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2017's Top Videos

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This year kcet.org streamed thousands of videos, from popular British programs like "Vera" to "Fine Cut," our international short film festival. We premiered new programs like "City Rising" and new seasons of originals like "The Migrant Kitchen" while presenting important news stories. Below are the year's most-watched videos on kcet.org.

City Rising: Legacy

From the displacement of Native peoples to the enforcement of Jim Crow, the history of U.S. land policy and practice is a history of inequi¬ties. Gold rush-era Chinese workers and Blacks fleeing Southern racism were barred from California’s housing market and segregated to particular communities. After the Great Depression, the federal government backed mortgage lending as a route to homeownership and wealth accumulation, but redlined minority communities. White flight to suburbia left the urban core starved for investment and government services. Predatory lending and the 2010 foreclosure crisis further depressed rates of homeownership in the inner cities. Today, housing deeds still bear restrictive language such as “no lot in said tract shall at any time be lived upon by a person whose blood is not entirely that of the Caucasian race.” The restrictions have lost their legal standing but their spirit lingers in more nuanced ways.
Gentrification and Displacement: Legacy

In September we premiered "City Rising" as a six-part series focusing on gentrification across four California communities: Oak Park, Boyle Heights, Oakland and Santa Ana. The first chapter reviews the historical context in which race, law and real estate played a part in shaping today's dramatic disparities.

Lost L.A.: Descanso Gardens

Lost L.A.: The Descanso Gardens explores the history of one of southern California's most-beloved public gardens. From its pre-colonial origins as an oak woodland to its contemporary role as a living museum, the film examines how the Descanso Gardens reflects the social, politial and cultural evolution of Los Angeles.
Descanso Gardens

Before launching the second season of our L.A. history program Lost L.A. we released this hour-long special on the fascinating history of Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge, accompanied by a series of articles and short videos exploring the histories and cultures that made this destination.

Democracy Now: Last Gasp of a Dying White Male Supremacy

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Activist and scholar Angela Davis responds to Trump’s first few minutes as president, describing where this situates the executive institution and how it opens possibilities for resistance.
Last Gasp of a Dying White Male Supremacy

"Democracy Now!" reported live on the presidential inauguration in January, and we presented online several highlights from the roundtable coverage. In this popular excerpt Angela Davis suggests that these trying times may mark a moment of passing.

SoCal Connected: Inmates Hospitalized After 2008 Cell Extraction at L.A. Jail (warning: disturbing images)

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L.A. County fought to keep these videos sealed and out of the public eye. The 2008 footage shows L.A. County Sheriff's Deputies forcibly removing 20 inmates from their cells.
Footage Shows 2008 L.A County Cell Extraction

"SoCal Connected" recently obtained footage from a 2008 cell extraction at Men's Central Jail. The disturbing footage was circulated on social media and gave rise to a conversation about L.A. County jail conditions, including recognition of what has improved and what hasn't. Read more about this story.

Tending the Wild

"Tending the Wild" shines light on the environmental knowledge of indigenous peoples across California by exploring how they have actively shaped and tended the land for millennia, in the process developing a deep understanding of plant and animal life. This series examines how humans are necessary to live in balance with nature and how traditional practices can inspire a new generation of Californians to tend their environment.

In partnership with the Autry Museum of the American West, KCET created the documentary and multimedia project "Tending the Wild" on California's native peoples and the traditional ecological knowledge that can inform how we understand and live with the natural environment.

Artbound: Fotoperiodista: Documenting Tijuana's Refugee Crisis

Artbound's short documentary,"Fotoperiodista: Documenting Tijuana's Refugee Crisis," follows photojournalist Omar Martinez as he captures the Haitian refugee crisis in Tijuana, Mexico.
Fotoperiodista: Documenting Tijuana's Refugee Crisis

"Fotoperiodista: Documenting Tijuana's Refugee Crisis" follows photojournalist Omar Martinez as he captures the Haitian refugee crisis in Tijuana, Mexico. Many of the plays on this video came from viewers in Mexico. Learn more here.

Earth Focus: Drones and Parkour at Joshua Tree

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Clip from Storror Parkour's video of drone flight in Joshua Tree National Park

A parkour exhibition team representing a U.K.-based clothing line visited Joshua Tree in mid-May and used the opportunity to shoot promotional videos for their team and their clothing line. In the process they built a large bonfire outside of a formal campground and flew a Go-Pro-equipped drone in violation of strict Park rules. KCET's "Earth Focus" brought attention to these problematic activities, and the team eventually apologized.

Lost L.A.: Borderlands

American history has long been told as a triumphant march westward from the Atlantic coast, but in southern California, our history stretches back further in time. This episode explores the interconnected lives of three people who lived through California's transition from native land to Spanish colony and from to Mexican province to American state. Featuring the stories of native teacher Toypurina, who led the revolt against the San Gabriel Mission, Spanish soldier Jose Marco Pico, who served at the mission, and his son Pio Pico, who became the last Mexican Governor of California.
Borderlands

"Lost L.A." returned this October with this episode exploring the interconnected lives of three people who lived through California's transition from native land to Spanish colony and from Mexican province to American state.

The Migrant Kitchen: Alta California

A collective of distinguished chefs (including Ray Garcia of Broken Spanish, Wes Avila of Guerilla Tacos, Carlos Salgado of Taco Maria, as well as Jorge Gaviria of corn purveyor, Masienda) work to preserve and shape heritage.
Alta California

"The Migrant Kitchen" also premiered this fall, and the first episode showcased contemporary Mexican food in Los Angeles, focusing on the chefs behind Taco Maria, Broken Spanish and Guerilla Tacos.

California Coastal Trail: Half Moon Bay: A Peaceful Passage by the Pacific

Half Moon Bay is a tranquil community known for its charm, small town friendliness and one of the most beautiful coastlines in the Golden State. The Half Moon Bay Coastside Trail, initiated by citizen activist John Hernandez, offers sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, access to several beaches and peaceful passage. This oasis bordering the sea is a cherished segment of the California Coastal Trail, regularly traversed by foot, on bike and horseback by residents, visitors and commuters alike.
Half Moon Bay Coastside Trail

California Coastal Trail continued up the coast, and this video of Half Moon Bay was the most popular.

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A bald person adjusts his football uniform.

Early Screening: Inspiring Tale of 59-Year-Old Linebacker Mike Flynt in 'The Senior' at the PBS SoCal Cinema Series

The film screens March 26, with a Q&A with actor Michael Chiklis and producer Mark Ciardi immediately following the screening.
Two people look at something in the distance in horror.

Mystery Comedy 'Wicked Little Letters' Stars Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley: Early Screening at the PBS SoCal Cinema Series

The film screens March 19, with a pre-recorded Q&A with director Thea Sharrock shown immediately after the screening.
A person wearing glasses flips through a book at a desk.

'One Life' Portrays the Heroic Deeds of Nicholas Winton: Early Screening at the PBS SoCal Cinema Series

The film screens March 12, with an in-person Q&A with KCRW host and THR editor Kim Masters, whose mother was one of the children rescued by Nicholas Winton.