Lakers win the championship! Time to celebrate!
Despite all of the negativity swirling around the parade in our city during a time of economic recession, I believe it’s important for us to have a parade. Your team wins the championship, you throw a parade. It’s just what every city does. It also does much to bring up city morale, and I was able to feel the buzz from the crowd. Wednesday was just a really happy day.
Here’s the story of my victory parade journey in its entirety. We covered about 10 miles of ground between Downtown and South Central, visited the ghettoest street parties on MLK, ate about a pound of bacon wrapped dirty dogs between us, and oh yeah, saw some Lakers.
It’s starting! Hurry!
Me and my partner-in-crime, Elliot (Elle) Derek Fisher Fan Barton, walked down from our offices on top of Bunker Hill to LA Live. The parade starts on 11th Street at LA Live/Staples Center. Our starting point was 3rd street, so we’ve already logged a mile just to get to the parade.
Everyone gathering @ LA Live. I can’t even describe how many people were there, it was insane. There’s all the 12.5% unemployed in LA in one place, plus a few ppl cruising over on their lunch breaks. I accidentally made mine a 2.5 hour lunch break due to some bad judgment.
Entire streets around LA Live were filled with people. There was nowhere to stand. Figueroa was lined with people three or four rows deep for THREE miles. The 94,000 seat Coliseum was at max capacity. AND there was almost as many outside trying to get in (though most of them were crackheads selling weird shit).
The parade is about to start, but we can’t see anything, so we decide to move south along the parade route to find some clearing.
Walking down to Venice, as you can see it’s still packed with people by the Convention Center.
After we walk under I-10, we reach 18th street (2 miles now) and find some clearing. The parade starts where that tall unfinished hotel tower is located… kinda far looking now.
Hello ladies!
After 4 fire engines of the Laker girls and the band, here come the buses! The crowd loves it. And check out the mexican kid in the Kobe jersey with a birdman do.
Derek Fisher! Elle screams.
Mr. Skyhook. Damn, look at those hands. You know what they say about your hands being bigger than your face, right?
Sun Yue and Josh Powell on this bus.
Ariza’s totally blocked behind the guy in purple in the picture, too bad. I heard someone behind me go “Mira! those ears!” when Farmar went by.
And the MVP. #24. Black Mamba. Kobe Bryant.
Here he is visibly with his entire family again. He has a hot wife, adorable daughters, a gold medal, and four rings. Not bad. I dig that T-shirt, but why does he look pregnant in it?
Okay, this is when shit gets kinda crazy. The entire fucking crowd starts to run and follow the Kobe bus to the Coliseum. Me and Elle decide to give chase as well. Maybe we can get in and attend the rally too!
Figueroa is packed with people watching the parade still, so we decide to take Flower and sprint through South Central with some other crazy nuts.
Some people bike to get there faster… Others on skateboards, Harleys, scooters… I saw 9 guys packed inside a Cadillac cruising down the street. We’re keeping pace with the buses, as you can see!
We reach Grand & 39th (THIRTY NINE!), underneath the freeway after 20 minutes of running and sheer stupidity only to find…
“oh SHIT, look at all those people in the stadium” -Elle
This cop and his flimsy rope is what’s standing in the way between us and Kobe & Phil’s victory speech.
“Hey, where are you going Elle?” – “I’m going to go talk to him”
She convinces him that she goes to USC (probably cause we were the only unghetto looking people there) and he lets us past the barricade. FAIL #2 happens when we get to the stadium gate and they tell us we can’t get in again. Well, what do we do now.. walk back?
We can’t even figure out how to get back to Flower with all the barricades and somehow end up with people on MLK Blvd. This begins the ghettoest street party I’ve ever seen. I have stories.
I bought a soda from a guy and he said “Thank you. You’ve just made a meaniful contribution which proceeds benefit the cause of me.. getting HIGH later tonight!”
Although you don’t really need any weed of your own to get high. I probably couldn’t pass a drug test right now from all the secondhand wheeze I inhaled here.
It’s not a place for a girl or children. I abandoned Elle to get a soda and she was mobbed by some cholos and ghetto dudes. “ey what’s your name?” “you look tired, want me to carry you home?” I overheard as she came running back.
Haha. Seriously, I can’t believe this bus.
If you look closely, you’ll see they’ve hung tablecloths over the windows. Makes me wonder what’s going on inside the party bus?
The guy on the loudspeaker was chanting “riot… riot… riot…”
Wednesday was a good day to sell anything Purple or Gold. I wish I took more pictures of the crazier vendors I saw on MLK.
Ughhh. That hotel tower looks SO FAR AWAY.
Finally back at LA Live. Time to get a beer. Congratulations, Lakers.
a 2.5 hour lunch break?! do you still have your job cuz we are in a recession son…and yes, kobe does look preggers.
all i can say is… good thing i graduated when i did… woulda been a mob scene this day… we had to go through this every time they held events at the shrine too.. sounds like you had a good ghetto time though… ^_^
Oh man, I can only imagine what it’s like to live at USC during these times. Pure craziness. I felt for my friends who lived by the Staples Center while the riot was going on too.