By Kaito Litwinczuk, age 17
KidScoop Media Correspondent
On Saturday Nov. 25, I buttoned up my suit, belted my pants and combed my hair. I was about to meet Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff. She was to affirm her support for small businesses at a local small business, and her relief for the release of some hostages from Hamas. Nervous couldn’t begin to describe the emotion I was feeling. I had only done about 7 interviews for KidScoop Media before this one, frankly I felt under qualified.
The first shock was when I realized the small business: Venice Noodles where the Vice President (we thought) would stand in solidarity with small businesses was just the place of wait and security.
We got to the restaurant minutes before the scheduled time for the press. The KidScoop Media (KSM ) Videographer and I were loitering about since we didn’t see any political-looking activities going on. Eventually, our contact informed us that the Venice Noodles restaurant was in fact not the place the Vice President would attend, but rather a different small business. There I realized the secrecy measures put in place were beyond my comprehension and would be more later on.
As we awaited the Vice President’s arrival I got to interview an NBC photojournalist named Beth Slepp-Paz who was very easygoing and friendly unlike the strictness I had imagined journalists to have. What surprised me was that she was introverted and still did this type of work.
Other news networks who were there included KCAL, Spectrum News and Deadline. It was refreshing to realize that these journalists that seemed so elevated from society were people with lives, with emotions.
We set down our equipment and the Secret Service had the K9 dog sniff it and the former searched our bags. I was surprised that some of the Secret Service members did not look very intimidating, in fact some were very short. I would have never known their membership into the service were it not for their uniform, nor would I have known of the journalist’s occupation unless I waited together with them. They looked so ordinary, but the main event was yet to come.
Finally, by escort of the Secret Service we arrived at the real destination: Venice Bakery and Restaurant where all the journalists organized their gear for the Vice President’s arrival. Before that, Beth, the NBC photojournalist, interviewed the owner of the store. What amazed me was that the owner was not aware of the Vice President’s visit until an hour before she came, and even when she was informed she thought it was a joke.
I heard hushed voices and then the Vice President walked in, trailed by Representative Ted Lieu and his family. I scurried behind the counter and leaned over with my mic to record her interaction. Time slowed down, merged. Seeing the second most powerful person in our nation, being not 5 feet away was exhilarating. The Vice President ended up ordering some sweets as the owner cordially expressed her recommendations. After she ordered her food, the media was prompted to leave the building in anticipation for her speech. We came onto the edge of a sidewalk and the KSM videographer started setting his camera. It was only at this point that I noticed that the whole street adjacent to the restaurant was blocked off. I thought a bit about how perhaps curious citizens may inquire into the delays and find the Vice President with ill will, when security could simply not draw obvious attention to the matter. I shrugged off the thought. I needed to prepare. By this point I had concluded that I would ask: What advice do you have for high schoolers who want to start a small business but feel unsure due to big business domination”.
Although she is just 5 feet and two inches, her presence filled the air. She addressed the media saying: “Today we honor our small businesses. It has been a passion of mine for many many years to support these leaders. Business leaders, they’re community leaders, they’re civic leaders. They hire locally, they mentor” and expressed her joy that some hostages from Hamas were released. Then she was gone. I implored: “I’m Kaito with kid scoop media. Madam Vice president!” but her back was to me and the Secret Service were escorting us away. The street was back to being a typical L.A. street. Sunny and cool, except for the secret service here and there, you wouldn’t know the Vice President was here.
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