Venice Divided - The Town Hall Meeting On The Bridge Housing Project

There was a Town Hall meeting last night at Westminster Elementary School regarding the proposed Bridge Housing project. A heated mob rudely shouted over each other on both sides of the issue. Most likely shady politicians calmly took the heat. Nothing was resolved.

That could be the whole story right there, but, of course, it isn't. There are so many aspects to the homelessness CRISIS that you really could talk about it all night long - which we almost did. I got there at 4:30 to prepare for shooting the encounter for our upcoming documentary about income inequality and housing in Venice - 90291: Venice Unzipped, and the people of Venice certainly gave us the drama. I stayed until the last person had left, helping someone find their keys in the parking lot, after 11. I heard every word. I was emotionally drained at the end of the night, and frankly, kind of embarrassed. I've never seen my fellow townspeople behave so rudely. I get that it's a hot topic and people feel strongly about it all, but seriously, have some respect. Angry hordes tend to not make much progress, as we all witnessed last night. I truly thought Venice was better than this. But I'm getting ahead of myself. (And by the way, if this is how people act HERE, in "the coolest city in America", famous for its mellow vibes and wide open embrace of all things eclectic, then imagine how gnarly things must get in more conservative areas of the country. If this is how the collective citizenship thinks they can negotiate ANYTHING ... this country is doomed. For real.)

When we got there to set up cameras and stuff, there was already a line of people waiting to get into the auditorium. There were check-in tents and media vans and political booths and refreshment stands and an overflow seating area with a big screen set up that was nearly as big as the space inside. And it was all full. People in Venice CARE about this issue. Whether or not they care about the actual homeless human beings being discussed, which many in the house seemed not to at all. Some wore "Venice Fight Back!" shirts. Some wore "Recall Bonin!" shirts (very popular). Some wore "I walked here, I wasn't bused here!" shirts. ALL were very passionate about their point of view.

Earlier in the day I had met with Bill Attaway, and he told me he was going to this meeting too, and was "just going to listen". I took his lead on that, as I really don't know which side of this particular issue I come down on. I care deeply about the homeless crisis, because I have a lot of empathy in me, but also because, technically, I'M still kind of homeless. I got the boot from another jerk greedy landlord, and still haven't been able to bring myself to want to pay $3,000 a month for a studio with a hot plate. I often think about leaving Venice for this reason, but I think everyone who has ever read one of my stories knows how hard that would be for me to do. So I retain hope that some remaining cool landlord will have mercy and let me remain here, but last night that hope was even further dampened, when I realized so many people (mainly new ones that I don't know from the looks of it) care only about their property values and have never contributed significantly or meaningfully to Venice in any way other than paying their property taxes. There were also long-time residents who are just fed up with all the new encampments and crimes, but they should also be used to a lot of that by now. We've never been Brentwood - nor do we want to be. So many people there last night seemed to lack basic humanity that it was depressing. I'd go so far as to compare it to a disgusting Trump rally. SO rude. But I'm not interested in the problems as much as I am in the SOLUTIONS. Of which very few were offered at last night's mélee.

The thing was supposed to start at 6 p.m., but it's always Venice Standard Time, so at 6:30, there was only a room getting hotter, both literally and figuratively (In fact, "TURN ON THE A.C.!" was one of the most well-received chants of the night, with Garcetti cracking, "See, we can agree!"). A banner that garnered applause when it was unfurled read, "Venice - Where human poop and needles are part of the fun!" Finally, the moderator, Alex Cohen of Spectrum News, came up to explain the meeting's rules (which were fully ignored), and introduce Los Angeles Mayor, Eric Garcetti, Councilman for District 11, Mike Bonin (who was greeted by chants of "Recall Bonin!" and was consistently booed all night), and LAPD Police Chief, Michel Moore. The atmosphere was hostile from the outset, and chants of "Venice Says No!" (with yells of "YES!" in the pause) drowned out the intro.

Both Garcetti and Bonin gave little speeches that were constantly interrupted by shouts of "LIES!" and still more BOOOOOs. Garcetti had a little slide show that broke down the homelessness issue into three parts: Trauma, Economic, and Health. That was just about the only time the real roots of the problem were addressed - again, with no solutions. Bonin said "Doing nothing is not an option," which is true, but it seems like no one is going to be able to agree on what the something that should be done is. The ONLY solutions I heard all night (Because the Bridge project is not a solution. It is merely a small attempt to stanch the bleeding temporarily.) were to turn the lot into a home for Venice's senior citizens who are being priced out after living here all their lives, and to build a tent type city in a parking lot at Dockweiler Beach, away from everyone. People brought up that Venice is now a "Containment City", but that tent city idea sounds a bit like an internment camp. And that's not who we are. But it was an attempt at a solution, which hardly anyone else could offer. They just shouted.

The proposed "A Bridge Home" project would be at the MTA lot site bordered by Pacific and Main. They want to build a bigass structure to house 154 homeless individuals there a block from the beach, that would only be there for 3 years, as the MTA has other plans for the site. That seems dumb to me. Why spend all kinds of dough on a band-aid idea that is only temporary? That makes no sense. Not wanting this project doesn't make you at all a bad person. But not caring about homeless human beings kind of does.

On the other hand, where would people propose that the homeless go? People were shouting "Palisades!" "Mar Vista!" "YOUR neighborhood!" ... but that's forgetting that it (so far) remains a free country, and how are you going to tell anyone that they HAVE to go to a certain area? What would these loudest, rudest mouths do if someone told THEM they HAD to go live in a particular spot? C'mon. That won't work.

Several people brought up that the project is located near three schools and they don't want their children near that. To them, I would ask, would you rather have them step over sleeping bodies on the sidewalks, as they do now, or have these people be inside a building, out of sight and reach? I would also again ask them, what if it was you? Where would be acceptable for you to go? I can tell you personally how quickly you can have the housing rug in Venice pulled out from under you, and suddenly you're one of them, if not for being reasonably sane, having a work ethic, and having great friendships and opportunities, you could be screaming about me. That's being for real. It COULD be you real easy.

A big part of the problem - or maybe the main part - is that the homeless population now is different than it was when I moved here almost half my life ago. Then you knew the homeless folks by name, and looked out for them. It was Dr. John. It was (and is) David Busch. It was (and is) Cam. It was the blonde lady (whose name I forget, sorry) who talked to herself and bummed smokes up and down Abbot Kinney all day. Harmless. Friends, actually. Now there is a much more menacing element - and many more of them than there ever was. They're actually scary, and I'm rarely scared in Venice. As one person put it, "How do you separate the transient tweakers from the down on their luck people?" It's impossible to speak of the homeless as one entity. There are meth heads who just want to party and choose to be homeless. There are teachers whose salaries don't cover L.A. rents. There are abused women and their children. There are the elderly whose social security covers almost nothing. There is me. How do you clump it all under one umbrella? You can't. And that's where compassion, empathy, and looking out for each other comes in. We are a COMMUNITY, after all. Please try to remember that. Remember how Venice used to have each others' backs. That has always been a source of pride to me in living here, and now I feel that it's almost as endangered here as affordable housing is. We can be better.

People were SO disrespectful to the elected officials, but even more sadly, to each other. The whole thing took so long because it was just constant yelling. People got kicked out. People got yelled at to "Shut up!" Some stood patiently in line to wait their turn to ask their questions, but were almost always shouted over, whatever they had to say. You can see it all yourselves, as multiple news outlets were present (and it's going in our movie). I was real disappointed by the disruptive behavior, and at one point it was all so upsetting I almost cried out loud. And I wasn't alone. Many people stood up to stare at and condemn the yellers, and many I talked to after spoke of choking up and getting chills themselves. This just isn't the Venice I know. And LOVE.

Garcetti and Bonin took it all, far more calmly and respectfully than I think anyone else in there could have been. That doesn't mean that they weren't evasive and talking in soundbites, never really offering a cohesive argument, and very much acting like it was a done deal. One person asked Garcetti pointedly, "How can we trust you to run our country?" (referring to rumors that the Mayor is going to run for President). He could obviously take the heat, but we want our leaders to be able to handle the big ideas, and Garcetti didn't come close to proving that. Bonin sat there like a punching bag all night (much of it deserved), being told by one angry Venetian, "You created it, Mike Bonin, no one else!" Obviously Bonin didn't create the homeless problem, but he's thus far done nothing to make it better for Venice (and STILL hasn't hooked up Jesse Martinez with the job to clean the Skatepark, as promised). When asked what percentage of people in the little survey he'd done about approval for this project, Bonin totally dodged, and was then told it was a paltry 5%. Hardly a majority of our community, and he should have fully expected this backlash. Chief Moore (who urged anyone who had a policing problem to email him at: Michel.Moore@LAPD.online - get ready Mr. Moore. I hope you really read them.) was the only one who came close to cracking at the abuse being thrown at him, telling one person to share their expertise after he shared his - Burn. There was a lot of dodging questions and "Hopefullys" going on from this group on stage, to which one person shouted, "Hope isn't a strategy!" True. And clearly multiple strategies are needed. Starting with the roots of the crisis. Income Inequality. Corporate and Individual Greed. Shady Politicians. The Idiocracy currently in office. Mental Health. The Opioid Crisis. Lack of Affordable Housing. And you know what? It's only going to get worse. Climate change. The 1%. On and on ... and nothing will improve if we can't even have a productive discussion about it ALL.

The questions went on forever, never getting any real answers. To their credit, the Mayor, Councilman, and Police Chief all stayed there once the public forum was over, answering any and all questions from the crowd that descended upon them afterward. For a looooong time. I don't think anyone left there satisfied, but it's like one resident told me after seeing my sad face, "It's like therapy, the first session is always terrible."

Small consolation, but the better feeling was when I finally made it back outside, and was greeted by a line of people having a candlelight vigil for the homeless, and for compassion. There was another big confrontation outside (with tens of police officers standing by, just in case), with Venice residents (wearing shirts proclaiming it so) getting mad that people in the vigil were from places like Eagle Rock, thus this Venice issue is none of their business. It got tense, and then - because some people still have grace and decorum - they found common ground. They shook hands. They hugged. They realized we're all in this big Los Angeles situation together. They found their humanity.

My favorite speaker of the night was a woman named Wendy Lockett (I believe I heard that right), who was born and raised in Venice, and is now homeless here herself. She took exception to all of the people clumping all homeless together in one big mess of disdain and dismissal. She was displaced by yet another dickhead landlord kicking out people to jack up prices for Air BNB visitors. She is connected to Venice. She doesn't want to be kicked out to the Palisades or Pacoima or anywhere else proposed  - who would? She calmly shut down people yelling during her time, and told how she cleans the beach every day, she has never left a needle behind, she has never defecated in a yard, she has never ripped off a bike, and she tells other homeless people making those kinds of problems to knock it off. She belongs here more than several newcomers who care nothing about being a contributing member of our community, and only want to live somewhere deemed "cool". They don't get it. They moved here without knowing what they were getting into, clearly, and think their money is suddenly going to turn this place into Brentwood. Sorry, it'll never happen. That's not who Venice has ever been, is, or wants to be.

Ms. Lockett ended her time - and I'll end mine here as well  - by saying, "Venice is supposed to be about Community and Love." Exactly. Please remember that, and look into your own hearts as we attempt to find solutions to this very sad crisis together - with respect, and yes - Love.

*Sorry this is so long. Believe me, the night was much longer. I need a drink.

Viva Venice! Viva Mexico!

The Venice Art Walls are at it again ... reflecting what's going on around us and making the social commentary that goes along with it. This weekend's graffiti news brought a piece that celebrates Venice, celebrates Mexico, and condemns Trump. Perfecto.

I'm on a Mexico trip at the moment (and will be literally this weekend) and it's really been on my mind a lot since the KRS-One show I went to a couple of weeks ago. That prophet said that we were standing on Mexico ... as this art piece (by I'm not sure because I can't make out that tag?) also states. Then we went outside and the hot dog cart ladies took off running from the cops because they were scared of ICE. Then there was this anti-Trump Wall banner hanging on Venice Boulevard. Then there was another checkpoint on Lincoln over the weekend that gets everyone scared about ICE more than DUI's. Then I went to see Rodrigo y Gabriela and absolutely swooned over the beautiful music being made by these Mexican treasures.

You can go anywhere in Los Angeles - or California as a whole, really - and see all the contributions made daily to our lives and economy by our Mexican friends. Did you ever see A Day Without A Mexican? Well, you should. L.A. would literally grind to a halt without them. They should be appreciated and thanked, not persecuted. It's ridiculous, and sad. So, I'm going to go celebrate a new year with all the color and flavor of a Mexican fiesta, and let them all know that we've got their backs - and that we're not all bad. Thank you to the Venice Art Walls artists, for always keeping it on the real real.

Viva Mexico! Viva Venice!

Backstage at The Beachhead!

I dug the Free Venice Beachhead from the day I moved here. An entirely volunteer operation, it has been in existence since 1968, celebrating the auspicious 43rd Birthday this December! Every community needs its newspaper, but a community like Venice especially does. People have come here from all over the world to seek and explore what the left-est edge of the country has going on, and the Beachhead has been documenting it all for decades.




I got involved myself when I would occasionally submit articles about things I thought were cool in the neighborhood (You can too! We love to hear from EVERYONE, and Venetians tend to have a lot to say. Don't be shy, that's silly) ... or uncool as the time I had my dear bike, Delores, stolen. I reacted by writing a story, basically a livid Bike Amber Alert, and the Beachhead Collective was nice enough to print it on the front page. Well, a month later I got her back, and wrote another - triumphant - story to share the unlikely news. That was the beginning of me taking a more active part in the paper, as Collective member, as Collective member, Greta, had been reading my blog about me and Venice (Hi), and extended an invitation for me to come to the Beachhead meetings, and see if I wanted to join the Collective. So I did.

Meetings are held each Monday evening at the "Beachhead House" in the heart of Venice. You duck through some thick foliage and enter the house to be met with shouts of welcome from the long wood table that serves as the Bridge on the Mother Ship of Beachhead operations. Protest posters from past and present, and original works by Venice artist friends adorn the walls, as, of course, does the visage of Che Guevara. A beautifully colorful Murano glass chandelier hangs above it all, as sort of a reminder of the original Venice.

It doesn't take long before someone usually opens up the first bottle of Charles Shaw, which helps to calm the nerves when talking about local and worldwide events that rile us up. We stick impressively close to the agenda each week, considering we are all vocal and tangent-prone contributors, but this paper has to get out! It takes a lot of work - by people that also have to actually work and maintain busy lives. And these people ... what a bunch. Each of us is so different from each other, but somehow it all works as a whole, and a mutual respect is maintained (save for the pretty uncommon outbursts of healthy disagreement) to make that so.

Jim is the true keeper of the Beachhead flame, having been involved with the paper for a good chunk of its lifetime. He is a deep and creative poet, and is also real good at cracking the whip on the gang to keep things moving along. Karl is the Professor of the bunch (of Chemistry), so he's our go-to source for all things scientific. He also writes great poems, and is great at reciting the poem submissions that come in in his actorly fashion. Mary is the poet on the Collective that makes me well up almost every time she submits, so touching and wise are her works. She's also the one that always catches my raised eyebrow or pointed glance, and exactly gets what I mean without even talking. A great lady.

Don is the most senior member of the Collective, and also the biggest flirt. He is out there, active and involved, every day of the week. He is never afraid to exactly speak his mind, and share his vast knowledge about pretty much all things. He is a true inspiration as to how to be of service and lead a full life. And he can make you blush. As can Greta. She is the Romanian spitfire of the group, and cracks me up every week. She is the supplier of the most double-entendres I've ever heard, and is as smart as she is funny (she is a school teacher during the day). I look forward each week to seeing what she'll wear, or what she might cook, as she'll often display her culinary skills for us, on top of her writing pointed and provoking articles for the paper. {She would laugh and shout, "ON TOP!" here}.

Roger is the grammatical stickler of the bunch, and we're lucky to have him, as even under his microscope, it's still not hard for typos and stuff to sneak by when proofing nights go late. Roger is a smart one, and a good debater too, as he's another one not afraid to speak his mind. No one is really, and that makes for super interesting discussions, and we hope, a better paper each month. There are new members, Ron and Annie, who are proving to be fine contributors, and both jumped right in with offers to get things done. There are more phantom members, like Alice, who can rarely attend meetings, but handles the finances of the paper, which is always a struggle (we'll get to that). Lydia, a very involved activist, sometimes makes an appearance, and always has great points to make. Krista is another lovely poet, who we don't see as much of these days, but are always happy when we do. Yolanda (and her sweet little dog, Joey) and Peggy are honorary members who inspire as some of the strongest, most activist women I've ever met - and also excel as great cooks and kombucha makers. It's always a treat when Suzy shows up, and even better when she pens one of her enthusiastic reviews.

These characters all sit around the big table and discuss distribution, who called which expired sustainer, who hit up who for ads, what events are coming up, what timely topics need to be addressed, how many more have died at war or been arrested for Occupying, current events, etc. Then we all take turns reading story, poem, letter and calendar event submissions. It's a democratic vote for each of them that winds up in the paper, and if only those walls could talk, they'd have volumes of thoughtful, interesting, important and funny things to say. I look forward to these meetings each week, as I always emerge a little more well-informed, and cheered that a diverse people really can come together and create something positive together. And that's a good lesson to apply to everything in life, right?

I try to make my contribution each month be a reminder of why we all want to be in Venice. I like to focus on the GOOD stuff - the art, the music, the events, the people and businesses that make this an intriguing - no, MAGICAL place to live. The more we know each other better, the better we'll be to each other, is my way of thinking. The more you know someone's story, the better you can identify with or learn from them. Which brings us to the point of a community paper ... knowing the stories of a time and place in history.

As I mentioned before, it's hard work, all done for free, with free minds and spirit and speech. (And you get it for free). We don't just tell the stories, we deliver the stories to you. We hustle to get ads and sustainers to keep the paper afloat - everyone's least favorite part of the deal. No one likes to ask for money, especially creative, activist type people. I know that a lot more people enjoy the paper than currently support the paper, and I think that could be improved upon. Simply based on the number of times I'm stopped and talked to about it in a normal Venice day is telling of The Beachhead's place in the hearts of locals.

So please consider being more active in your appreciation for a truly rare and original, Beat-originated and still inspired, cool LOCAL hard copy newspaper. Send us YOUR stories, thrilled or outraged. Become a sustainer (it's easy, you can just Pay-Pal it right up at www.freevenice.org!). Place an ad for your business. Announce your wedding or baby or graduation or party! Come to an event we sponsor. Volunteer to help lug papers. Do something awesome that we can write about!

Above all, THANK YOU! Thank you, Venice, for being so great to live in and write about. Thank you for supporting a free press, and a free spirit. For inspiring every day, and for the sense of FUN and community we all love, and love to document.

Happy 43rd Birthday, Beachhead! It's a real honor to celebrate both the history and the NOW with you! CHEERS (with something a little better than Chuck S. for the occasion!)!!!

Lohan Lowbrow

Man, I'd rather not even acknowledge the Lindsay Lohan circus in town, but it's a bit unavoidable in Venice at the moment ... and was the TOP news story last night. SAD! She allegedly stole a spendy necklace from Kamofie and Company on Abbot Kinney, and was this morning charged for felony grand theft. Never mind that there is real live revolution happening in Egypt. That our country is still at it in a dumb war. That our Earth's health is at a crucial tipping point in time. That our nation's schools are in the same boat as the planet. That people are struggling to make ends not even meet, but survive.


No, the top news story needs to be about a sick young girl that has a ton of problems, and the vultures just keep picking at her. At US - as our brains, and our humanity is what is dying if this is what we think "important" news is.

I was working at Firefly yesterday, when TMZ called up to see if we'd give them any information, as Kamofie had refused to comment further on the matter. The lady sounded genuinely confused and surprised when I said, "We really couldn't care less about this story." In fact, it's kind of embarrassing that this is what people are associating Venice with at the moment.

Last week, the news trucks and paparazzi were fiending around outside the jewelry shop where the shoplifting supposedly went down, and a news lady hit our pal Christophe from The French Market out on his delivery scooter. He was fine, but the last thing our dear friends from The French needed was news of another motorcycle accident. All because people just NEEDED to know what the latest on Lohan was?! Disgusting.

We, the People, sorely need to get our priorities straight in this Country. The celebrity culture that begs this behavior is what makes us look like retarded jackasses to the rest of the world. Let's get a grip, shall we? Massively important stuff is going on every single day, that desperately needs our focus and attention, and we just click the remote until it settles on this kind of drivel, and shut out the issues that, if given our proper concern, could make this world, and the humankind populating it, into really something as glorious as it deserves to be.

Think about it. And send the message that we want to realize our potential. We can be so much better than this.

*Side note: I also cannot stand or fathom the awful, insensitive Groupon commercials. Who's dumb ideas were they? Blech.

K, rant over. For now.


**Photo courtesy of Suzanne Thompson (of an ass-kiss mural that did not need to happen).