photo credit: 935 KDAY

The Hood Santa got his start out in the industry by producing for some of the West Coast’s biggest legends, including Snoop Dogg, but now, his focus has shifted from the music business to the welfare of bettering the community and providing a voice to those who work hard to serve their neighborhoods.

Speaking with KDAY Midday Ride host Cece, Hood Santa discussed his many efforts of protecting street vendors in the Los Angeles area and bringing more awareness for the urgency needed to create change. As we have all witnessed an increase in violence against many street vendors in the past few years, the situation that is happening in our backyard is a personal matter for Hood Santa as his mother was once a vendor, and seeing how many have been attacked and harassed prompted the entrepreneur to take matters into his own hands. The Hood Santa shared that he was moved to help in any way he could, so he decided to purchased pepper spray for Long Beach vendors to help protect them and that is what began his journey of bringing awareness to the matter.

Hood Santa encourages everyone to get in contact with their local political representatives to share their concerns and ideas of how the community can protect vendors and create more safe environments for the pillars of our neighborhoods.

As the executive director of the Local Hearts Foundation, Santa continues to work to bring awareness and community support to underserved areas and is currently preparing for a backpack event that many are encouraged to attend and donate.

Check out the full interview below!