Los Angeles, CA, Nov. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Special Needs Network, Inc. (SNN) has announced an urgent campaign to purchase LA’s historic FAME Renaissance Building. The acquisition would safeguard the building’s role as an economic incubator and protect the surrounding neighborhood from gentrification and protect us from the undisclosed plans of the developer whose bid is part of bankruptcy proceedings.
In the early 1990s, First AME Assistance Corporation and the First African Methodist Episcopal Church, under the leadership of Pastor Cecil L. Murray, purchased the building from actor Brock Peters and his wife for $300,000. The property had been donated to Peters by AT&T following the 1992 civil unrest, which devastated Black and Brown communities in South Los Angeles. Murray envisioned the FAME Renaissance Building as an economic engine, fostering growth for small businesses and nonprofits in the area.
The building, hailed as the first Black-led economic incubator of its kind, attracted support from federal, state, and private entities. It became a vital resource for innovative Black- and Brown-led organizations, hosting tenants such as the West Coast affiliate of Jesse Jackson’s Operation PUSH and pioneering transportation and real estate firms. Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton visited to acknowledge its impact, while leaders such as Senator Dianne Feinstein consistently praised its significance.
Special Needs Network expanded the building’s legacy when it became a tenant in January 2023. As the largest occupant, SNN uses the space as the hub of its CORE workforce development program, funded with $7 million to create a pipeline of BIPOC professionals trained to work with individuals with special needs. With an additional $11 million awarded to expand CORE statewide, SNN’s operations include training hundreds of behavioral technicians and therapists, employing over 300 staff weekly at the facility.
However, the building’s future is now at risk. A developer’s bid could result in the eviction of all tenants, ending decades of economic progress for underserved communities. SNN is working to be able to allow the nonprofit to make a fair bid for the property, untangling the building from other parcels in the developer’s offer.
“Our goal is to preserve the FAME Renaissance Building as a cornerstone of innovation and empowerment,” said Areva Martin, Esq., Founder and President of Special Needs Network. “If this developer’s bid is approved decades of progress and displace countless organizations that provide vital services to our community could be lost.”
Pastor Mark Whitlock, former CEO of FAME Assistance Corporation and instrumental in the building’s development, added: “The FAME Renaissance Building stands as a symbol of resilience and empowerment for South Los Angeles. Losing it to gentrification would be a tragic setback for economic justice and our community’s progress.”
SNN’s vision for the property includes:
- Expanding the CORE workforce development program
- Creating a new state-of-the-art Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities
- Launching a groundbreaking culinary training and food truck initiative
- Continuing to provide affordable rental space for nonprofits and small businesses
“This building represents a legacy of hope and opportunity,” said Martin. “It must not be replaced by yet another generic property that benefits only developers. Together, we can ensure the FAME Renaissance Building continues to empower future generations.”
For more information or to support this campaign, please contact krystal@snnla.org.
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Special Needs Network, Inc. is a nonprofit grassroots organization responding to the crisis of autism and other developmental disabilities in underserved communities. We recognize the intersectionality of individuals with disabilities and that their fight for disability rights is inextricably tied to the fight for racial justice and the civil rights of all people.
