Sure. A couple years ago, the city abandoned it's forever policy of maintaining public access trees, and left it to the property owner/holder. Since the city won't do it, they should require training from anybody providing the service, They don't, and this happened. The city itself did this, and fining the store is just more of them trying to shift their responsibilities onto the already-heavily taxed properties.
what a weird article. the tree cutting is certainly local news that i’m interested in. but why quote some rando instagram dude who has no facts, just speculation, in the second paragraph?
It seems to be the new journalistic trend. There might be one or two paragraphs concerning the story and then the balance of the articles turn out to just be quotes from TikTok, Instagram and Facebook users.
That and this stretch of york blvd has like 3 “community influencers” disguised as “neighborhood news”
They just stick their noses into everything, assume the worst, and get people riled up. Then usually when they find out they over reacted or get threatened with libel they just quietly delete their incendiary posts, or sometimes leave a small comment somewhere saying they messed up but leave the main post up.
Yeah, it could have easily just been "Restaurant fined for protected tree removal" - the story has nothing to do with gentrification except that that's how they decided to frame it - bring in ANYTHING to rage bait and up the "controversy", at the expense of anything like journalism.
They are not better than this. They have always been anti-gentrification flame stokers. They are doing great work with the ICE raids but outside of that this is par for the course.
I want to respect LA taco for all of their work they have done around ICE, but their reporting needs better fact checking. It's extremely disappointing that they are still awful at it.
LA Taco has become sensationalized “news.” Ever since they started gaining traction, they started putting out more baseless pieces like this to justify their constant begging for donations.
I don’t think that’s fair at all. They’ve been doing important work reporting on the daily ice raids and LAPD misconduct towards protesters since day one. That isn’t “sensationalized news”, jesus christ.
For every good reporting on ICE raids and other important local things, they also glamorize chaos like riots breaking out after sporting wins or they work some kind of angle to accuse someone of gentrifying such as the case here. It toes the line with radical left reporting.
Not sure if the person realizes that planting trees along a sidewalk in order to provide shade cover for pedestrians is also textbook gentrification and good city planning 101.
So in reality, this act of cutting down a tree (that doesnt exist naturally there or in the area in general) is an act of anti-gentrification.
These are people who have never done anything with their lives and want to tear down others. Easy way to do this is blame everything on gentrification, not the fact that they haven't grown in any meaningful way since they were children.
Skaf’s should def replant a tree if they’re serious about them having nothing to do with it but that Medina guy sounds like a raving lunatic too. Can also vouch they have some of the best Middle Eastern quick eats in LA.
Skaf’s On York is currently looking into replanting the tree and/or possibly making annual donations to North East L.A. Trees, a non-profit organization, according to Company.
They never said they had nothing to do with it. They said they hired the landscaper they didn’t know from Adam , gave him instructions and then left. They had everything to do with it.
And replanting a tree isn’t going to replace a half century old tree they just stole from the community.
That tree increased property values. The tree was a gentrifier.
The tree was probably transplanted from some nursery too, it didn't sprout there as an acorn. Instead that tree just moved in and tried to profit from the community's sunlight and carbon dioxide.
That one was a half century old. Replacing a half century old tree with a new baby tree isn’t the same at all. At that point let me replace your 5000 dollars with 5 dollars.
All trees aren’t equal. Mature trees are much more valuable to a community.
Giant eye roll, where’s the community outrage outside of this poorly written article? Where’s the protest in front of the property till they agree to replace with a comparable tree?
Isn't the term gentrified redundant at this point?
If you can't buy a single family home in your neighborhood without a 6 figure household income, your neighborhood is already gentrified whether you've got vegan donuts for sale or not. (Highland Park does.)
Sure, but one of the defining aspects of redlining was that homes in the redlined areas were cheap because banks wouldn't make loans there, whereas Highland Park hasn't been affordable to buy into for a couple of decades.
I feel like the gentrification label is mostly used these days by educated folks that made a bad choice of college major and have sour grapes about it.
It’s really not when predominantly upper class whites move in and contribute absolutely nothing to the community. Instead they build literal walls in front of their house and refuse to interact with locals. I’ve seen this first hand
Contribute nothing except significant amounts of income tax and sales tax dollars to provide public services, and to the growth and expansion of local businesses, and to the growth of property values making existing local homeowners wealthier.
And where are these extra taxes being spent exactly? Our roads and especially sidewalks remain cracked and dangerous amidst a stagnant maintenance budget while LAPD funding continues to rise each year. And frankly why is the most meaningful contribution someone can make solely monetary? I live in an actively gentrifying neighborhood and the people moving in certainly aren’t engaging with their community, walking outside and supporting local street vendors, or god forbid step on a bus. Outside of the allure of extra tax revenue how do gentrifiers positively benefit the working class neighborhood they move into?
It’s really not when predominantly upper class whites move in and contribute absolutely nothing to the community.
Except badly needed local tax revenue.
Instead they build literal walls in front of their house and refuse to interact with locals. I’ve seen this first hand
If I'm getting hostile comments from neighbors because of the color of my skin, and I dropped my life savings on a house, I'd turn it into a fortress too.
Extra tax revenue that will undoubtedly be spent on the LAPD and not on things like planting trees, fixing sidewalks, or street lighting. And I’m sorry but your comment gives white fragility (whether you’re white or not). Believe it or not these neighborhoods are largely safe! People in LA are definitely not aggressive towards gentrifiers in the same way that NYC is, even on the street. Sorry that a POC gave you a dirty look that one time, now we have neighborhoods where homes are surrounded by walls, motion activated flood lights, and automated announcements that let each person passing that they’re being recorded. What a way to integrate into your community and let people know that you’re open to knowing your neighbors. I love 2025!
So are newcomers and immigrants are not welcome in a community now? The whole gentrification/transplant on the left isn’t all that different than the anti-immigration on the right.
Yeah it looks methed up and people getting shot over 20 times in a parked car and still want more than a million to live next to big happy from highland park gang
it’s always so funny to me how in the gentrification argument no one brings up the minority communities who make massive generational wealth transferring property or renting property to the gentrifiers. We only focus on the group that is priced out.
also, this article has nothing to do with gentrification. lol
Mando Medina calls everyone a gentrifier. And according to many in this subreddit, this is "pollarding" and it supposedly makes the tree healthier (/s, if you weren't aware that plants can only grow from meristem tissue.)
The eunisses hate is especially pointed, bc I swear he was stanning for her election while she was running...
His stance is definitely one that runs on fumes, not the idea of ever having a solution. Not that we should glaze politicians, but everyone is a friend until they are an enemy kinda vibes
We need to have a serious conversation about the "professional" tree butchers that run rampant in this city (and the "iT's aCtUaLlY hEaLtHy fOr tHe TrEe" apologists in this sub.)
If they applied for and received a permit for cutting down the tree, then that's that. If they didn't, they did the wrong thing. But I wouldn't blame a "landscaper"--particularly since I see no landscaping whatsoever except that the tree has been cut down.
They hired the landscaper for a "significant trim"... indeed landscapers should be extra wary of city trees. And businesses should be wary of hack landscapers who are going to get them fined.
Yeah gentrification has nothing to do with cutting a tree down. But what pisses me off is that HLP needs more trees and greenery added to the sidewalks, not less. Also cutting down trees just sucks in general.
"if you're going to profit off our community you're still a gentrifier."
Absolute bullshit.
This type of attitude drives away even the most modest investment and improvement. It's more like telling the community there's no more room at the inn so don't even think of opening a business there.
I'm all about community and not having giant corporate developments push out local business, but it pisses me off when locals attack anybody who builds a successful small business among them… Especially when they are a racial minority among that community.
It’s believable. People are just ignorant. Happened to me many years ago, before I learned that there’s a huge difference between an arborist and the types of outfits that call themselves “tree trimmers” all over the place. Hired one thinking they would just, y’know, trim the tree, and that they actually knew what they were doing. Had to leave to go to work, came back to naked trunks.
Didn’t actually kill the trees but they’ve grown all weird and fucked up ever since, with all these skinny little branches called “suckers” that end up getting all tangled, rubbing against each other and dying off and breaking. It’s become a constant concern and I’m worried about them long term. But most people don’t notice or understand such things and assume that since branches and leaves did grow back it’s all good.
Of course, there’s older layers of issues that precede the bad tree trimmers, like people planting lots of non-native species with no regard for the mature maximum size in relation to the planting location, or building out too close to them, insurance and the changing demands due to climate change, etc. etc.
Anyone else sick of LA taco and the Highland Park Instagram basically just pointing fingers at the gentrifiers as all the problems in this neighborhood, as if there wasn’t a car that got shot up with 20 bullets the other night? I followed the story for a second but it’s pretty insignificant since there’s literally no proof on any end.
For the simple fact, I’m gonna be dining there exclusively now when I want my Lebanese food the food there is great. I’m so sick and tired of these people. go after the gang members who have made this neighborhood unlivable for over 20 years for the regular public
Then write a piece about cops who aren’t doing their jobs. What is your point? Maybe highlight the issue like you highlight a tree are you really that stupid but they don’t want to because anyone different that hasn’t been in the neighborhood equals bad in their mind.
Lapd northeast is the fucking worst. I had some one break my door trying to break in my labrador scared em off. Lapd response was an hour for them to say it was a ding dong ditch. I love skaffs delicious food and not gentrifying and they been in glendale since forever..
No, but that’s an actual public issue where people can be put in danger by stepping into the wrong area not a fucking tree that potential just got cut down mistakenly with miscommunication from them and their Gardener. I don’t think anyone’s to blame. People aren’t perfect, but this is a stupidest argument I’ve ever seen.
Not taking your bait anymore, but if you can’t understand how insignificant a tree is as opposed to public safety and that’s the fucking point it’s a nothing burger argument. If they did something wrong, I’m sure they’ll replant it but hey man, go scream at some local business employees and young college kid who help give peeps a start as a part of their rent in that facility, but you didn’t know that part huh?
make a thread about public safety, why should every other public issue issue be ignored? we get that your focus is limited and you cannot juggle two ideas at once, but the rest of is are fine.
Can't think of a more jobless descriptor than somebody who runs an IG account about Highland Park gentrification in big 2025. It was already almost entirely gentrified by 2015.
They posted about it on their instagram, it’s their most recent post. But they make it seem like they just accidentally cut too much, not that they scalped it.
Yeah I was shocked when I saw the picture. They said they stopped when they saw what the landscaper they hired did but I’m like stopped him once he was done lol? There was nothing else for him to cut, they left a stump.
They got cited for “pruning/destruction of a public right-of-way tree”. It’s a half century old tree!!
That’s inexcusable and worst is they try to blame everyone else instead of taking accountability.
I’m sorry but I’ve always thought Skaf’s was overpriced and mediocre. Throw a rock in Glendale and you’ll hit a better Lebanese restaurant.
They also charge a 4% credit card fee that is only disclosed at the take out window…which you will never see if you dine in which is a scam and illegal.
They also don’t give you an itemized receipt and then suggest 20%-30% tips that are based on the food total, plus tax, plus their 4% credit card fee. They don’t even list the 4% CC fee on their receipt. I just did the math and noticed it didn’t add up to the total and that 4% was added somewhere. Why not be transparent about what you’re charging?
Went in the other day and the host was for sure being weird, saying something about there being no public restrooms even though I was there to eat, but I guess I wasn’t hipsterish enough for them to consider that
Attention seeker who must miss the old HxP days of getting robbed on York and getting shot at by Toonerville. It's a tree my guy, go back to sneering at people who go into Cafe de Leche.
There should be a huge penalty, such as that towards anyone else from this kind of stuff, including planting the same type of tree at the same size at their expense.
Like how if u tear down a house that is historically protected u have to rebuild exactly what was there.
I'm sure almost nobody in the community gaf or noticed until this guy was complaining, let alone everyone else piling on from other areas. But I've dealt with too many of these "community advocate" types. They only want what they allow into the neighborhood and nobody else gets a say.
It's funny because there are situations like this in a lot of LA neighborhoods where they'll be vehemently against adjacent neighborhood organizations, projects like the gondola to Dodgers Stadium, but then take money from and publicly promote LA Marathon.
Halden said that there is no record of when the Yew Pine was planted, but it is believed to be around a half-century old.
LOL. So the article went from "Definitely cut down a tree, but we arent really sure how old it is" to "Definitely cut down a 50 year old tree according to a guy pulling a number out of his ass".
They just trimmed the bush they didnt cut it down?
Plus highland park hasn’t changed for shit, some car got shot like 20 times recently. The real issue is the people who go to york turn on there hazards blocking everyone as they try to get parking
They shouldn't have done the tree thing, but my heart will always be with Skaf's, the best middle eastern in the city. Also obviously they aren't gentrifiers, that's just a guy who doesn't know what the word means shooting his mouth.
Ooooh let's talk about tree law!
I am quite well versed in bird law
… various other lawyerings
We jabber jaw. We go tit for tat.
We all eager to get back to our hot plates
https://i.redd.it/9gxq6v4l6t8g1.gif
Sure. A couple years ago, the city abandoned it's forever policy of maintaining public access trees, and left it to the property owner/holder. Since the city won't do it, they should require training from anybody providing the service, They don't, and this happened. The city itself did this, and fining the store is just more of them trying to shift their responsibilities onto the already-heavily taxed properties.
TREE! LAW! TREE! LAW!
what a weird article. the tree cutting is certainly local news that i’m interested in. but why quote some rando instagram dude who has no facts, just speculation, in the second paragraph?
It seems to be the new journalistic trend. There might be one or two paragraphs concerning the story and then the balance of the articles turn out to just be quotes from TikTok, Instagram and Facebook users.
It's the same thing as the news picking the most redneck person for interviews after a tornado. "Larry still had my casserole dish."
Reddit user Cool Cheetah 658 said the news is going to shit. Back to you, Laura
Thanks giraffeheadturtlebox. In sports news the Dodgers are at it again and you won't believe what this vine user has to say...
Nothing new about it. "Man on the street" clips are nothing more than the uninformed rantings of random people.
not new trend at all, mainstream news was quoting twitter posts ~2010.
That and this stretch of york blvd has like 3 “community influencers” disguised as “neighborhood news”
They just stick their noses into everything, assume the worst, and get people riled up. Then usually when they find out they over reacted or get threatened with libel they just quietly delete their incendiary posts, or sometimes leave a small comment somewhere saying they messed up but leave the main post up.
Yeah, it could have easily just been "Restaurant fined for protected tree removal" - the story has nothing to do with gentrification except that that's how they decided to frame it - bring in ANYTHING to rage bait and up the "controversy", at the expense of anything like journalism.
LATaco is normally better than this.
They are not better than this. They have always been anti-gentrification flame stokers. They are doing great work with the ICE raids but outside of that this is par for the course.
They’re not better than this. They always have an agenda. They were more careful about their wording before, but now they just flat out don’t care.
I want to respect LA taco for all of their work they have done around ICE, but their reporting needs better fact checking. It's extremely disappointing that they are still awful at it.
LA Taco has become sensationalized “news.” Ever since they started gaining traction, they started putting out more baseless pieces like this to justify their constant begging for donations.
I don’t think that’s fair at all. They’ve been doing important work reporting on the daily ice raids and LAPD misconduct towards protesters since day one. That isn’t “sensationalized news”, jesus christ.
For every good reporting on ICE raids and other important local things, they also glamorize chaos like riots breaking out after sporting wins or they work some kind of angle to accuse someone of gentrifying such as the case here. It toes the line with radical left reporting.
They're great at that, but they also put up articles like this one regularly.
You keep using that word….I do not think it means what you think it means.
They meant GenTreeFires
Those damn zoomers!!
Look who is moving into the neighborhood
https://preview.redd.it/qrs8e3vwqs8g1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f2664d3b0084fd8a89fbe6e299ff7463cbc5f2a0
Stanford trees really would be gentrification
Not sure if the person realizes that planting trees along a sidewalk in order to provide shade cover for pedestrians is also textbook gentrification and good city planning 101.
So in reality, this act of cutting down a tree (that doesnt exist naturally there or in the area in general) is an act of anti-gentrification.
Inconceivable!
This gets more and more ridiculous.
What a tool
Empty storefronts for everyone!!!
Gentrification is anything that doesn't actively make the the neighborhood worse and more undesirable
“If you’re going to profit off our community … it doesn’t matter if you’re Latino, Asian or Black,” he said.
“You’re still a gentrifier.”
This guy is a kook. If people with ties to a neighborhood can’t open a business in said neighborhood who can?
He called villas tacos a gentrifier business years ago. Bro literally grew up off fig.
Make it make sense
Local angry man remains angry.
Seems to function as a flexible insult that shifts the burden of proof. And if it wasn't racially coded, the coding would not be preemptively denied.
Absolutely idiotic.
These are people who have never done anything with their lives and want to tear down others. Easy way to do this is blame everything on gentrification, not the fact that they haven't grown in any meaningful way since they were children.
Bingo. This guy is a loser. Skaf’s did a dumb thing, but owned it. Going there for lunch today in support.
“If you’re going to profit off our community … it doesn’t matter if you’re Latino, Asian or Black. You’re still a gentrifier.”
Ahhhh yes, no profit for anybody!!
A city must remain exactly the same as it was when you were a child otherwise anyone new is a greedy transplant gentrifier /s
The Los Angeles that NIMBYS want, colorized.
Only former businesses are legit parts of the community!
No ethical consumption under capitalism.
That would include everyone, there’s no special group exempt because they got there first
You’ve really never heard that before?
r/Im14andThisIsDeep
Skaf’s should def replant a tree if they’re serious about them having nothing to do with it but that Medina guy sounds like a raving lunatic too. Can also vouch they have some of the best Middle Eastern quick eats in LA.
It's good food but the prices are out of control.
Go eat some Cava then 🤷♂️
I mean honestly I would rather drive over to Zankou when a chicken salad is $22 at Skaf's
I’m from Dearborn and grew up on Lebanese food, and yeah this place definitely hits!
How does it compare to La Shish?
Honestly it holds up! I’d be very disappointed if skaf shut down overnight like la shish
Hopefully they follow through properly.
They never said they had nothing to do with it. They said they hired the landscaper they didn’t know from Adam , gave him instructions and then left. They had everything to do with it.
And replanting a tree isn’t going to replace a half century old tree they just stole from the community.
That tree increased property values. The tree was a gentrifier.
The tree was probably transplanted from some nursery too, it didn't sprout there as an acorn. Instead that tree just moved in and tried to profit from the community's sunlight and carbon dioxide.
Planting another tree puts back the tree the community lost, what am I missing here?
That one was a half century old. Replacing a half century old tree with a new baby tree isn’t the same at all. At that point let me replace your 5000 dollars with 5 dollars.
All trees aren’t equal. Mature trees are much more valuable to a community.
Who said baby tree?
The 50 year old tree had community roots.
Giant eye roll, where’s the community outrage outside of this poorly written article? Where’s the protest in front of the property till they agree to replace with a comparable tree?
So you didnt like my pun?
Cutting down the tree is getting visibility online too. Sounds like a spot to add to the try list.
It's poor journalism to platform every random person with a gripe.
Why? It seems to have worked wonders in getting us a terrible President. 😃
Isn't the term gentrified redundant at this point?
If you can't buy a single family home in your neighborhood without a 6 figure household income, your neighborhood is already gentrified whether you've got vegan donuts for sale or not. (Highland Park does.)
Gentrification is a dogwhistle nowadays for “racial redlining in the 21st Century.”
Sure, but one of the defining aspects of redlining was that homes in the redlined areas were cheap because banks wouldn't make loans there, whereas Highland Park hasn't been affordable to buy into for a couple of decades.
I feel like the gentrification label is mostly used these days by educated folks that made a bad choice of college major and have sour grapes about it.
It’s really not when predominantly upper class whites move in and contribute absolutely nothing to the community. Instead they build literal walls in front of their house and refuse to interact with locals. I’ve seen this first hand
Contribute nothing except significant amounts of income tax and sales tax dollars to provide public services, and to the growth and expansion of local businesses, and to the growth of property values making existing local homeowners wealthier.
Sounds like sour grapes to me.
And where are these extra taxes being spent exactly? Our roads and especially sidewalks remain cracked and dangerous amidst a stagnant maintenance budget while LAPD funding continues to rise each year. And frankly why is the most meaningful contribution someone can make solely monetary? I live in an actively gentrifying neighborhood and the people moving in certainly aren’t engaging with their community, walking outside and supporting local street vendors, or god forbid step on a bus. Outside of the allure of extra tax revenue how do gentrifiers positively benefit the working class neighborhood they move into?
Except badly needed local tax revenue.
If I'm getting hostile comments from neighbors because of the color of my skin, and I dropped my life savings on a house, I'd turn it into a fortress too.
Extra tax revenue that will undoubtedly be spent on the LAPD and not on things like planting trees, fixing sidewalks, or street lighting. And I’m sorry but your comment gives white fragility (whether you’re white or not). Believe it or not these neighborhoods are largely safe! People in LA are definitely not aggressive towards gentrifiers in the same way that NYC is, even on the street. Sorry that a POC gave you a dirty look that one time, now we have neighborhoods where homes are surrounded by walls, motion activated flood lights, and automated announcements that let each person passing that they’re being recorded. What a way to integrate into your community and let people know that you’re open to knowing your neighbors. I love 2025!
So are newcomers and immigrants are not welcome in a community now? The whole gentrification/transplant on the left isn’t all that different than the anti-immigration on the right.
It’s more than just a six figure family income. More like a poly-family of all (net) six figure earners.
Highland Park prices are wild especially when it still looks like the area is mostly body shops and meth.
body shops and meth pair pretty well with my vegan donut
Yeah it looks methed up and people getting shot over 20 times in a parked car and still want more than a million to live next to big happy from highland park gang
it’s always so funny to me how in the gentrification argument no one brings up the minority communities who make massive generational wealth transferring property or renting property to the gentrifiers. We only focus on the group that is priced out.
also, this article has nothing to do with gentrification. lol
Medina is a tool and an utter failure.
Mando Medina calls everyone a gentrifier. And according to many in this subreddit, this is "pollarding" and it supposedly makes the tree healthier (/s, if you weren't aware that plants can only grow from meristem tissue.)
EDIT: If anyone with any sway is listening/watching, can you please replant a native species?
Also has some weird vendetta against eunisses and ysabel like it was some kind of gil cedillo/kevin de leon burner acct
It’s Medina against the world. He’s been railing against everyone in our neighborhood for over a decade now.
The eunisses hate is especially pointed, bc I swear he was stanning for her election while she was running...
His stance is definitely one that runs on fumes, not the idea of ever having a solution. Not that we should glaze politicians, but everyone is a friend until they are an enemy kinda vibes
I love when people have to learn about tree laws the hard way but I also hate it because it usually involves cutting down historic trees.
Half century old!!!
Restaurant claims they hired a landscaper to trim the tree and the landscaper went rogue.
So I guess the landscaper is the gentrifier.
We need to have a serious conversation about the "professional" tree butchers that run rampant in this city (and the "iT's aCtUaLlY hEaLtHy fOr tHe TrEe" apologists in this sub.)
What landscaper would cut down a city owned tree without permission? We have a process for it:
https://streets.lacity.gov/services/permits/tree-removal-permits
If they applied for and received a permit for cutting down the tree, then that's that. If they didn't, they did the wrong thing. But I wouldn't blame a "landscaper"--particularly since I see no landscaping whatsoever except that the tree has been cut down.
They hired the landscaper for a "significant trim"... indeed landscapers should be extra wary of city trees. And businesses should be wary of hack landscapers who are going to get them fined.
So you're saying they didn't hire someone else to cut the tree down, they grabbed a saw and did it themselves?
Okay, then in that case I guess they are indeed the gentrifiers.
Unless...is the saw the gentrifier?
But what race was the landscaper? I can't recall if that matters or not. Gotta check the Medina venn diagram of blaming.
Having trees increases property values, though. Cutting it down is "anti-gentrification."
Maybe for houses? Businesses owners often seem very eager to cut down trees around the storefronts theyre leasing.
Anyways…. how does Skaf’s on York compare to the Skaf on Chevy Chase and the Skaf in N Hollywood?
It’s really good obv but imo it’s the worst of the three? I think north Hollywood is the best
I don't know about gentrification but the tree belonged to all of us, not the current tenant of a building. So they shouldn't have cut it down.
Half century it’s been in the neighborhood!!!!
They should be fined and forced to replace it with one of equivalent size, at their own expense.
Save the trees, but also Mando Medina is a bigot. Disappointed that LA Taco would promote him.
They didn’t even remove it or even “cut it down” they just chopped it Lorax style at head height and left a sad tree trunk!
Warning to the other trees
“They cut down far more than we agreed upon so we immediately stopped them”
They fucking chopped it in half lol. They rescued a stump just in time!
This Medina guy is fucking annoying.
Why is everyone saying there was a drive by shooting in HLP when it was in Glassell Park on the other side of the freeway?
Yeah gentrification has nothing to do with cutting a tree down. But what pisses me off is that HLP needs more trees and greenery added to the sidewalks, not less. Also cutting down trees just sucks in general.
Maybe they should change their name to "Stump's"
For them to blame the landscaper, really??? As if landscapers who do this for a living don’t know what a trim is. Hope they get fined.
"if you're going to profit off our community you're still a gentrifier."
Absolute bullshit.
This type of attitude drives away even the most modest investment and improvement. It's more like telling the community there's no more room at the inn so don't even think of opening a business there.
I'm all about community and not having giant corporate developments push out local business, but it pisses me off when locals attack anybody who builds a successful small business among them… Especially when they are a racial minority among that community.
I like how they are trying to blame the landscaper. There is no way someone walked up to this business asking to cut a tree.
That and the fact that there is absolutely zero "landscaping" save for the tree cut in half which, landscaping wise, looks like shit.
And then they gave directions and just left for him to be completely unsupervised lol? Someone they don’t know from Adam?
Trying to blame the landscaper is so trash lol.
It’s believable. People are just ignorant. Happened to me many years ago, before I learned that there’s a huge difference between an arborist and the types of outfits that call themselves “tree trimmers” all over the place. Hired one thinking they would just, y’know, trim the tree, and that they actually knew what they were doing. Had to leave to go to work, came back to naked trunks.
Didn’t actually kill the trees but they’ve grown all weird and fucked up ever since, with all these skinny little branches called “suckers” that end up getting all tangled, rubbing against each other and dying off and breaking. It’s become a constant concern and I’m worried about them long term. But most people don’t notice or understand such things and assume that since branches and leaves did grow back it’s all good.
Of course, there’s older layers of issues that precede the bad tree trimmers, like people planting lots of non-native species with no regard for the mature maximum size in relation to the planting location, or building out too close to them, insurance and the changing demands due to climate change, etc. etc.
Anyone else sick of LA taco and the Highland Park Instagram basically just pointing fingers at the gentrifiers as all the problems in this neighborhood, as if there wasn’t a car that got shot up with 20 bullets the other night? I followed the story for a second but it’s pretty insignificant since there’s literally no proof on any end.
For the simple fact, I’m gonna be dining there exclusively now when I want my Lebanese food the food there is great. I’m so sick and tired of these people. go after the gang members who have made this neighborhood unlivable for over 20 years for the regular public
Why would a local paper go after gangs? Are the police who aren't doing anything otherwise going to provide the protection?
Then write a piece about cops who aren’t doing their jobs. What is your point? Maybe highlight the issue like you highlight a tree are you really that stupid but they don’t want to because anyone different that hasn’t been in the neighborhood equals bad in their mind.
Again you say small fish should write about gangs!
Read a book please.
Recommend one.
Lapd northeast is the fucking worst. I had some one break my door trying to break in my labrador scared em off. Lapd response was an hour for them to say it was a ding dong ditch. I love skaffs delicious food and not gentrifying and they been in glendale since forever..
Highland Park is unlivable?
Gang members can't afford it. Most moved out to San Bernardino and Lancaster, and drove the murder rate up there.
Why is everyone saying there was a drive by shooting in HLP when it was in Glassell Park on the other side of the freeway?
You think gang members respond to journalism?
No, but that’s an actual public issue where people can be put in danger by stepping into the wrong area not a fucking tree that potential just got cut down mistakenly with miscommunication from them and their Gardener. I don’t think anyone’s to blame. People aren’t perfect, but this is a stupidest argument I’ve ever seen.
A stupid argument would be to go on a tangent about gangs when the topic is about a business and a tree.
Like do the most basic work to demonstrate cognition and focus
How dumb are you? How important is a tree getting cut down opposed to public safety dude go feed your cats.
ma'am this is about a tree, go cry at your next police town hall.
Not taking your bait anymore, but if you can’t understand how insignificant a tree is as opposed to public safety and that’s the fucking point it’s a nothing burger argument. If they did something wrong, I’m sure they’ll replant it but hey man, go scream at some local business employees and young college kid who help give peeps a start as a part of their rent in that facility, but you didn’t know that part huh?
make a thread about public safety, why should every other public issue issue be ignored? we get that your focus is limited and you cannot juggle two ideas at once, but the rest of is are fine.
I love the food at Skaf's. "Gentrification" is a nonsense term. I hate unnecessarily chopping down old trees.
What about gentrification makes it a “nonsense term”?
Perhaps nonsense relative to the tree chopping incident.
That def makes more sense.
It is actually an incredibly useful term, because when someone uses it I know to never take them seriously ever again.
Okay.
Those trees were planted by gentrifiers
Can't think of a more jobless descriptor than somebody who runs an IG account about Highland Park gentrification in big 2025. It was already almost entirely gentrified by 2015.
The whole discussion about “gentrifiers” is so toxic
Pinche mamon
gen-tree-fication
The local ent population has been getting pushed out for years.
so you cut down a fifty year old tree and have to pay a $250 fine or something?
wow bummer they did that. trees offer shade for people walking on the street.
They posted about it on their instagram, it’s their most recent post. But they make it seem like they just accidentally cut too much, not that they scalped it.
Yeah I was shocked when I saw the picture. They said they stopped when they saw what the landscaper they hired did but I’m like stopped him once he was done lol? There was nothing else for him to cut, they left a stump.
Yeah, exactly. They’re using vague language to hide what they did. This really sucks. It did inspire me to call 311 for some trees on my street though
They sound kind of full of shit.
They got cited for “pruning/destruction of a public right-of-way tree”. It’s a half century old tree!!
That’s inexcusable and worst is they try to blame everyone else instead of taking accountability.
I’m sorry but I’ve always thought Skaf’s was overpriced and mediocre. Throw a rock in Glendale and you’ll hit a better Lebanese restaurant.
They also charge a 4% credit card fee that is only disclosed at the take out window…which you will never see if you dine in which is a scam and illegal.
They also don’t give you an itemized receipt and then suggest 20%-30% tips that are based on the food total, plus tax, plus their 4% credit card fee. They don’t even list the 4% CC fee on their receipt. I just did the math and noticed it didn’t add up to the total and that 4% was added somewhere. Why not be transparent about what you’re charging?
The place is a scam.
Went in the other day and the host was for sure being weird, saying something about there being no public restrooms even though I was there to eat, but I guess I wasn’t hipsterish enough for them to consider that
Attention seeker who must miss the old HxP days of getting robbed on York and getting shot at by Toonerville. It's a tree my guy, go back to sneering at people who go into Cafe de Leche.
Oh Jesus Christ, please. STFU.
Thats a real quick way to lose me as a customer. Not going again
People have too much fucking time to be online.
Gentrification is good for the communities that become gentrified.
https://www.vox.com/2014/12/9/7334013/city-poverty-mobility-gentrification
https://www.vox.com/2014/5/7/5687676/coffee-shop-gentrification-reduces-crime-tearing-down-public-housing
https://cityobservatory.org/how-gentrification-benefits-long-time-residents-of-low-income-neighborhoods/
There should be a huge penalty, such as that towards anyone else from this kind of stuff, including planting the same type of tree at the same size at their expense.
Like how if u tear down a house that is historically protected u have to rebuild exactly what was there.
Skaf’s is fucking bomb
I'm sure almost nobody in the community gaf or noticed until this guy was complaining, let alone everyone else piling on from other areas. But I've dealt with too many of these "community advocate" types. They only want what they allow into the neighborhood and nobody else gets a say.
It's funny because there are situations like this in a lot of LA neighborhoods where they'll be vehemently against adjacent neighborhood organizations, projects like the gondola to Dodgers Stadium, but then take money from and publicly promote LA Marathon.
LOL. So the article went from "Definitely cut down a tree, but we arent really sure how old it is" to "Definitely cut down a 50 year old tree according to a guy pulling a number out of his ass".
can probably count rings in the trunk now.
TREE LAW! TREE LAW!
“You’re still a gentrifier.”
Says the loser who's biggest accomplishment was coming out of his mom's vagina while she was living in Highland Park.
I just went on a date here last week and had an awesome time, i don’t care if they cut down one tree, give me some more of them skewers!
Skaf is great. The gentrifier charge is hilarious.
They just trimmed the bush they didnt cut it down?
Plus highland park hasn’t changed for shit, some car got shot like 20 times recently. The real issue is the people who go to york turn on there hazards blocking everyone as they try to get parking
They literally chopped it to just the trunk. Did you even look at the picture?
They shouldn't have done the tree thing, but my heart will always be with Skaf's, the best middle eastern in the city. Also obviously they aren't gentrifiers, that's just a guy who doesn't know what the word means shooting his mouth.
They knew what they were doing and the fine was a calculated risk. Nothing but a community boycott will teach them.
Oh brother
They literally said it was a mistake and they’re going to make it right.
How will they make it right lol?
Yep. More of the same. Capitalists don’t care about history.
Of all the shit to spend your time worrying about