{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/cv4bp0083g/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Community memories: LeRoy Downs"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/200/original/lapl_logo.png?1628076950","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Pacific Palisades resident","LeRoy Downs"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2025-12-16"]}},{"label":{"en":["Format"]},"value":{"en":["MPEG-4"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["TheirStory"]}}],"provider":[{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Los Angeles Public Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Los Angeles Public Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/200/original/lapl_logo.png?1628076950","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/299/706/small/Screenshot_2026-01-09_at_11-38-24_Story_Hub_-_TheirStory.png?1767987549","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - open-uri20260108-2656257-7wumv7.mp4"]},"duration":606.03733,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/299/706/small/Screenshot_2026-01-09_at_11-38-24_Story_Hub_-_TheirStory.png?1767987549","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-lapl.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/299/706/original/open-uri20260108-2656257-7wumv7.mp4?1767898076","type":"Video","format":"video/mp4","duration":606.03733,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706/transcript/88207","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["TheirStory Transcript (Paragraphs with Speakers) [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706/transcript/88207/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\u003cstrong\u003eSPEAKER_S1:\u003c/strong\u003e Well, I was in the Palisades, um, over on Akron. Uh, it's not my home, but it's a place that I lived for many, many months of the year. Um, it's right off sunset and Bienvenida and Akron. You know, the house was, um, known as the jewel of the Palisades. It's a great architectural design home. The woman who owns the home, her name is Ann Keeler, and she's a great philanthropist of music. We've had many, many musicians stay at the home. I have a jazz series called Just Jazz. And, um, we've had musicians come in from all over the country, all over the world to come and stay there. You know, we cook for them, they can rehearse there. We have their show and it's, uh, it's like back in the days. It's a great community when you can bring all these musicians together like that, as opposed to having them come to town and just go to hotel rooms, you know? This was a way for us to to bond and get to know each other and have them be in one of the world's most beautiful homes and have their own private spaces. It was it was just fantastic. Well, um, in terms of music in the community, um, yes. Maybe not that they're in the Palisades community. Uh, our, our our shows were kind of over in West Hollywood. So the Palisades community at large did not know about a lot of the things that we did. Um, but I was definitely a big part of the community. Those guys, as a matter of fact, those guys at Starbucks, I was there every single day, you know? And, um, you know, those guys I would invite to our shows and make sure that, you know, we're friends. I knew everybody's name that worked at that Starbucks. And, um, yeah, I actually got to call those guys to check on them too, you know? But I know that their houses were were burned down, so everybody was so much affected by this. But yeah, you know, the people at the grocery store, all of the people that I did see in the community that worked in all of these places that are no longer there, I mean, we all remember each other, so. Oh, wow. Um, well, everybody kind of comes together. Um, you know, there was a time when everyone was waiting to get back into the Palisades. Uh, and they had the National Guard there and the police there, and they were escorting people into the Palisades so they can go back to their homes and see what was happening there. Um, one of the things that I noticed that was really wonderful is even people whose houses were affected, or they didn't know if they burned down or not, some people didn't know if their houses burned down or not. They went to Starbucks, they bought coffee, and there's 100 cars parked on San Vicente trying to go up. And they're like, would you like some coffee? Other people coming by, would you like a sandwich? The lady, one lady cooked tamales for everybody. Would you like a tamale? Would you like water? Would you like juice? And these people stepped up themselves to do these things. So that's just one way the community came together. There is a organization called World Kitchen, and, um, one of the one of the DJ's that works here with me at KCR, w his house was lost in the Palisades and he was able to get me this gift certificate for a restaurant on the end of the pier. I think it's called Marisol. Um, but yeah, I went there and you're supposed to give them the gift certificate before your. You sit down. Which which I did, but as soon as they saw that gift certificate, they're like, oh, wow. Okay. You know, like, they all went out of their way to treat us really, really well. You know, they're, like, coming over and giving me hearts and, like, whatever you need and like, they, they they recognize what that gift certificate represented. They represented that somebody, somebody lost their home. Somebody, uh, experienced some tragedy. And, um, they went out of their way to make sure that things are very special. Well, when you when you lose everything, you know, um, I guess the thing that and like I said, I didn't lose everything. I only lost some things. It wasn't my home. But when you lose you, you you get a chance to see. And maybe not overwhelmingly, but you do get a chance to see the resilience of your neighbors and people checking in with each other and seeing what can be, what they can do to help whatever it is, even if it's dropping off food or or, um, you know, the, the local church that I attend with my girlfriend, they, they put some money together and gave me a gift card. Like, I didn't even really tell them about it so much. They heard about it and they decided to do these things on their own. So people do recognize you. They do understand that there's a lot that's going on. And, um, you know, they come together to step up and, and help and that that goes a long way. A lot of them. Yeah. I mean, all up and down Sunset Boulevard is gone. You know, whether it's the Chase Bank or whether it's the Ralphs, whether it's the nail salon or the K and Dave's, uh, burritos, I know that nothing happened to the Caruso properties. I think he had his own private, um, private fire force there fighting off everything so that nothing happened to all of that. But basically everything else around there, uh, is gone. The Lux coffee. I didn't really do the Chipotle thing, but that was that was gone. And you know, when when something is gone, I mean, that's that's the loss of income for all of those people. It's hundreds and hundreds of people. The CVS I don't know if I think that's I think that's gone too. But the elementary schools that were over there, there's a there's a lot, a lot of things that are over there. People's lives are completely changed from that. Now, if you have money and you could easily pivot to something else, then good for you. You know, if you don't, then you're in trouble. So you're going to be sleeping on someone's couch or someone's bed or, you know, back to your, you know, your family, your old family home, or maybe you even have to move out of Los Angeles. I mean, it could be that traumatic. How do I think it will look? Well, that's that's very interesting, because now that all this property is gone, there's, uh, there's there's politics. There's a lot of things and move for people to have to clear their property off. There's a lot of a lot of zoning things. You know, some people, there's a lot of vultures. Everybody wants to come and buy your $10 billion home for and buy the empty land for $50,000 now, because they know you have nothing. So, you know, people are being taken advantage of. Um, and you don't know what to do. Do you do you hold out? You don't have any money. So, like, do you want to take the 50,000? You know, you're getting robbed, you know, so there's a lot to contend with, um, in terms of politics and how they're talking about, they're going to come back and build this community. It's like you need to talk to the community and ask them how they want to build back, not have your ideas of a new plan or a train going into the Palisades and more apartments or, you know, it's not about it's not about big developers coming in and making a profit off of all of this. These are people who actually lives in the homes that they lost. So whatever money that's going to come in to help these folks, you know, let them. I don't know if you can build what you used to have, but, you know, that money should be there to help folks. And I haven't really heard any stories of that happened yet. Maybe there are, you know, but, um, yeah, I just we're in a world where people are taking advantage of each other so much. I don't want that to happen to people whose homes have been burnt. And everyone wants to see how they can profit from this. And it's very easy to put your hand on somebody's shoulder like, oh, you know, I'm going to do what I can for you. But, you know, at the same time you're making a deal that's going to help them, but it's also going to help you. So there's a lot of that going on too. So people have to watch out for that. I mean, you've asked about the community, you know, and I know people whose homes are are still there and, you know, actually, they said it's probably better off if my house had burned down, because that way at least there'd be some insurance money to help with some of the things. But, you know, everybody has been hit hard by this and they're all feeling the effects of it. Like I said, if you have insurance and you have, you know, you have wealth, then you're going to be okay. You're going to be able to pivot. But not everybody has that. So, um, yeah, I mean, whatever we can all do to to come together and help folks, but without falling into somebody's scam, you just got to, you know, vet everything and watch out because, you know, on one hand, people are super beautiful and they're helping out. On the other hand, probably about 50%. They're trying to take advantage and see how they can profit from it. So just keep your eyes open and, and, um, you know, hopefully we can all come together.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706#t=3.16,600.32"}]},{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706/index/90464","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Auto-generated Index (2025-12-16 22:16:13) [Index]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706/index/90464/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"A Home for Music and Community in the Palisades","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706#t=0.0,81.0"},{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706/index/90464/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"The speaker describes their time living in a notable architectural home in the Palisades, owned by philanthropist Ann Keeler. This house served as a hub for musicians from around the world, hosting a jazz series called Just Jazz. The environment fostered camaraderie, with musicians sharing meals, rehearsing, and performing together, creating a sense of community reminiscent of earlier times. The speaker emphasizes the unique experience of bonding in a beautiful home rather than isolating in hotels.","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706#t=0.0,81.0"},{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706/index/90464/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Connections with the Local Palisades Community","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706#t=81.0,141.0"},{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706/index/90464/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"The speaker discusses their interactions with the broader Palisades community, noting that while their music events were held in West Hollywood, they were still an active part of local life. They mention frequenting the local Starbucks, building friendships with staff, and inviting them to shows. The speaker reflects on the close-knit nature of the community, highlighting relationships with workers at grocery stores and other local businesses, and the shared sense of loss after the disaster.","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706#t=81.0,141.0"},{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706/index/90464/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Acts of Kindness and Community Solidarity After the Fire","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706#t=141.0,268.0"},{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706/index/90464/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"The speaker recounts how the community united during the aftermath of the fire, with people offering coffee, sandwiches, and tamales to those waiting to return to their homes. Organizations like World Kitchen and local DJs provided support, including gift certificates for meals. The speaker describes the warmth and special treatment received at a restaurant, where staff recognized the significance of the loss and went out of their way to offer comfort and care.","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706#t=141.0,268.0"},{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706/index/90464/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Personal Loss, Neighborly Resilience, and Support Networks","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706#t=268.0,332.0"},{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706/index/90464/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Reflecting on the experience of loss, the speaker notes that even partial loss offers insight into the resilience of neighbors and the importance of checking in on one another. Acts of support, such as receiving a gift card from a local church, demonstrate the community's willingness to help without being asked. The speaker emphasizes that people recognize the challenges faced and step up to provide assistance, which has a meaningful impact during difficult times.","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706#t=268.0,332.0"},{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706/index/90464/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Widespread Destruction and Its Impact on Livelihoods","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706#t=332.0,412.0"},{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706/index/90464/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"The speaker details the extensive destruction along Sunset Boulevard, listing businesses and institutions that were lost, including banks, grocery stores, salons, and schools. They highlight the economic consequences, noting the loss of income for hundreds of workers and the disruption of daily life. The speaker points out that while some properties were spared due to private resources, most of the community faces significant upheaval, with many forced to relocate or rely on family due to the trauma and financial strain.","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706#t=332.0,412.0"},{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706/index/90464/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Challenges of Rebuilding: Politics, Zoning, and Exploitation","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706#t=412.0,536.0"},{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706/index/90464/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"The speaker discusses the complex challenges involved in rebuilding after the disaster, including political and zoning issues. They express concern about opportunistic buyers seeking to purchase land at low prices from desperate homeowners, warning of exploitation. The speaker stresses the importance of involving the community in rebuilding decisions rather than allowing developers to dictate plans for profit. They call for financial assistance to be directed toward those who lost their homes, rather than enabling outside interests to benefit from the tragedy.","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706#t=412.0,536.0"},{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706/index/90464/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Insurance, Wealth Disparity, and the Need for Vigilance","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706#t=536.0,606.03733"},{"id":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706/index/90464/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"The speaker reflects on the uneven impact of the disaster, noting that those with insurance and financial resources are better equipped to recover, while others face significant hardship. They emphasize the need for community support but caution against falling victim to scams and exploitation. The speaker urges vigilance, recognizing that while many people are genuinely helpful, others may seek to profit from the misfortune of others. They conclude with a call for collective action and mutual aid, balanced with careful scrutiny of offers of help.","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://lapl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3578/collection_resources/164597/file/299706#t=536.0,606.03733"}]}]}]}