From the complex and fluid movements of weaving wicker furniture to the deft fingers of a Cambodian chef — there are some stories better seen than read.
Below you’ll find many examples of this in the 10 best videos produced and reported by the Long Beach Post over the past year.
In 2023, we followed the story of Kimberlie Burnett, who has been trying to get her mentally ill son, James, off the Long Beach streets for years. Later, we gave voice to the mourning for a 12-year-old boy fatally shot in Long Beach. At his vigil, the community demanded justice.
Find those videos and many more below:
Visoth Tarak Ouk is a Cambodian refugee who came to the U.S. at 3 months old to escape the Khmer Rouge in the late ’80s. Moving to Long Beach from Oakland, California at 9 years old, he became involved with gang activity which was rampant in the early ’90s, he said. After the death of his sister, Ouk resolved to change his life and pursue a culinary career. Today he is a well-known figure in the Cambodian Long Beach community known by all as “Chef T.”
Video by Cheantay Jensen. Read the full story here.
Ghermayn Baker is the co-owner of Point by Point Studio, a home-based furniture repair shop that specializes in the repair of woven furniture. He and his wife Christina Powers, who also owns the business, are based in the Cal Heights neighborhood in Long Beach, California.
Video by Cheantay Jensen. Read the full story here.
Kimberlie Burnett has been trying to get her mentally ill son, James, off the Long Beach streets for years, but he’s caught in a cycle of being jailed and hospitalized without any long-term care.
Video by Jackie Rae. Read the full story here.
Sumo wrestler Jose Galindo had won gold medals in both heavyweight and openweight at the U.S. Sumo Open, in both 2020 and 2021. The only other two men in history who have won both heavy and open in consecutive years are both Worlds Champions — Kato (Japan) in 2005 and 2006 at the U.S. Sumo Open, and four-time World Champion Byamba (Mongolia) who did that feat many years in a row. Jose is the only American ever to do that in the 21-year history. Both Jose and his wife, who is also a sumo wrestler, will be wrestling in the U.S. Sumo Open here in Long Beach. The U.S. Sumo Open in Long Beach is the biggest sumo event in the world outside of Japan.
Video by Thomas R. Cordova. Read the full story here.
On Tuesday night, 12-year-old Eric Gregory Brown III was walking with a 14-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl when gunmen in a car opened fire around 11:30 p.m. The family held a vigil for Brown less than 24 hours later in North Long Beach. Religious leaders, classmates, and friends gathered to mourn the loss and celebrate the life of 12-year-old Brown and to demand justice.
Video by Jackie Rae. Read the full story here.
In October of 2021, the family of 18-year-old Mona Rodriguez stood outside of the Long Beach Unified School District to protest school safety officer Eddie F. Gonzalez, who fatally shot Rodriguez. In April, the family stood outside the school district with their attorneys to announce an unprecedented $13 million settlement in their wrongful death lawsuit.
Video by Jackie Rae. Read the full story here.
Denise Maldonado, owner of Confidential Coffee, got a call around 6 a.m. on Sept. 21 from her employee, who had discovered a broken window and told her police had arrived at the shop. It would be the second time in two months her shop was broken into. “It’s violating,” she said.
Video by Jackie Rae. Read the full story here.
For the 10th edition of our “Haunted Long Beach” video series, we had to return to the mother of all Long Beach haunts: the Queen Mary.
The Queen was closed for three years amid COVID-19 and structural problems, but after it reopened this summer, we decided to investigate if new spectral beings were uncovered during the hiatus. We certainly learned one thing during our stay: Keep off the Grey Ghost if you’re easily frightened.
Video by Thomas R. Cordova.
Jakob Nowell, son of original Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell, has a new band: Jakobs Castle. In this interview, Jakob talks about losing his dad, growing up and forging his own musical path.
Video by Brandon Richardson. Read the full story here.
In our last Side strEATS, we featured co-owners of the startup I Luv Ur Buns, Sonya Suon and Mandy Bardisbanian at the ghost kitchen Daisy Diner in Long Beach.
Video by Thomas R. Cordova. Read the full story here.