Keeping the Spirit of Venice Alive
By Stephen Longfellow
Fiske
Included in the legacy of former
Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski and her regime, is the permit/lottery system that
has been imposed upon the Westside of the Venice Beach Boardwalk. The Westside
of the Boardwalk, world famous as a free speech zone, and by law a
non-commercial zone, exemplary of the free spirit of Venice, has been thrust
into a legal, humanitarian, political and economic conundrum, the repercussions
of which go far beyond the shores of the Beach.
The artists, musicians, performers,
readers, non-profit organizations, political, humanitarian, and environmental
groups, and free speech advocates who are generally known as “Public
Expressionists” and who have helped make Venice Beach the one-of-a-kind,
world famous attraction that it is, are at the core of the issue. Add the Dept.
of Recreation and Parks, the City Councilperson’s office, the City
Attorneys, the LAPD, the merchants on the East side of the Boardwalk, the
residents and property owners, the Neighborhood Council, and any other
stakeholders who pop out of the woodwork, and you can begin to see the enormity
and complexity of the situation. As Venice property values continue to climb
through the roof, and Venice Beach continues to attract huge throngs spending
money, the advance of developers who would like to see the Boardwalk look like
the 3rd St. Promenade or South Beach, Miami, proceeds. The whole picture takes
an ominous turn as the corporatization of the Boardwalk looms, completely
distasteful, unimaginable, and unacceptable to anyone who loves the Spirit of
Venice Beach.
Standing in the face of
all of this are the Public Expressionists. They may well represent the last
stand of the free speech advocates, the spirit of Venice in the face of the
machine.
The Permit/lottery system was
installed to control commercial vending, and to create order among the Public
Expressionists. It has done neither. The problem is the Public Expressionists
don’t respond well to imposed control of any kind, especially if it is
enforced by the intimidating and often harassing presence of the LAPD, or by
monitors hired by the Dept. of Recreation and Parks who don’t have a clue
how to deal with the volatile mix of personalities on the Boardwalk. To some
people a lottery is against their religious beliefs, and to organizations and
associations, it is exclusive because permits are only granted to individuals,
for a $25 fee.
The concerns and
special needs of the Public Expressionists have historically been ignored,
misunderstood, and misaddressed by the city and its governing ordinances. Basic
constitutional freedoms, which have been violated, are at stake here. Divide
and conquer lives on.
The reality is
the Permit/lottery system is not working, is fraught with inequities and
injustices, is infected with collusion and corruption, and has allowed the
illegal spread of commercial vending, which downgrades the Boardwalk to the
level of a swap meet. Enforcement has been a failure. The permit/lottery system
continues to engender much friction and tension, including a recent ACLU lawsuit
against the city, as well as strenuous objections from the merchants and
business owners on the East side, about the unbridled spread of commercial
vending. In addition, complaints from residents about excessive amplified noise
and disturbances in the streets have not been addressed by this
system.
The ACLU lawsuit pushed the
City Attorneys to rescind certain sections of the ordinance, which violated the
First Amendment, among other legal considerations. The city was exposed as being
out of integrity with its own law, and that illegal irresponsibility has
permeated the atmosphere of the Boardwalk like bad weather ruining a parade.
Newly elected Councilperson Bill
Rosendahl, who inherited the situation, and who passed the rescinding motion
through the City Council, now is working to create a solution through a new
rewrite of the ordinance. In the meantime, the situation at the Beach continues
to deteriorate, until the new ordinance is passed and corresponding new rules
and regulations are written and successfully enforced.
Everyone feels that Bill and his staff
bring a fresh and sympathetic attitude, open to the input from the community, as
exemplified through the Town Hall Meetings which Bill himself is facilitating.
As of the writing of this article there have been two Town Hall Meetings with a
third scheduled in mid October. There have also been taskforce meetings with
community members.
There is a
“Proposal of Community Empowerment” written by this author with
input from numerous Public Expressionists, which has thus far been favorably
received by Bill and his staff, and by the Recreation and Parks people. There is
new hope that Bill and his staff, and the city attorneys, will give this
proposal and the input from the Town Hall Meetings immediate serious
consideration as the new ordinance is now being
formulated.
Any system imposed from the
outside by the city, which ignores the realities and nuances of the everyday
experience of the Public expressionists, will only continue to create big
problems, more lawsuits, and the ongoing degradation of the Boardwalk. The
solution must come from within the community of Public Expressionists who
experience these realities and nuances firsthand, empowered by the city and the
surrounding community. We must all work together to make it better. The unique
situation and environment of Venice Beach call for a unique and creative
solution, one that brings a win/win for
everyone.
In short, the proposal under
consideration features a team of trained Peacemakers (who come from the
community of Public Expressionists) who facilitate individual sections of the
Boardwalk; the pre-screening of all potential Westside vendors (currently anyone
can get a permit, no matter what you are selling); the elimination of all
commercial vending; the strict control of sound violations; the inclusion of
First Amendment organizations and associations; environmentally friendly
controls; a community based police policy; and the eventual phasing out of the
Permit/lottery system. The Peacemakers team relieves the LAPD from babysitting
the Boardwalk over every little incident when they have more important things to
do, and takes monitoring out of the hands of the Rec. and Parks people where it
really doesn’t belong.
The
self-empowerment system gives voice to the people. Most of all, it empowers the
community of Public Expressionists to take ownership over their own fate, to
unite in the pride of self-determination, and to preserve the true spirit of
Venice Beach.
We can create a
renaissance of art and public expression on Venice Beach that is uplifting and
beautiful, in an ongoing festive and creative atmosphere that uplevels the
public image of Venice, that enjoys continued thriving commerce, and that
continues the legacy of the most magical, amazing, socially diverse and socially
conscious jewel attraction of Southern California and the West Coast. With Bill
Rosendahl in office, we have reason to feel optimistic about the
future.
In a world where corporate
cronyism, religious extremism, human rights violations, imperialistic,
oppressive policies, environmental blinders, bureaucratic blunders and war
mongering persists, led by the criminal policies of our own government, let us
make a stand and set an example of how true freedom can work right here in our
own community.
The future of Venice
Beach is in our hands. Let us all work together to keep the spirit of Venice
alive!
Stephen Longfellow Fiske is a
musician, author, artist, and long time resident of Venice.
Posted: Sat
- October 1, 2005 at 11:19 AM