Teamed Up to Clean Up

For more than 50 years, Chrys Chrys has prepared garlic-laced souvlakia and spanakopita in his Greek deli, C & K Importing in Pico-Union. But never had he strolled down the boulevard to speak to his neighbors at El Farolito Restaurant.

Similarly, Panchita Rodriguez and her daughter Yolanda became so caught up in cooking seafood dishes that they rarely mingled outside their aromatic Mexican eatery.

“It wasn’t that there was tension between us,” said Yolanda Rodriguez, 30, who has helped run El Farolito with her parents since she was 5. “It’s just that everybody was in their own little world. We were like horses with blinders on that needed to come off.”

And although the grand double domes of St. Sophia Cathedral are only a few steps away from the Spanish mission-style structure of St. Thomas the Apostle Church, the Greek Orthodox parishioners and the largely Latino Roman Catholic congregation seldom mixed.

That was then.

In 1996, prompted by the Very Rev. John Bakas, dean of St. Sophia, Greek Orthodox and Latino church leaders, as well as merchants and community members, joined forces to form the Genesis Plus Project, the name emphasizing a new beginning.

Working with St. Sophia, St. Thomas, Loyola High School, Bishop Conaty High School and local businesses, the group aims to revitalize the Pico-Union neighborhood and transform the trash-strewn corridor from eyesore to enterprise zone.

Their goal is to rid Pico-Union of its reputation as a center for crime, gangs and garbage, and create a city center that reflects the neighborhood’s two rich cultures. In March, they christened the area with a new name: the Byzantine-Latino Quarter.

“In order to establish a little bit of heaven, we established a Greek-Latino alliance. We didn’t want this place to become a no man’s land, and we knew the key to success is that you can’t do it alone,” Bakas said.

Part of a Nationwide Trend

Even though Genesis Plus is religiously based, Bakas said the goal is strictly urban renewal and has little, if anything, to do with religion.

“We’re not doing this to gain converts or proselytize. Mother Teresa never tried to convert the Hindus,” he said, referring to the Nobel Prize-winning missionary who was based in Calcutta. “That turns people off. We’re just doing this because it’s good for the people.”

The emergence of faith-based groups like Genesis Plus is part of a national trend of church leaders taking the lead where government has failed.

As such efforts have succeeded, politicians have begun to embrace the movement. Vice President Al Gore recently called on Washington to work more closely with church-based organizations and voiced support for a plan that gives them governmental aid. Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the current front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, has already worked to expand partnerships between his state government and groups that have a religious base.

Genesis Plus started its mission by walking the streets, organizing an Adopt-a-Trash-Can program in which merchants took responsibility for disposing of garbage, and providing a steady supply of trash can liners.

Then, a repainting campaign took off throughout the neighborhood, launched with a huge splash of paint on St. Thomas that brightened Pico Boulevard like a ray of light. Local teenagers were diverted from the street and enlisted to help in the effort. Some were even given free summer vacations at Greek Camp Axios in the San Bernardino Mountains.

After Genesis Plus picked up some steam, Bakas tapped his friend Michael Dukakis, the former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate who now lectures at UCLA.

Bakas sought guidance on developing a community work plan and securing funds for redevelopment. With Dukakis and a group of UCLA graduate students in urban planning, Genesis Plus defined the area of the Byzantine-Latino Quarter as bounded by 11th Street on the north, Venice Boulevard on the south, Hobart Boulevard on the west and Alvarado Street on the east.

In 1997, they were awarded a $500,000 grant for transportation-related improvements through the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative, and they had a blueprint for a dream.

‘You Can See It Happening’

Changes are already visible. Vibrant banners designating the area by the new name line Pico Boulevard. Select areas near bus stops have been cleared away to become pocket parks. Crime has decreased and streets are cleaner.

“You can see it happening,” said Virginia Koskos, a docent at St. Sophia. “The cleanliness is remarkable.”

Helen Pancin added, “People are starting to take more of an interest in the appearance of their homes.”

Plans call for street improvements, repaved crosswalks, steam cleaning of asphalt to clear away gum blots, improved lighting, landscaping, construction of attractive bus shelters and camouflaging of ugly barricades with tree planters.

Bakas hopes that the improvements attract new businesses such as food stores, outdoor cafes and art galleries to the abandoned storefront properties in the area. He also hopes to increase awareness of the area, so visitors to the city will be drawn to it.

“I want people to know where they can get the best Greek food in town or go to a great Salvadoran restaurant. They should know it’s in the Byzantine-Latino Quarter,” he said.

Yolanda Rodriguez said that since the riots in 1992, the area has not been able to shake its bad rap. Normandie Avenue remains scarred as a battle zone.

“There’s a phobia about this neighborhood. We’re trying to change that,” she said. “It just needs a pick-me-up.”

Rodriguez said Bakas has been pivotal in uniting the two cultures. She said that after Orthodox Bible study class on Tuesday evenings, he will bring his Greek friends over to eat at her Mexican restaurant. She likewise has urged the area’s many Central American immigrants to try Greek food.

In addition to their cultural similarities, Bakas said Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholics have some common religious practices too. They share celebration of sacraments, devotion to Mary and a hierarchy of successors to the apostles. The local alliance between the two faiths also provides a framework for Pope John Paul II’s vision of Christian unity.

“We can have our theological differences and still make a change,” Bakas said. “In the end, we’re all human beings.”