Highland Park: Land of the snake
Imperfect Paradise
LAist Studios
4.5 • 535 Ratings
🗓️ 5 March 2025
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Tucked away in Highland Park - a neighborhood that’s been dubbed “ground zero” for gentrification - sits a small park dotted with native plants and spiraling mosaic sculptures. La Tierra de la Culebra Park was established in the early 90s by guerilla artist Tricia Ward. In the decades since, the neighborhood has transformed massively and a battle has emerged between the founder and the new stewards of the park over who the park is for and how the park should be preserved.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Support for LAIST comes from CarPros Kia and the new 2027 Kia Telluride Hybrid, |
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| 0:45.5 | Tucked away amid houses and a block away from coffee shops, yoga studios, and vintage stores. |
| 0:52.1 | There's a little sanctuary dotted with native plants and soft light that filters through a canopy of leaves. |
| 0:56.0 | It's a tiny park called La Tierra de la Culebra. |
| 0:58.5 | On a bright Saturday in October, |
| 1:01.1 | I walked in to the ethereal sounds of a man playing a synthesizer |
| 1:02.7 | in harmony with the flautist, |
| 1:04.8 | who were both performing under a huge oak tree. |
| 1:08.0 | The signature of the park is a large mosaic snake |
| 1:10.7 | that winds around the property |
| 1:12.4 | giving it its name, Tierra de la Culebra, land of the snake. A couple dozen 20 and 30-year-olds |
| 1:19.5 | were splayed out over blankets enjoying the music. It was a diverse crowd, sporting dad hats, |
| 1:25.4 | high-waisted pants, and sunglasses. A few toddlers dawdled |
| 1:28.8 | around. But just below this idyllic surface, there is a battle going on here, between the |
| 1:35.8 | past and the present. We're in Highland Park, a neighborhood in northeast L.A., between downtown |
... |
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