Photos | New playground dedicated on 30th anniversary of Latasha Harlins’ death
Column: The killing of Latasha Harlins was 30 years ago. Not enough has changed
![Councilmen Marqueece Harris-Dawson, right, and Curren Price visit with Ruth Harlins](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b6d113b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2454+0+0/resize/1440x883!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5b%2Fe6%2F459298a24ca2ae026d9b80a88cb7%2Fla-photos-1staff-735099-la-me-latasha-harlins-park-dedication-2-als.jpg)
Los Angeles City Councilmen Marqueece Harris-Dawson, right, and Curren Price visit with Ruth Harlins, 79, left, grandmother of Latasha Harlins. Family, close friends and community members marked the 30th anniversary since her death and announced the naming of the playground at the Algin Sutton Recreation Center at 8800 S. Hoover St. in her honor. Latasha and her friends played in the park as children. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
By Al Seib
![A person holds up large photos of a girl.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3394476/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2646+0+0/resize/1440x953!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd9%2F25%2F0166d9844379bb5137ecb42da6c5%2Fla-photos-1staff-735099-la-me-latasha-harlins-park-dedication-1-als.jpg)
Janice Duncan, creative producer for the documentary film “A Love Song for Latasha,” which scored an Oscar nomination, places a portrait of Latasha Harlins with flowers before a news conference. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
![People stand around in front of a mural of a girl.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3f1701a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2743+0+0/resize/1400x960!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fbe%2F77%2F9ccb4fcc4313baec280e6c9492a3%2Fla-photos-1staff-735099-la-me-latasha-harlins-park-dedication-9-als.jpg)
Ruth Harlins is comforted by Latasha’s brother, Vester Acoff, and Latasha’s best friend, Tybie O’Bard, right, as Sophia Nahli Allison, director of “A Love Song for Latasha,” reaches for her hand. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
![A woman leans on another woman.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2a28e67/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2630+0+0/resize/1440x947!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2F3a%2Fe94b356349a9b857a06fb23ad296%2Fla-photos-1staff-735099-la-me-latasha-harlins-park-dedication-7-als.jpg)
Tybie O’Bard, 45, left, best friend of Latasha Harlins, hugs Latasha’s cousin Shinese Harlins Kilgore after she made a passionate speech about Latasha at the Algin Sutton Recreation Center. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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![Two women in front of a mural of a girl](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3f2ee84/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2695+0+0/resize/1425x960!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8d%2Ff6%2Fe6f8dc0748b8bb8f28befb7085c4%2Fla-photos-1staff-735099-la-me-latasha-harlins-park-dedication-11-als.jpg)
Ruth Harlins gets roses from Harlins Kilgore. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
![Two people hold a banner.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d545c4c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2667+0+0/resize/1440x960!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd0%2F92%2Fe39d4df64aaf965b2ae9567f7e5d%2Fla-photos-1staff-735099-la-me-latasha-harlins-park-dedication-17-als.jpg)
Project Islamic Hope Chief Executive Najee Ali, Harlins Kilgore and O’Bard, left to right, hold the banner replica of a sign dedicating the playground to Latasha Harlins. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
![Three people stand and wear face masks.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/cc020f2/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2639+0+0/resize/1440x950!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F27%2F8a%2Fa41200e4420c823fab0716ec123f%2Fla-photos-1staff-735099-la-me-latasha-harlins-park-dedication-3-als.jpg)
Ruth Harlins talks about missing Latasha every day. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Al Seib was a photographer and videographer for the Los Angeles Times from 1984 to 2022. His photos have won numerous awards from national and international photographer associations. Seib’s work has helped win four Pulitzer Prizes for breaking news reporting awarded to The Times’ staff: the Los Angeles riots in 1993, the Northridge earthquake in 1995, the Southern California wildfires in 2004 and the San Bernardino shootings in 2016.