Playa Vista Phase II Hearing
By Lydia
Poncé
The attendance of Playa
Vista opponents at the L.A. City Council meeting, Sept. 22, was sparse but there
was still strength in our determination. It also proves that many in opposition
of this monstrosity are working people.
You would think that finding
GabrielenoTongva’s ancestral remains buried at the proposed Phase 2
development would be enough to stop the crime of continued planning and building
but I’m sad to report, it wasn’t.
Councilmember Antonio Villaraigosa was
the only member to ask serious questions. Villaraigosa echoed Grass Roots Venice
Neighborhood Council President Suzanne Thompson’s question, “What is
the rush?”
Mr. V. wanted to know how
much of the development of Phase I had been completed. Upon not receiving valid
answers, he voted no. His temporary vote of consciousness bought us a one week
delay in final approval. The L.A. City Council had to reconvene the following
Wednesday and vote again. Tom Francis of the Ballona Wetlands Land Trust said,
“It’s a slam dunk, a done
deal.”
Village? How dare anyone
call this Phase I or Phase II a
village!
They found one of our people
– an apple, red on the outside, white on the inside – to oversee the
removal of the burial site. Shame on Soboroff, shame on the
apple!
Everyone who is in favor of this
project is assisting in selling out our children’s future relationship
with nature!
When an earthquake hits,
liquefaction will occur. I will be at Playa Vista with a shovel to help dig out
the remains of our neighbors. Will the L.A. City Council be
there?
Is it too late to stop this land
fill, methane-gas, experimental, expensive box living madness?
Whatever happened to sovereignty for
native people? Did we not learn from the mistakes made in the history of this
land? Genocide, cultural compromise and rape. Seperated families, opppression,
blatant racism, disease, starvation is the shameless legacy left by
‘settlers’ who believed nature was their playground without truth or
consequence. Modern day settlers have morphed into suit wearing corporate
pilgrims that have ironically named themselves ‘developers.’ Quite
an oxymoron, I would say.
Posted: Fri - October 1, 2004 at 03:03 PM