Lincoln Place Tent City Update
By C.V. Beck
We still "hang-in" at Tent City
(corner of Frederick and California, Wednesdays and Saturdays, weather
permitting)...on tenterhooks, in fact. We have been waiting for a fabulous,
positive conclusion to the mediations, originally scheduled to conclude this
past Friday. However, the mediations are not yet completed and will be going
forward some more in May.
Our councilperson, Bill Rosendahl and his
deputy, Mark Antonio Grant, stopped by April 22 to see us after being at a rally
at Oakwood Recreation Center, where there were " a lot of angry people" who were
upset at hate mail from an Oakwood resident about other Oakwood residents, which
was sent to Police Chief Bratton, LAPD.
Bill and Mark brought us some water
and shared peanuts with us and the "Alvins," our Tent City mascots. Bill said he
was "hopeful" and I hope he is right. The squirrels are fine, fat and happy,
greeting us enthusiastically, every day we are there. They have gotten used to
us and we, to them. (If only the different groups in Venice could do the
same...)
I ran into "Philly" (not his
real name) outside St. Joseph's Thrift Store and asked how he was doing. He told
me he'd been at Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center Marina Campus (the
new, unpronounceable name for the old Daniel Freeman Hospital) where they had
kept him in a room by the nurse's station for 4 days. "Philly" commented to me
about the poor quality of care and that he had then left there, apparently
against medical advice and returning to Brotman Hospital, where he felt care was
better. His leg has now cleared
up.
People continue to drop by, ask how
we are doing, sit for a few and have some munchies, sign petitions and take away
hand-outs. Some have said they "can't believe you are still
here!"...
We did not have a Vigil April
30 as we were at the Lincoln Place Spring Fling II, presented by Erin Grayson
and Dennis Wilson. A rough cut of Erin's documentary about Lincoln Place,
"Venice Lobotomy" was shown in the evening outside on one of the walls of the
buildings. Mark Antonio Grant had stopped by on his way to a Lakers game and was
given a token "Thank You" acknowledgement for Bill Rosendahl, signed by all the
residents of Lincoln Place for their appreciation of all his work on our behalf.
The Vigils will continue at 1:30 pm
this Sunday with a mystery guest. Why don't you stop by and see us?
Posted: Mon - May 1, 2006 at 06:41 PM