Who can censor public art?
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Tuesday, July twenty-fifth
The San Diego airport often shows local art. But one artist is accusing the airport of censoring his work. More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
An excessive heat warning remains in effect this morning (Tuesday) until tomorrow night (Wednesday) for the county’s deserts and mountains.
Temperatures could hit triple digits.
Coastal communities will be much cooler with a TWENTY-PERCENT chance of rain.
For a list of county “cool zones,” go to K-P-B-S DOT ORG.
Chula Vista city leaders are considering purchasing the Palomar Motel on Walnut avenue in Chula Vista to house people experiencing homelessness.
The city council is taking up the issue at their meeting today (Tuesday).
If approved, buying and improving the THIRTY-ONE unit property might cost up to FOURTEEN MILLION dollars.
City Council would look into using both federal and state monies to fund this permanent housing.
An emergency bridge shelter opened in the city in May.
A report by city council staff said it’s an important step but is not a long term solution for people who are ready for permanent housing and who need more services and support.
Del Mar Racetrack officials said a jockey was injured during a Sunday afternoon race after the horse he was riding fell.
Horse number FIVE, named “Get the Gold,” fell during the FOURTH race of the day, according to a tweet from the racetrack.
Officials said the track’s gate crew immediately caught the horse, who was able to walk off on his own.
The jockey, Abel Cedillo, was taken to the hospital for x-rays of his neck.
The eight-week season started last Friday and will run until September TENTH.
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
Artistic freedom is so cherished a value that it’s protected by the first amendment. But a local artist is accusing San Diego International Airport officials of censorship. Investigative reporter Amita Sharma explains.
Right after artist Evan Apodaca installed his video piece at the San Diego International Airport in February, a nearby man offered an ominous review. “He stood and watched the whole thing, and when he was done, he asked me, `Are you the artist?’ And I said, `Yeah.’ And he said, `Well, this is woke bullshit.’ Apodaca’s public artwork is entitled “Monumental Interventions.” The piece challenges the value of the military presence in San Diego. It uses voices of local residents to express the criticism. And through animation, puts their words into the mouths of international and local political figures, shown as toppled, beheaded statues. There’s former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.Do we want to continue to create an economy that believes in death and destruction?”The piece questions whether the military should even be honored. And said the early White settlements in San Diego were built on the backs of people south of the border and throughout the Pacific. Apodaca says within a month after his video piece was installed, the airport removed it from a wall near Gate 48 without warning. Or a reason. That is until Apodaca went on Instagram and described what happened. On that same day in March, he says airport officials reached out to meet in person. “....They said, `Evan, your project was not the same as what you had proposed.’” Airport officials declined an interview. In a written statement, airport spokeswoman Nicole Hall wrote that Apodaca’s video piece was brought down ”because the artwork delivered by the artist did not match the proposal that had been previously approved by the Arts Program.” But Apodaca says officials left out what else they told him. “They said the person that had made the comment to me about the artwork being woke bullshit was the same person whose comments had gone all the way up to government appointed officials who run the airport, who then told everyone below them in the art department to do something about this.” San Diego is no stranger to public art controversies. Last year, some outraged Escondido residents wanted an exhibit named “Three Slick Pigs” to be removed. It featured pig statues in police uniforms dancing. Activists have also long pushed the city of San Diego to remove a statue of former Governor Pete Wilson, because of his hardline views on undocumented people. Both the pig display and the Wilson statue remained. Elizabeth Larison is with the National Coalition Against Censorship. She says resisting artistic censorship is especially important amid today’s deep political divide. “We feel that we need to fight to protect access to works that contribute to the full cornucopia of the ideas that contribute to a shared culture, Larison argues in Apodaca’s case San Diego airport officials failed to make that fight. She studied the matter and says officials chose Apodaca’s work for its creativity, artistic merit, cultural significance and educational value. In an email last fall, Daniel Dennert, curator for the airport’s arts program, told Apodaca his work resonated with the airport’s concept. He wrote, “The panel felt your work was connected to our theme by the way we choose, or not to choose, to listen to things around us and how they inform our future.” Apodaca says he was never asked to submit the final piece to airport officials before he installed it. Larison says it’s unlikely that would have made a difference. “The visual and the artistic aspects are all very much still there and are not compromised. And yet the main difference is a slightly more critical viewpoint, which is explored through the voices.” And that’s why she describes the airport’s takedown of Apodaca’s art as “viewpoint discrimination,” or put another way…. “This is a case of censorship.” Apodaca says he doesn’t want to criticize airport officials. “We need artwork that challenges us in the public. It shouldn't be hiding.” He says he hasn’t given up on having the work displayed elsewhere. Amita Sharma, KPBS News.
Black patients are diagnosed three times as often as white patients with uterine fibroids. Reporter Katie Hyson spoke with one San Diegan who experienced this disparity first-hand.
I was on my honeymoon, and I was experiencing what I thought was abdominal pain. That’s awareness advocate Kia Edwards. I was crunched down, not able to eat, move, walk . . .It took months before Edwards received a diagnosis, but she likely had the fibroids for much longer. She says she always had very painful, heavy periods – a common symptom – but the subject was taboo. In the black community we don't talk about pain, we don't talk about sickness, we don't talk about things that we consider to be normal. She says historic racism in medicine has led to a mistrust between Black people and physicians. And she points to research that physicians tend to take Black people’s pain less seriously. Limiting your next step of evaluating a patient because you think that we're lazy or we are just complaining . . . By the time uterine fibroids are caught in Black patients, they tend to be more advanced. Black patients are twice as likely as white patients to have their uterus removed instead of less invasive options. Edwards says she had to do her own research on treatment alternatives. Evidence of her outcome hangs on her walls: pictures of her sons Asim and Ali. Katie Hyson, KPBS News
Dozens of activists protested in front of the Sempra Energy building yesterday (Monday). Reporter Alexander Nguyen was there and brings us this report .
“HEY, HEY, HO, HO, CORPORATE’S GREED HAS GOT TO GO” DOZENS OF PROTESTORS GATHERED IN FRONT OF THE SEMPRA ENERGY BUILDING IN DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO … ARMED WITH CHALK TO “RAISE THE ALARM” AND LEAVE A MESSAGE FOR THE UTILITY COMPANY. THEY WANT SEMPRA TO DIVEST FROM FOSSIL FUELS … AND FOR PRESIDENT BIDEN TO DECLARE A CLIMATE EMERGENCY. “THIS SHOULD NOT BE CONTROVERSIAL IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM.” SCOTT KELLY IS THE DIRECTOR OF RAISE THE ALARM. HE SAYS DECLARING A CLIMATE EMERGENCY IS *STATING* THE OBVIOUS. “WE HAD SEVEN DAYS OF HEAT THAT EXCEEDED THE RECORDS THAT WERE SET 125 thousand YEARS AGO. WE HAVE HOT TUB-LIKE TEMPERATURES IN FLORIDA THAT ARE KILLING THE CORAL REEFS.” HE SAYS INSTEAD OF DECLARING A CLIMATE EMERGENCY … BIDEN IS EXPANDING OIL AND GAS DRILLING BECAUSE OF *LOBBYING* BY COMPANIES LIKE SEMPRA. SEMPRA SAYS IT HAS A DEEP RESPECT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AND IS INVESTING BILLIONS IN CLEANER ENERGY. AN/KPBS.
Coming up.... A look back at Comic-Con without Hollywood. We’ll have that story and more, just after the break.
Comic-Con 2023 wrapped up Sunday night. Arts reporter Beth Accomando brings us this recap of this year’s convention.
CLIP Exhibitors, preview night is now open. Welcome to Comic-Con International 2023. Last Wednesday Comic-Con kicked off with media attention focused on the dual writers and actors’ strike, and how the lack of a Hollywood presence might impact the pop culture convention. DAVID GLANZER People who haven't been to the show really thought that the impact would be monumental. Comic-Con spokesperson David Glanzer. DAVID GLANZER One person had even asked, would we cancel the show? And I think what that tells me is there's a lot of people that don't realize there are so many different elements to Comic Con. One attendee who does appreciate those diverse elements is Philadelphia librarian Matthew Catron. He’s been attending since 2006 and says the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike is the best thing to happen to Comic-Con because it forced the 6500 people who normally camp out at Hall H to change their plans. MATTHEW CATRON So the fact that all of those folks who had already gotten their tickets, who had already made their plans, are here, and there is no big studios, no HBO, there's no Marvel, now they're going to the smaller scale educational panels. I've never been to the Comics Arts Conference and seen it as populated as it is now. I have never been to panels on the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and seen that many people in there. So all this stuff that was not getting the eyeballs that it deserved is like, suddenly getting it. And my hope is that in 2024, when the writers are presumably not on strike and the actors are presumably not on strike, the people who are here today will remember the value of the discussions and the people and the exhibits that are not the massive multimillion dollar blockbuster presentations. CLIP Project K dance Hollywood may not have a presence at Comic-Con's Hall H but that left room for international pop culture to take center stage. On Thursday, Project K became the first Indian movie to be showcased at the pop culture convention. The upcoming sci-fi epic opened its panel with a ceremonial dance. Then Rana Daggubati, the unofficial moderator for the panel addressed the popularity of Indian cinema. RANA DAGGUBATI Indian cinema in on the world stage. We understood what global fandom means … but we were like, now we need to be in the middle of fandom is, and Comic-Con it is! Hall H might not have been at full capacity but the crowd was enthusiastic to see more global representation on the stage. This year’s Comic-Con also highlighted Japanese superstar Junji Ito. The artist and manga creator appeared on two panels and had an exhibit of his amazing horror themed art. Fans showed their adoration for the artist and Ito, speaking through a translator, expressed his impression of Comic-Con. JUNJI ITO So I've been to many cons around the world, but San Diego Comic Con definitely is probably the biggest. There are so many booths. The fans, the attendees, they're not only here, but they are such fans of what are they fans of. And I also enjoyed looking at all the exhibits and around Is, I really understood why SDCC has such a worldwide reputation. Glanzer says he did see a shift in both attendee and media focus this year. DAVID GLANZER I think without that big, I don't know, Hollywood celebrity aspect this year, I think it allowed people to explore and discover all the very cool stuff that happens at Comic Con. And this year, you're right. There's some really exciting stuff happening. For the vendors in Artist Alley, many saw an increase in traffic on the exhibit floor. Ethan Castillo has been selling his art at Comic-Con for eight years. ETHAN CASTILLO Hall H isn't really rumbling too much this year. So we have a lot of Artist Alley support, which we love. And, yeah, it's been amazing. We sold out of some prints that's never happened before, so we had to get some new ones delivered overnight. And it's been a whirlwind. So we're having a great time out here. Another person having a great time was Dylan Soper, an eleven-year-old attending Comic-Con for the first time. DYLAN SOPER I'm just, like, insanely excited about Comic Con. It's just like everything I've ever dreamed of, and I'm so excited for it. After a full day on the floor Soper’s expectations were fully met. DYLAN SOPER It's so awesome. It's just like, the shops have so much cool stuff in them, and it's just like everything. It's just like, yeah. Sometimes it’s good to see Comic-Con through fresh, young eyes and remember that the show was designed for people who love pop culture in all its various and glorious forms whether it’s a star-studded Marvel panel or just walking the exhibit floor. Beth Accomando, KPBS News
And one more Comic Con update, nearly 24-hundred units of blood were collected at the annual comic-con blood drive this year.
Donors were given a limited-edition guardians of the galaxy volume three t-shirt.
Blood bank CEO Doug Morton said the generosity and commitment shown by these superheroes who donated blood at this drive will save many lives.
California’s newest pageant has crowned its first winner…a sophomore at Orange Glen High School in Escondido.
Education Reporter M.G. Perez has the story.
SOUNDUP FULL “The day after the pageant she goes Mom. I need my own Palace because I'm a queen.” Mandy Bray is talking about her 15 year old daughter, Trinity Knight an Escondido high school student living with Williams Syndrome. The health disorder causes intellectual disability as well as heart disease and life-threatening blood vessel problems. Trinity competed against 18 other contestants with special needs in the first-ever Miss California Extra-ordinare pageant…an event designed to celebrate young girls who are often marginalized for their differences. SOT (mom) It's a great support system a great way for our kids to build long-lasting friendships boost their confidence and kind of just help them feel included. SONG up and under Trinity sang the song “That’s What Friends Are For” during the talent competition. Along with the crown, she also won an all expense paid trip to Florida for her family. MGP KPBS News
That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. Advocates say SANDAG’s data sharing practices are putting immigrants at risk. Join me tomorrow for that story and your daily local news. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
