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Friday, July 15, 2005
Seeds of preservationCleanup duty helps students
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"This is a special place," Leong said.
The park was once just a dumping ground for trash, Leong said. But now neighborhood problems occur with people drinking alcohol at night or urinating or defecating in the park, Leong said. The city once installed portable toilets, but they were removed four years ago because of complaints about evening drinking and the cost of maintenance.
Yesterday, a group of 20 students taking a summer travel study course sponsored by the University of California at Los Angeles spent a few hours scrubbing and painting over graffiti, clearing tree branches and giving tables and benches a new coat of paint. They were part of an Asian-American studies class that UCLA professor Rod Labrador has brought to the park the last several years for community service and education.
One of his students, Julius Toledo, who has worked with underprivileged youths in Los Angeles, looked at the chance to clean up the lo'i as "a golden opportunity" because "our parks aren't like this. ... There's a lot of sacredness here. It's very, very humbling."
He said L.A. parks are "not as respected. People don't take the initiative to clear up the mess. It's something we hardly every see. In L.A. they could (not) care less."
Naope, who has taught classes visiting the park for six years, led the students in a chant acknowledging the ancient Hawaiians who lived here and asking their permission to enter.
She said there is a need to observe this protocol because the lo'i is "one of the few places left like this."