Black-led nonprofit to take over a longtime community hub to benefit the people

Park decided to sell his family's Skid Row People's Market to Creating Justice LA to keep ownership in the community, address food insecurity and maintain and provide community jobs. Photo: Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS

On another busy day at the Skid Row People's Market in downtown Los Angeles, the United States, workers stocked shelves while shoppers purchased sandwiches, fresh produce and fruit.The store at 5th and San Pedro streets, kitty-corner from a wellness centre and across from a women's shelter, is a vital asset for this impoverished, Black and Latino neighbourhood.

Danny Park, 39, who took over the business from his Korean immigrant parents in 2015, weaved social justice into its fabric by providing healthy and affordable food, giving store credit to customers low on cash and helping the unhoused population – the largest in any part of the city.