14,000 And Counting ... Milk Cartons For Missing Childhoods

The rain swept through last night and today broke bright and sunny ... just about 72 and Sunny, in fact. I went for my morning beach walk and there was a giant milk carton down in Windward Plaza, filled with 12,800 individual milk cartons representing the immigrant children in our shameful current government's custody. The sign explaining it all got messed up in the rain, I was told by a security guard, but he filled me in. This installation is brought to us by the marketing firm of 72 and Sunny and the public art organization Now Art L.A., to bring awareness to this absolute crisis, and get people involved by signing a petition at 14000andcounting.org. Please, please do.

There are over 14,000 children separated from their families as we speak, and the number is only growing. Christmas is fast approaching, and it's unfathomable to imagine that these innocent little kids will be on their own in some scary government facility, with many families not even knowing exactly where their kids are. Imagine!

I recently did some work on an upcoming documentary feature about deported families, and my assignment was to work out a ride-along with ICE agents. I had to do some Oscar worthy acting on the phone in order to make that happen, as I mainly just wanted to punch everyone in the face and wake them up to the trauma they're causing to families all over our country. Then you listen to them and realize that they really believe they are doing morally upright work, and they really are keeping America safer by ripping apart families and giving people the boot. It's such a sticky situation, because it would be great if everyone could escape tyranny the legit way and get all their paperwork in order and all of that, but when you're facing terrible situations and even death to your family for any number of reasons around the globe, and you know there's this place with a Statue of Liberty raising a lantern of welcome to refugees and immigrants from wherever they come, you probably just want to go for it, and I don't blame them. This country is entirely made up of immigrants, unless you're Native American. Some people seem to always forget that fact. And that IS what has the potential to make it great. Global ideas coming together to make a better whole ... wasn't that the idea?

There HAS to be a better solution that putting tiny children in internment camps (which they are) with no idea what is happening or where their parents are. It has to be terrifying, especially in another language. Please take a moment to reflect on this. Remember these throwback milk cartons in your face in the middle of the Venice Boardwalk (I love you, Venice) this weekend. It will be lit up at night right behind the big Venice Sign holiday lighting tomorrow night, as another reminder that these kids most likely will not be back with their families by Christmas (C'mon, Christmas miracles!). Sign the petition. Help. Remember your humanity while you're out having an awesome weekend. CARE.

Thank you to 72 and Sunny, NowArt LA, and 14000andcounting.org for this important message.

Say NO To The Abbot Kinney Hotel - Please Sign The Petition TODAY!

UPDATE!

In another shady Developer move, the hearing for this project was rescheduled in the 11th hour, and will now be held on SEPTEMBER 22! PLEASE keep the petition going until then, and I sure hope you're not there right now, all mad and disappointed. Mark the 22nd and continue to Fight The Power! Thank you.

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Man. I thought the proposed hotel for Abbot Kinney Boulevard stupid project had gone away (read about the original story in 2013 HERE), but it's rearing its head again, and there will be a meeting to oppose it tomorrow. Ugh.

It's hard for a lot of people to make it as it's during the day and there's that work thing, but if you can't attend, PLEASE PLEASE sign this petition TODAY to make your voice heard.

https://www.change.org/p/mike-bonin-stop-the-venice-place-hotel?recruiter=7562865&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_term=mob-xs-share_petition-reason_msg

PLEASE. The petition tells you all about how dumb and not well thought out the plan is, and how poorly it will affect the surrounding neighborhoods. The school across the street. The already way too narrow Electric Avenue. The traffic on Abbot Kinney already making it hard for bikers and skaters in a biker skater town. The even more douchebags it will bring to our streets. It's just dumb, greedy, gentrifying b.s. and no one that has any idea of how great Venice is/was before the selfishness came in could possibly be for this mess.

So please don't let it happen. Sign this TODAY or attend the meeting TOMORROW.

Thank you, Venice! Let's keep it real.

Ban The B.I.D. In Venice!

Seriously. Please stop what you're doing now and sign this petition. They're trying to put a "Business Improvement District" into Venice, which means more restrictions, more big money, and perhaps the final nail in the coffin for any vestige of our Bohemian style in Venice to remain. And we're not having it.

It just takes a second to sign, and then you can feel like you helped to do SOMETHING to fight this madness that is taking over our beloved Community. I hear an awful lot of complaining about it, so now here's your chance to take a little bit of power back. Please. Thank you. 

WE LOVE YOU, VENICE!