they were going to collapse.”

Anyone with information about Thomas' killing can call the Criminal Gang Homicide Division anonymously: (323) 786-5100. Thomas' family has set up a Go Fund Me account to help with his funeral expenses: www.gofundme.com/long-live-gerrik. If you haven't figured it out for yourself, Gerrik Thomas' life mattered.