MACARTHUR PARK IS THE PEOPLE’S PARK IN L.A.

J.T. the L.A. Storyteller

Allegra Padilla is the Executive Director of the Levitt Pavilion, which has hosted concerts at MacArthur Park in the Westlake area for sixteen years. During our chat, we talk about Allegra’s journey from South Pasadena to organizing on the streets of Los Angeles, including for Mumia Abu-Jamal and the South Central Farm; we also discuss how her Levitt Pavilion Summer Concert series isn’t just for fun, but a matter of equity for tens of thousands of park-goers and community members in one of the densest neighborhoods of L.A. County. Allegra also tells us about the Levitt Pavilion’s nonprofit status and how the organization seeks to include long-time business owners and other small vendors in its events. In this vein, we both give a special shout out to the Central-American communities uplifting Central Los Angeles daily, including Sweet L.A. by Cuscatleca, the bakery line through which we first connected!

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J.T.