2018 / “Tuna Canyon Detention Station” street sign installed as Los Angeles Cultural Heritage marker in Tujuanga Canyon, April 12
Forwarded for The Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition
Former Los Angeles Department of Transportation official, and current city traffic engineer and transportation consultant, James Okazaki, and his team came through with the Cultural Heritage no. 1039 street sign.
It was authored by Dr. Russell Endo for the Tuna Detention Station that originally opened on December 16, 1941 days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Pictured: Monica Rodriguez, Nancy Oda, David Ryu, and James Okazaki
It was a long process that required the local City Councilmember’s support. His persistence resulted in District 7 Councilmember Monica Rodriguez and District 4 David Ryu jointly sponsoring a motion to install a Cultural Heritage marker on April 12, 2018 at the intersection with three corners nearest the Tuna Canyon Detention Station site in Tujunga.
In the April 12 sign installation event, the Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition board members in attendance were Dr. Lloyd Hitt, Dr. Kanji Sahara, Kay and Nancy Oda, James Okazaki, Nancy Teramura Hayata, and Nancy Takayama.
It is located on the corners of Tuna Canyon Road, Tujunga Canyon Blvd., and Honolulu Avenue next to the 210 freeway. Drop a pin so you can find it.
Now Angelinos and travelers from all over the world will stop and learn about the history and confinement of 2,000 Japanese, German, and Italian immigrants, and Japanese taken from Peru during World War II.
The Sunland Tujunga Neighborhood Council and Little Landers Historical Society’s fight to preserve local history for more than ten years is no longer a little known Department of Justice site.
The late Paul Tsuneishi and Dr. Lloyd Hitt contacted the National Archives when the freedom of information act released the Enemy Alien Case Files that amounted to eighty eight pages and started to unravel the missing link between December 7 and February 19 when EO9066 was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Pictured: Jennifer Usyak, Nancy Takayama Deputy Consul General Hiroki Matsuo, Chris Komai, Consul Shigeru Kikuma
Deputy Consul General Hiroki Matsuo addressed the crowd accompanied by Consul Shigeru Kikuma on behalf of the Los Angeles Consul General Akira Chiba who has attended every Tuna Canyon event.
Tuna Canyon President Nancy Kyoko Oda thanked everyone for this special recognition. Chris Komai, President of the Little Tokyo Community Council, spoke about his grandfather’s photo when he bravely chose to be the first to be fingerprinted. His grandfather was the founding publisher of the 105 year old Rafu Shimpo.
The San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center was represented by Elizabeth Doomey. Marlene Hitt represented the Littke Landers Historical Society along with Marianna Gatto from the Italian Museum of Los Angeles. Also in attendance were descendants, Donna Sugimoto, and Nancy Takayama.
Time is running out for the Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition to install a memorial onsite before the children of the Issei are gone. With the support of two National Park Japanese American Confinement Sites grant, it has developed a beautiful 18 A framed traveling exhibit that has been to ten locations, diorama, published an accompanying exhibit book, and commissioned an original play called, “Only the Oaks Remain,” that was written by Soji Kashiwagi and preformed by the Grateful Crane Ensemble.
In addition to the exhibit, the National Park Service Legacy Project will interview twenty five descendants with the Japanese American National Museum Frank M Watase Media Center.
The Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition stands it’s ground to build an accessible memorial under the one acre symbolic oak grove in honor of the Issei men, German, and Italian aliens, and Japanese taken from Peru during World War II.
For further information, go to www.tunacanyon.org
