The official unveiling ceremony of the Migrant’s Bend Plaza project on Spring Street and Cesar Chavez Avenue this past weekend was a special moment for many in attendance, including StreetsLA Landscape Architectural Associate Scott Shimatsu, who served as project designer.
During the ceremony, Shimatsu was acknowledged and presented a certificate by City Councilmember Jose Huizar for his outstanding work and his dedication and detail to this project. To recall the region’s rich history, Migrant’s Bend provides personal narratives of various migrant/immigrant people who have lived and worked in the Los Angeles basin.
This project was a labor of love for Shimatsu, a native Angeleno and Japanese-American, who had been with the project since the first day. He has a personal story that reflects the immigrant contribution to Los Angeles that is honored in this project. His parents and grandparents endured three years with 10,000 other Japanese in U.S internment camps during World War II.