Fans in Los Angeles have been tuning in to watch the Dodgers take on the Yankees in hopes the Boys in Blue will be this year’s World Series champs.
One group of residents in East L.A. found a creative way to watch and celebrate among community: they set up a projector to screen the game off a water tank.
On Tuesday night, about ten people pulled up lawn chairs to watch Game 4 off the huge water tank near Rowan Avenue and Folsom Street. Drivers double-parked to watch snippets of the matchup while some slowly drove by to ensure their eyes weren’t playing tricks on them.
Jorge Arellano, 34, trekked up the hill from Boyle Heights to his cousin’s house in East L.A. where family members had set up a projector on a ladder. He said his cousin would always watch movies at his house but this was the first time they decided to project a game onto the tank across the street.
“It’s just for the local community,” Arellano said. “People actually stop by and want to say how cool it is and then we have a small conversation and get to know people around the neighborhood.”
Fans also packed Distrito Catorce in Boyle Heights, the Dodger Blue sports bar with a mural of Fernando Valenzuela on its wall that has grown a small altar to honor the late pitcher. Dodger fans here clapped, high-fived and cheered early in the game after a home run by Freddie Freeman put L.A. in the lead. The game ended in a 4-11 loss to New York and cut the Yankees’ series deficit to 3-1.
Residents also gathered at the El Sereno Recreation Center Tuesday for a World Series watch party. The park will continue to host the game throughout the series with arts and crafts, games and face painting from 4 to 9 p.m. On Wednesday night, the El Sereno Night Market will move from its original location along Huntington Drive to join the celebration at the park.
Near the intersection of Olympic and Atlantic boulevards, crowds have been gathering to celebrate following Dodger wins. Video footage on social media has shown people cheering, dancing and waving Dodger flags. Several cars have also been seen doing donuts in the intersection, at times prompting the L.A. County Sheriffs to block streets and clear out crowds.
Last week, members of Centro CSO, a community group that fights for police accountability, held a press conference outside the East L.A. Sheriff’s station alleging excessive use of force by sheriff’s deputies during a recent celebration at the intersection. Several residents claimed no dispersal order was issued before tear gas was deployed on Oct. 20.
“We want everyone to celebrate but when it becomes unlawful, we have to protect life and property,” a representative from the Sheriff’s Department said.
